The Score Follower video for August is now up! entropy IV: Fallouts was written by Tjan Yi Xuan as part of CSS’ Young Composers Forum and was performed live at the Singapore Composers Festival this year.

“Friendships in life go through a series of ups and downs, and unfortunately in some instances, fall apart due to conflicts, ideological differences and much more. Such fallouts cause complex feelings and issues when a third party, still amicable with the estranged pair, is “caught in the crossfire” of the unfolding “cold war” between the pair. entropy IV was written as a musical response to personal experiences of such breakdowns, and my desire for ultimate peace between all parties.

The music is centred around two notes, C and G, corresponding to the open strings on the viola and cello, beginning with a serene, atmospheric sound world. Bit by bit, differences appear, first in timbre, then in pitch content, evolving into a blend of complex, dissonant harmonies and noise-sounds. At a certain point, the emotional weight of the “cold war” becomes so difficult to handle that the third party — now a mediator — starts getting weary, eventually giving up. The polychords develop into tone clusters, and “horror-reminiscent” chime sounds are introduced and gradually distorted, reaching a maximum point, where the electronics come to a halt.”

The Score Follower video series features new works by Singaporean composers every month. Click the link below to give it a listen and be sure to check out the playlist for more compositions. Subscribe to our Youtube channel if you’d like to be notified of new videos!