River of Light (In Memory of Isaac Stern) (2007)

During the world premiere of Richard Danielpour's River of Light...violinist Sarah Chang infused a series of high notes with such luminous intensity that each pitch seemed to glow with feeling....That's not surprising when you consider River of Light was written for Chang in memory of...her musical godfather, legendary violinist Isaac Stern....River of Light is a compact 12 minutes...the slow, steady opening was especially affecting, with gently piano passages that sounded like ghostly chimes. The violin and piano phrases, played in unison, set the tone for the sometimes tempestuous composition that makes the "River" a metaphor for death and transcendence.