By Wilbur Lin
In AAPI Heritage Month, I would like to share with you some of my favorite hidden gems of symphonic & operatic compositions of AAPI heritage. Many might know of leading Asian contemporary composers the likes of Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu or Korean living composer Unsuk Chin. (My favorite works by them are Say Sea, Take Me and Akrostichon-Wortspiel, respectively.) A couple of major works from the past century like the Butterfly Lovers Concerto might also pop into mind. But here are a couple of my favorites that still await the exploration of many, whether because they are more recent in origin or less programmed. I do assure you, these are all very pleasing to listen to, regardless of the musical language used!
Chinese-American composer Zhou Long’s Madame White Snake is a Pulitzer Prize winning opera that utilizes Western classical singing technique but notably inspired by the traditions of Peking opera. A Pulitzer opera is hardly a hidden gem, but it has yet to be recorded — if you see one coming up (none is scheduled as of now, after Opéra Comique produced it last season) do not miss it!
“If Prokofiev can compose a Western Classical Symphony, you can call this my Russian Romantic Concerto.”
Tyzen Hsiao on his Violin Concerto
Filipino composer Lucrecia Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra is a masterpiece showcasing a variety of traditional instruments and styles. She uniquely, in an almost Bartokian fashion, blended the different layers of musical influences into a large-scale concertante symphonic work. Eastman-educated, Kasilag’s works are still rarely heard outside of the Philippines, but fortunately, many have been recorded.
Taiwanese-American composer Tyzen Hsiao was a composer uniquely retrospective in his approach. Unabashedly post-romantic, he once famously exclaimed, “If Prokofiev can compose a Western Classical Symphony, you can call this my Russian Romantic Concerto,” referring to his Violin Concerto. His Cello Concerto and Piano Concerto are both worth exploring as well. Although, for those who would like to hear something with a more modern language, might I suggest another Taiwanese-American composer Gordon Chin, whose Double Concerto is superbly played and recorded by Cho-Liang Lin, Felix Fan, and the Kansas City Symphony.
And finally, while I am still doing my best to explore music from the Pacific Islands, and also hardly a hidden composer, the recently Pulitzer-nominated Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti is my recent obsession. You may perhaps start with her “Enfolding,” a movement from her With Eyes the Color of Time, and also the title of the album!
