(2011)
KRAKEN
Orchestra Score
commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
First Performance: May 10th, 2012, Symphony Hall, Detroit Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Conductor: Leonard Slatkin
DUR. ~ ca. 14’
Score in C
Instrumentation
Piccolo
2 Flutes, 2 doubling alto flute
2 Oboes, 2 doubling a kazoo
English Horn
2 Clarinets in Bb
Bass Clarinet
2 bassoons
Contrabassoon
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani, doubling a kazoo
2 Percussion
Harp Strings
Kraken is the first installment of Du Yun’s three-part Mythology series
Mythology I: Kraken
Mythology II: Mantichora
Mythology III: Hundred Heads
Performing Notes
The piece is divided in three sections (chapters). After the first chapter, there is a short attaca; there is a little up short fermata between the second and the third chapter; but basically no break in between.
In second chapter, there are five “gestures” ( I, II, III, IV, V). Even though the time is kept in tact, performers should follow the conductor’s cue for giving the said gestures.
• Kazoo: It is to be sung, using the voice, through the kazoo
• In rehearsal A, the kazoo player is extremely rubato, (out of tempo), whereas the oboe 1 and the English Horn to be played in the background, a soft almost veiled sound, rubato in tempo.
Pitch is relatively unimportant, but the gesture is. As if playing the ‘oboe.”
• All the trills a semitone up, unless otherwise stated in the score
• Crescendos with an arrow at the end suggests an emphasized sudden dramatic increasing of the dynamic towards the end
Woodwinds, ctd.:
Overblown; to create the higher octave.
i.e. Flutes, m. 27.
From the designated single note turning into a random multiphonic; often noisy. It’s okay if the fundamental of such multiphonic cannot be achieved based on the turning note. The key point here is morphing from a single note into random, noisy multiphonics.
(i.e. Clarinets, m. 93)
Brass:
Clarinet: Lip bending, flowing the shape. Keep the notes, lip bending flowing the shape; changing from bending down to back the notes, sustain, then back bending again.
(i.e. mm 37-38)
Tongue Ram (Oboe, Bassoons): ramming the tongue against the reed (without blowing through the instrument) liberally to have the keys rattled.
Trumpets: shake extremely high pitch trill, while moving the valves; furiously fast
Percussion: all should be played l.v., unless a mu ing sign afterwards indicates otherwise
Harp:
• The opening solo (Rehearsal A to Rehearsal B) should be played very crisp and angular, almost as if to evoke the sound of a bigger finger harp (Kalimba).
pluck the string very hard to make a buzzing sound; make the strings rattle against each other
holding the pedal halfway between two positions
œ O œ M œ œ
Harp, ctd.:
quick, strong glide
• chords always to be played non-arpeggio
Strings:
There are four di erent kinds of vibratos, other than the normal vibrato:
wide vibrato: a very exaggerated, wide vibrato—sometimes within a third interval
quick vibrato: faster than the normal vibrato
rapid vibrato: is quick and wide—much faster than the wide vibrato, and wider than the quick vibrato
irregular vibrato: suggests to freely change the speed and width of a vibrato. A theatrical e ect.
Additional notes
Vibra gliss: do a continuous vibrato gliss
Scratch; bow with pressure, to make a rather screeching sound
Slashed note-head denotes to bow behind the bridge; vertical bowing (i.e. Violin II/Viola mm. 116-124)
Keep playing the figure while moving the relative figure up or down the position, according the line, as if a “figure gliss” (i.e. Violin I, mm. 39 - 40)
Violin I: when there are glisses in-between, pitches are only suggested. It should be a more glissed e ect. (i e. mm 107-mm.115)
œ œ œ œ œ œ
