kenopsiac

String Quartet

Andrew Hsu

About

kenopsia: n. the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet—a school hallway in the evening, an unlit office on a weekend, vacant fairgrounds—an emotional afterimage that makes it seem not just empty but hyper-empty, with a total population in the negative, who are so conspicuously absent they glow like neon signs. (John Koenig, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, used with special permission from the author) Loneliness is a fundamental human emotion, common to all—after all, our individual selves are separated by physical space. Outside of our societal norm are the inevitable pockets of isolation dispersed between the episodes of social contact: when we wonder the meaning of our existence, or if we are alone in this universe, or whether we will wake up the next morning. Without this crucial proof of the existence of thought and self-consciousness, how do we even know ourselves? A kenopsiac, then, is one who sees oneself in the darkness, glowing to fill in the empty space. Humanism and brotherhood are mere illusions, as Dostoevsky notes, and when that illusion fades, we are left with this glowing image of ourselves—a reflection of ourselves without artifice, uncovered, grotesque. Like a lighthouse strobing in the fog, it is this glowing image that we as individuals and artists must express in our work in order to be true to our sensibilities and consciousness.

Performance

Andrew Hsu kenopsiac
  Duration
12:00
  Commissioning Year
2018
  Premiere
April 27, 2018
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA
  Recording
April 27, 2018
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA

Artists

  • Andrew Hsu Composition

    Andrew Hsu (徐鴻) is a critically-acclaimed pianist, composer, and music teacher based in New York City.
    The range and versatility of his musical pursuits range from the classical canon to modern masterworks and contemporary experimentalism. His music probes the imagination, searching for a distinct sense of color and timelessness within a delicate sonic palette.

    Notable performances include orchestral appearances with the Battle Creek, Castro Valley, Lansing, Louisville, and Oakland Symphony Orchestras, as well as concerts in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center. Hsu’s compositions have garnered international acclaim from performances in leading concert halls in Europe and the USA, including Carnegie Hall and Konzerthaus Berlin. He has been presented by the Aspen Music Festival, Caramoor, Chamber Music Northwest, Conservatoire américain de Fontainebleau, Gilmore Piano Festival, King’s Lynn Festival, Marlboro Music, Ravinia, and Tanglewood, among others. Hsu’s list of honors include a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP Morton Gould Award, Aspen’s Hermitage Prize, BMI’s William Schuman Prize, and Gilmore Piano Festival’s Young Artist Award.

    A native of California, Hsu’s foremost musical influences were pianists Gary Graffman and Meng-Chieh Liu, and composers David Ludwig and Matthias Pintscher, as well as Ford Lallerstedt. He is a graduate of Curtis and Juilliard, where he completed his doctorate. As a student, he held the Kovner, Rising Star Annual, and C. V. Starr Doctoral Fellowships.

  • Zorá String Quartet
  • Dechopol Kowintaweewat Violin
  • Seula Lee Violin
  • Pablo Muñoz Salido Viola
  • Zizai Ning Cello

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