for soprano, baritone, chamber orchestra and chamber choir
生命之歌 (2010)
為女高音、男中音、室內樂團及室內合唱團
DURATION: 35 minutes
曲長：35分鐘
INSTRUMENTATION: 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet in B-flat, 2 horns in F, 1 trumpet in C, 1 trombone, 1 tuba, 1 percussion player (timpani x 5, snare drum, marimba), soprano solo, baritone solo, chamber chorus (SATB), strings
樂器：一支長笛、一支降Ｂ調豎笛、兩支F調法國號、一支C調小喇叭 、一支長號、一支低音號、一位打擊樂手（五個定音鼓、一個小鼓、一個馬林巴琴）、女高音、男中音、四部混聲室內合唱團、絃樂
LYRICS: selected from Chinese poetry written by YANG Ping
歌詞：取自詩人楊平的中文詩集
PREMIERE PERFORMANCE / 首演:
April 17, 2010
/ 2010 年4月17日
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA / 美國密西根大學
Dr. Orio Sans, conductor 指揮
Dr. Reed Criddle, director of chorus 合唱團總監
Dr. Meng-Chun Lin (林孟君), soprano 女高音
Brian Carter, baritone 女中音
PREMIERE CONCERT PROGRAM 首演節目單
(including original lyrics and translation of lyrics 包含原中文歌詞及其英文翻譯）
Movement I 第一樂章：Spring Grass 春草
Movement II 第二樂章：Stupa at the End of the World 末世浮屠
Movement III 第三樂章：Nothing Cannot, But an Aircraft 沒有甚麼不是飛行器
Movement IV 第四樂章：I Want to Sing a Song of Humankind 我要唱一首人類之歌
PROGRAM NOTE：
THE SONG OF LIFE is written for soprano, baritone, chamber choir, and chamber orchestra, with texts taken from Mandarin Chinese poetry by Taiwanese poet YANG Ping. Inspired by the profoundly serious nature of the traditional requiem and the incredibly deep emotion expressed by its composers, this composition combines the various diverse strands of my life, incorporating literature, secular philosophy, and symbols of Christianity and Buddism.
The first movement, SPRING GRASS 春草, states that "last year's dath has been buried, the memories have vanished in an unknown swampland, and the short and sad romance has melted as snow." However, the deceased life has become nutrition to the land, and through its death brings the birth of spring grass. As Yang states, "Death is another form of rebirth," which accords with the Buddhism belief in reincarnation; when our bodies return to the land, the grass will eventually grow after the snow melts. After the soul is at rest in peace and silence, the spirit will still breathe through the grass.
The second movement, STUPA AT THE END OF THE WORLD 末世浮屠, describes the world today as if it is the Last Day, in which humanity's greed for power and mony brings hate, war, and death. Although people might be alive physically, they are, in another sense, spiritually dead. To contrast with the scene of the Last Day, the middle section, marked as Lamento, expresses the hopeless of humankind, who desperately call for the Lord. In addition to symbols of Christianity, the word, "stupa," in the title refers to a mound of mud or clay that covers relics of teh Buddha or the funeral monuments of Buddist monks.
The third movement, NOTHING CANNOT, BUT AN AIRCRAFT 沒有什麼不是飛行器, in contrast to the destructive second movement, intends to remind people of hope as long as we look inside our hearts with peace and serenity. As the poet states, the blossom in our heart will connect with the whole universe, and everything in the world, even a tiny grain of sand, will become a complete ONE.
The fourth movement, I WANT TO SING A SONG OF HUMANKIND 我要唱一首人類之歌, is menat to positively transform the images of the "buried death," the "melted romance," and the "vanished memories" in the first movement. After the statement, "To wake the great land from its slumber, I want to recall people's memories...with dark pupils flashing, seek to piece together the jigsaw puzzles of shattered dreams," Mr. Yang again uses the "grass" as a symbol of rebirth. "When the soul regains its peace, I shall breathe as the green grass does."
樂曲解說:
「生命之歌」是為了女高音、男中音、室內樂團及室內合唱團所寫。歌詞取自於台灣詩人「楊平」三本詩集中的四首中文詩。這四首詩原本並無關聯，但在本曲中每首詩成為其中一個樂章。
第一樂章「春草」中，歌詞說道：「去年的死亡已被埋葬。去年的記憶也隨著蘆荻高過胸口．．．」然而，死去的生命成為了大地的養分，進而給予春草生命力。就如同詩人楊平，根據佛教裡說的輪迴而說道：「死亡是另一種型式的復活」，當我的身體回歸大地後，青草就會在雪融後生長出來。
第二樂章「末世浮屠」描述現今的社會就如同在聖經上末日的情景，人對金與權的貪婪帶來憎恨、戰爭與死亡。雖然身體是活著的，但是精神上卻是死亡的。與「末日」的情景相對比，中段的「Lamento」表達了人心的絕望及對上帝的呼喊。此樂章使用了基督教末日的題材之外，「浮屠」則是來自佛教，意指聖僧圓寂後所埋葬的地方。
第三樂章「沒有什麼不是飛行器」與第二樂章相對比，試圖提醒人們，只要我們能看清內心，保持平安與寧靜，生命還是充滿著希望。就如同詩人所說，在我們內心的花綻放後，將會與世界連結，即使是一顆沙，任何事物將連結，而成為「一」。
第四樂章「我要唱一首人類之歌」將第一樂章所提的「埋葬的死亡」、「消失的記憶」及「化去的戀情」轉化為積極的圖像。在此樂章，詩人楊平又一次的使用「青草」來象徵「復活」。他道：「在靈魂獲得安寧之後，我會像青草一樣呼吸。」
Website update: February 5, 2012
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