A DUST IN TIME with Huang Ruo and BCMG 

On 18 May at 8pm in the beautiful St Paul's Church Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) will be performing the UK live premiere of composer Huang Ruo’s piece A DUST IN TIME. 

The arts have kept many people going through lockdown, and this is no different for musicians and composers. A DUST IN TIME is an emotive string quartet performance created to give those affected by the pandemic a means to reflect and heal and to find peace, strength, and hope.

This will be a peaceful and meditative evening, suitable for all, in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.

Composer Huang Ruo states;

“A Dust in Time is a meditation on the global pandemic. Using the symbolism of a mandala and the structure of a passacaglia, it creates an extended musical palindrome. It lasts an hour and can be repeated to create an endless soundtrack for the contemplation of our place in the universe.

The title appeals to me on macro- and microcosmic levels; that in the grand scheme of the history of the universe, 2020 is barely noteworthy, gives a hopeful perspective that this too shall surely pass. I also like that the title brings to my mind the image of a single dust mote; a tiny particle, suspended in sunlight, encapsulating the feeling of stasis - mental, physical, professional, social - that I felt during lockdown.”

During an interview with International Arts Manager Huang Ruo discusses his battle with isolation and how creating music helped him find his centre. 

"When the pandemic started affecting us back in the winter, I fell hopelessly into a dark hole and at first I just couldn’t get out. But,
ultimately, what helped me tremendously was writing a personal work – the aforementioned A Dust in Time. Written for strings, it can be performed by string quartet, string ensemble, or string orchestra. My hope is to share this piece with anyone affected by the pandemic, giving people a piece of music that can enable them to reflect, to feel, to express, to heal, and to find internal peace,
strength, and hope."

We have all experienced the trauma of the past years together, coming out of the this we want to move forward and inspire hope through the shared experience of live music that we have all missed. Join BCMG in an intimate reintroduction into the live music world.

Read more and book tickets: A DUST IN TIME Live Performance