This set of piano preludes was born from a collaboration series between the Piano and Composition Departments at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Three of these preludes, — Reflections, Resonances, and Silhouettes — were featured on “24 New Piano Preludes” concerts in 2023, 2024 and 2025 by pianists Jongjun Han, David Jiajun Lai, and Shiyuan Xiong. Clouds and Traces were premiered by Aaron Wonson on March 3rd, 2025. The pieces capture different observations and images, either of natural events and objects or nostalgic memories from the past.
Clouds: I find the sky on a sunny day to be one of nature’s most fascinating sights. Driven by strong winds, the clouds shift and transform continuously, and their movement varies with altitude and density. They remind me of majestic, floating cathedrals, drifting gracefully across the sky.
Resonances: Back home in my apartment, there is an old clock that I inherited from my great-grandmother. I noticed that the quality of its ringing is especially bright in the nighttime when it freely and suddenly starts from almost complete silence. This prelude is my reflection on that piercing, rich sound, and an attempt to depict this beautiful acoustic event and the emotions that it evokes.
Traces is inspired by the sound of dried leaves rustling as they are carried by the wind. I associate this with the Autumn, when nature gradually drifts into hibernation, creating an atmosphere of quiet, melancholic serenity.
Silhouettes: The contrast between the highest and lowest piano registers in this prelude mirrors the interplay of light and shadow cast by the stained-glass windows of Gothic cathedrals. In such spaces, I experience a profound sense of time slowing down, offering refuge from the stresses of daily life — a moment of peace and contemplation.
Reflections evokes an experience of being in an ice cave. Acoustically, the reverberation created by the icy walls echoes every minute sound. Visually, each ray of light is refracted by the wall and creates beautiful shadows. I tried to recreate this mysterious, surreal and fascinating feeling by clarity of harmonies and resonance of sostenuto pedal.
Duration: c. 18 minutes