Broken Waves

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Year Composed

2018
Duration
7:30
Instrumentation
3.2.2.2/4.3.3.1/timp.3 perc/hp/str 

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Program Note

The original Mandarin for this work is 海泣, meaning “Crying Sea.” At the same time, its pronunciation is very close to the word ‘broken’ in Taiwanese, and I feel that there is a close interrelationship between breakage and grief.
Growing up in Taiwan, an island surrounded by ocean, I’ve always found the sea to be a subject of fascination and creative inspiration. Billions of pounds of trash and other pollutants enter the ocean every year. The ocean cannot speak for itself, and I wish to speak for the ocean through this music by sonically expressing how turmoil and anguish can afflict a delicate and precious ecosystem.

Play by Peabody Symphony Orchestra 2018