Joseph Koo / Arr. Ng Cheuk-yin: The Bund
The original version is the theme song of a homonymous soap opera and a classic of Cantonese pop music.
Wang Danhong: The Clouds, the Mountains and the Distant Geese
Commissioned in 2005 by the Guangdong Chinese Orchestra, The Clouds, the Mountains and the Distant Geese is based on the theme of a renowned Chaozhou work “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute”. Departing from its main melody for Zheng, this novel work, reconstructs and develops it, reaching newer dimensions, while faithful to its main theme, cleverly reproduced at the climax. While integrating the dynamic relationships of the “heavy-six mode” and the “light-six mode” featured in Chaozhou music, this piece also seeks to revive the style of grand music from Han and Tang dynasties and the magnificence of Chaozhou music.
Liu Changyuan: Erhu Concerto Relieved in a Dream
This piece was created in 2011, commissioned by the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra under the title “Relieved in a Dream”, suggesting two meanings: to interpret various dreams, illustrating them through music.
This ten-section work will be played without pauses with each section representing a different dream:
1. Longing
2. Joy
3. Affection for the lover
4. Terror
5. Struggling against powerful restraint, at odds with fate
6. Laments, sighs and tearful complaints
7. Fantasy
8. Lament for life
9. Bouncing with exuberance
10. Swaying between the torpor of dreams and awakeness
Wang Chenwei: Postcards from Macao
Postcards present symbolic images of a place. On the back of printed images, tourists usually write about personal experiences, sending the postcards to relatives and friends. In a similar spirit, the composer uses musical motifs that symbolize the city painting a unique musical portrait of Macao’s culture and history.
The first movement A-Ma Temple narrates the story behind Macao’s most renowned temple. In fact, the name Macao is derived from a-maa-gok, the temple’s native name.
1. Melody of the Waves portrays the picturesque natural scenery of Macao’s coast, and is derived from the Cantonese tune Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake.
2. Typhoon at Sea depicts a Hokkien ship’s encounter with a typhoon in the waters of Macao, drawing motifs from the Hokkien folk song Darkening Sky.
3. Miracle of A-Ma uses guzheng glissandi to symbolise the appearance of the tutelary deity of seafarers on Barra hill, safely guiding the ship to shore.
4. Worship of A-Ma combines the motifs from Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake and Darkening Sky in counterpoint, representing the grateful Hokkien seafarers building a temple to their saviour.
The second movement Mount Fortress narrates the 1622 Battle of Macao, using motivic material from late Renaissance organ pieces by a Dutch and a Portuguese composer.
1. Invasion of the Dutch, built upon motifs from the Fantasia Cromatica and Toccata in A Minor by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), expresses the Dutch ambition in capturing Macao to secure trade in East Asia.
2. Defenders of Macao represents people from all walks of life uniting against the invaders as the city lacked an army. The theme is derived from the Primeiro Tento do Primeiro Tom (“First Tento of the First Tone”) by Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (tento is a type of organ composition unique to the Portuguese and Spanish renaissance).
3. Battle of Macao contrapuntally combines the musical motifs from Toccata in A Minor and Primeiro Tento do Primeiro Tom, depicting the clash between both armies.
4. Repulsion of the Invaders uses the descending semi-tone from Fantasia Cromatica to portray the defeat of Dutch army while Primeiro Tento do Primeiro Tom represents Macao’s victory although outnumbered by the enemy. The movement ends in a celebratory mood with organ-like cadenzas by the sheng group.
The third movement, Senado Square, refers to the renowned plaza at the centre of Macao’s cultural and political life since the city opened its port.
1. Introduction cites a motif from the fado march Lisboa é Assim (This is Lisbon), which is sung by the Macanese as Assí sâm Macau (This is Macao) with lyrics in Patuá (a Macanese creole). This citation embodies the core significance of Postcards from Macao – to express the core idea of “this is Macao” through music.
2. Saudade cites the opening motif from Macau Terra Minha (Macao, My Land), a Portuguese song written by Macanese singer Rigoberto Rosário Jr. in 1970, to express “saudade”, a Portuguese word representing a deep nostalgia or melancholic longing. Saudade is an emotion prominently portrayed in Portuguese culture, often deemed untranslatable.
3. Transition is a section imitating the style of traditional Portuguese fado. The melody accelerates and brightens, like a film changing from monochrome into colour.
4. Fusion is a fado march comprising motifs from the Cantonese tunes Thunder in Drought and Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake. This hybrid of Portuguese and Cantonese music encapsulates the confluence of the two cultures in Macao, and brings the piece to a grand finale.
By Wang Chenwei
Translated from Chinese
E. Watson: Fiesta – Nights in Macao
The night is young, excitement is in the air, expressed in the bright lights, restaurants, crowds and the distant, irresistible sounds of music, making one feel alive and drawn into the evening’s festive atmosphere. All around, sights and sounds urge us to join the celebration!
This work comprises three sections. After a short, quiet introduction laying out its harmonic material, the first, rapid section illustrates the excitement and atmosphere of a contemporary festival amid the hustle and bustle of a modern city, all glamour and glitter, with the restless rhythmic pace typical of such occasions. After a while, the music settles into an expansive lyrical melody before rising to a climax that gradually loses impetus, as it relaxes into a slower, more traditional and coloured second section. This part reminds us that the contemporary city is, in fact, a historical and a significant site that lived with much excitement over the centuries, yet capable of offering numerous quiet areas. Peaceful oases where the relentless pace slows down for a moment, providing walks through an ancient world of narrow lanes, or strolls by the timeless sea in the moonlight, perhaps a chance meeting, a renewed acquaintance or even romance… Entering the final part, the distant sounds and the nightlife allure us back in, and soon the atmosphere overwhelms us, renewed by a short respite, a brief connection with the past, as we re-join the festivities.
By Eric James Watson
I. Albéniz / Arr. Qi Haodi: Asturias (Leyenda) for handpan and Chinese orchestra
Originally the prelude of the three-movement piano work Songs of Spain, the piece was later included in the Suite española and titled “Asturias (Leyenda)”. Although the piece was originally written for piano, the guitar arrangement of the piece has become more popular, probably because the original version was modelled on guitar techniques.
This version, arranged for the handpan and the traditional Chinese orchestra, is the first of its kind and features melodious tunes that showcase rich expression through the unique ethereal timbre of the handpan. The first part of piece has a dreamy melody, whereas the second part is markedly tranquil and soothing, although with a passionate touch (recalling the characteristic Spanish soul), reaching a dulcet lyricism at the recapitulation. Intertwining the handpan with the Chinese orchestral soundscape brings the piece to another zenith of expressiveness.
Zou Hang: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” is a renowned Chinese delicacy, named upon the traditional saying that not even Buddhist monks could resist its temptation. Inspired by this culinary masterpiece, the composer crafted a composition featuring gongs and drums, drawing from the traditional music of Chaoshan. Modern composition techniques were skilfully employed, reflecting the dynamic and diverse culture of China.
Programme note translated from the Chinese version provided by the Macao Chinese Orchestra (except for Fiesta – Nights in Macao )