Shih-Yen Chen, clarinet

I. Rage,

II. rage against

III. the dying

IV. of the light

Program Note:

I was inspired to write this piece after reading through an anthology of the collected works of the poet Dylan Thomas. Arguably his most well known poem entitled, “Do not go gentle into that good night” has a refrain that is repeated throughout the work: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Each movement of the piece is based on a fragment of this refrain, and attempts to convey the austere yet raw emotion of Dylan’s text, while also exploring various clarinet extended techniques.