Zhengyuan Peng: Moonlit Lake in Autumn

Dizi: Yujun Huang / Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra / Chih-Sheng Chen / National Recital Hall, Taipei, Taiwan 2012.12.12.

The composer did not want to be confined by traditional composition methods and instead strived to express his musical ideas by employing new performance techniques and special sound effects. In 1984, he won the first prize in the First National Instrumental Music Competition. Poets may consider this piece an expressive poem; artists may call it a charming painting. “Moonlit Lake in Autumn” describes several scenes from the book “Passing the Dongting” by Xiaoxiang Zhang.

This work is divided into three movements (scenes):

(1) A scene in which the colour of the water in Dongting Lake and the sky are inseparable, with a light breeze in the background.

(2) The ring of an ancient temple bell that lingers on and on.

(3) On a late autumn night with a starry sky, people are enjoying this dreamlike scenery.

The composer used a special G-key bass dizi to play the solo part, taking advantage of its distinct tone to simulate the bells of an ancient temple and to create a moody atmosphere.

(Translation: Calvin Chan / Edit: Patty Chan)