Program Note

This piece is inspired by Marc Chagall’s painting, I and the Village, which evokes Chagall’s memories of his native Hasidic neighborhood outside Vitebsk, Belarus. In this painting, the line that connects the eyes of the peasant and the cow represents their interdependence and partnership; in the Hasids’ community, animals were also humanity’s link to the universe. Chagall used disjunctive geometries to render the scene nostalgic and magical.

Composer Yeeun Sim is interested in interconnecting the artwork and the audience, introducing new perspectives of the painting through music. She observes various artistic elements, such as lyrical colors, brightness, and the connections between two or more objects, and incorporates the imaginative spaces and colorful moments shaped by Chagall’s experiences into her music. This piece contains not only Chagall’s village but also the composer’s personal memories of her hometown in Korea.