背叛 Bèi Pàn (2006)     for flute/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, piano and percussion duo: marimba, woodblocks, bongos, congas, tamtam, vibraphone, crotales, crash cymbal and chinese cymbal NOTES:     背叛(bèi pàn) is the Mandarin Chinese word for "to betray" or "betrayal." The character 背(bèi) by itself means "back", so the implication of the word is to turn one's back on another.  The piece is a short reflection on this concept much like Christopher Rouse's Iscariot, the work which inspired me to write this piece.  I included references to "Nessun Dorma", the famous aria from Puccini's Turandot for personal reasons. Bèi Pàn is too short a work to represent an excessively involved emotional journey; it cannot sustain the peaks of intensity that it reaches and in the end is inconclusive.  Perhaps the work serves as a reminder that in certain situations time and distance can be our most valuable allies. Bèi Pàn was written for the Norfolk Contemporary Music Workshop and was premiered on June 29, 2006 in Norfolk, CT under the direction of Robert Van Sice. LISTEN:     complete work         featuring:                     Rachel Choe, flute/alto flute                     Pavel Vinnitsky, clarinet/bass clarinet                     Annaliesa Place, violin                     Keith Kirchoff, piano                     Eric Beach, percussion                     Mike Compitello, percussion                     Robert Van Sice, conductor back to compositions