Clockworks and Fireworks
world premiere, LA Phil commission
At-A-Glance
Composed: 2024
Length: c. 9 minutes
Orchestration: 2 flutes, 2 piccolos, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, E-flat clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, piccolo trumpet, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (glockenspiel, marimba, tubular bells, wah-wah tube, metal wind chime, flexatones, tin cans, waldteufel, vibraphone, crotales, almglockens, anvils, vibraslap, spring coil, triangles, xylophone, suspended cymbals, snare drums, metal blocks, temple blocks, bell trees, wooden ratchet, fishing reel, bass drum, lithophone, thunder sheet, waterphone, kick drum, brake drum, glass wind chime, sistrum, tambourine, whip, cowbells, metal slide, whistles), harp, piano, celesta, and strings
About this Piece
Clockworks and Fireworks was composed shortly after I completed my first chamber opera, M’illumino d’immenso; a cello concerto; a piano trio; and several solo works. After a year of writing large-scale pieces in 2024, I found myself emotionally drained, with little creative energy left. In particular, the opera—centered around themes of death and a tormented soul—left me in need of a psychological and artistic refresh.
While sketching ideas for a short orchestral piece, I revisited Igor Stravinsky’s Feu d’artifice and Oliver Knussen’s Flourish with Fireworks. This naturally brought back memories of the sonic fantasies I had in my early 20s: radiant brilliance and shimmer, rich overtones, playful and shifting lights, bursts of energy, majestic color, sharply contoured and witty figures, exaggerated virtuosity, and hypercharged motion—all flashing by like a musical roller coaster.
I wanted to reconnect with that vivid spirit and intensity.
This piece emerged from my admiration for and study of Stravinsky’s early orchestral works. I composed it while imagining how he might have reinterpreted those same sonic fantasies had he lived in the 21st century. In the final section, his shadow flickers briefly—glimpsed between piercing, luminous harmonics—a modest but heartfelt homage.
Through Stravinsky’s music, I was able to find renewed energy and step out of the darkness with a reawakened, vibrant spirit.
This piece is, in a sense, a document of that personal restoration. —Sunghyun Lee