The Transformation of Hyacinth

Program Notes

Hyacinth was a Spartan hero and lover of the sun god, Apollo. In Greek mythology, he came to a tragic end when a discus thrown by Apollo was redirected by the jealous Zephyrus, god of the West Wind, and struck Hyacinth’s head. Apollo was so bereft at his loss that he sought to become mortal to join Hyacinth in death. Unable to cede his immortality, Apollo created a flower out of Hyacinth’s blood, the hyacinth that we know of today. Later mythologists concluded that Apollo was eventually able to resurrect and deify Hyacinth, bringing him to Mount Olympus.

The Transformation of Hyacinth is an emotional response to this journey from the stagnation of death to a newly achieved immortality, taking numerous detours on its way. This piece was commissioned by Duo DoSi and is dedicated to my very good friends Maitreyi Muralidharan and Tong Wang.