violin/viola (1 player) & piano
Duration: 7 min
Program Note:
In Souvenance, the viola and violin are set against each other, representing respectively the coexisting dark and light sides of remembrance. However as the piece progresses, the distinction between the two characteristics breaks down and in the recapitulation, the two instruments switch roles. At the very end, the high viola solo further blurs the separation between the two characters, hybridizing the two melodic ideas that distinguished the themes from each other. Similar to the concept captured in the yinyang symbol, there is ultimately a bit of darkness in light and a bit of light in darkness.
Souvenance was commissioned by Lambert Hsieh.