Matthew Lam．Composer

Duration: 7’ 

​Commissioned by soundSCAPE Festival

Online Premiere:

soundSCAPE Festival Participant Concert 2.

Performed by Lisa Cella.

​

Program notes:

Clear Mirror Still Water is the literal translation of a Chinese (or Japanese) saying 明鏡止水, which means to have a calm state of mind (as if the clear mirror and the still waters). The piece intends to depict NOT the state of clear mirror still water, but the meditating process to it. Thus, the piece features two opposing textures: one with an edgier style, featuring rather explosive extended techniques, such as tongue ram, tongue pizzicato and jet whistle which signifies eradicating distracting thoughts and attempting to reach the state of calmness; another with a more legato texture, with long flowing phrases signifying the overflow of distracting thoughts.