Chen, Yi: Fire

for 12 Players

Chen Yi's Fire for 12 players, commissioned by the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition, was premiered in 2019 by the Grossman Ensemble under the baton of James Baker at the University of Chicago. A short and energetic work, Fire is intended to conjure the image of the element in the listener’s imagination, not only physically, but also in terms of energy and emotional connotations. In spite of the perceived chaos of the musical texture, the line of each instrumental part can be clearly heard for the entirety of the work.