Sweet, Savory, Spicy!! (2023)
Duration: 8 minutes
Instrumentation: clarinet (or alto saxophone) + piano
Commissioner: Cecilia Kang, with the support of New Music USA
Performance History
Cecilia Kang (cl) & Angela Park (pn)
7/6/2023, SpringHill Suites, Salon A, Westminster, CO
11/5/2023, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Wonki Lee (sax) & Er-Hsuan Li (pn)
at NASA (North American Saxophone Alliance) National Conference
3/15/2024, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Wonkak Kim (cl) & Eunhye Choi (pn)
10/12/2024, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Program Notes
“Sweet, Savory, Spicy!!” is an eight-minute piece for Bb clarinet (or alto saxophone) and piano, inspired by the Korean chili pepper paste called gochujang, which contains all the three flavors in the title. Cecilia Kang (who commissioned the work) and I initially imagined that this piece would address the dichotomy between han (sorrow and resentment) and heung (fun and excitement), the two primary emotions that Korean traditional musicians strive to express. Further contemplation on this subject made it clear that I should use a lighthearted metaphor more relevant to contemporary Korean culture, which is how I arrived at gochujang. This piece continuously and capriciously changes mood, representing seemingly contrasting emotions -- and flavors! -- that are often inseparable.
Instrumentation: clarinet (or alto saxophone) + piano
Commissioner: Cecilia Kang, with the support of New Music USA
Performance History
Cecilia Kang (cl) & Angela Park (pn)
7/6/2023, SpringHill Suites, Salon A, Westminster, CO
11/5/2023, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Wonki Lee (sax) & Er-Hsuan Li (pn)
at NASA (North American Saxophone Alliance) National Conference
3/15/2024, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Wonkak Kim (cl) & Eunhye Choi (pn)
10/12/2024, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Program Notes
“Sweet, Savory, Spicy!!” is an eight-minute piece for Bb clarinet (or alto saxophone) and piano, inspired by the Korean chili pepper paste called gochujang, which contains all the three flavors in the title. Cecilia Kang (who commissioned the work) and I initially imagined that this piece would address the dichotomy between han (sorrow and resentment) and heung (fun and excitement), the two primary emotions that Korean traditional musicians strive to express. Further contemplation on this subject made it clear that I should use a lighthearted metaphor more relevant to contemporary Korean culture, which is how I arrived at gochujang. This piece continuously and capriciously changes mood, representing seemingly contrasting emotions -- and flavors! -- that are often inseparable.