Explain Yourself! 是 Poulenc Trio 在著名的 Barlow Endowment 支持下委约创作的新作。Viet Cuong 这部活力奔放的作品向 Poulenc 众多作品中欢快、机智的特质致敬。作品为三重奏与客席单簧管而作；英文原文称，Poulenc Trio 将于2020年巡演，并由作曲家 Cuong 担任特邀单簧管独奏。
这部作品必定能赢得观众喜爱。它与 Poulenc 于1926年创作的 Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano 相呼应，能量充沛、酣畅活泼，非常适合作为2019年的首演曲目。
复音的魔力
观众将听到一种前所未闻的声音：Explain Yourself 运用了数量惊人的双簧管复音，可能是调性室内乐作品中写得最多的一次。复音是一种特殊演奏技巧，双簧管演奏家 Alex Vvedensky 会同时奏出多个音，类似弦乐演奏中的“双音”效果。复音为整部作品奔放不羁的气质再添一层张力。
作曲家手记
“As a clarinetist and admirer of twentieth century French music, I’ve always loved the music of Francis Poulenc. I’m particularly drawn to the joyous, witty nature of many of his pieces, and, with this piece being for the Poulenc Trio (plus clarinet!), I wanted to pay homage to Poulenc and his sense of humor. As such, the piece actually begins with a direct quote of his chamber piano concert, Aubade. This quote serves a few purposes: it acts as a marker for when the first section “repeats” itself, and, perhaps more importantly, the main melody of the entire piece uses the same pitches as the opening of Aubade.
After the Poulenc quote, the piece jolts into a tango-like romp with a baroque flair. The instruments all play an equal role in this music and, all things considered, it’s pretty mild mannered. After a few minutes, the Aubade quote signifies a trip back to the beginning after the first climax concludes— much like a repeat in a classical symphony’s first movement. However, this repeat goes awry as the oboist begins to act out by replacing regular notes with raucous multiphonics. The other wind instruments begin to pick up on this mischievous behavior, and all three of them start to interrupt, mock, and distort the phrases. The pianist notices and isn’t pleased. Much like a frustrated parent or teacher, the pianist hammers out dense chords, essentially scolding the winds to get back on track.
Things nearly fall apart as the winds continue to misbehave. Eventually it all comes to a head when the pianist and oboist perform an imitative duet. In doing this, the oboist has a chance to explain himself and prove that, while these multiphonics can be funny, they can also be played melodically and provide structure to a phrase. Won over, the pianist joins in on the fun and the piece concludes in a place where functional classical harmonies and multiphonics can coexist.
This piece was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University for the Poulenc Trio.”
示例节目
Explain Yourself!
Viet Cuong 这部活力奔放的作品向 Poulenc 众多作品中欢快、机智的特质致敬。 作品为三重奏与客席单簧管而作；英文原文称，Poulenc Trio 将于2020年巡演，并由作曲家 Cuong 担任特邀单簧管独奏。
- Poulenc - Trio
- Poulenc - Sonata for oboe and piano
- Cuong - Explain Yourself
- 中场休息
- 古典部分：
- Saint-Säens - Sonata for bassoon and piano
- Beethoven - Trio, Op. 11
- 或
- 轻松曲目：
- Chau Paris Selection (Piazzolla, D’Rivera, Ellington, Gershwin)
