“Tango with Mozart” for flute quartet was commissioned by the Lowell Chamber Orchestra during the recent pandemic. Below is the program note I wrote:
I have been admiring tango for a long time. One day I was surfing the internet to search tango and found one scene from the film, “Scent of a Woman”. I became in love with that scene, not knowing what that film is about. Throughout the process of composing my tango, this scene kept inspiring me. The main character said, “there is no mistake in tango, not like life”. The current world is in turmoil, but as creators we must continue creating. Who could imagine that this film would inspire one composer to write a tango almost thirty years after it was created? This is how things should be. Our current creations might inspire someone in decades to come!
La Giclée
The initial inspiration came from a small park near where I live where several water fountains cross each other and children play in and around them during the summer. The strings’ pizzicatos express “water splash” (giclée in French) – big and small, high and low.
My recent tendency for composing is to be with something inspirational throughout the creative process, which could be a piece of a symphony or a movie scene. This time, it was “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin. It did not necessarily influence me compositionally, but rather gave me strength and support. Though I have always enjoyed his music, it was a different experience – I understood something I had never thought. A small part of the middle section in La Giclée is an homage to Gershwin.