The Locked Enigma - for percussion (2022) - 12'
Yu-Chen Hsiao, percussion
This composition is based on the story of Bluebeard’s latest wife, who fearlessly explores the secrets behind each door and eventually reaches her imminent fate. In the various versions of Bluebeard’s tale, the female protagonist carries different names. The male character, on the other hand, always centers on one name—Bluebeard, an unscrupulous, wealthy, murderous man who smothers women’s individual personalities and turns them into lifeless objects. The uncertainty surrounding the wife’s name reflects the myriad of neglected heroines in both fiction and real life. They are daring, curious, tenacious, and hence, oppressed and punished for it.

​The composition invites the audience to follow the wife’s footstep into the realms of mystery, excitement, fear, fantasy, curiosity, desire, courage, despair, and pain. Each movement features different themes: the first movement examines a dangerous emotion that leads to numerous tragic outcomes, the second movement explores Bluebeard’s tremendous wealth and social status; the third movement investigates the pain of the nameless wives; the fourth movement delves into a glorious garden that is filled with life and prosperity; the final movement confronts the final stop of a person’s journey and the obstinate resistance to a sudden demise.
The Sweep of Downy Flakes - for bass flute (2021) - 4'30''
The Sweep of Downy Flakes is inspired by Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. The piece was composed during the first snow of the 2020 winter, when every snowflake was exquisitely shaped and glittered with translucent whiteness. That night, the ambient sounds were consumed by the flakes, sparking omnipresent serenity and purity. The tone quality of the bass flute genuinely captures the essence of such atmosphere. The constant downward motives portray the breeze sweeping the snow, and the airy quality of the instrument creates an elegant, harmonious and light ambience where the snowflakes drift freely.
Reflection on Buried Fragments - for classical guitar (2020) - 7'30''
Nine Pieces for Piano (2020) - 15'

​Mvt. I - Cracks on the Afternoon Canvas - 00'00​''
Mvt. II - When Raindrops Shatter - 01'55​''
Mvt. III - Greenery's Interruption - 03'15​''
Mvt. IV - A Dusty Haiku - 07'04​''
Mvt. V - The Gravity of Anonymity - 07'24​''
Mvt. VI - A Nocturne Sketched by the Air - 08'14​''
Mvt. VII - Beyond Greenery - 09'29​''
Mvt. VIII - Subversion of Gravity - 11'42​''
Mvt. IX - Breakage on the Canvas of Dawn - 12'06​''

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In this collection of Nine Pieces for Piano, the length of each piece varies from ten seconds to five minutes. The titles of each piece reference certain landscapes, musical or poetry genres that I came in contact with during this pandemic. This collection of piano pieces is like a personal journal, in which I kept track of my art, music, and literature experience during 2020. The nine movements have different styles but are connected with each other by pitch or intervallic relationship.

When I finished engraving the first movement on my laptop, I zoomed out the screen to check the spacing of my score. And that was when I came up with the title Cracks on the Afternoon Canvas. The sudden interruption of the fast notes is like a painting of serenity being teared up violently. When Raindrops Shatter is a toccata-like movement, which requires the pianist to adopt a certain touch to achieve the short and piercing sonority. Greenery’s Interruption creates a blurry landscape, which is constantly interrupted by rests and small musical gestures. A Dusty Haiku was inspired by the Japanese poetry genre: three short musical phrases conclude this movement. In The Gravity of Anonymity, the constant downward musical gestures and acceleration remind me of gravity. The title was inspired by Robert Cording’s poem under the same name. A Nocturne Sketched by the Air expresses a gentle flow of sounds, floating with the midnight breeze. Beyond Greenery responds to the previous movement Greenery’s Interruption. By alternating a blurry sonority and dry, articulated  fragments, the music stirs the imagination beyond the landscape. Subversion of Gravity is a response to The Gravity of Anonymity. In only ten seconds, the music struggles to climb up and fight from being pulled down by gravity. Breakage on the Canvas of Dawn is the last movement from the collection. The music starts from introducing chords in extremely low register, creating a mysterious atmosphere. The small fragments gradually expand to long, cadenza-like passage, which travels through different registers on keyboard. Afterwards, the music gradually dies down and ends with broken phrases.

© YI-NING LO 2022