TERNION, for brass trio (2025, rev. 2026)

TERNION draws inspiration from Three Galloping Horses, the iconic ink painting by the renowned Chinese artist Xu Beihong. In Xu’s work, the three horses stand in poised stillness, each independent yet unmistakably as part of a unified whole. The work aims to draw on the warm tactility of brass timbres to evoke the grounded breath of these creatures, their gentle strength, and their attentive stillness. Rather than portraying literal horses or narrative imagery, TERNION attempts to reflect their state of presence that carries a quiet nobility: calm but alert, warm yet dignified, therapeutic in their steadiness, and imbued with a subtle hierarchical balance.

Composed for the Year of the Horse, the piece celebrates renewal through harmony: three voices standing together, steady and resolute, welcoming the new year with warmth and grace.