Tango for Naoko

Item details

• Description +

  • Duration: 7 min.
    
    This Tango is inspired and dedicated to Naoko Takada.

• Instrumentation +

  • Marimba (5-octave)

• Watch+

  • Performed by Ching-Chi Che
    

• About the composer +

  • Taiwanese marimbist Chin Cheng Lin is recognized worldwide for possessing a talent of uncommon ability and as an exceptionally gifted artist, reflected in the numerous awards and effusive reviews he has received for both his live performances and recordings, as a result of Lin’s succession in marimba, he received a “ European Soloist Champion Award” in 2007, “Culture Outstanding Award” by the Taipei Representative Office in Belgium and Europe for promoting the Taiwanese arts and invited to perform for the Belgian Royal Family. Frequently praised for his musical and technical mastery, Mr. Lin is also lauded for his imaginative and illuminating interpretations of the marimba repertoire.

• Reviews +

  • Review (Percussive Notes, July 2016)
    
    Titles of pieces often have little to do with the content of the materials found in the work; then there are titles that perfectly describe what is expected in the musical experience. This piece does a great job in presenting the rhythmic and harmonic materials found in Argentine tangos.
    
    The piece opens with a cadenza-type passage in G minor, which presents chordal statements followed by scale patterns. The introduction is rather free and provides the opportunity for the soloist to present the scalar passages with a great deal of flexibility. Tango patterns are first introduced by the left hand in the lower register of the marimba, as the melodic material is performed with the right hand. This is followed by sextuplets in G major and E minor.
    
    The second section features two style changes, with the second being sustained chords that lead to a cadenza that features long chords with scales and arpeggios. The cadenza concludes with a return to the tango patterns, similar to the first section, but more complex rhythmic material with each register. The soloist is further challenged to perform quintuple patterns in the right hand, against four-note groupings in the left. The solo concludes with materials found in the earlier sections.
    
    The music is well presented, with themes and rhythms that are identified with tango and harmonic material that will be well received by audiences. I believe this could become a popular work that will receive many performances.
    
    —George Frock

• Credits +

  • Front Cover graphics and layout: Yi Lin
    Engraving: Chin Cheng Lin & Johan Svitzer
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

Related publications

Dance of Words

Stratocumulus

Tango Jalousie