Sam Wu: Mass Transit (2022), for piano quintet

7/9/22: Studzinski Concert Hall, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME

Tianyu Liu, Russell Iceberg, violins
Aditi Prakash, viola
Claire Kim, cello
Stephen Joven-Lee, piano

i. network architecture [0:00]
ii. garden city [2:34]
iii. airport express [4:58]
iv. night skyline [7:31]
v. interchange station [10:30]

"Mass Transit" is inspired by Shanghai’s metro system— an elaborate network of lines, trains, tunnels / overpasses, and interchange stations. Each movement explores a facet of the subway network: the elegance of optimizing a system map, the variety of connections available in the city (gardens, airports, skyscrapers), and the complexities of multi-layered interchanges, where up to four lines converge. The piece as a whole is also envisioned as a musical “voyage;” the train stops briefly to take in the sights, before resuming its journey onward.

Presented on the Gamper Festival for Contemporary Music, as part of the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

#maine #newmusic #chambermusic #masstransit #train #shanghai #china #strings #piano