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Programme Note

Composer Note:
Sweet May Again was jointly commissioned by Emanuel Ax, Edgar Meyer and the Carnegie Hall Corporation. It was premiered on April 14, 2007 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, and the New York City premiere took place on April 20, 2007 at the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. It is dedicated to Edgar Meyer and Emanuel Ax.

Aside from the obvious virtuosity of these two great musicians, my inspiration for the work also came from a short poem by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963):

The Locust Tree in Flower
Among
of
green

stiff
old
bright

broken
branch
come

white
sweet
May

again

I was especially intrigued by the structure of this short poem and the surprising final line. I wondered if I could emulate it in music: a work begins with a material which seems going its own way but unexpectedly turning into something almost unrelated, though gentle and comforting.
— Bright Sheng