Nympheas
睡蓮, 2016
for Soprano Saxophone and Piano
commissioned and performed by Calvin Yat-wai Wong for the First Asian Saxophone Congress 2016
I found the inspiration from a journey to Japan during a visit to the Chichu Art Museum in Naoshima, the Seto Inland Sea, which displayed five paintings from Nympheas series produced by Claude Monet in his late years.
It was shocking to see Monet's paintings, as I could only perceive a collage of blurred colors when looking at them closely. Yet, the layers of color changed distinctively when I walked a few steps away, like forming three-directional images on the canvases.
The music consists of five movements, depicting the five paintings of Nympheas in the museum, i.e. Water-Lily Pond, 1915-26; Water-Lilies, Cluster of Grass 1914-17; Water-Lilies, 1914-17; Water-Lily Pond, 1917-19 and Water Lilies, Reflections of Weeping Willows, 1916-19, whereas Olivier Messiaen and Toru Takemitsu's music motives are quoted in the last movement. Though the musical elements in each movement are contrasting, the entire piece creates a sense of harmony and unity. I wish the music can translate my feelings towards the paintings and the characteristics of impressionism, such as focusing on the comparison of light and shadow and emphasizing on the overall atmosphere.
靈感來自一次日本之旅，我參觀了位於瀨戶內海，直島的地中美術館，館內其中一個展區擺放了五幅莫內的晚期作品《睡蓮》。
莫內的真跡令我十分震撼，近觀時只能看見一片模糊和粗獷的筆觸，後退幾步則能看到不同色層變化鮮明，在平面的畫布上呈現非常立體的影像。
樂曲分為五個段樂章，描寫美術館的五幅《睡蓮》，分別為：《蓮池 1915-26》、《睡蓮與狂草 1914-17》、《睡蓮 1914-17》、《蓮池 1917-19》和《睡蓮與哭泣的垂柳 1916-19》，而最尾的樂章引用了梅西安和武滿徹的樂句。 各樂章的音樂素材截然不同，但樂曲不乏協調或統一，我希望這樣能傳譯《睡蓮》給我的感覺：如強調光影對比、著重整體氛圍等印象派特色。
//[Score preview]