Sea of Blossoms
| Year Composed: | 2007 |
| Instrumentation: | 2.2(II=EH).2.2/4.2.2.1/timp+1 perc/hp/strings |
| Duration | 6 minutes |
Program Notes
The title, "Sea of Blossoms", was inspired by a haiku poem whose first line reads "Blossoms on the waves...". The music was, in turn, inspired by the dramatic and metaphorical imagery evoked by the title. I was drawn to the fusion of seemingly opposing elements -- land and water, animate and inanimate, vastness and delicacy -- and how these contrasts could be interpreted within a musical context. In this setting, individual elements, such as the presentation of a theme on a solo instrument, alternate with large, chorus-like sections in which the entire orchestra moves and breathes as a single entity, like the wind or the sea.
This piece represents a fusion of another kind: it mixes hints of the Chinese pentatonic scale with a triadic language reminiscent of the music of film composer Basil Poledouris, who passed away in 2006. "Sea of Blossoms" is dedicated to Basil Poledouris and the spirit of joyous elegy which pervaded his art.
Performances
- March 3, 2007 - Georgian Bay Symphony, conducted by John Barnum. OSCVI Auditorium, Owen Sound
- February 14, 2009 - Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kevin Lau. Hammerson Hall, Living Arts Centre, Mississauga
- January 29, 2011 - Sneak Peek Orchestra, conducted by Vincent Cheng. Markham Chinese Baptist Church, Markham
- October 7 & November 4 / 5 / 6 / 10 / 13 - Toronto Concert Orchestra, conducted by Kerry Stratton. Various (Milton, Welland, Barrie, Orillia, Markham, Toronto)
- March 22, 2015 - Niagara Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bradley Thachuk. Sean O'Sullivan Theatre, Brock University, Niagara.