Silk Road Fantasy for orchestra by alicehopingyee

Silk Road Fantasy is a 15’ orchestral composition inspired by the Silk Road Legacy in the exchange of culture through an ancient trade routes that connected the East and West. The theme of this work is to celebrate human spirit through this history of great exploration, a musical journey that incites stories about migration and amity.
Written in three movements “On A Nomadic Plain”, “The Trade”, and “The Great Crossing”, music travels through time and geographically from the dawn of the Nomadic Empires to the imaginary trade adventures connecting China with the Middle East and Europe, dramatizing human experiences and the exchange of languages and cultures. Written in a quasi concerto grosso format, the composition showcases the virtuosity of the Western orchestra in various soli and solo combination. Incorporating unconventional instrumental techniques with re-invented old folk tunes, music evokes the exotic sounds of ancient instruments as well as dance traditions from China, Arabia, and Europe.
As a Chinese Canadian composer living in Toronto, I wrote this work to embrace the spirit of multi-culturalism: combining art forms transcend cultural boundaries to celebrate the stories of our communities as a whole. This work is commissioned by Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra through a grant from the Ontario Arts Council for their 2019-20 concert series.
The recording is the premiere performance on Oct. 19, 2019, at First Ontario Concert Hall, Hamilton.
Alice Ping Yee Ho