Christopher Adler clinic

I saw this man give two great clinics in one day. The compositions he was talking about in these two clinics are each in a totally different style. I thought I had walked into another advanced theory class after I had just got out from Dr. Holm-Hudson’s class. The music in the first clinic was “Pines Long Slept in Sunshine” which will have its world premiere this Sunday by the UK Percussion Ensemble.

I haven’t had a chance to browse Adler’s website before the 2pm clinic, so I thought that he was going to present two similar works but I was totally wrong. I just can’t believe that his musical range is so varied. This was my first time to see a “western” man playing a sheng, and I was really impressed. The music that he introduced to us was fantastic. The way he working with the Asian traditions and his western compositional techniques really was a great fit for each other. I can hear the Korean rhythmic material he was using in “Bear Woman Dances” and then gradually he added additional interesting things to it.

“Music for a Royal Palace for sheng (笙), marimba, viola, and percussion” is a really facinating piece. I really like the beginning sections where there is the “vocalize/chorale” part. He successfully combines those instruments and creates a nice atmosphere of a solemn Royal Palace. The Chinese rhythmic motive used in percussion section is so authentic that one would think that this piece is written by a Chinese composer. The rhythm and his arrangement of the instrument’s interaction bring the listener into an Asian Traditional world.