Enlisting sets a poem of the same title by Yang Jiong (650-c.695), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The poem is a visceral call-to-arms full of flashing imagery of wartime and tumult. I sought to create sonic parallels of these stark images in sound, fixating at times on the intensity of conflict and the tense stillness of its shadow.
'I wanted to get as close to the source as possible and let the poem stand on its own legs'
Then came arguably the most operatic of pieces in the form of American composer Nicholas Bentz’s interpretation of Yang Jiong’s 'Enlisting.' Written for two baritones and a bass, the piece’s thick orchestral and forward drive not only created a powerful visualization of the drive toward war, but featured exquisite vocal writing
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems
Chen Lin, conductor
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems
Yang Yang, conductor
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems
Lio Kuokman, conductor
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems
Lio Kuokman, conductor
Echoes of Ancient Tang Poems
Lin Daye, conductor