Deciduous

Kent State Wind Ensemble
Deciduous
Composed by Viet Cuong
October 15, 2023

[@detart]

This is such a tremendous composition. it moves me every time I hear it.

[@alpinoalpini3849]

Much ado about nothing.

[@marilynharris4118]

NBA Revelli Composition Contest winner 2023. Yet another 4-chord "creation". {sigh} 😟

[@gabegarnier4688]

We’ve all heard of cuong, maybe there’s a reason we haven’t heard of you {sigh}

[@marilynharris4118]

@@gabegarnier4688 I'm not a band composer. Doesn't mean I can't hear when someone else's work is redundant, artless, derivative and lacking in integrity. Even mere audience members are permitted to listen to and have opinions.

[@ethancagle1707]

⁠@@marilynharris4118might I suggest taking a look at the program notes? Sure, people are entitled to their own opinions, but to brand it “redundant” and “artless” when, I am guessing, you do not know the story behind the composition? It just seems a bit unfair to the composers vision for the piece, which by the way, is very touching but sad. I am in no way trying to be rude, hopefully this comment does not come across that way, I am simply just trying to show that there’s actual context behind the piece that’s far deeper than just the black and white on the paper.

[@marilynharris4118]

@@ethancagle1707 The program notes: "For a long time after my father passed away, I felt like I had “lost my leaves.” In the ways that leaves harness light to create energy for trees and plants, I felt like I had so little left to harness creatively. Many days I feared those leaves would never grow back. After struggling for months to write, I finally found some healing while creating Deciduous. This involved revisiting chord progressions that brought me solace throughout my life and activating them in textures that I have enjoyed exploring in recent years. The piece cycles through these chord progressions, building to a moment where it’s stripped of everything and must find a way to renew itself. While I continue to struggle with this loss, I have come to understand that healing is not as much of a linear process as it is a cyclical journey, where, without fail, every leafless winter is followed by a spring." I'm sorry for the composer's loss and glad he finds comfort in endless chord repetition. Different strokes for different folks.

[@snail415]

@@marilynharris4118Even when they are short-sighted and ignorant. I don’t care how many notes you can stuff into a single measure. It’s the intention behind it.