Deciduous by Viet Cuong (Official Reference Recording)

"Deciduous" for wind ensemble.
Composed by Viet Cuong.
Performed by the Texas Tech University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Dr. Sarah McKoin, Director.

For a long time after my father passed away, I felt like I had “lost my leaves.” In the ways that leaves harness light to create energy for trees and plants, I felt like I had so little left to harness creatively. Many days I feared those leaves would never grow back. After struggling for months to write, I finally found some healing while creating Deciduous. This involved revisiting chord progressions that brought me solace throughout my life and activating them in textures that I have enjoyed exploring in recent years. The piece cycles through these chord progressions, building to a moment where it’s stripped of everything and must find a way to renew itself. While I continue to struggle with this loss, I have come to understand that healing is not as much of a linear process as it is a cyclical journey, where, without fail, every leafless winter is followed by a spring. Deciduous was commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association and premiered by the 11-12 Florida All-State Band under the direction of Dr. Emily Threinen.

https://vietcuongmusic.com/deciduous