This 15-minute work is cast as a single-movement musical narrative. It opens with a brief orchestral introduction that sets up the sound world that the journey takes place in. One by one, each soloist enters with their own powerful statements to determine who will be the dominant figure. However, as the orchestra begins to make its presence more strongly felt, the soloists evolve from being three individual players to one organic entity; or one super-cello composed of three players. This unity becomes the countering force to the string orchestra and is played out like a battle through to the very end.
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.
