The Story of the Dragon Gate

Program Notes

In Chinese mythology, there is a waterfall so immense it seems to pour forth from a hole in the heavens. Perched above the waterfall is an ancient entrance to the sky, held up by stone columns and arches the colour of mist. Fish swim upward against the water's fierce current toward this Dragon Gate; the few that succeed and pass through the gate are transformed into flying dragons.

I discovered this fable only recently while reading the work of American author Grace Lin, whose children's novel Where the Moon Meets the Mountain cleverly weaves traditional fairy tales into its main narrative. The striking imagery of this particular tale, along with its brevity, made it an ideal source of inspiration for this three-minute celebratory overture, whose surging, splashy textures and overflowing lyricism are an attempt to reflect the story's themes and visual splendour.

Performances

September 21-24, 2022 - Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Gimeno. Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto.

Reviews

"Kevin Lau grabbed the stage fearlessly for three minutes of enthusiastic melody that sounded a bit like a John Williams film-score, his heart on his sleeve employing the full range of orchestral colour." - Leslie Barcza, Barczablog

"The 100th season opens with a roar of the dragon, the world premiere of Chinese-Canadian composer Kevin Lau's The Story of the Dragon Gate: Celebration Prelude, commissioned by the TSO for this season opener. Inspired by Chinese mythology, this celebratory overture, though merely three minutes short, is full of orchestral colours, with splashy layers juxtaposed against melodic themes. It is reminiscent of Star Wars meets traditional Chinese music." - Denise Lai, La Scena Musicale