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BRIDGES (2006) 14'
Theodore Presser
Three versions:
clarinet; bass clarinet; erhu; pipa
clarinet; violin; piano
clarinet; violin; cello; piano; perc; dizi; erhu; pipa
Comm. and prem: 9/13/06; Fontana Chamber Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
Drawn from the folk music of China and America, organized around four actual bridges: Railroad Trestle Bridge in Galax, Virginia; Stone Bridge Over a Reflecting Pool in Suzhou, China; Golden Gate Bridge; Brooklyn Bridge
Railroad Trestle uses the motoric rhythm of a train and the sound of a fiddle and banjo playing country music. Stone Bridge is based on a traditional Chinese song called Moli Hua or Jasmine Flower. Golden Gate Bridge recalls the folk music of the 1960's and 70's in California, particularly a song by Joan Baez. Brooklyn Bridge brings together a second meaning of the word "bridge" in that it refers to the "B" or "bridge"section of a be-bop standard, Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm."