Edge of the Sky
| Year Composed: | 2010 |
| Instrumentation: | cl, vln, pno |
| Duration | 9 minutes |
Audio Excerpts (MP3)
Program Notes
The title refers to the name of a popular resort located at the southernmost tip of the Hainan Province in China - Tianya Haijiao, meaning the place on the horizon where sea and sky converge. This cape features prominently in Chinese literature. One such poem tells of an eloping couple whom, after being pursued by their disapproving families, leap into the sea together and are transformed into the two massive stones which now mark the landscape. On one stone is carved with the words Tianya (edge of the sky); on the other, Haijiao (corner of the sea.) The stones are now viewed as symbols of eternal and faithful love.
Edge of the Sky (2010) is essentially a romantic duet between the clarinet and violin, with the piano acting as the mysterious 'absolute' which surrounds and permeates both entities. At first, both violin and clarinet - like the sea and sky - are expressed as independent from one another. Gradually, as the piece gathers momentum, the instrumental lines mingle and intertwine, climbing further and further into a single point of ecstasy.
Performances
- November 25, 2010 - Peter Stoll, clarinet; Conrad Chow, violin; Adam Zukiewicz, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto
- January 28, 2011 - Trio sTREga: Katarzyna Marczak, clarinet; Ewa Sas, violin; Erika Crino, piano. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto
- May 28, 2011 - Trio sTREga: Katarzyna Marczak, clarinet; Ewa Sas, violin; Erika Crino, piano. Gallery 345, Toronto
- October 30, 2011 - Sharon Lee, violin; Peter Stoll, clarinet; Victor Cheng, piano. Heliconian Hall, Toronto
- May 17, 2014 - Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (chamber ensemble). Centenary United Church, Hamilton.
Commisions and Awards
- commissioned by Trio sTREga, 2010.