Chen, Yi: YangKo

for Solo Viola and 2 Percussionists

YangKo, an important form of mass folk-dance that originated in northern China, has recently become popular throughout the entire country. In YangKo, the performers not only dance, but they play rhythmic patterns on drums that hang around their waists throughout the performance. In my piece, YangKo, the percussionists invoke a warm scene of YangKo dancing in the distance. Over that background, the solo viola plays a sweet and gracious melodic line imitating the song of a beautiful girl. This piece was adapted from the second movement of my Chinese Folk Dance Suite for violin and orchestra. – Chen Yi