Abstract: The article touches upon some biography facts and creative concept aspects of a Chinese born American composer Lei Liang and characterizes the essence of a range of composition techniques used by him. The purpose of the research is to attract attention to the works of the composer not widely known in Russia.
Lie Liang’s life history can be divided into two stages - the Chinese one and the American one. The creative and scientific milieu the composer lived in in China significantly influenced his creative formation. Having acquired music education in the USA, Lie Liang was oriented towards search for new sound ideas, studying the phenomenon of sound, which resulted in the series of sonorist compositions (including the piano cycle Gardens, the compositions “Against Piano” for a piano and two performers, “Lakescape” for two flutes, etc.). The main research methods include the method of historical reconstruction, analysis and comparative analysis. The research methodology is based on the works of Russian, European, and Chinese researchers - M. Vysotskaya, G. Grigorieva, L. Gakkel, C. Kohoutek, Bān Lì Xiá. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that the authors introduce the scope of pieces of music by Lei Liang into the Russian musicology, study his esthetic views which defined the direction of his composing pursuits. The creative worldview of the composer was influenced, on the one hand, by the musical tradition of Asian cultures and Oriental philosophical concepts, on the other hand, - by the principles of thinking of American avant-garde composers of the late 20th century.