Recollections of the Nile

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Description +
- Recollections of the Nile represents the composer's endeavor to push the expressive boundaries of the xylophone as a musical instrument. Inspired by a recent journey to Egypt, the composer sought to capture the strikingly dual character of this captivating nation, rich in history and culture.
  
  The piece opens with a spirited dialogue between the xylophone and the piano, depicting the bustling streets of Luxor—where travelers must navigate an endless procession of street vendors and horse-drawn carriages. As the piece gradually unfolds, the listener is transported to the majestic sight of the Abu Simbel Temple, rising from the waves of the Nile, embodying an eternal grandeur. As time flows, the vibrant hues of modern Egypt collide with the mystical enigmas of ancient Egypt, coalescing into a frenzied mirage—two forces striding in unison towards an unknown future.
  
  Calvin Chiu
Instrumentation +
- Xylophone and Piano
About the composer +
- Calvin Chiu is a percussionist and composer based in Hong Kong. His compositions have been performed on multiple continents, and featured in International Competitions such as the Marimbafest in Australia and the Excellence International Music Competition in Taiwan, to name a few. Notably, his solo marimba composition “RUST” was hailed by the Percussive Notes as a “powerful, dynamic and challenging work….it is powerful in the opportunity given to the performer to communicate drama and emotion through the music”. It was also featured recently in a Music Video project in collaboration with Edition Svitzer and world-renowned marimbist Fumito Nunoya.
  
  Calvin holds a BM from the University of Central Florida where he received numerous academic scholarships such as the Mark Pores Music Scholarship Award and the James and Robert Mackley Music Scholarship Award. He was the first prize winner of the 2016-17 UCF Concerto Competition,and the only person in the history of the University to have won UCF’s prestigious Performance Excellence Award twice consecutively. He obtained his MM from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the direction of percussion faculties John Tafoya, Kevin Bobo, Steve Houghton and Michael Spiro. He was the recipient of multiple academic and merit scholarships from JSoM, and has held the position as an Associate Instructor of the Percussion Department with full scholarship plus stipend.
Credits +
- Front Cover graphics and layout: Nicola Lee
  Photo: Austin S. Warren
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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