Mirror of Sound

Programme notes

Mirror of Sound was commissioned by the Centre For The Arts specially for the Tan Ean Kiam 2009 Arts Awards ceremony. In this short piece, the composer invites three flautists to select three aerophones from different cultures. For the premiere, the performers chose a European C-flute and piccolo flute, two Karnātak venus as well as the Chinese Dadi and Xiaodi. The flautists project their sound into an instrument which may look like a western grand piano but is actually treated like a large resonating yan qin. In the first movement entitled A Mirror of Lightening Sound, a peaceful melody unfolds thrice. For the second movement entitled A Mirror of Lightning Sound, players switch instruments to reach the highest register for vivacious and brief avalanches of bouncing sound. Lightening describes the process of making something less heavy, less dark. Lightning describes soemthing that is very fast.

Mirrors are important. 

In a mirror, I can see myself even though my soul is not reflected. 

In a mirror, I can truly see myself not as others look at me.

In a mirror, I canot truly see the others.

Mirrors are important. 

Handwritten sketches and drafts

to be found on pages 41 and 55 of rthe ed cover, A4 size, 377 pages sketchbook and page 91 of the green cover logbook #3

Completion of the composition 

19-X-2009

Recording

link #1 audio of the premiere

Score follower

link #2

Review 

"The most hauntingly beautiful music was heard in Mirror of Sound, where flute players communed in front of a piano which had its metal strings struck and scraped. Their sonorities reflected across a piano’s sound board became almost identical. All men are brothers, Casteels opines" 

Chang Tou Liang, Singapore