Together as One We Breathe
一息, 2020for Erhu, Dizi, Sheng, Pipa and Zheng
Chinese landscape paintings and the concepts behind, such as “presence-absence”, “understanding-articulating”, ‘form-spirit”, inspire me to rethink composing for Chinese instruments. Intense discussions in seemingly binary opposing concepts in Chinese landscape paintings, same as “tradition” and “innovation” in Chinese music, are never resting. For me, the definition of “tradition” and “innovation” are always changing. Composers’ incentives are always changing. Therefore, the definition of music is also subject to change. Once we never stop insisting on creating works, both “tradition” and “innovation” will persist and keep on changing in our history.
Together as One We Breathe preserves sublimes in Chinese music, which are presented in a particular manner. Musicians sometimes improvise as solo or accompaniment, and sometimes follow the score strictly in tutti. These sections flow restlessly throughout the piece. How musicians as individuals insist on sustaining and developing the music motif, as a metaphor for “breathing together as one”, is the only abiding idea that lingers. There are ideas can’t be told and articulated explicitly, perhaps what being untold could only be experienced by standing companions.
我從山水畫中取得靈感，其「虛實」、「言意」、「形神」等概念影響著我對中樂創作的思辯。與山水畫看似二元對立的概念相似，中樂「傳統」和「創新」的對抗一直爭拗不絕。然而，我認為「傳統」和「創新」的定義皆是流動的，作曲家的動機是流動的，因此作品承載的定義也是流動的。尚有不止的創作，「傳統」和「創新」也會永存，而且於歷史的洪流中流傳到底。
《一息》保留了中樂的精神面貌，卻有獨特的表現面向：樂手時且即興地作獨奏或伴奏、時且嚴格地按譜合奏，這些模式在音樂中流動不止；唯一不變的是他們也各自延續曲中的音樂動機，一氣呵成地承接這口氣。書不盡言、言不盡意，曲中不可言盡之處還是交由知音人各自感悟。
//[Score preview]