WINGS-2 FOR ORCHESTRA

Abstract

This symphonic poem, Wings-2 for Orchestra, is based on the well known Korean psychological novel, Wings by poet Sang Yi, a dark allegory of infidelity and self-deception, which probes the ambiguities of perception and language through an unreliable narrator who bears an uncanny resemblance to the author himself.

Unlike the plot of the story, the overall structure is based on the progression of the hero's inner mental conflicts. The composer's intention is to portray the mental transformations and the symbolic expressions of the hero in the novel through the use of moving blocks of harmony, transformations of contrasting themes and harmonies, scales and rhythmic figures, and specific orchestral tone colors. The piece consists of the five parts; Adagio con moto, Andantino con spirito(mm. 51), Allegro furioso(mm. 130), Andantino con spirito(mm. 173), and Allegro con anima(mm. 215), with various small structures.

The five-note set, C, C-sharp, D-sharp, E, and F-sharp, can be considered the basic pitch material of the work and it generates a number of extended and compound scales used in the piece. The work's harmonies are also derived from these same pitch materials. The scales used throughtout the work are recalled together in the last measure centering on pitch "G" in the tubular bells.

An early version of this work was composed in 2002 for the advanced orchestration class with Dr. Mark Wilson. The first version was read by the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Ruben Gimena conducting, and the piece was then revised and expanded after the "Maryland Day 2002" performance. The present form of the work won the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra competition in 2003.