Sweeping and Weeping
Shuying Li, composer
https://www.shuyingli.com/.com/
Performed by Alarm Will Sound
http://alarmwillsound.com
Live at the 2021 Mizzou International Composers Festival, July 29, 2021
http://composersfestival.missouri.edu
Note from the composer:
"Sweeping and Weeping" was written in April 2020, when the pandemic hit and everything was canceled, postponed, or shut down. In an effort to find something positive, I initially thought of “sweeping” as a representation of the virus storm that took over our lives in the most unexpected ways. “Weeping” represents my reaction to the devastating loss that so many experienced. Like most of my pieces, "Sweeping and Weeping" began from these initial impressions, but the music itself navigated a way out with its own logic. The work explores rhythmic drive, lyrical tension, and release, with different timbres and colors. The music alternates between fast and slow passages that ultimately mingle into one.
Alarm Will Sound:
Alan Pierson, conductor and Artistic Director
Erin Lesser, flute
Christa Robinson, oboe
Bill Kalinkos, clarinet
Elisabeth Stimpert, clarinet
Michael Harley, bassoon
Laura Weiner, horn
Tim Leopold, trumpet
Michael Clayville, trombone
Matt Smallcomb, percussion
Chris Thompson, percussion
John Orfe, piano
Courtney Orlando, violin
Stefan Freund, cello
Miles Brown, bass
Daniel Neumann, audio engineering
Executive Director, Gavin Chuck
General Manager, Annie Toth
Production Manager, Jason Varvaro
Assistant Director of Artistic Planning, Peter Ferry
Librarian, Chihiro Shibayama
Special thanks to Kyle Lombard (violin), Ayane Kosaza (viola), Eli Lara (cello), Lawrence Faucett (percussion), Gina Cuffari (bassoon), and Amanda Collins (horn).