In the Mode of Shang: Full Orchestra Book

This is a rare opportunity to program a major work of intercultural modernism in its full orchestral form. Chou's compositional technique here is not merely decorative; it's a rigorous, intellectually coherent approach to modal transformation that will challenge your ensemble while remaining accessible to listeners unfamiliar with contemporary concert music.

In the Mode of Shang evokes contemplation and gradual transformation. The ancient shang mode, reanimated through Chou's Fan-diao technique, creates harmonic colors that feel both unfamiliar and oddly natural, as if encountering a musical landscape that has always existed beneath the surface of Western harmony. Melodic lines emerge, interweave, and dissolve into one another in a process of continuous gentle metamorphosis.

This work is designed for advanced university orchestras, conservatory ensembles, and professional orchestras committed to twentieth-century concert repertoire. Conductors seeking substantive contemporary works that honor non-Western traditions without exoticizing them will find this score essential.

• Study the spatial pitch distribution carefully during sectional rehearsals. Chou's orchestration depends on precise instrumental balances across the stage, so map out who carries the primary pitch centers at each moment.
• Allow time for players to internalize the modal language before focusing on ensemble synchronization. The tuning implications of Fan-diao will feel unfamiliar; give musicians permission to adjust their intonation based on harmonic context.
• Work with your percussion section early to establish the distinctive timbral language. Chou uses percussion not merely rhythmically but as primary carriers of pitch and color, central to the work's identity.
• Approach the interwoven melodic themes as conversations rather than hierarchies. No single line dominates; emphasize the counterpoint and intersections where themes engage with one another.

Position this work at the center of a concert dedicated to twentieth-century orchestration or as part of a festival exploring Asian-American composers. Its 1956 premiere in reduced form and 2023 full orchestration premiere create a natural pairing with other works by Chou or contemporaries engaged in similar cultural synthesis. The 44-page score suggests a substantial but not overwhelming concert duration.

• Performing in non-Western modal systems and adapting intonation to harmonic context
• Understanding spatial pitch distribution and its role in contemporary orchestral color
• Reading and executing complex rhythmic and melodic interweavings without a clear hierarchy
• Responding to conductor cues within a compositional texture that prioritizes transformation over repetition