Viet Cuong, Re(new)al

It is traditional to ring in the New Year with a toast, accompanied hopefully by a sense of optimism. So we can start a new year of our Friday Performance Picks the same way. Viet Cuong begins his composition Re(new)al with a percussion ensemble clinking their tuned crystal glasses.

Born in 1990, Cuong has already established a significant presence among contemporary composers. He writes for a variety of instruments and ensembles, but he grew up in the band world and has a particular interest in creating new repertoire for percussion and winds.

Commissioned in 2017 by GE Renewable Energy and the Albany Symphony, Re(new)al deals with forms of renewable energy. Its three movements bear the titles: Hydro, Wind, and Solar.

Professor Carol interviewed Viet Cuong a few years ago in advance of a performance of Re(new)al by the Dallas Winds. That interview was edited down to about 7 minutes to give a concise overview of the piece with some helpful explanations concerning instrumentation and how he sought to evoke hydro, wind, and solar energy. So I think the edited version is perhaps more useful for purposes of this post. But you can view the full interview here if you wish.

We featured this piece in our course on Discovering Music for Grades 2-5. Among the many aspects that make it attractive to young audiences are the variety of percussion instruments and techniques, its novel sound palette, and choreography. It is, as the composer says, a work with a very optimistic outlook.