TIMOTHY ROY COMPOSER
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Behind the Back

2016
pipa and electronics
ca. 13'
Commissioned by The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra for Su Yun-Han
Available on Crossings: Contemporary Music for Chinese Instruments, Albany Records (pictured right)
List of Performances
Picture
Picture

The musical inspiration for this piece comes from my fascination with the murals of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. The artwork famously depicts musicians performing while dancing and flying though the air. One image – that of a woman playing pipa behind her back – is so iconic that many Chinese dancers train in order to recreate her graceful pose. Behind the Back alludes to the ceremonial atmosphere of the Mogao murals while imagining the sort of music provided by the acrobatic women depicted within – a music which incorporates passages suggestive of dance and aerial maneuvers. Also present are oblique references to Jimi Hendrix, a consummate virtuoso who was known to play guitar with the instrument slung behind his back. At all times, the virtuosity and lyricism of the pipa is the focal point.

Behind the Back was named a Finalist in the 2018 ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission Competition and awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2019 International Competition "Prix Destellos" (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Performances
  • SEAMUS National Conference — University of Oregon. March 2018. Hong Hong Hui, pipa
  • Electronic Music Midwest — Kansas City Kansas Community College. September 23, 2017. Hong Hong Hui, pipa
  • The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra — University of California, Santa Cruz. April 15, 2017. Chen Ying-Chun, pipa
  • The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra — The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University. April 9, 2017. Chen Ying-Chun, pipa
  • The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra — Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. April 7, 2017. Chen Ying-Chun, pipa
  • The Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra — National Theater & Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan. June 26, 2016. Su Yun-Han, pipa
 
BehindTheBack_SCORE.pdf
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