Wen-Chung Chou

Eternal Pine

Originally commissioned by the Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea (CMEK) for gayageum player Yi Jiyoung, Eternal Pine (2008) is dedicated to Dr. Lee Hye-ku, who taught Chou about Korean music, in honor of the scholar's 100th birthday. The pine of the title is a symbol of longevity and the eternity of nature. The work is composed in seven parts, totaling twenty minutes: "Prelude - Exploring the modes", "Meditation on Eternity, Part I", "Ode to the Eternal Pine", "Meditation, Part II", "Lofty Peaks, Profound Gorges", "Water murmuring over the rocks", and finally a brief "Codetta: Echoes of the Ode". Composed using Western notation, the score includes a full English glossary of the symbols used to indicate various playing techniques. Originally composed for gayageum accompanied by a quartet of Korean instruments, Eternal Pine appears here in a version for a sizhu ensemble of six Chinese instruments: di, guan, sheng, pipa, zheng, and gu. This version, commissioned by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra, was premiered in 2012.