#SNYCOSoundbites

Concert: Legacy II
Date: 27.7.2024

Composed by Sulwyn Lok
Conductor: Quek Ling Kiong

“Gentle waves over the South Seas.”
These were the words on the silk scroll from Emperor Guang Xu to Thian Hock Keng Temple in 1907. While I was researching on a Singaporean story of early migrants, these words struck me with something profound and universal.

‘Waves’ - they have carried us to new lands across centuries.
Why do we ride on the ‘waves’?
For new futures, new homes, and new - ‘connections’.
‘Connections’ - a concept deep in our Chinese culture, both transactional and, more importantly, relational. Our Chinese term ‘五湖四海’ (‘5 lakes and 4 seas’) captures this idea of universalism and how everyone is connected. We humans have an inherent and unspoken desire to shape deep connections with others, and that aspect of humanity, as we sail the seas, embodies the search of new homes.

With that, we look once again at the scroll - “Gentle waves over the South Seas”. The very words that evoke the profound yearning for peace as we ride the waves towards new lands and meet people from different cultures. This desire is universal, and goes beyond the Chinese, and beyond migrants.

However, that is not to be. Conflicts over lands, over homes, have led to bloodshed and war-torn homes from the past to the present. Even though the same blood flow in all of us, we grapple over the lands we call home. Perhaps we can never escape the cycle of conflict, but perhaps mankind may one day, in deep human connections, find everlasting peace.

To create this symphonic poem for the world, the musical vocabulary draws inspiration from Chinese folk music, Gregorian chants, Buddhist chants, Carnatic rhythms, Middle Eastern textures, as well as western classical music. All these are only made possible from my friends and close collaborations from across the globe through my musical life.

View the house programme of "Legacy II" here: https://bit.ly/3UxNN7z

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音乐会：承II
日期：2024年7月27日

作曲：骆思卫
指挥：郭勇德

波浪，涌向我们称之为家的土地-为全人类书写的世界交响诗，亦为对和平的祈愿。
1907 年，清朝光绪皇帝赐予天福宫的丝绸卷轴上，写着这些文字。我在进行早期华人移民新加坡的研究时，看到了这几个字，瞬间被其深刻意涵及普世性深深打动。

“波”：多个世纪以来，波浪承载了多少探险家，将他们送往新的土地。
为什么人类不断乘风破浪？
这，都是为了全新的未来、家园，以及“连结”。
“连结”：深深扎根于中华文化的概念，影响着交易往来，更影响着人与人之间的关系。“五湖四海”这句成语，蕴含的便是这种普世观念，强调每个个体之间的相互关联。身为人类，我们有着一个内在但不言而喻的渴望，就是与他人建立深刻连结。因此，人类航行，其实也是在实践人性的这
一面向。毕竟，航行正是寻找新家园的过程。

让我们带着这样的认知，再回头看看卷轴上的四个字：“波靖南溟”。这些字背后，是对世界和平的深切向往。毕竟，乘风破浪，开拓疆土，过程中少不了文化交流。这种向往，是普世的，超越华人，也超越移民。然而，现实世界并非如此理想。从古至今，人类为争夺土地和家园，淌了很多血，也摧残了许多温馨的家。我们虽流着相同的血液，却为了捍卫自己的家园而同室操戈。或许，人类永远无法摆脱冲突的恶性循环。然而，也许有一天，人与人之间能建立深厚的连结，让人类找到永久的和平。

为了创作这首世界交响诗，作曲家参考了各文化的音乐元素，其中包括中国民族音乐、格里高利圣歌、佛教经文唱誦、印度卡纳提克音乐、中东音乐风格，以及西方古典音乐。感谢我音乐生涯中结识的各地友人与亲密合作伙伴，否则这首曲子也难以诞生。

我希望，这首作品能为所有人提供一个短暂的相聚。无论您是音乐家或是坐在观众席的音乐爱好者，都欢迎您一起进行反思，思考现实世界中无谓的冲突，并共同为和平祈愿。

点击连接参阅“承II”节目册：https://bit.ly/3UxNN7z