Serenade for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano
(2009)
The term “serenade” is normally associated with Classical music. How should a serenade in the 21st century sound? In an attempt to answer this interesting question, this work was composed. This Serenade is a nostalgic crossroad between traditional and contemporary music, between chamber and orchestral music, between serious and light music. This work is commissioned by the Hong Kong Composers' Guild for the Musicarama 2009 concert series. It is written for and dedicated to Laurel Ensemble.
This work consists of three movements with the middle movement as the center-piece: The first movement, in a rhapsodic nature, serves as an introduction to a more intense second movement. The swinging third movement is a release of the tension that was built in the second movement.
This sextet features various instrumental combinations and alternations of textures, sometimes chamber-like, sometimes orchestral-like. In terms of tonal design, the music moves in and out of modality, tonality and atonality throughout the piece. Stylistically, the music is a hybrid of various musical styles from the Baroque to the present, which offers a refreshing cross-cultural aural experience to the audience.