Fortunately for the Malaysian art music scene progress in the current period has been brisk, and the number of serious composers and compositions in this field is increasing.
The 2006-2007 series of Composers Forums in Kuala Lumpur, for example, introduced new voices such as Ng Chong Lim, Teh Tze Siew, Yii Kah Hoe and Mohd Yazid Zakaria.
This article offers only a brief introduction to Malaysia's growing contemporary music movement, in the absence of a full study on the subject.
Pianist-composer Ng Chong Lim inhabits the ground between atonalism and aleatoric music based on the live interaction of more tonal fragments.
The works of Chow Jun Yan, Chow Jun Yi, Neo Nai Wen, Ng Shyh Poh and Tan Zi Hua were selected to be workshopped by a chamber ensemble comprising flutist Vincent Kok, oboist Yong How Keen and pianists Chee Su Yen, Joyce Ho and Lee Yin Hwa.
Penang composer Tan Zi Hua took first prize with his composition Images of Wind II for flute, oboe and piano.
The myriad musical styles as heard on that night were proof that Southeast Asia is a multifaceted region and home to many talented young composers.
A list of major orchestral, chamber and instrumental works premiered in Malaysia (and Singapore) over the past years, including some significant experimental theatre productions and film scores are listed below in rough chronological order: 2011 onwards Shadows for piano and gamelan trio (Ng Chong Lim) Dragonfly(s) for piano (Ng Chong Lim) Longing, for string guartet, cello and multimedia (Adeline Wong) Music for Ang Tau Mui (Johan Othman) Music for Merong Maha Wangsa (Jessica Cho) 2009 Jasper Pestonji, for bass clarinet, cello and tape (Hardesh Singh) Under the Homotopic Silhouettes, for quintet (Tan Zi Hua) Desir Angin Cina Selatan for gamelan, flute and percussion (Ahmad Muriz Che Rose) Wild Cursive, for zhong ruan, violin, viola and cello (Yii Kah Hoe) Illegal Structures III, for bass flute (flt), bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, percussion and tape (CH Loh) Morning Mist, for cello and piano (Ng Chong Lim) A Precipitation of Sparrows, for flute solo (Ngiao Tzu En) Yuan-Fei (Chong Kee Yong) The East, for dizi, oboe, clarinet/bass clt and cello (Teh Tze Siew) Polygon for clarinet, bass clarinet, voice and laptop (Ng Chor Guan) Neutral Space, for piano solo (Johan Othman) When Stillness Meets Motion (Chow Jun Yan) A Night Without Voices (Chow Jun Yi) Autumn's Heart.Maple.Fragrance (Lee Chie Tsang) The Forgotten Sound (Neo Nai Wen) Conference Of The Birds, opera for electroacoustics and voice (Johan Othman) Kuang Cao 狂草 for gaohu, erhu, zhonghu and zhongruan (Yii Kah Hoe) Drunken Madness for trombone & piano (Yii Kah Hoe) From the Rainforest, for alto flute, trumpet and cello (Neo Nai Wen) Tone for Chinese orchestra (Wong Chee Wei) The Legend of Pelagus Rapids for timpanist and chamber ensemble (Wong Chee Wei) Extend good wishes for mixed chorus and piano (Wong Chee Wei) 2008 Childhood - flute and piano (Chow Jun Yan) Trio Dance II - flute, oboe and piano (Chow Jun Yi) Qi Qiu (Pray) - flute, oboe and piano (Neo Nai Wen) Scene - flute, oboe and piano (Ng Shyh Poh) Images of Wind II - flute and piano (Tan Zi Hua) Longing For Home - flute and piano (Chin Hong Da) ...footprints - piano (Ng Chong Lim) Dying In Order To Live - soprano and piano (Johan Othman) the dancing mouse - soprano and harp (Johan Othman) Gongan - oboe and piano (Yii Kah Hoe) Science Fiction - chorus (Ng Shyh Poh) A Land Far Away - chorus (Ng Shyh Poh) How The Crocodile Got His Teeth - narrator and wind ensemble (Yii Kah Hoe) 2007 Empunya yang beroleh Sita Dewi - orchestra and wayang kulit ensemble (Adeline Wong) Ocean's Pulse - orchestra, solo dizi and percussion ensemble (Chong Kee Yong) Opening Of The Stage - orchestra (Yii Kah Hoe) Xiang - orchestra (Ng Chong Lim) Temple of Heaven - orchestra (Teh Tze Siew) Angin - orchestra (Mohd Yazid Zakaria) Inner Voices - chamber ensemble (Yii Kah Hoe) Windows - chamber ensemble (Ng Chong Lim) Maze - chamber ensemble (Teh Tze Siew) Heritage - chamber ensemble (Mohd Yazid Zakaria) Topeng III - orchestra (Johan Othman) 2006 Cabaret!
A small selection of recent premieres are listed below: 2010 onwards Tirai III for percussion, Singapore (Ainolnaim Azizol) Badang!!!!
for string quartet and electronics, Cologne (Ainolnaim Azizol) Hypnagogic II for chamber group, Japan (Jessica Cho) Amorphous for string orchestra - Brauweiler, Germany (Ng Chong Lim) Sebuah Tenunan IV for violin, cello and piano - Cyprus (Tazul Tajuddin) Footprints... (for piano, complete) - Alburquerque, USA (Ng Chong Lim) Landscape for piano - Sheffield, UK (Jessica Cho) 5 Little Pieces for Piano - Sheffield, UK (Jessica Cho) Length for string quartet, cello and multimedia - Norland, Norway (Adeline Wong) 2009 Inner Voices III for shakuhachi - Melbourne (Yii Kah Hoe) Winter Night On The River for 2 saxophones, shakuhachi and percussion - Melbourne (C H Loh) Timang Burung for pianos - Port of Spain (Yii Kah Hoe) Suspended Love for violin & percussion - Pennsylvania (Chong Kee Yong) Unfolding Spirit - Munich (Chong Kee Yong) Bamboo Forest for chamber ensemble - Reykjavik (Teh Tze Siew) From the Rainforest for alto flute, trumpet and cello - Edinburgh( Neo Nai Wen) Maekhong for Saxophone Quartet - Bangkok(C H Loh) 2008 Gate of Tears (Bab-al-Mandeb) for string quartet - Tirania, Albania (Tan Zi Hua) Illusory Mirror for chamber ensemble - Tirania, Albania (Lee Chie-Tsang) Bayang - Wayang Kulit and Chinese orchestra, Singapore (Yii Kah Hoe) Phoenix Calling - Sheng and chamber ensemble, Luxembourg (Chong Kee Yong) Gongan - oboe and piano, Pullman, Washington State, USA (Yii Kah Hoe) Temple Bell Still Ringing In My Heart - cello, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Chong Kee Yong) the dancing mouse - soprano and harp, Hamburg, Germany (Johan Othman) Metamorphosis IV - saxophone, soprano, viola and ocarinas, New York, USA (Chong Kee Yong) Metamorphosis VIII - Sheng, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Double bass, Berlin, Germany (Chong Kee Yong) Shui.Mo (Water.Ink) - Concerto for 4 Chinese traditional instruments and orchestra, Belgium (Chong Kee Yong) 2007 A Land Far Away - chorus, Jakarta, Indonesia (Ng Shyh Poh)
:Stephanie Griffin; Harp: jacqui kerrod (Chong Kee Yong) Piano Concerto "Warna Yang Bernada" (Sound Colour) - London Sinfonietta, UK (Tazul Tajuddin) Splattered landscape III - chamber ensemble, Seoul, Korea (Chong Kee Yong) Horizon's Chants - Sheng, Koto & Gayageum, Germany (Chong Kee Yong) Splattered landscape II "Cloud’s echoing" - Ensemble Modern, Germany (Chong Kee Yong) 3rd String Quartet "Inner mirror" - Spiegel Quartet, Belgium (Chong Kee Yong) In Liquid Praise of Sound Refraining for a narrator, 4 singers, London, UK (Tazul Tajuddin) Toccata From 3 KL Miniatures - Aroha Quartet, New Zealand (CH Loh) 2006 Waktu - chamber ensemble, Bang on a Can Summer Festival, New York (Adeline Wong) Hidden Eternity - 4-hands piano and chamber orchestra, Prometheus Ensemble, Holland (Chong Kee Yong) Endless Whispering - sheng, flute, oboe, clarinet and tuba, Berlin (Chong Kee Yong) Timeless Metamorphosis - Estonia Symphony Orchestra, Estonia (Chong Kee Yong) Gamelbati VI for piccolo, clarinet, violin, viola and cello - Seoul, Korea (Tazul Tajuddin) Selindung Warna (Hidden Colours) for solo violin - London, UK (Tazul Tajuddin)
Selected Solo Piano Works By Contemporary Malaysian And Indonesian Composers From 1979 to 2007: An Introduction - 2007 Charmaine Blythe Siagian, University Of Oklahoma