Clouds for flute, clarinet, violin and cello (2016)

Instrumentation:

Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello

Duration: ca. 5’

About the piece:

Clouds describes the formation and different types of clouds one would see in the sky. Although it is not based off a narrative, I used different sections to represent the varying characteristics of clouds. The entire piece is constructed purely on an octatonic scale. I found the inspiration for this work while daydreaming and gazing at the sky, and finding that there are so many types of clouds that evoke very different imageries and sounds.

The piece has four main sections, marked by a change in tempo and mood. The piece starts with a depiction of water droplets forming a cloud - as more droplets appear, they fuse together and a larger cloud is formed. The pizzicatos in the strings represent the water droplets while the long, held notes depict the cloud. I then tried to depict three different kinds of clouds - first being the rain cloud, characterised by a fast tempo and the use of various effects such as hitting on the cello, tremolos and trills. The second is my depiction of thick and fluffy clouds - here in the music there is a constant movement that evokes the feeling of drifting clouds. Lastly, I described the high clouds that are thin and wispy, using air sounds in the flute and artificial harmonics in the strings to give an almost ethereal effect. The piece closes with the beginning of the first section, as if new clouds are formed again.

First performance: 

March 2016, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore

Performed by:

Ensemble Multilatérale

Subsequent performance:

October 2016, Hanoi, Vietnam
Performed as part of the 34th Asian Composers League (ACL) Conference & Festival and The 2nd Asia-Europe New Music Festival