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Program Notes
Concerto for Six
by: Tan Dun
A playful, dance-like piece, Concerto for Six evokes the joy of a village ritual. Traces of classical Chinese instrumental music are nonetheless evident in this one-movement work, which is constructed as a set of variations upon the number series 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. This numerical sequence governs the piece's metrical scheme and affects its rhythm and tempi as well. (In fact, the musicians' chanting of Qi-Liu-Wu-Si-San-Er-Yi" is Chinese for "Seven-Six-Five-Four-Three-Two-One.") Contrasting with this strict formal structure are cadenzas and sections of free improvisation for each of the six players, as one might expect in a concerto.
- Tan Dun
Concerto for Six was commissioned by Bang on a Can as part of the national series of works sponsored by Meet the Composer/Arts Endowment Commissioning Music/USA, with support from The Helen F. Whitaker Fund.