The Lily-Colored Jasmine Flowers

The Lily-colored Jasmine Flowers for Soprano and Alto Sax was commissioned by saxophonists Clifford Leaman and Joseph Lallo to whom this work is dedicated. Composed together with another work of mine “Blue Orchid Flowers on the Flowing Water” for solo harp, both pieces were inspired by Chinese folk songs about the colorful flowers. In this work, I adapted one of the most popular Chinese folksongs named “Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower Song)” from the Southeast Jiangnan region dated back to the 18th century. The most famous adaptation can be found in Puccini’s opera “Turandot”. This folksong depicts the purity of love by highlighting the beauty of jasmine flowers. Adapting these simple but gorgeous folksongs reflects longings for my family in the motherland as the ongoing pandemic has prevented me to go home for a long time. Lily-color is often associated with femininity, compassion and love.

–Fang Man