Rashomon
Darlene Chepil Reid
Ensemble: Wind Ensemble
Duration: 21:00
Year of Composition: 2007
Publisher: Canadian Music Centre
Year of Publication: 2010
Publisher Catalog Number: MI 1800 R354ra
Available: Yes
How to Acquire: Publisher, Rental
Links:
Flutes 1,2 (2nd doubling piccolo)
Oboes 1,2
Bassoons 1,2
B♭ Clarinets 1,2,3
B♭ Bass Clarinet
E♭ Alto Saxes 1,2
B♭ Tenor Sax
E♭ Baritone Sax
B♭ Trumpets 1,2,3,4
F Horns 1,2,3,4
Trombones 1,2,3,4
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano
Timpani
Percussion (3 players)
In three movements.
Program Notes:
Content warning: sexual violence
The title, Rashomon, comes from the 1950 Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film depicts the story of a rape and murder. Four different participants--the raped woman, the murdered samurai (through a psychic), the criminal and a woodcutter--give their account of the rape and murder. All accounts seem feasible but all are very different. The film does not give more credibility to any of the differing perspectives, and poses the questions, "What is truth?" and "Can truth exist?" Similarly, each movement of Rashomon reflects a different perspective of the same musical event--in this case, a simple musical event that moves the music in a wave from a low point to a high point and returning to a low point. The underlying form, basic gestural content, pitch material and instrumentation remain the same in each movement. Although each movement is dark and aggressive, each of the three perspectives differs in tempi and character and provides important differences in the perception of the musical event that takes place. Each movement portrays a different style of introduction. "Rashomon I" could be regarded as an intrada announcing the important elements an a clearly stated skeleton of the form and its gestural content. "Rashomon II", a slow march, depicts the arrival of a strong force. "Rashomon III" uses the same gestural content in the style of a concert overture.
(Canadian Music Centre)
