Ten Thousand Years Goodbye
Malcolm Fox

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Ten Thousand Years Goodbye (1992)
soprano, clarinet, piano
music by Malcolm Fox
poems by Kusano Shimpei
 
Duration:
19 minutes
 
Performing Materials:
 
Commissioned:
Gillian Howard/Trio Triptyque, Lyon
 
World Premiere:
Trio Triptyque, Lyon 1993
 
Additional Notes:
First broadcast performance Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 1993
UK premiere by Alexandra Ensemble, 1994
 
Composer's Notes:
This work is in celebration of frogs - their magic, humour and vitality. It is a setting for soprano, clarinet and piano of three poems by Kusano Shimpei, one of the leading 20th century Japanese poets, translated by American poet Cid Corman. The first poem 'Ten Thousand Years Goodbye' describes a solitary frog atop a glass tower, gazing at the far side of the universe. The second 'Five Frogs' depicts five frogs - each with their own character - who are eaten by a garter snake. The third 'Beethoven: Spring Sonata (first impression)' is about millions of frogs arising in the blue silk moonlight. The first poem is preceded by an extended clarinet solo, and the three settings are linked by instrumental interludes, forming a continuous whole.