Krakatoa

Kah Chun Wong

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General Info

Year: 2012
Duration: c. 11:30
Difficulty: IV 1/2 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Tierolff Muziekcentrale

Cost: Score and Parts - €138.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion I-VI

(percussion detail desired)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The volcanic eruption of Mount Krakatoa, situated off the west coast of Java (Indonesia) in 1883, was one of the deadliest disasters of the 19th century. This tone poem is in three broad sections. It begins with an aleatoric prologue of woodwind solos evoking the memories of the lost, before the appearance of a more cheerful section representing the daily life of the coastal villagers. A reflective folk-like tune, with somber foreshadowing of small seismic activity in the background, serves as closure to the first part. A percussive passage begins the next section, creating the tension of increasingly intense eruptions before arriving at a huge fugal sections amidst the presence of a tsunami and pyroclastic surges, and ending with a final explosion that would have shattered the eardrums of survivors. The final part of the work is an elegy in memory of the cruel tragedy, before ending with an epilogue of a new active volcano replacing the former one, aptly named the “Child of Krakatoa”.

- Program Note by Jeff Girard, Midwest Sheet Music

Commercial Discography

Audio CD: Philharmonic Winds of Singapore (Leonard Tan, conductor) - 2011

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

New Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Wind Sinfonia (Raymond Baril, conductor) – 17 July 2015 - WASBE Conference, San Jose, Calif.
Philharmonic Winds (Singapore) – 26 June 2011

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Kah Chun Wong." Accessed 11 August 2015.
Wong, K. ([2014?]. Krakatoa [score]. Tierolff Muziekcentrale: Roosendaal, the Netherlands