Publisher
Theodore Presser
Year of Composition
2006
Duration
14'
Instrumentation
Clarinet, violin, and piano
Categories
Chamber Music
Movements
I. Railroad Trestle Bridge, Galax, Virginia
II. Stone Bridge, Suzhou, China
III. The Golden Gate Bridge, California
IV. The Brooklyn Bridge, New York
Other Versions
Version for clarinet, bass clarinet, erhu, and pipa
Version for mixed octet
Version for orchestra
Program Note
Drawn from the folk music of China and America, organized around four actual bridges: Railroad Trestle Bridge in Galax, Virginia; Stone Bridge Over a Reflecting Pool in Suzhou, China; Golden Gate Bridge; Brooklyn Bridge
Railroad Trestle uses the motoric rhythm of a train and the sound of a fiddle and banjo playing country music. Stone Bridge is based on a traditional Chinese song called Moli Hua or Jasmine Flower. Golden Gate Bridge recalls the folk music of the 1960's and 70's in California, particularly a song by Joan Baez. Brooklyn Bridge brings together a second meaning of the word "bridge" in that it refers to the "B" or "bridge"section of a be-bop standard, Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm."
Audio/Video
Commercial Recordings
Peculiar Plants (Albany Records)
Commission & Premiere Info
Commissioned by Birds and Phoenix
Version for clarinet, bass clarinet, erhu, and pipa premiered by John Yeh, Teresa Reilly, Yang Wei and Wang Guowei at Fontana Chamber Arts in Kalamazoo, MI on August 13, 2006