VDM Chan, a: Burlesque

Burlesque is a form of cabaret show, complete with underdressed dancers and strip-tease elements, and was popular from the 1860s through the 1950s. Burlesque is currently undergoing a bit of a revival, and the composer was intrigued with the humorous skits, fancy costumes and the frank, corny jokes (mostly about sex). The spirit of burlesque - a fast-moving panorama of entertaining events - is at the heart of this musical work, which features multi-ethnic and vernacular elements, such as a two-segment artificial scale derived from five white and the five black notes of the piano. The segments symbolize the Yin (female) and Yang (male) from the I-Ching. Various forms of the scale are used to weave together such diverse musical styles such as Classical-Romantic music and gypsy circus fanfares, creating a modem burlesque, or an anarchical postmodern collage.