Programme Notes

    Having been interested in Mahayana Buddhism for a number of years, I went to a Buddhist monastery in upstate New York to study meditation in 1999. One evening, while walking alone by the side of the lake, I caught the sight of a “V” shape floating and extending on the surface of the water. It was a beaver taking a swim under the moon. This image gave me insight into my relationship with silence: underneath the music is a profoundly deep silence upon which I seek to inscribe my signature through sound. It inspired me to compose a number of works.

    Lakescape IV was commissioned by Common Practice 21C, a three-day festival hosted by the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. It was premiered by the Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra on March 15th 2015, at the Asia Society in Houston, Texas.