S U N G J I H O N G
Black Arrow
2005, 6'33 - bcl & tape
Black Arrow was completed on the Greek island of Crete in early 2005. The piece is dedicated to Sarah K Watts.
In 2011, Black Arrow was awarded to the First prize at the In Nova Música Competition (Centre cultural La Llacuna, Principat d' Andorra). In 2011, it was released on Elektra Music in 2011 (Elektramusic Electroacoustic, Music Volume 03 CD)
Black Arrow was performed by Sarah K Watts, Harry Sparnaay, Ernesto Camilo Vega, Thomas Monod, Fernando Domínguez, Massimo Munari, Laurent Bruttin, Victor Pereira, Yuko Fukumae, Jason Noble, Luis Conde, and featured at the International Electroacoustic Music Festival Spring in Havana (Havana/Cuba, 2006), The International Computer Music Conference (New Orleans/US, 2006), Ensemble Linea Concert Series (Guebwiller/France,2007), The 8th International Festival of Electroacoustic Music of Santiago Ai-maako (Santiago/Chile, 2008), International Electroacoustic Music Festival of the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia (Rome/Italy, 2008), The 6th Sound and Music Computing Conference (Porto/Portugal, 2009), Archipel Festival (Geneva/Switzerland, 2009), ISCM World Music Days (Sydney/Australia, 2010), Elektramusic at TAPS Strasbourg: “White Card” Series (Strasbourg/France, 2010), The Encuentro Internacional de Clarinetes (Montevideo/Spain, 2010), Las Mujeres en la Música Contemporánea (Madrid/Spain, 2010), Encuentro de Arte Sonoro y nuevas musicas Tsonami (Buenos Aires/Argentina, 2010), Rarescale 10th Anniversary Concerto Gala (London/UK, 2013), BBC Radio 3-Hear and Now (London/UK, 2015), International Symposium Music and Sonic Arts (Karlsruhe/Germany, 2016), and Sound Agendas (Sheffield/UK, 2018).
Shine
2015, 8'04 - fl & tape
This work is the result of an ongoing collaboration with Carla Rees. She provided studio recordings of the flute solo part I composed. I made use of her recording as the main sound sources on the tape in order to create a unified sonic world between the electronic part and instrumental part.
SHINE for flute and electronics, written for flutist Carla Rees, was supported by New Music USA. It was completed in early 2015 and was first performed by Carla Rees on 15 April 2015 at The Forge in London. The piece is dedicated to Carla Rees.
SHINE was performed by Carla Rees, Eun Hae Oh, Laura Faoro, Mariangel Villalobos, Kelley Barnett, Aleyna Brown and featured at MAtera INtermedia Festival (Matera/Italy, 2021), the Open Space Festival (Nuremburg/Germany, 2016), Technology & Innovation Concert Series of De Montfort University (Leicester/UK, 2016), Spring New Music Festival of University of York (York/UK, 2016) and La Cote Flute Festival (Gland/Switzerland, 2016).
Exepnefsen
2021, 7'20 - oboe & tape
Performed by Jung Choi, Paul Voertman Concert Hall-University of North Texas in Denton (TX)/USA.
The inspiration for this piece is based on the scripture "With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last." (Mark 15:37). Exepnefsen is a Greek word meaning "he breathed his last." I began this piece contemplating the intensity of his bodily sufferings and the very moment of rending apart of his soul from his body.
Exepnefsen, written for oboe and electronics, explores sonic capabilities of the instrument as follows: quarter-tone fluctuations, double trills, double harmonics, slow glissandi, and rapid succession of multiphonics.
It was first performed by Aleksandra Panasik on 30 September 2021 at Kolonia Artystow in Gdansk, Poland during the Idealistic Festival. The piece is dedicated to Aleksandra Panasik.
Exepnefsen was performed by Aleksandra Panasik, Jung Choi, Minkyung Chun and featured at Daegu International Computer Music Festival (Daegu/Korea, 2022), The Center for Experimental Music & Intermedia (Denton/TX, 2022), and the Idealistic Festival (Gdansk/Poland, 2021).
Ekvallein
2021, 9'01 - bass clarinet & tape
EKVALLEIN, written for bass clarinet and electronics, explores sonic capabilities of the instrument as follows: tremolo with harmonic overtones, sweeping glissando throughout the upper partials of the instrument, and rapid succession of spectral multiphonics from low fundamentals.
EKVALLEIN for bass clarinet and electronics was first performed by Sarah K Watts on 31 July 2021 during The ClarinetFest 2021. The piece is dedicated to Sarah K Watts.
EKVALLEIN was performed by Sarah K Watts, Antonio Rosales, Jeong Won Yoon and featured at the 44th Foro Internacional de Música Nueva Manuel Enríquez (Morelia/Mexico, 2022), Daegu International Computer Music Festival (Daegu/Korea, 2021), Sound Junction of the University of Sheffield Sound Studios (Sheffield/UK, 2021), and ClarinetFest-International Clarinet Association (Virtual, 2021).
Transfiguration
2017 - ensemble with tape & solo alto flute
1st Movement - High Mountain
The inspiration for this piece is based on Icon of the Transfiguration (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) by Theophanes the Greek (1340 – c. 1410), a Byzantine Greek artist and one of the greatest icon painters of Muscovite Russia.
Transfiguration lasts about 15 minutes and it is scored for piccolo, oboe, clarinet/Bass clarinet, piano, violin, viola, cello and solo alto flute with electronics.
The concerto, in two movements, It was first performed by RCM ensemble, Michael Oliva (electronics) and Carla Rees (alto flute) under the direction of Matthew Hardy in Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall at the Royal College of Music in London on 20 January 2017. The piece is dedicated to Carla Rees.
2nd Movement - As the Sun and as the Light