Written for Dame Evelyn Glennie as part of the "50 for 50" project to celebrate her 50th birthday, Sandman's Castle sees Ho draw a multitude of sounds from a single tam-tam, most notably by having the player use an array of objects to strike or rub against the instrument. Often, Sandman's Castle is spacious and gestural, allowing time for the rich resonance of the tam-tam to be savoured. Elsewhere, animal-like scratchings intensify to produce dense rolls that display the deep power of the instrument.
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.
