Soundscapes of the Four Seasons 四季音景

Premiere:

Cliff Leaman, alto saxophone; Scott Herring, marimba

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Commissioned:

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Commissioned by Rosewind Duo for 2012 World Saxophone Congress XVI

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Soundscapes of the Four Seasons (2012) was composed for the World Saxophone Congress XVI, held in St Andrews, Scotland, where it received its premiere on July 13, 2012. The work is dedicated to saxophonist Cliff Leaman and marimbist Scott Herring, whose collaboration and artistry served as an inspiration throughout the composition process.

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The piece draws its creative impetus from “Landscapes of the Four Seasons”, a celebrated painting by Shitao, a master painter of China’s Qing dynasty, whose work is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Much like Shitao’s brushwork—fluid, spontaneous, yet meticulously balanced—the music seeks to evoke shifting moods and atmospheres that reflect the essence of each season.

Through the interplay of saxophone and marimba, the composition paints an aural landscape that moves between delicacy and vitality, stillness and motion. The timbral contrast between the two instruments mirrors the tension and harmony found in nature’s cycles. Melodic lines unfold organically, like ink spreading across paper, while rhythmic gestures suggest the movement of wind, water, and light.

 

Ultimately, Soundscapes of the Four Seasons is both a tribute to Shitao’s artistic vision and a meditation on transformation—a musical reflection on how time, color, and sound can converge to express the perpetual renewal of life.