A Singing Comet
for Di-zi, Sheng, Erhu, Pipa, Zhongruan, and Yangqin
"A Singing Comet" is a continuation of my work with transcribing sounds recorded in space for various acoustic ensembles. This piece began as an experiment in transcription of the sound emitted by the Comet 67p and recorded by Rosetta’s Plasma Consortium. After a complete transcription, I began to make musical interventions in the material, adding my own textures and musical contexts for the sound of the comet to travel through. In this way, "A Singing Comet" serves as a representation both of the actual sound of the comet, and the metaphoric representation of its travel through space and its interaction with the Human Race.
Recorded on 3/15/15 by the Little Giant Ensemble during Rice University's Common Practice 21C: Classical, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Music Festival highlighting a variety of Chinese Instruments and contemporary compositions composed for Both Chinese and Western Classical ensembles.