Press
CHINATOWN album review:
Ron Schepper,- Textura:
www.textura.org/archives/h/ho_chinatown.htm
" ...In her riveting score, Alice Ping Yee Ho deftly couples Western and traditional Chinese instruments and engages the listener with masterful writing that honours the seriousness of the subject matter without becoming lugubrious; ...Her sparkling score flows beautifully, amplified as it is by the arresting timbres of the instruments and committed performances by vocalists and instrumentalist alike. There are moments of sadness in the story-line, but in keeping with its theme of resilience the animated music she fashioned for it emphasizes uplift and hope over despondency and despair."
Frédéric Cardin
panm360.com/en/records/alice-ping-yee-ho-chinatown/
"...Chinatown is both an extremely moving, musically accessible and emotionally enlightening document of fictional memory and a beautifully crafted contemporary creation with undoubted broadcast potential."
John Gilks - Operaramblings, Nov. 9, 2023
"...it’s dramatically compelling and some of the music is really very beautiful. I’d love to see it in the theatre."
Bridget Esler - La Scena Musicale October, 2023 cover story "A Visit to Chinatown":
myscena.org/bridget-esler/a-visit-to-chinatown/
Chinatown remembers a history that should not be forgotten, while simultaneously celebrating the beauty and resilience of the Chinese-Canadian community.
A Woman's Voice album review:
Cheryl Ockrant - The WholeNote, Dec. 2022
"A Woman's Voice is exquisitely delivered, ripe with history and humor."
"Ho's Recent work A Woman's Voice - Songs and Duets for Voice and Piano is a beautiful and timely addition to the repertoire of contemporary vocal works. .."
Entire review: www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/vocalchoralreviews/32470-alice-ping-yee-ho-a-woman-s-voice-jialiang-zhu-vania-chan-katy-clark-maeve-palmer-ariadne-lih-alex-hetherington-tong-wang-andrew-ascenzo?fbclid=IwAR3DDwMiqDB4OPUozt46em2OAZHsFZGf347Lxpgzj7VuAS5AoLCynH3jWgk
CHINATOWN opera reviews:
VAN SUN vancouversun.com/entertainment/music/review-city-opera-vancouvers-chinatown-was-well-worth-the-wait
DG Duke 14 Sept 2022
" City Opera Vancouver's Chinatown was well worth the wait
Alice Ping Ye Ho has created something of real significance and outstanding beauty. "
"Ultimately, what makes Chinatown is the score. Embracing the fraught and complicated task of mixing western and traditional Chinese instruments, Ho has written music of grace and subtlety. The sonorities she creates are fresh and evocative, and never, ever overwhelm her singers. Her vocal writing is considered and effective and, while the piece doesn’t really break down into obvious solo turns, duets, and ensemble pieces, Ho manages to respect these tried and true operatic conventions."
Alexander Weimann, conductor and music director.
"She has written just gorgeous music, tangible and inviting, stimulating and challenging."
Venom of Love album reviews:
Canada's top 20 classical albums of 2020
"Our picks for Canada's best classical albums of the year, from solo piano to opera and everything in between"
www.cbc.ca/music/canada-s-top-20-classical-albums-of-2020-1.5805420
CBC Music · CBC Music · Posted: Dec 03, 2020
8. Alice Ping Yee Ho, Vania Chan, Patty Chan, Lulu, The Venom of Love: Electronic Ballet Music (Leaf Music)
We're envious of anyone who attended the 2014 premiere of The Venom of Love at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and got to see the choreography set to this mind-blowing music by Alice Ping Yee Ho. Combining synthesized and acoustic sounds (soprano, percussion), Ho's score "deals with elements of fantasy and eroticism from a primeval, magical world," according to the album notes, and that pretty much describes the psychic trip we took upon hitting play! The music positively seduces you with intricately organized and endlessly inventive sounds, hurtling you into an enchanting and sometimes dangerous-sounding world. Warning: once you've been bitten by this music, there's no antidote.
The Whole Note
Cheryl Ockrant
Modern and Contemporary - November 2020
"Alice Ping Yee Ho, has gifted us with a gorgeous work that almost defies characterization. ...Fusing synthesized and acoustic instrumental sounds with soprano voice and percussion, this work is a dramatic dance/ opera/musical theatre composition telling an ancient myth in contemporary form. ...the music is so evocative I almost feel like I’ve already seen the ballet, but I’ll be sure to be in line for that production when it comes back to a live stage in the future."
Reviews of The Monkiest King CD :
The Whole Note
Sophie Bisson
Editor's Corner - July 2020
" .....The use of Chinese instruments such as the dizi, erhu, gaohu, pipa and guzheng allows children of all backgrounds to either connect with sounds they are familiar with or make exciting new discoveries. Ho’s skillful contrast between Chinese and Western instruments, the well-placed dissonances and the numerous vocal and instrumental glissandi provide a unique and vibrant listening experience. Most exquisite, Chan’s libretto and Ho’s music are expertly woven together, seamlessly moving the action forward. The Monkiest King was nominated for two Mavor Dora Moore Awards in 2019 for Outstanding Performing Ensemble and Outstanding Original Opera."
The Art Music Lounge I An Online Journal of Jazz and Classical Music
Lynn Rene Bayley
June 8, 2020
" .... music uses some modal scales and unusual harmonies, it is highly rhythmic, which kids love, ...this is an excellent piece that works on two layers, and is really a good children's opera!"
Review of Kagura Fantasy from CD "Our Strength, Our Song"
Fanfare 2020
Andrew Desiderio
".....Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Kagura Fantasy, is inspired by Japanese theater, makes explosive use of the stringed instruments’ inherent percussiveness. Described by the composer as a “vibrant ceremonial dialogue,” the piece is in a rhapsodic form that relishes every moment of its existence."
Reviews of Witch On Thin Ice :
Howard Dyck (Canadian conductor and broadcaster)
Feb. 22, 2020
"Toronto composer Alice Ho, who is making quite a name for herself, was commissioned by percussionist Beverley Johnston to write a 30' percussion-theatre composition inspired by the life and work of Yoko Ono. The title "Witch on Thin Ice" is a conflation of Ono's solo album " I'm a Witch" and her song "Walking on Thin Ice". I was totally entranced from start to finish. It's quite impossible to convey in words just how marvellous this new work is. .....among the performers, pride of place must be given to Beverley Johnston, whose virtuosity as a percussionist (and vocalist) was simply breath-taking. There was an impressive arrangement of percussion instruments, all of them played brilliantly/ferociously/tenderly by Beverley, who is clearly one of today's superior percussionists. She had to coordinate her playing (and moving effortlessly from one percussion group to another) with Alice Ho's soundtrack. It all worked flawlessly. I didn't want it to be over...ever! I was expecting a fair bit, knowing something of Alice's work, but last night's premiere knocked my socks off!"
Operaramblings
John Gilks
Feb. 22, 2020
"After the interval it was Alice Ping Yee Ho’s Yoko Ono inspired piece; Witch on Thin Ice. At it’s centre was virtuoso percussionist Beverly Johnstone who displayed great skill on a range of untuned and tuned percussion .......Playing over all of this were really rather striking videos and electronics designed by Alice. Maybe like being in the middle of an immersive video game and a very complex percussion piece at the same time. Anyway, great fun and totally unexpected!"
Alice Ping Yee Ho named as one of the five winners of the Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize:
"On December 12, 2019, at Toronto’s Artscape Daniels Launchpad, the five prize winners will be recognized and will be awarded $25,000 each; in addition, the winners have selected a protégé, who will receive $5,000. In total, $150,000 in prizes will be awarded....These legacy prizes serve to honour artists in Ontario who have made an impact on the field and the public, and show great dedication in the ongoing pursuit of their ambitious and visionary practices. The five winners have been chosen from amongst fifteen finalists from across Ontario. The winners include artists in the disciplines of dance, theatre, and music/opera, and have been producing and showing work for at least ten years."
"As a genuine and authentic musical storyteller, Alice is at the fore of an impressive career. She works across forms, combining western baroque and classical Chinese idioms to create a uniquely Canadian contemporary musical expression." - comments by JMPAP 2019
metcalffoundation.com/ideas/?show=videos
"On December 12, 2019, at Toronto’s Artscape Daniels Launchpad, the five prize winners will be recognized and will be awarded $25,000 each; in addition, the winners have selected a protégé, who will receive $5,000. In total, $150,000 in prizes will be awarded....These legacy prizes serve to honour artists in Ontario who have made an impact on the field and the public, and show great dedication in the ongoing pursuit of their ambitious and visionary practices. The five winners have been chosen from amongst fifteen finalists from across Ontario. The winners include artists in the disciplines of dance, theatre, and music/opera, and have been producing and showing work for at least ten years."
"As a genuine and authentic musical storyteller, Alice is at the fore of an impressive career. She works across forms, combining western baroque and classical Chinese idioms to create a uniquely Canadian contemporary musical expression." - comments by JMPAP 2019
metcalffoundation.com/ideas/?show=videos
Review of Silk Road Fantasy premiered by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
Ontario Arts Review
Danny and Terry Gaisin
Oct. 20, 2019
"‘Silk Road’ by Alice Ping Yee Ho is subtitled a fantasy, and it certainly is.... Glorious and effective .... This piece is not only listenable, there are so many tonal subtleties that the work will enjoy numerous perceptions."
Ontario Arts Review
Danny and Terry Gaisin
Oct. 20, 2019
"‘Silk Road’ by Alice Ping Yee Ho is subtitled a fantasy, and it certainly is.... Glorious and effective .... This piece is not only listenable, there are so many tonal subtleties that the work will enjoy numerous perceptions."
Review of Your Daughter Fanny
Operaramblings
John Gilks
August 1, 2018
"I really liked the music.... it was stylistically interesting; rich textured, sometimes astringent,
sometimes very lyrical with a very decent, singable vocal line.
...Worthwhile programming by TSMF and a piece I’m glad I caught though."
Read the full article here
Review of children's opera - The Monkiest King :
Stage Door
Christopher Hoile
May 26, 2018
"The Monkiest King may be an opera written for young performers, but it is sure to please both old and young alike. The beauty and variety of Alice Ping Yee Ho’s score will likely be most appreciated by regular opera-goers,... All the young people on stage were born in the 21st century and seeing their enthusiastic portrayal of a non-Western story gives hope for the acceptance of greater cultural diversity in the arts in Toronto in the future."
Read the full article here
Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho Wins the 2016 Louis Applebaum Composers Award:
Toronto, November 15, 2016 – "Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho is the 2016 recipient of the Louis Applebaum Composers Award. This year’s $10,000 award recognizes excellence in a body of work by an artist in the field of music composition for theatre, music theatre, dance or opera."
Selected by a jury comprising Marie-Josée Chartier, choreographer and director (Toronto, ON); Victor Davies, composer (Toronto, ON), and William Shookhoff, director (Toronto, ON). The jury members stated that:
“Alice Ping Yee Ho is a fresh and individual voice which blends and juxtaposes Eastern and Western forms. She creates a strong musical connection that bridges cultural communities, and exposes audiences to new sounds and ideas. Ms. Ho’s approach shows a deep understanding of the important relationship between the stage and audience.”
Review of Dark Waters
Theaterscene.net
Jean Ballard Terepka
June 6, 2016
"Using consistently demanding, divergent, difficult music, Ho explored water’s various states and movements, interested especially in processes of transformation. Ho’s music is both cerebral and sensuous; her compositional precision is an elegant instrument for the exploration of nature’s surprises, turning paradox and the unexpected into translucence."
Read the full article here
Review of "The Lesson of Da Ji" CD:
Opera News, New York. May 2016
Joshua Rosenblum
"... Ho's musical language is a startling original three-way mélange of Baroque, traditional Chinese and contemporary Western idioms. The sung dialogue(libretto is in English) between the two illicit lovers is strikingly stylized, as if they were acting out a ritual while having a conversation. Rhythmic energy and fresh, exotic instrumental colors spill from every bar in Ho's expertly deployed mashup of instruments from different cultures - pipa, zhonggruan and erhu with lute, recorders and harpsichord, plus modern strings and ominously pounding percussion.
Read the full article here
Classical CBC Radio
Allan Morris
“….It all works beautifully: the fusion of different cultural traditions, the vocal roles with great expression and range, and the modern musical language. It's no surprise that The Lesson of Da Ji collected the Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding new musical/opera in 2013…..Allegra Swanson, the producer for Centrediscs, Canada's living music label for Canadian contemporary concert music, is delighted with the new release: "We’re so pleased to have another opera on the Centrediscs label — it’s an under-represented genre in our offering. Alice Ho is so easy to work with and very talented; she’s a thoughtful composer, and cares deeply about the integrity of the work. From the striking design to the brilliant blend of traditional Chinese instruments and Baroque instruments, we’re very proud of this release."
The Whole Note
Andrew Timar
December 2015
“In her music theatre work The Lesson of Da Ji, Hong Kong-born Toronto composer Alice Ping Yee Ho has struck a fine, if not always easy, cultural balance between features of classical Beijing (Peking) opera and the European masque tradition, as interpreted in 21st-century Canada.
It is no mean feat to present eight Canadian voices supported by the string tonalities of the Chinese zhongruan, erhu, pipa and zheng. It is even more complex when all that is seamlessly meshed with the sonority of the European baroque lute, harpsichord, viola da gamba, violin and recorders, plus a percussion battery. Ho does just that admirably, presenting along the way a bracing new hybrid soundscape to enjoy….”
"Lesson of Da Ji" opera reviews:
Opera Canada, Summer 2013
Paula Citron
“The Lesson of Love has a cracking good story and fascinating music that blends Chinese, Baroque, and other Western forms. …. Ho mined her music influence to draw out every point of drama. ….Ho has produced a wide range of evocative music, from the beautiful love duet and Bo Yi’s song to the harrowing sounds and heavy percussion of the King’s revenge. If the Chinese instruments were given pride of place, it was for good reason… One sincerely hopes that the Lesson of Da Ji finds a permanent home on the opera stage."
Stage - Door . May 11, 2013
Christopher Hoile.
"Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho has created a gorgeous score for the opera by combining the six Western period instruments of the TMT Ensemble with three instrumentalists playing traditional Chinese instruments – the guzheng, the gaohu and erhu, and the pipa and zhonggruan. The percussionist’s kit is significantly augmented with a wide range of gongs, cymbals, drums, wooden blocks and rattles. Ho not only beautifully combines the timbres of the Eastern and Western instruments, but amalgamates the influences of French Impressionism, Viennese expressionism and traditional Chinese song into unique, highly attractive medium. ....Alice Ping Yee Ho creates music of such expressivity and piquancy for the mixed ensemble in Da Ji, that it would be wonderful if she, Marjorie Chan and TMT could collaborate on another work based on Chinese legend. As it is, this is an intriguing double bill that I hope TMT will revive sooner rather than later so that more people will have the chance to marvel at their achievement."
Musical Toronto/Opera Review. May 10, 2013
John Terauds
"Alice Ho has managed the most difficult of composerly feats, in bringing together traditional Chinese instruments with baroque-period western ones. ....Ho’s orchestration moved freely between instruments and sections of the orchestra, periodically switching into giving us mesmerising solos by one of the players. It probably helps that period Western instruments are quieter than modern ones, allowing them to balance more easily with their Chinese counterparts. Ho’s music really came to life during that final banquet scene, which also featured some very clever interplay between Chinese and Western instruments. ... a very strong case for this opera to be presented again as soon as possible."
Reviews of "Venom of Love"
Michael Colgrass
Pulitzer Prize Winning Composer (on premiere of Venom of Love at Fleck Dance Theatre, Toronto Harbourfront Centre)
May 17, 2014
"....Overall I would say it' a masterful job of theatrical writing, but not only theatrical. I think the score could almost stand on its own for interest. The music was simple, never complicated, and all the more effective for that. Soprano and percussion are an inspired combination. My hat's off to you."
Reviews of CD "Glistening Pianos":
CAML REVIEW / REVUE DE L’ACBM 42, NO. 3 (November / Novembre 2014)
Brian C. Thompson.
"Glistening Pianos is an important addition to Alice Ping Yee Ho’s discography. The selections give a good sense of her range as a composer for small groups of instruments and her skill in writing for the piano. Long a mainstay of the concert world, the piano duet is once again shown to be alive and well as a medium of contemporary expression in the hands of performers as capable as Wong and Koga."
The WholeNote, published March 27, 2014
Tina Kiik
"There is a plethora of exquisite aural delights in this new release featuring the music of Hong Kong-born Canadian composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. As to be expected from the Canadian Music Centre Centrediscs label, the usual high production qualities, first class performance, musicianship and strong compositions create a great listening experience. The five very distinct and contrasting pieces offer a superb cross section of styles, tonal sensibilities and musical forays, making Glistening Pianos the perfect calling card for the composer...."
http://wwew.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/moderncontempo/24811-glistening-pianos-music-by-alice-ping-yee-ho
Canadian Music Centre's NOTATION, spring issue, 2014
Jason Carson.
“....The CD includes very strong compositions by Ho, and just enough variety in instrumentation, musical features, and extended techniques to fill out the needed sonic variety. I am pleased to say that this release meets and surpasses even this reviewer’s lofty expectations. ....Overall, I would rank this record highly given the fantastic performances, and the variety with a small number of instruments. The piano duo format also gives great flexibility for extended techniques, with one piano being relegated to noise duty while the other plays normally. Most importantly however, Ho’s music demonstrates a keen sense of structure. Ideas flow like water: a silent drop that ripples out over a calm lake, an echoing drop and a reverberant trickle from underground waterways, or the powerful surge and crash of a waterfall."
http://issuu.com/canadianmusiccentre/docs/notations_spring_march20_final/1?e=10808708/7175405, page 28
CD review: Woman Runs With Wolves
Notation. August, 2013
John Caron
“The title track, composed by Alice Ho, is half-piece-of-music, half-ritual, full of faux throat singing, barking, inhuman background singing, and ominous foreboding rhythms. It is perhaps the most evocative piece on the CD. … The pieces by Silberberg, Ho, and Hatzis best illustrate what I think is the most remarkable feature of this CD: the great amount of variety across the repertoire but also within the pieces themselves."
Review: "Capriccio Ballo" and "The Four Arts"
The Ottawa Citizen. March 3, 2012.
Concert Review: Thirteen Strings
Richard Todd
-The meat of the program was a pair of pieces by the Chinese-Canadian composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. Capriccio Ballo for violin, piano and strings.... It is a strong piece and would probably seem stronger still on a second hearing...... The other Ho piece was the world premiere of a Thirteen Strings commission, The Four Arts for violin, piano, Yangqin and strings. In four movements, it is a more immediately engaging piece... and was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening.
The Globe and Mail: Music Review
February 1st, 2012
Amici: Fashionista At Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto on Sunday
Colin Eatock
Breath of Fire is a quirky piece – a cleverly crafted study in subtlety and contrast. Passages of repose, sometimes making use of unconventional instrumental techniques (windy sounds from the accordion, sliding glissandos in the cello and complex multiphonic chords in the clarinet), were set beside rhythmic passages that emerged as fragmentary little dances. As well, Ho's score has a “Swiss watch” quality to it: tightly wound, with precisely interconnected parts.
OpusOneReview: Fashionista! Amici Ensemble. January 29, 2012.
Stanley Fefferman.
"... Breath of Fire is a light, charming, melodic work, that burbles whimsically along by fits and staggers. It yields associations with natural movements like the scampering of rodents, the flitting of bats, the goofy jellywalk of pigeons, the fluttering of starlings, and the pursuit of squirrels. Into all this naturalness, Ms. Ho blends a winning, cosmopolitan touch in the style of Ravel and Poulenc. Brava! Brava!
Michael Colgrass, Pulitzer Prize Winning Composer (on performance of Ice Path by Toronto Symphony). November 10, 2011:
- You were the highlight of the evening.Your piece was colorful and full of rich orchestration and structurally it kept moving. The whole orchestra sounded best in your piece.
Robert Everett-Green. Globe and Mail, November 10, 2011.
- The concert, conducted by TSO music director Peter Oundjian... an opening performance of Ice Path, by Alice Ping Yee Ho. The craft of this piece was undeniable, especially in its orchestration, and in some of Ho’s treatments of the meandering theme that began the piece on the harp and recurred elsewhere from time to time.
Lawrence Cherney,artistic director of Soundstreams Canada. October 05, 2010:
-The new piece(TorQ Machine)is hot, hot! and sensual! Rhythmic chanting that was alluring and fascinating, and borrowing imaginatively from pop culture. Bravo to you and TorQ!
Richard Todd. The Ottawa Citizen. August 04, 2009
- Alice Ping Yee Ho's Evolving Elements, a crowd pleaser that seeks to evoke the classical four elements -- fire, water, wind and earth -- was perhaps the most solid item of the first third of the afternoon. Each of its four movements seemed more effective than the last.
Ming CD Reviews:
(Centrediscs/Centredisques)
An Interesting ExperienceMusic by Alice Ping Yee Ho - CD review by Patrick Standford Music & Vision: the world's first daily classical music magazine, UK. October 22 2010
'... musically and technically impressive ...'
The combining of marimba and string quartet is an attractive enterprise which requires some strong creative reinforcement to make it work. Alice Ping Yee Ho does have the imaginative resources and the delicacy of touch to succeed, and throughout the four movements of Evolving Elements --Light,Water, Wind, and Fire-- there is skilful invention and the evocation of particularly potent atmospheres. Her sound world is very largely that of percussion and the invention of 'soundscapes' of intriguing variety and sensitivity...
**** Uncle Dave Lewis : allmusic.com April, 2010
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:203608~T1
….Ho's music has a strong affinity for the dramatic….the listener can imagine pieces such as "Wind" from Evolving Elements for marimba and string quartet (2005) as perfect for setting an eerie, menacing, and mysterious scene from a motion picture; the movement almost makes you look over your shoulder. She also has a very strong grounding in how instruments work…..Ho's Ming is reminiscent of one of the longer, purely instrumental pieces of Harry Partch, and the joyous enthusiasm of Kami nearly calls to mind Lou Harrison, both composers who fall well outside the academic mainstream….Add Ho's name to a roster of composers who are beating their own self-wrought and stubborn path out of the 20th century into something distinctly individual and accomplished in its own right.
Laima: http://reviews.wruv.org/2010/02/music-of-alice-ping-yee-ho//
posted on Feb. 23, 2010:
"A composer who seeks to provoke an emotional response using lyricisim yet exploring tonality. These works have varied percussive elements (marimba and vibraphone here) and incorporate Asian influences. Graceful, eerie, very interesting!"
I-Jen Fang PERCUSSIVE NOTES Magazine:USA. January 2010.
".... Ming is filled with sophisticated music that demonstrates Johnston’s
great percussion skills while broadening listener’s horizons in contemporary
percussion music. This CD will bring contemporary musicians inspiration and
imagination."
Piotr Grella-Mozjko. SEE Magazine: Edmonton. July 16, 2009. CD Review:
Classical Percussion
*****
Alongside Montréal’s ATMA Classique, Canadian Music Centre’s Centrediscs/Centredisques is practically our only classical label which may be considered world-class. This newest title, devoted to the percussion music of the brilliant Canadian composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, confirms Centrediscs’ hunger for greatness. If there is a classical release worthy of the Juno Award, this is the one. Ho draws her inspiration from a variety of cultures, including Chinese and Japanese folk idioms, and spins them into something very special, a style that’s undeniably far-out, modern, and progressive, yet very approachable and extremely attractive. The disc benefits from striking design and features Canadian percussion genius Beverley Johnston (who also sings), accompanied by the fantastic Penderecki String Quartet. I cannot praise it highly enough: simply perfect.
David Olds. WHOLE NOTE: 26 June 2009. DISCoveries Editor's Corner –
Ming (CMCCD 14409) features works for solo percussion by Alice Ping Yee Ho. Beverley Johnston is featured on marimba and vibraphone in the dramatic and virtuosic Forest Rain, and a full array of percussion instruments on the title track. ....This is an exhilarating addition to the discography of both Ms Johnston and Ms Ho.
Stanley Fefferman. Showtimemagazine.ca Saturday, April 12th, 2008
"...Her music is drama. She is not concerned with form, but with the organic flow of imagination. The music, scored for winds, brass, percussion and piano, arises sporadically like physical gestures: spurts, dashes, snaps, strums, drums, blarings, ringings, and ejaculations of sound that echo, reverberate and fade into space. David Swan at the piano led the action and reaction with an insistent high register tremolo that vibrates like a wire in the blood. Very impressive music."