Beyond the Shadow of the Rain (Wallach, Joelle)

General Information

Navigation etc.

Beyond the Shadow of the Rain was composed in 2003 for the Jade String Trio, based on a traditional Chinese folksong from Shang Dong Province, Beautiful Yi Meng Mountain. On one level, the title refers to the song’s text: the beauty of the mountains obscured yet revealed by clouds in traditional Chinese brush painting. Beyond this literal reference the music embodies the clarity and serenity which can sometimes hide a shadow in the heart, in the mind or in the larger world.

Beyond the Shadow of the Rain was premiered on November 22, 2003 in Shanghai by the Ching Ching Ensemble, and on January 27, 2004 in New York by the Jade String Trio. Review:

“…the musical lines for the string trio, after the initial melody, are so flowing and so passionate, that it speaks in an almost universal language, rich, vivid and complex, but extremely articulate, clear, forward-flowing, and moving. The next passage had a poignancy and bite that one rarely hears, even from the pen of a Beethoven.

Her music captured the visual image and feel of the Chinese landscapes, but with such perfect part-writing capturing the best attributes of each of the players who commissioned her work: the violin’s gorgeous tone; the violist’s very solid but singing character; and, the cellist’s passionate darkness.”

— Mark Greenfest, New Music Connoisseur