The Mountain Forest is a piano concerto composed by Chinese-American composer Dunnan Liu in 1979. The Concerto was inspired by the folk elements of the Chinese Miao ethnic minority group, including the elements of one of their most famous folk tunes, the “Fly Tune,” as well as folk instruments, dance, and festivals. The purpose of this project is to address how the Miao minority folk materials influence this work.
The project contains a brief historical background of the piano in China, a brief biography of the composer and historical background of the Concerto, as well as an introduction of the Chinese Miao ethnic minority elements in the work. Lastly, I will offer some performance suggestions for pianists related to the influence of the folk elements.
My goal is to provide knowledge of the cultural background, and tasteful performance notes for the pianists who want to study or perform this work
