Zhou Tian

• Born: 1981, Hangzhou, China

(c) Harley-Seeley

The Palace of Nine Perfections

• Composed: 2004
• Premiere: March 29, 2004, Field Concert Hall, Philadelphia, Benjamin Schwartz conducting the Curtis Symphony Orchestra
• Instrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, chimes, crotale, crash cymbals, glockenspiel, large bell, slapstick, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, triangle, harp, celeste, strings
• CSO notable performances: These are the first CSO performances of The Palace of Nine Perfections.
• Duration: approx. 9 minutes

The Palace of Nine Perfections was inspired by a painting under the same name by Yuan Jiang, believed to date from 1691. Though I learned about the painting growing up in China, it was not until 2003 when I first saw the real work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I was immediately moved by it—the sumptuous color on silk depicts a Daoist paradise, and yet, there is something mystical, dark, embedded underneath. Inspired, I wanted to create a musical reaction to Yuan’s vision, hoping we could see as well as hear The Palace of Nine Perfections. The work, consisting of three major parts, ranges from epic to extremely intimate. Through a lush orchestral palette, I sought to create a fusion of folky musical elements and fresh approaches to orchestration and timbre.

—Zhou Tian