The Hawaiian islands and Jeju-do of Korea have much in common. Both are places of great natural beauty, where high mountains meet the sea. Both are home to national parks rich in unique plant and wildlife. As volcanic islands, both share a common geologic history. And, interestingly, the islands of Hawaii and Jeju have similar origin stories in the creation mythology of their native peoples.

According to their creation stories, both Hawaii and and Jeju were birthed by female deities. Legends abound of how the volcano goddess Pele formed the Hawaiian island chain from her home in the fire pit of Kilauea volcano. Madame Pele remains predominant in Hawaiian culture, even today, her status as both creator and destroyer highly symbolic of ongoing volcanic eruptions, which simultaneously create new land as they cover existing land with lava. In the case of Jeju, the giant goddess Grandmother Seolmundae formed the mountains and islands of the area, and even separated earth from heaven in the early days of existence.

In both instances it is significant that the creators were powerful female characters, and Islands Rising expresses the formidable strength of Madame Pele and Grandmother Seolmundae. Much of the melodic material of the piece is derived from folk music about the two goddesses. Aia la o Pele i Hawaii is a well-known mele, or chant, that sings of Pele dancing across islands and causing eruptions, to the great awe and wonder of her people. The Korean folk tune Seowoojet Sori similarly sings of the features of Jeju created by Grandmother Seolmundae. Melodic fragments from both sources are combined and developed in Islands Rising, in order to create a new melody that originates from old material – much like, through volcanic eruptions, the islands themselves were newly formed from old material.

The piece begins mysteriously, as if it is steadily rising from the murky depths of the ocean floor, gradually ascending until it emerges into the open sky. From there the melody slowly begins to form itself, and the process of rising and emerging repeats several times, until a climax punctuated by a tense moment of silence is reached. A slow, more spacious and contemplative section ensues, from which the long final build to the frantic finish rises, celebrating the two powerful goddesses, Madame Pele and Grandmother Seolmundae.

Islands Rising was commissioned by Eunil Kang for the group Haegeum Plus, to whom it is dedicated.