Nostalgia was originally intended as an encore piece for Ho's percussion concerto The Shaman. Now it is available as a stand-alone arrangement for solo piano. The evocative and lyrical lines of the original work for vibraphone also lends well to the sustained resonance of the piano. Ho expresses a sense of nostalgia throughout the work with simple melody lines and ebbing accompaniment. The work also has virtuosic flare with fast cascading lines and textural flourishes. Nostalgia is an excellent work for creating a beautiful and thoughtful point within recital programmes.
Nostalgia also exists in a version for solo vibraphone.
Vincent Ho is a Canadian who is widely recognised as one of the most exciting composers of his generation. He has made waves in the music world of North America despite being fairly early in his compositional career, receiving numerous prizes, accolades, and prominent commissions in a relatively short space of time. Ho’s music is rich and energetic - a unique integration of influences ranging from the visual arts, electroacoustic and natural soundscapes, traditional classical music forms, and the physical properties of the instruments and ensembles for which he writes. His music is sensual, sonorous and richly textured, and Ho gives considerable attention to the audience’s experience of his intricate sound-worlds.
