Works » By Title » S » Sequence of Later Heaven (14:00 / 1993)

The work is entirely based on musical instruments found in Pacific Rim cultures, including the Javanese gamelan gongs, the Philippine patangok, the khaen from South-East Asia, the Korean kayageum, the Chinese guzheng and tam-tam, Japanese meditation bells, bamboo brushes, the rosewood keyed marimba from Central America, the Peruvian bombo and box drum, and the Chilean rainstick. These sounds are mixed together to form chords whose complex resonances become more apparent when the sounds are stretched in time. The title refers to the arrangement of trigrams in the I Ching known as the Inner-World Arrangement, through which the primal arrangement based on opposites, the Sequence of Earlier Heaven, shines. In the later arrangement, the trigrams are shown in a temporal progression that follows the seasons and times of day. In the musical work, this progression takes place in 8 sections, each a hundred seconds in length and contrasting in character. The sequence opens with the Arousing, signifying spring and morning, energized by thunder and electrical energy, and is followed by the Gentle, which finds its image in wind and wood, symbolizing organic development. Midsummer, or high noon, is evoked by the trigram known as the Clinging, referring to the light toward which the ruler of society turns, as organic life gives way to human consciousness. This is followed by the Receptive, which refers to the earth and the season of harvest, and in turn leads to the Joyous, as the year produces fruition and happiness. An abrupt change focusses on the Creative, symbolizing heaven, where the stern judgement of a battle between the forces of light and darkness is being fought. Winter ensues with the trigram of the Abysmal, where everything seeks its lowest level and the fullest concentration. The sequence ends with the trigram Keeping Still, symbolized by the Mountain, where the seeds of the new year and the new day are born.