Souvenir d'un dragon de soie, for Sheng and Ensemble

©2019 by Peter Swinnen Live performance by Ensemble Télémaque, Yifei Hua, cond. Raoul Lay “Souvenir d’un dragon de soie”, French for “Memories of a silk dragon”, is a personal reflection on several travels I was able to make into China and Vietnam, and the rich musical and philosophical cultures of many East Asian people I was able to meet during the festivals I visited. On the one hand there is the 21st Century complexity of the big cities where millions of people live together in an overwhelming flow of never-ending activity. But there is also the deep connection with nature and philosophical introspection, often in unexpected oases, carefully cherished and deeply touching. In order to express this strong duality, “Souvenir d’un dragon de soie” is built on the contrast between musical ingredients coming from both European and Asian traditions. Obviously, there is the use of a Sheng together with a traditional European contemporary music ensemble of 8 instruments. The ensemble elaborates on late 20th Century French spectral techniques, applied on a South-East Asian B’led like repetitive texture. The Sheng is used in a typical Western recitativo accompagnato like style, on which the player ornaments freely following ancient Chinese traditions. The result is a continuously shifting balance between Asian and Western textures and techniques, always blending in a dialogue of varying proportions, creating the ever-changing microtonal diversity that fascinates me since I first discovered Asian music. Happy listening! This video is about Souvenir d'un dragon de soie