Music for Sheng by Wang Zheng Ting

Music created by Wang Zheng Ting

Frog Calling

Wang Zheng Ting (sheng), Madeleine Flynn (piano), Tim Humphrey (trumpet, artificial frogs)

Future Forest

Wang Zheng Ting (sheng) and pre-recorded material (percussion, whistles)

Composer’s notes:

Frog Calling: Visiting Zhangjiajie National Park in China in 2009, I heard a baby frog singing. Following the sound, I found a person selling the artificial frogs. I bought one and felt I should write a piece in which I cound use the “pat”. The music is my respose to the beautiful nature of Zhangjiajie National Park.

Future Forest: Human beings are destroying the forests. As a result, many species have become extinct. As the environment changes, creatures will have to adapt, change or evolve to survive. Millions of years from now, will there be any forests? What kinds of animals will be there? I respond to these questions with musical sounds in three sections of this piece: Worry, Imagine, and Hope. The music is an improvisation in response to a set of pre-recorded sounds.

The sheng (Chinese mouth organ)

All sounds and images © 2010 by Wang Zheng Ting