Chen Yi is a remarkable composer who has achieved worldwide acclaim for her many compositions–compositions that seek to reconcile–or at least convincingly meld–the very different musical styles of East and West. Born in Guangzhou, China in 1953, she studied violin early on, practicing surreptitiously with a mute upon the advent of the Cultural Revolution. Ultimately, she had to give up music, owing to her impressment into forced agricultural labor in a variety of locations in China. After that unfortunate episode in China’s history, she was able to enter the Beijing Conservatory in 1977. Her career as a composer ensued with great success, culminating in a major, broadcast concert dedicated entirely to her compositions. She came to the United States in 1986 and studied composition at Columbia University with the distinguished composers, Chou Wen-chung and Mario Davidovsky. Thereafter, in 1996, she accepted a position at the Peabody Conservatory, and in 1998 joined the faculty of the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She is the recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, awards, and prizes, and enjoys performances of her compositions all over the world.
Shuo for string orchestra was commissioned by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and performed on their opening concert for the 1994 season. But its origin goes back to the first movement of her 1982 string quartet. It’s not long, consisting of a few short episodic sections that in various ways are variations on traditional Chinese melodies. Chen is a trained ethnomusicologist and deftly weaves her vast knowledge of the folk music of her native land into her compositions. It has never been easy to combine distinctly different musical styles into a successful blend—witness the rise and fall of “third-stream music” (jazz and classical fusion) from the last century. But Chen’s approach seems to work, in that it seems seamless and not just an admixture of cultures. Shuo, based firmly in Chinese traditional music, in many ways transcends origins, and even suggests an impression of Celtic melodies. That, of course is owed to the common use of pentatonic scales (the black keys on the piano) in both cultures. I suppose one could say that pentatonic scales are fungible currency worldwide. Following that train of thought, many would hear hints of Vaughan Williams in Shuo—perhaps his Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus or The Lark Ascending. But I digress.
Shuo begins softly with an extensive cadenza-like passage for solo viola over a sustained bass that soon yields to an “Allegro con spirito” dance for the ensemble. That soon yields to a quiet, throbbing “Andante,” featuring solo melodies in the ‘cellos followed by violins. Melodic material is passed around to all, followed by an “Allegretto.” This section, especially, demonstrates Chen’s mastery of non-imitative counterpoint. Her vigorous grounding in Western musical techniques in Chinese schools serves her well, here. A scintillating “Presto” in triple octaves for all leads to another cadenza-like passage for first violins. The last variation on folk materials grows into a flurry of rhythmic activity for the emphatic ending.
The interest in this well-crafted, sonorous, and intriguing composition is multifaceted—whether its tuneful pentatonic melodies, its artful blend of Chinese and Western harmonies and techniques, or the great variety of textures and sonorities that Chen elicits from a string orchestra. While a pleasant and ingratiating listening experience, it is moreover testimony of the composer’s reputation of success where many have failed: a true reconciliation of disparate musical traditions.
–Wm. E. Runyan
©2021 William E. Runyan