王曉嵐 Hsiao-Lan Wang

Video collaboration by Daniel Zajicek and Hsiao-Lan Wang
Actors: Chris Walczak, Mindy Chen

It has always been our desire to create a semi-narrative video work involving actors. Using this as the foundation, we decided on a story involving two actors, told through a series of sonic and visual scenes.

During our time at the University of North Texas, we both had the opportunity to work closely with Phil Winsor. In addition to his generosity, his teaching and video works have remained an inspiring force for both of us. Houston Duet commemorates that inspiration, and the open-minded spirit that Phil instilled in all of his students. This work has been created specifically to celebrate his contribution at UNT for the occasion of his retrospective concert in November 2011.

Premiere:
Centerpieces Concert Series, University of North Texas (Denton, Texas, 11/28/2011)

In Spacious Void, the many sounds made by critters and natural elements resonate in the vast space of an imaginary landscape . This composition is a tribute to great mountains such as the Rockies of North America and the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan.

Spacious Void is a sister work of Hsiao-Lan Wang’s composition Soar! for wind ensemble and computer music.

Premiere:
2011 Gebser Society Conference, Rice University (Houston, TX 10/14/2011)

co-created by Daniel Zajicek and Hsiao-Lan Wang
video by Daniel Zajicek
written for the Electric Monster Laptop Ensemble
premiered in the Reynolds Recital Hall at Montana State University (Bozeman, MT, 12/9/2010
by
Patrick McCann
Stephan Gueguen
John Johnson
Clayton DeSimone
Alex Montgomery
Joe Sweeney

Directed by Hsiao-Lan Wang

Technical requirements:
video projection
4 laptops, each with dedicated speakers
software QLab, Ableton Live, or other cue execution programs
spot lights for the 2 actors
open space on either side of the projection screen

Instrumentation: 3 fl (3rd double on picc), 2 ob, Eb cl, 3 Bb cl, bass cl, 2 bsn, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, 4 hn, 3 trpt, 2 trbn, 1 bass trbn, euph, tb, pno, timp, 3 perc, computer audio

Soar! is a musical composition written for wind ensemble and computer music. The total duration of the work is approximately 10 minutes. Flocking behavior of migratory birds serves as the most prominent influence on the imagery and local structure of the composition. The cyclical nature of the birds’ journey inspires palindromic designs in the temporal domain.

Aesthetically, Soar! portrays the fluid shapes of the flocks with numerous grains in the sounds. This effect is achieved by giving individual parts high degree of independence, especially in regards to rhythm. Technically, Soar! explores various interactions among instrumental lines in a wind ensemble, constructs overarching symmetrical structures, and integrates a large ensemble with computer music.

The conductor acts as the leader at several improvisational moments in Soar! The use of conductor-initiated musical events in the piece can be traced back through the historic lineage of aleatoric compositions since the middle of the twentieth century.

SoundCloud uses completely synthesized sounds that are divided into four categories ‐ clouds, dots, notes, and presence. Each category has a set of parameters that the player can control. It is conceived as an intuitive improvisational tool specifically for weaving a cloud of sounds, programmed in Max/MSP. This piece was written for the Electric Monster Laptop Ensemble for its 2010 Beijing tour.

Performances:

Electric Monster Pre China Tour Concert (Bozeman, MT, 04/22/2010)
Electric Monster Laptop Ensemble

Electric Monster China Tour (Beijing, China, 05/15-27/2010)
Electric Monster Laptop Ensemble

2011 UCM New Music Festival (Warrensberg, MO, 04/10/2011)
2011 Society of Composers, Inc. Region VI Conference
University of Central Missouri Laptop Ensemble

The idea behind the collaboration work between animation artist Benoit Granier and composer Hsiao-Lan Wang was to create a network composition. As network, one should not understand it as an internet based composition, but as a collaboration between people based in different locations, fields, artistic and ideological ideas, social, human and political backgrounds, to create a knowledge and ideas based network. For this piece, we have decided to investigate the possibilities that are offered by different types of noise.

Performances:

Sunday Night Multimedia Concert Series (Bozeman, MT, 10/19/2008)

Athena Festival (Murray, KY, 03/15/2009)

BYTES Concert Series (Romeoville, IL, 10/30/2009)

Beauty, Horror and Silence: The Electronic Arts and Music Festival (Miami, FL, 12/04/2009)

Das Paradies befindet sich am Ende der Welt (Coburg, Germany, 01/17/2010)
Choreographer and Dancer: Po-Sheng Yeh 葉博聖

2011 Women Composers Festival of Hartford (Hartford, CT, 03/04/2011)

Nouveau Park is a blind collaboration. I was given the task of adding music to the entire film, which was completed first by the video artist, without any communication. Instead of seeking one-to-one relation, I opt to create counterpoint between the images and music. Surprise is bound to take place.

The second collaboration between Hsiao-Lan Wang and Daniel Zajicek, Tango Mécanique explores the dance of conflict and compromise between visual and sonic elements. Rich symbolism residing in the images triggers memories and impressions, while the music boasts heightened rhythmic energy that makes you think twice about what you are really seeing on the screen.

Snapshots is a play between reality and virtual reality. While the two worlds seemingly have no connections at all, the relationship between the two emerges toward the end of the piece.

The creation of this video work began with a scenario for how the images should develop. After the initial images were rendered, the composition of music began, guiding the visual component to the next stage. This process continued back and forth till completion, making it a truly collaborative effort.

The title Hard-Boiled Wonderland is inspired by the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which describes two worlds that are very different, yet with lingering familiarity.

Daniel and Hsiao-Lan are still happily married after the collaboration.

Star Gazer explores the serene quality of the flute in an extended tonal style. The approach to this composition is an attempt to achieve pitch organization without applying traditional tonal system. The pitch B serves as the center of the material, which creates gravity to the movements. If listening without noticing these ‘background theories’, one can still enjoy this piece of music as it breathes through different phrases of timbres and articulations. The role of computer in this piece is to aid to the sounds of the flute without covering it.

Star Gazer was premiered by flutist Cecilia Hamilton on the 2003 Electric LaTex Electroacoustic Music Festival and has been invited to perform on the 2004 GAMMA UT Music Conference and 2004 Electronic Music Midwest Festival.

A golden leaf just left its branch beginning a journey alone. As the warm air brushes the surface of the cold placid water, the leaf winds its way past the many wonders of nature. A Golden Leaf Drifts Downstream draws associations between the peaceful sounds of the tingkliks and various natural settings.

A Golden Leaf Drifts Downstream was invited to the Electronic Music Midwest 2003 Festival and was performed by Hsiao-Lan Wang and Daniel Zajicek.

The shape of Taiwan, my homeland, is like a sweet potato except it is covered with greens. That was how the title “Green Sweet Potato” came to me. But I was not satisfied with it due to the wordiness. I decided to name this series of electroacoustic compositions as Green Potato even though the shape of Taiwan would have to fatten a little.

In Green Potato II, I immerse myself in the sounds and images of my childhood. Growing up in a small city on the Pacific Ocean, I enjoyed the roaring waves on the shore, adventures in the woods, marble ball games with childhood friends, tricycle rides, and most of all, the mysterious rituals held on holy days. These memories are merely memories today due to burgeoning industrialism – only the compelling waves remain the same, producing the most powerful music for me whenever I return.

Green Potato II was awarded the Pauline Oliveros Prize (2003), received its world premiere at the 33rd Bourges Festival ‘Work Overture Project’ in France (2003), and was selected for performance at the 2004 SEAMUS conference.

The shape of Taiwan, my homeland, is like a sweet potato except it is covered with greens. That was how the title “Green Sweet Potato” came to me. But I was not satisfied with it due to the wordiness. I decided to name this series of electroacoustic compositions as Green Potato even though the shape of Taiwan would have to fatten a little.

In Green Potato I, voice is the only sound source. Abrupt and sudden gestures, as well as stretched and sustained textures coexist through careful combination of these qualities.

Green Potato I has been programmed on Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival in 2002, and CEMI 40th Anniversary Concert Series in 2004.

Yangchin (Chinese dulcimer) has long been a major leading instrument in Chinese chamber music. Its rich timbre and dramatic performing tradition make it a true excitement to experience both aurally and visually. So far, very few pieces involving yangchin have been composed in contemporary style, even fewer electro-acoustically. It is a real challenge for me to compose in such a new medium for such an old instrument. As a yangchin player myself, I am able to compose for its extreme capabilities within a rational structural scheme.

In the yangchin part, idiomatic writing was applied to preserve the traditions developed in the past centuries. Also required, are new techniques that are uncommon in traditional writing, used to broaden the capacity of this beautiful instrument. In the tape part, most samples were collected from the instrument itself. After manipulation and editing, I managed to create different shapes and textures, which extend the sonic potential and add to the variety in this piece.

Refrain has been selected by Sonic Circuits (2001), featured on SEAMUS (2002) and Electronic Music Midwest (2002), and radio broadcasted by Dutch National Radio (2002).

Recorded sounds and synthesized sounds have been the two major sound sources of electroacoustic music compositions. While recorded sounds give association of everyday life, synthesized sounds fulfill the desire for unlimited imagination. Take a Walk with Me tries to apply both categories of sound sources by combining sounds of different nature in different contexts.

The journey goes through outdoor and indoor environments. Therefore, different spatial arrangements imply different points of listening focus. Fast changing images construct the outermost layer of the piece and give it a colorful skin. Theatrical elements play an essential role in the very detailed phrases, but it does not necessarily tell a story. It is the mosaic quality triggering the melding of both kinds of sound sources that turns this piece into a dream-like experience, a journey in an imaginary world.

Take a Walk with Me was awarded second prize in the Pierre Schaeffer Computer Music Competition in 2002 and was premiered on Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival in 2000.

The title of this piece, Vase, describes where most of the sound sources came from. While recording, the unique clear overtones of the fundamentals from the vase were discovered and thus inspired this composition.

Vase starts with the sound of water dripping and then pouring followed by a lyrical section. Knocking sounds enter and build up the tension. Rhythmic quality in the middle section is a result of edited improvisation. Original rhythms of the recording develop in various ways such as looping, layering, expanding, and imitating, with an idea of fugue in mind. The ending concludes entire composition with the reflection of the basic materials used in priory sections over an ostinato that provides a sense of completion.

Vase received its premiere on the first Kansas City Electronic Music Festival in 2000 and was featured in Logos Foundation in Ghent, Belgium in 2001.