Wagyu Pigs

Information

Wagyu Pigs (2019)

日本語：和牛ピッグス

for Piano Trio

ca. 6 min.

Score

Watch audio-score video HERE

Download score from UCLA Music Library Contemporary Music Score Collection

Awards and Honors

15th Sun River Prize Honorable Mention (China)

UVM Festival of New Music 2020 Call for Scores (USA)

ISCM World New Music Days 2020 Call for Scores (New Zealand)

ISCM Young Composer Award Nomination 2022 (New Zealand)

MusCan 2021 Call for Scores (Canada)

MusCan Student Composers Award 2021 (Canada)

Score Follower Call for Scores Fall 2022 (USA)

Program Note

In a Wagyu farm situated somewhere, a few pigs were being raised. These pigs held the Wagyu in reverence, considering it akin to a prized work of art due to its high market value even in its meat form. They harbored a fervent desire to emulate the esteemed Wagyu cattle, consuming nearly 50 kilograms of grass daily. The pigs also diligently studied the language of various moos to resemble Wagyu as closely as possible.

One fateful day, the pigs were loaded onto a truck and transported to a location where they would meet their fate, destined to be slaughtered and transformed into bacon. Ultimately, even as they transitioned into bacon, the pigs came to the sobering realization that despite their efforts, they were, and always would be, pigs.

"Wagyu" is a Japanese beef cattle breed, widely regarded as premium and luxurious.

Compositional Background

Soon after been born in Japan, my family relocated to Thailand - though I possess almost no memories of this early move - and subsequently spent my formative years, including childhood and middle school, in Singapore. The transient nature of my upbringing, marked by frequent domestic and international moves thereafter, has left me feeling the complete sense of belonging in any one place. Just a quick note - the terms "majority" and "minority" hold fluidity, easily interchanging depending on perspective; hence, I refrain from rigidly adhering to such labels. I also recognize that not everyone in the so-called "majority" has the privilege of experiencing the sense of fulfillment that comes with belonging to the majority. However, deep within me (at least as of 2019), there lingers a contemplation about the yearning for a sense of belonging. This sentiment may partly explain the creation of works like "Wagyu Pigs."

Past Performances

June 30, 2019 (World Premiere)

The Etchings Festival

Moulin à Nef, Auvillar, France

Ensemble Linea

December 7, 2019 (US Premiere)

Tesselat feat. NAT28

[Video Archive]

Frick Fine Arts Auuditorium, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

NAT28

July 30,, 2022 (New Zealand Premiere)

ISCM 2020 World New Music Days