Viaje

Zhou Tian

2017

Soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano

Experiencing Spain for the first time inspired me to compose Viaje (Spanish for voyage), a 9-minute thrill ride. I was particularly drawn to the legend of Spanish hero El Cid and his two daughters, as they went through an innocent childhood, separation, distrust, and finally, reunion. I imagined the soprano saxophone as the voice of daughters, and the tenor saxophone as the voice of father. A musical dialogue between the two emerges in the middle of the piece, as if recalling a long-overdue conversation between father and daughters. It wasn’t until the piece was finished that I realized that I had unconsciously married my musical roots as a Chinese-American with my new found love of Spanish music.

This new scoring for soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone and piano was adapted from an earlier version of the work for flute, cello and piano, commissioned by Dolce Suono Ensemble.