July 1st, 2003 鋼琴四手聯彈組曲 Suite for Piano Four Hands

Program length: 8 mins
Content: Suite for Piano Four Hands

[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/SuiteFourhand/fh1.mp3]
I. Allegro - Meno mosso - Allegro con moto

[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/SuiteFourhand/fh2.mp3]
II. Andante - Poco con moto

[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/SuiteFourhand/fh3.mp3]
III. Allegro - Andante - Tempo primo

composed by Li Cheong, 1999 - 2003

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Third movement premiered by Alfred WONG (piano primo), LI Cheong (piano secondo)
Macau APA, May 2001

Whole suite premiered by CHU Hang Chun (piano primo) and LI Cheong (piano secundo)
on 18 Feb 2003
Lee Hysan Concert Hall, CUHK
Composition Concert 2003

[Program Notes by Alfred WONG]
Similar to Dennis Wu’s Bagatelles, the writing of this piano suite spanned through various stages of composer’s adolescence, yet the suite was in a coherent style. It also displays the composer’s creative mind of writing music.The first movement was written around secondary six and seven. The modal writing and the characterized augmented fourth oscillations suggest an image of music from Middle East. After the free elaboration of the theme in meno mosso, the music suddenly drives to an exciting ending.In the second movement, the music begins with a Gregorian-chant like melody followed by a long polyphonic section. It came in composer’s mind for long when he studied medieval music history in first year of music study, though it is not realized on paper until now. The theme is derived from the 3rd movement, which theme is also modal. There is no meter in general, and some dotted barlines are used to indicate entrance points. Later the music comes to a 6/8-time. Composer said that perhaps he wants to imitate the style of medieval music, both sacred and secular. The Gregorian chant reappears at the end and leads to the third movement.The final movement was written in year one around 1999 to 2000. It is highly rhythmic with frequent meter changes, perhaps influenced by Bela Bartok. It was premiered in School of Music, Macau Conservatory in summer of 2001 by Alfred Wong and Li Cheong at the piano. The middle section of this movement of the current version the has been revised.

[樂曲介紹由黃學揚提供]
和胡銘堯的《小品曲》一樣，李昌的《四手聯彈組曲》的三個樂章是在不同階段寫成的，然而風格上依然和諧。這首作品顯示了作曲者豐富的創意。第一樂章是作曲者中六至中七的作品。以調式寫成的主題，和增四度的顫音，令音樂好像帶點中東的風味。中間稍慢的段落將主題自由發揮，音樂突然間轉入高潮結束。
第二樂章以歐洲中世紀的葛利果聖歌風格的旋律開始，緊接著多線條的段落。作曲者在一年級修讀中世紀音樂史時已萌生創作此曲的念頭，但到了今年才把它譜寫出來。主題是從第三樂章演變出來的，也是以調式作為探索的方向。樂曲沒有固定的拍子，在樂譜上亦只以虛線提示樂句的進入。在樂曲中段卻有一段6/8拍子的段落，也許作曲者想把中世紀宗教樂和世俗音樂的風格都混在一起。樂曲回到開首的葛利果聖歌作為終結，將音樂引領到第三樂章。
第三樂章是作曲者在本科生一年級時完成的。可能受到巴爾托克的風格影響，這首曲運用經常變化的節奏。這個樂章曾經在2001年由黃學揚和李昌一起在澳門演藝學院音樂學院演奏，但今次的版本的中間部份有所改動。

[補充資料]
這三個樂章都是我頗喜歡的，
是我較有「民族」風味的作品，至於是甚麼民族，我就不是很清楚了。