Complete list of compositions (1994–2022)

For more information to purchase these works, please kindly contact my publisher Verlag Neue Musik:

Website:

www.verlag-neue-musik.de

Address:
Verlag Neue Musik GmbH
Grabbeallee 15
D-13156 Berlin

Phone: +49 (0) 30 – 61 69 81 – 0

Fax: +49 (0) 30 – 61 69 81 – 21

E-Mail: vnm@verlag-neue-musik.de

Administration:
Verlag Neue Musik GmbH
c/o AMA Verlag GmbH
P.O. Box 1168
D-50301 Brühl

Phone: +49 (0)22 32 – 96 93 – 0

Fax: +49 (0)22 32 – 96 93 – 66

and Store:

AMA Verlag GmbH
Alte Schulstraße 5-6
D-16356 Ahrensfelde, OT Lindenberg

Welcome to visit the composer’s website for more updated events and activities:

Website: www.chongkeeyong-studio-c.com

E-Mail: kychongcom@gmail.com

Download the full work list of CHONG:

Chronological List of works_Full_Chong (September 2022)

Atmospheric Music Theatre

無名者。聖跡

意境音樂劇場

Being nameless. Holy steps

A collective creative atmospheric Music Theatre

©Studio C

Video example

Composed: June 2017

Commissioned by: Hong Kong New Music Ensemble

Dedication: Hong Kong New Music Ensemble

Duration: ca 40’

World premiere: 24/06/2017

Venue: Spring Workshop (Hong Kong)

1^st performed and created by Agung Gunawan (Dancer)

Patrick Gunawan (Visual/live electronics)

Hong Kong New Music Ensemble (Flute, Viola, Double bass and Guzheng)

Chong Kee Yong (Music curator and director)

“Being nameless. Holy steps” (2017)

The atmospheric music theatre performed and created by the creative team including composer Dr Chong Kee Yong, Javanese dancer Agung Gunawan, Visual-Sound artist Mr Patrick Gunawan and musicians of HKNME took all of us to an exploration of understanding our own bodies through the methodology that Javanese dancer Mr Agung Gunawan has established;

– Breathing – wind giving breath

– Listening – wind whispering in the air

– Sensing – wind touching your body

– Floating – wind rocking you like a cradle

With each one of those methologies is strongly connected with the 4 requirements to perfect the art of dance in Javanese Palace dance context, which are;

Sawiji – (concentration of mind)

Greget – (enthusiasm and consciousness)

Sengguh – (self-confidence)

Ora Mingkuh – (no surrender)

From above methologies, we inspired and composed Being nameless. Holy steps

瘋猴王之傳說

意境音樂劇場

Legend of the Crazy Monkey King

A collective creative atmospheric Music Theatre

©Studio C

©Witjak Widhi Cahya

©Studio C

©Witjak Widhi Cahya

Video example

Composed: 2016

Commissioned by: SEP Festival of Salihara

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 50’

World premiere: October 27-28, 2016

Venue: Salihara Gallery

1^st performed and created by Xu Feng Xia (Guzheng, ShanXuan, Voice),

Huang Lungyi (Sheng, Xun, Voice),

Stephanie Griffin (Viola),

Max Riefer (Percussion, live electronics),

Pradit Saengkrai (live electronics/visual),

Patrick Gunawan (Live electronics),

Anak Agung Gede Anom Putra (Dancer),

Gamelan Semara Ratih (I Ketut Cater and Dipta mahaputra)

Chong Kee Yong (Music curator and director)

“Legend of the Crazy Monkey King” (2016)

Legend of the Crazy Monkey King is a long-form music concert. This world premiere of Chong Kee Yong’s latest creation involves ten musicians, some of whom are his frequent collaborators.

Chong deftly weaves Asian music elements with that of contemporary music. This Malaysian composer is known for his ability to expand the potential of every musical instrument he uses, without neglecting to highlight what’s unique about traditional music.

Chong combines Asian traditional instruments such as Balinese gamelan, Chinese instruments like guzheng, sheng, xun and sanxian, alongside modern instruments like viola and percussion instruments.

The current presentation is enriched by video projection and electronic sounds created by Pradit Saengkrai (Thailand). To further accentuate it as “music that tells a story”, Chong has weaved in vocal and voice elements as story-teller, performed here by Huang Lungyi (Taiwan) and Xu Feng Xia (Germany). The presentation also features Balinese dance by Anak Agung Gede Anom Putra (Indonesia).

Legend of the Crazy Monkey King is a diverse palette of tones, lyrics, and vitality—all of which are nurtured through the strength of Chong’s character as a poetic composer.

As composer describe this work:

“From my youth time, I was deeply obsessed by the story of “Monkey King” Sun Wukong in the “Journey to the West”, Sun Wukong knows 72 transformations, which allow him to transform into various animals and objects; he possesses immense strength; he is able to lift his heavy staff with ease. He is also extremely fast, able to travel 21,675 kilometres in one somersault. Each of his hairs possesses magical properties, capable of being transformed into clones of the Monkey King himself, and/or into various weapons, animals, and other objects. All these really fascinating me and I always dreaming to be Sun WuKong!

In 2014, I was doing my field trip study in Ubud of Bali, I attended night performance of famous Semara Ratih gamelan group, in the performance I was so moved by appearance and dance of the hanuman by their group-leading dancer Pak Agung Anak Anom. From the Etymology, we know that Hanuman is a god and an ardent devotee of the god Rama. Hanuman participated in Rama’s war against the demon king Ravana and as an incarnation of Shiva. He is the son of Anjana and Kesari and is also described as the son of the wind-god Pawan.

From the ancient Chinese history culture background, actually, Sun Wukong’s origin is from the White Monkey legends from the Chinese Chu kingdom (700–223 BC). These legends gave rise to stories and art motifs during the Han dynasty, eventually contributing to the rise of the figure of Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong is also considered to be influenced by elements of both Chinese folklore and the Hindu deity Hanuman from the Ramayana.

For me, both Sun Wong Kong and Hanuman are the same figure and present a fantasy-like form of exaggerates human emotion, same as a musician to express their emotion through their live performances.

Eastern and Western Orchestral

黎明之婆裟聖詠

為室內樂隊而作

Dawn whirling chants

for chamber orchestra

Video example

Score exampleDawn Whirling Chants-5 pages:

Instrumentation:

2Fl/2Ob/2Cl (2nd also Bass Cl)/2Bsn; 2Hrn/2Trpt; 2 Perc; 4VlnI/4Vln II/4Vla/4Vc/2Db.

Composed: 18 August 2019

Commissioned by:

Dedication: In memorial for the victims of the 5th Aug 2018 destructive earthquake in the Lombok (Indonesia)

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere:

Venue:

1^st performed by Kammerorchester Basel

Frank Ollu (conductor)

* Finalist of Basel Composition Competition (2019)

Dawn whirling chants (2019)

The multiple layers of the early morning Muslim prayer chanting inspired my composition during my cultural field trips in Indonesia. While I composed this composition, a destructive and shallow earthquake struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia on 5th August 2018. This piece is a memorial for the victims in these unavoidable natural disasters.

南風

為華樂隊而作

Southern Wind

for Chinese orchestra

©Studio C

Score example: Southern wind_pg selection

Instrumentation:

1Bd/1Qd/1Xd; 1Gsh/1Zsh/1Dsh; 1Gs/1Zs/1Ds/1Gz; 1Yq/2Lq/4Pp/4Zhr/2Dr/1Gzh; 6Perc; 6Gh/ 6Eh.I/6Eh.II/6Zh/6Vc/4Db.

Composed: January 2017

Commissioned by: Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 01/03/2017

Venue: Hong Kong City hall

1^st performed by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Yan Hui Chang (conductor)

* Awarded the best orchestration award at the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s Chinese Music Without Bound International Composition Competition 2017

香港中樂團“中樂無疆界” 國際作曲大賽最佳配器獎

“Southern Wind” (2017)

“「南風”」中的“「風”」指是民間的歌謠，也是來至南洋的歌謠。曲中運用大量帶有抽象和象徵式如民間地方色彩性曲調的原始素材，並交織於樂器和樂隊之間而產生出色彩繽紛的多方位聽覺空間和時空。

In ancient Chinese poetry, “Wind” represents the folk songs which also means songs from the Nanyang area. In this composition, I merged a large number of different folk melody fragments in the abstract sound spaces, and each melody fragment is interwoven between instrument groups or soloists and orchestra which produce colourful spatial auditory shifts.

The word ‘wind’ in the original Chinese title can date back to ancient Chinese literature and refers to ‘folk songs’. So Southern Wind also means ‘folk songs from Nanyang’. In this composition, I have blended a large number of different folk melody fragments into the abstract sound spaces, and each melody fragment is interwoven with instrumental groups, soloists or the orchestra to produce colorful spatial auditory shifts.

祭祀節慶

為華樂隊，預先錄製的音頻和圖像投影而作

Celebration of faith

for Chinese orchestra with pre-recorded audio and images projection

©Studio C

©Studio C

Video example

Score example: Celebration of Faith_pages selection

Instrumentation:

On stage: 1Gsh/1Zsh/1Dsh; 2Yq/2Lq/4Pp/4Zhr/2Dr/1Gzh; 4 Perc; 6Gh/6Eh.I/6Eh.II/6Zh/6Vc/4Db

Offstage: 1Bd/1Qd/1Dd; 1Gs/1Zs/1Ds/1Gz.

Offstage ensemble group: 1Qd/1Gsh/1Gs/2 Perc

Composed: July 2016

Commissioned by: Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Dedication: Maestro Yeh Tsung

Duration: ca 15’

World premiere: 04/11/2016

Venue: Singapore Conference Hall

1^st Performed by Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Yeh Tsung (conductor)

“Celebration of faith” (2016)

《祭祀节庆》是作曲家在2015年参与由新加坡华乐团音乐总监葉聰带领的作曲家采风团后所创作的。团队是在新加坡和马六甲进行采风。作曲家之前从未参加过任何的娘惹节庆和婚庆，采风之后对娘惹节庆的方式和所用的音乐类型有了初步的认识。如今娘惹的婚庆佷少使用福建民间乐师作现场演奏，而多数只是播放过去收录的婚庆音乐。老旧的磁带里收录了以前由旅居印尼的福建民间乐师到现场演奏助兴的娘惹婚庆现场奏乐，成为了此曲创作的音调素材。作曲家也在作品中融入了一些娘惹喜爱的马来歌谣如《Dondang Sayang》的曲风。《祭祀节庆》不是娘惹节庆歌曲的重新编写，而是一部作曲家尝试用自己的音乐语言去描述他所略知的娘惹节庆感受之作。

Celebration of Faith was composed in 2015 when Maestro Yeh led several composers on a trip to collect Nyonya folk songs in Singapore and Malacca. Prior to the journey, the composer had not participated in any Peranakan festivity or wedding. He began to learn more about the Peranakan festive etiquette and music style during the trip. Nowadays, Nyonyas seldom engage Fujian musicians to play live music at their weddings, instead of to play recorded music from past weddings. The old recordings, which documented the Fujian musicians who were residing in Indonesia to perform ‘live’ at Nyonya weddings, has inspired the composer to use it as the music elements of the composition. This piece has also blended with the music style of a few popular Nyonya Malay songs like Dondang Sayang. This unique musical piece bears the composer’s distinct melodic language and perception for the Nyonyas’ celebratory occasions, and it is not a re-arrangement of any Nyonya festive music.

“祭祀節慶” Celebration of faith was commissioned by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and dedicated to maestro Yeh Tsung.

Special thanks to my Studio C member Mr Yeo Chow Shern to work on my field recording sound files and the images part in this performance!

無淚月亮的幻想曲

為交響樂團而作

Fantasy on tearless moon

for symphony orchestra

Video example

Score example: Fantasy on tearless moon_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

Fl1 (picc)/Fl2(picc)/Ob1/Cl1(sopranino recorder)/Bsn1(D.bsn); 2 Hrn (1 & 2)/2 Tpt (1 & 2)/1 Trbn1/B.trbn/Tb(sopranino recorder); Timp/3 Perc; Pf (cel); Hrp; 12Vln/6Vla/4Vc/3D.b; 12Vln/6Vla/4Vc/3D.b

Offstage (L): Hrn3(wine glass)/Tpt3/Trbn2(sopranino recorder)

Offstage (R): Fl3(alto fl)/Ob2(sopranino recorder)/Cl2 (b. cl)/Hrn4 (wine glass)/Bsn2 (Soprano recorder)

Composed: April 2014

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

Dedication: Kevin FIELD and in memory of Geraldine MCDONNELL, and To mourn the lost and salute to our nation hero Mr. Karpal Singh (1940-2014) who defended the freedom of a nation!

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 13/06/2014

Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st performed by: Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

Kevin Field (conductor)

“Fantasy on tearless moon” (2014)

“Fantasy on tearless moon” is a shorter version and also a revision version of my former orchestra piece “Tearless moon”. This composition brings up the idea of expressing love, sadness, and nostalgia in our life.

Since the olden days, the moon often symbolizes nostalgia. I had specifically used a different orchestral set-up for this work, and the feeling of space and spatial relationship is the main theme here. On stage, the woodwind & brass is set in the middle, surrounded by the string orchestra in the right and left side. At the back are the percussion instruments, harp and piano/celesta also place in the middle left & right. Most importantly I am placing two groups, a woodwinds quintet and a brass trio behind the audience (at the upper circle), which sounds like distant shadows following the musical movement of the orchestra on stage.

“Tearless moon” was a commission from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra after winning the MPOICA (2005.) I’m very grateful to Kevin Field (MPO associate conductor) for supporting my music as well as his overall contribution to the Malaysian contemporary music scene. This work is inspired by our friendship and also is a memorial piece for his wife Geraldine Macdonnell who sadly passed away during the time I was participating in the MPOICA.

In May, I was asked by Kevin to revise my “Tearless moon” for his concert with MPYO on June 13th 2014, it is my great honor to have my “Fantasy on tearless moon” play by our young generation in their concert!

I dedicate the work to Kevin FIELD and in memorial of his wife Geraldine MCDONNELL. While I was composing this work, I was shocked to hear the sad news on the car accident Mr Karpal Singh was involved in. With this work, I would like to mourn the loss and my salute to our national hero Mr Karpal Singh (1940-2014) who defended the freedom of a nation!

無淚的月亮

為交響樂團而作

Tearless moon

for symphony orchestra

Video example

Score example: Tearless moon page 1-4

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

Fl1 (picc)/Fl2(picc)/Ob1/Cl1(sopranino recorder)/Bsn1(D.bsn); 2 Hrn (1 & 2)/2 Tpt (1 & 2)/1 Trbn1/B.trbn/Tb(sopranino recorder); Timp/3 Perc; Pf (cel); Hrp; 12Vln/6Vla/4Vc/3D.b; 12Vln/6Vla/4Vc/3D.b

Offstage (L): Hrn3(wine glass)/Tpt3/Trbn2(sopranino recorder)

Offstage (R): Fl3(alto fl)/Ob2(sopranino recorder)/Cl2 (b. cl)/Hrn4 (wine glass)/Bsn2 (Soprano recorder)

Composed: March 2006

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dedication: Kevin Field and in memory of Geraldine McDonnell

Duration: ca 19’

World premiere: 20/05/2006

Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st Performed by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin FIELD (conductor)

“Tearless Moon” (2006)

“Tearless Moon” is a work of love, sadness, and nostalgia. Since the olden days, the moon often symbolizes nostalgia. I have specifically used a different orchestral set-up for this work, and the feeling of space and spatial relationship is the main theme here. On stage, the woodwind & brass is set in the middle, surrounded by the string orchestra in the right and left side. At the back are the percussion instruments, harp and piano/celesta also place in the middle left & right. Most importantly I am placing two groups, a woodwinds quintet and a brass trio behind the audience (at the upper circle), sounding like distant shadows following the musical movement of the orchestra on stage.

This is a commission from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra after winning the MPOICA.(in 2005.) I’m very grateful to Kevin Field (MPO associate conductor) for supporting my music as well as his overall contribution to the Malaysian contemporary music scene. This work is inspired by our friendship and also is a memorial piece for his wife Geraldine Macdonnell who sadly passed away during the time I was participating in the MPOICA.

Through my conversations with Kevin, I found out that Geraldine loved singing, and that she sang a lot of Irish folk songs. So that I proposed to Kevin, I’d like to put melody or musical elements both of them can recall their memory, Kevin showed me one of his own compositions, with Geraldine’s lyrics in Gaelic, and I try to integrate some of this song’s elements and the typical Irish folk music interval of fifth in this piece. Here, I’d like to say many thanks to Kevin for giving me his song for getting the inspiration “seed” of this work!

I dedicate the work to Kevin FIELD and in memorial of his wife Geraldine MCDONNELL

永恆的變形

為交響樂團而作

Timeless metamorphosis

for symphony orchestra

©Studio C

Instrumentation:

3Fl/3Ob/3Cl/3Bsn; 4Hrn/3Tpt/3Trbn/1Tb; 1 Pno (Cel);1 Hrp;3 Perc; Timp; Strings (30 Vln, 12 Vla, 10 Vc, 8 D.b)

Composed: January 2005

Commissioned by:–

Dedication:–

Duration: ca 13’30”

World premiere: 25/03/2006; “2nd Lepo Sumera International young composers competition 2006” final concert. (Opening concert of the Estonia new music days Festival

Venue: Tallinn concert hall

1^st Performed by Estonia National Symphony Orchestra

Toomas Vavilov (conductor)

* 2nd prize in the “2nd Lepo Sumera International Young composers competition 2006” (Tallinn, Estonia)

“Timeless metamorphosis” (2005)

The piece is inspired by the ancient Chinese book of “I Ching”. (The book of change)

In this work, I interpret the tranquillity and movement of the Yin and Yang in this piece as an abstract space, where every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action were influenced and transformed each other and in timeless metamorphose from each other; it shows an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counters unification like the description of nature in “I Ching”.

I intended to convey an immanent motif and immanent artistic conception, mere exceedingly abstract mentality spirit.

星夜的漣漪（修改的版本）

為交響樂團而作

The starry night’s ripples

for symphony orchestra (revised version)

Video example

Score example: The starry night’s ripples_pg selection

Instrumentation:

3Fl/3Ob/3Cl/3Bsn; 4Hrn/3Tpt/2Trbn/1Tb; 1 Pf (Cel); 1 Hrp; 3 Perc; Timp; Strings (30 Vln, 10 Vla, 10 Vc, 8 D.b)

Composed: 2004, rev.

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Dedication: My wife Yong Ka Ling

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 27/11/2004; Final round concert of the “MPO International Composers Awards”

Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st performed by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin FIELD (conductor)

* Winner of the “MPO International Composers Award 2004”

“The starry night’s ripples” (revised version 2004)

A painting “The starry night” by Vincent van Gogh inspires this work. I’m so moved by the stirring blue colour night sky and ripple-like stars, for me it is full of movement and silent within this painting like two different streams encountered each other to create this striking imagination nature view of Van Gogh!

In my work, I used two kinds of emotional motif, the first motif is mainly using the full mixed colours of the orchestra; the second motif is focused on the individual instrumental timbre, these two motifs are referred to the two different streams in the painting of Van Gogh.

In my work, I paint out my “sound” colour of the starry night, it stirring and stringing like the ripples in the starry night. You also will hear my tribute to the three great masters Stravinsky, Ligeti and Scarrino.

I dedicate the work to my wife Ka-Ling.

星夜的漣漪

為交響樂團而作

The starry night’s ripples

for symphony orchestra

Instrumentation:

3Fl/3Ob/3Cl/3Bsn; 4Hrn/3Tpt/2Trbn/1Tb; 1 Pf (Cel); 1 Hrp; 3 Perc; Timp; Strings (30 Vln, 10 Vla, 10 Vc, 8 D.b)

Composed: 2003

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and specially written for MPO Malaysian Composers Forum 2003-2004.

Dedication: My wife Yong Ka Ling

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 11/03/2003; MPO Malaysian composers Forum & 14/03/2004; Prize winning concert.

Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st performed by Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin FIELD (conductor)

* Winner of the “MPO Forum for Malaysian Composers” contest

** Nomination the “Best original Composition for the “Boh Cameronian Arts Awards 2005” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“The starry night’s ripples” (Original version 2003)

I dedicate the work to my wife Ka-Ling.

晨歌

為弦樂四重奏，弦樂三重奏和弦樂團而作

Aubade (Dawn serenade)

for string quartet, string trio and string orchestra (15 strings)

Instrumentation:

Strings (12 Vln, 4 Vla, 4 Vc, 2 D.b)

Composed: October 2002

Commissioned by: Nieuw Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Dedication: To my daughter CHONG Chuan-Yi

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 09/11/2002 and 10/11/ 2002

Venue: Theater ZWEMBAD (De Regentes, Den Haag) and Het Concertgebouw (Amsterdam)

1^st performed by Nieuw Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Etienne Siebens (conductor)

“Aubade” (Dawn serenade) (2002)

An audabe is a morning love song from far while I’m waiting my wife to give birth to our first daughter Chuan Yi.

夢廻

爲十一件弦樂而作 (2000); 爲弦樂而作 (2017)

The Echoed Dream

for 11 strings (2000); for string orchestra (2017)

©Studio C

Video example

Score example: 11 strings version The echoed dream_pg selection

Score example: String orchestra version The echoed dream-2017_pg selection

Instrumentation:

11 Strings (6 Vln, 2 Vla, 2 Vc, 1 D.b)

String orchestra (6 Vln I, 6.Vln II, 4 Vla. 4 Vc, .2 D.b)

Composed: 2000, rev.

Commissioned by: Kamerorkest Konniklijk Conservatorium Brussel

Dedication: Mario VILLUENDAS

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 28/02/2000

Venue: Concert hall of Royal Conservatory of Brussels

1^st performed by Kamerorkest Konniklijk Conservatorium Brussel

Yasatomo OGITANI (leading)

Concerto

伴著你的歌入睡

為女高音，菲律宾隆達亞乐队而作

Sleep with your song

for soprano and Philippine rondalla orchestra

Instrumentation:

Sopr. and rondalla orchestra

Score example: sleep with your song 2022_pg1

Instrumentation:

Sopr. and rondalla orchestra

Composed: Dec 2021

Commissioned by: Kuwerdas Filipinas Symphonic Rondalla

Dedication: Stefanie Quintin-Avila, Kuwerdas Filipinas Symphonic Rondalla and maestro Josefino

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st performed by: —

老渔港的回忆

為37簧傳統高音笙，弦樂，打擊樂和鋼片琴而作的音樂

Remembering of the old fishing village

Music for 37-reed traditional soprano Sheng, Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Score example: Pages from Old Fishing Village_Final Full score_CHONG2019

Instrumentation:

Shg solo/4 Vln I/4Vln II/4Vla/4Vc/Cel/2 Perc

Composed: October 2019

Commissioned by: Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Dedication: Sheng master Wu Wei and in memorial of my mentor Prof. Chou Wen Chung

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 09/02/2019

Venue: Victoria concert hall (Singapore)

1^st performed by: WU Wei (Sheng),

Singapore Symphony Orchestra,

Joshua Tan (Conductor)

尋風

為四件中國樂器和國樂團之協奏曲而作（2013， 2015改編較短版本）

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (Pipa, Gu Zheng, Dizi and 37-reed soprano Sheng) and Chinese orchestra (2013, 2015 arrangement for shorter version)

Video example 1

Video example 2

Score example: Xun Feng-shorter version_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

4Perc;1Gsh/1Zsh/1Dsh;1Yq.I/1Gzhg.I/1Yq.II/1Gzhg.II/2Lq/4Pp/4Zhr/2Dr;4Gh/4Eh.I/4Eh.II/4Zh/4Vc/4Db; Pp solo; Gzhg solo;

Offstage:

1Gs/1Bd/1Xd/(wine glass); 1Bd (Qd)/1Zs (Gs)/1Ds(wine glass); Shg solo (wine glass/hand Cymbal); Dizi solo (Xiao/wine glass/hand cymbal)

Composed: August 2015

Commissioned by: National Chinese Orchestra (Taiwan)

Dedication: In memory of my beloved mentor Prof. Rao Yu Yan

Duration: ca 12’-13’

World premiere: 12/12/2015

Venue: National Concert Hall (Taiwan)

1^st performed by: National Chinese Orchestra (Taiwan)

Yan Hui Chang (conductor)

“Xun Feng” (Seeking the wind) (Shorter version 2015)

In ancient Chinese poetry, “wind” represents folk songs as well as songs of the earth. In this composition, I merged a large number of different folk melody fragments in the abstract sound spaces, and each melody fragment is woven between soloists and orchestra which produce colourful, spatial-auditory shifts.

I was very moved by the cultural living treasure master Madam Liao Chiung-chih, who is the most famous “Ku Dan” (sorrowful female character) singer in the Taiwan opera scene. Most of the melody fragments in “Xun Feng” derive from her songs or from the folk songs from the northwestern area of China, Xi’An and Shang Bei.

In 2012, I recorded Madame Liao singing a famous song “我身騎白馬” (Riding the white horse) of Taiwanese opera and edited the recording into an “old LP” quality audio. Later, a mobile phone ringtone. I gave the ringtone to eight of the musicians (on stage and off stage), so they will play back this ringtone in the end of the piece.

In this composition, I integrated different tuning systems among the gu zheng soloist, pipa soloist and gu zheng I & II in the orchestra and was able to create a “shadow” play quality between the gu zheng group (soloist, gu zheng I & II), as well as the “shadow” singing voices between gu zheng and pipa soloists.

My aim here is to imitate an old voice (Lao Dan, female character in Taiwan opera, in this case is the pipa soloist) to teach a young voice (guzheng soloist) how to learn the song phrase by phrase.

When the first section repeats in the recapitulation passage, most of the instruments have the same material as the first section, but two of the off-stage soloists (dizi and sheng) will start to present new material, highlighting the broader idea of Chinese music living ornamentation.

鳳凰的呼喚

為37簧高音笙和室內樂團（八位音樂家）而作之修訂版

Phoenix calling

revised version for 37-reed soprano Sheng solo and chamber ensemble

©Studio C

Audio example

Score example: Phoenix calling 2013_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Shg solo/Fl/Ob/Cl/Vln/Vla/Vc/Pno/Perc

Composed: October 2013

Commissioned by: Goethe Institut Young composers competition and workshop festival 2013

Dedication: WU Wei and in memorial of the victims of tragedy in Sichuan and Myanmar

Duration: ca 14’

World premiere: 14/12/2013; Goethe Institut Young composers Competition and workshop festival 2013

Venue: Sangkeet Vadhana Hall, Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music (Bangkok/Thailand)

1^st performed by: WU Wei (Sheng),

Ensemble Mosaik,

Enno Poppe (Conductor)

“Phoenix calling” (Version 2013)

In the ancient Chinese and Egyptian mythology, phoenix is symbolized as consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.

In traditionally, the construction outlook and shape of sheng, reminding of “Phoenix wings”; it is imitating the flying phoenix and it represents as an immortal figure. In this work, Sheng reflects as phoenix and it calls for hope and peace for the victims of tragedy in Sichuan and Myanmar, as well as their families and friends, may they find peace in this catastrophic nature tragedy!

“Phoenix calling” is special written in memorial of the victims of tragedy in Sichuan and Myanmar. The revised version 2013 is specially written for the Goethe Institut Young composers Competition and workshop festival 2013 in Bangkok. I dedicated this piece to Sheng soloist Mr. Wu Wei.

尋風

為四件中國樂器（琵琶，古箏，笛子/蕭和傳統37簧女高音笙）和西方交響樂團而作之協奏曲

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (Pipa, Gu Zheng, Dizi/Xiao and traditional 37-reed soprano Sheng) and Western symphony orchestra

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Video example

Score example: Xun Feng-western orch_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

4Perc;4Hrn/2Tpt/1Tbrn; 1D.Bsn (mobile phone); 1Hrp (mobile phone);1B.Tbrn; 1Fl1(picc)/1Ob1/1Cl1/1Bsn1 (mobile phone); 6VlnI/5VlnII/6Vla/6Vc/3Db; Pp solo; GZhg solo

Offstage:

1Fl2 (picc/alto fl)/ 1Ob2 (mobile phone)/1Cl2 (wine glass); 1Fl3 (picc)/1Ob3 (mobile phone)/1Cl3 [b. Cl/wine glass); Shg solo (wine glass/hand cymbals/mobile phone); Dz solo (Xiao/wine glass/hand cymbals/mobile phone)

Composed: July 2013

Commissioned by: Philharmonia Moments Musicaux

Dedication: CHIANG Ching Po, LIN Hui Kuan, YEH Jiuan-Reng, WU Chung-Hsien, HUANG Lung-Yi, and in memory of my beloved mentor Prof. RAO Yu Yan

Duration: ca 19’

World premiere: 28/12/2013, Philharmonia Moments Musicaux’s year-end concert 2013

Venue: Taiwan National Concert hall (Taipei/Taiwan)

1^st performed by: LIN Hui Kuan (Pipa),

YEH Jiuan-Reng (Gu zheng),

WU Chung-Hsien (Dizi/Xiao),

HUANG Lung-Yi (Sheng),

Philharmonia Moments Musicaux ,

Paul Chiang Ching Po (conductor)

“Xun Feng” (Seeking the wind) (Western symphony orchestra version 2013)

My aim here is to imitate an old voice (Lao Dan, female character in Taiwan opera, in this case is the pipa soloist) to teach a young voice (guzheng soloist) how to learn the song phrase by phrase.

客。情

為三弦/古箏/配音協奏曲和中國樂團錄音預錄音而作

Hak.Qing [Hakka. Love]

Concerto for sanxian/gu zheng/voice and Chinese orchestra with pre-recorded sound samples

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Video example

Score example: Hak-Qin_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

4Perc; 2Gsh/1Zsh/1Dsh; 1Yq. I/1Gzhg.I/1Yq. II; 1Hrp; 2Lq/4Pp/4Zhr/2Dr; 6Gh/6Eh.I/6Eh.II/6Zh/6Vc/3Db; Gzhg solo(on stage)/SanXian solo(off stage)

Offstage: 1Gs/1Zs (Gs)/1Ds; 1Bd/1Qd/1Xd; Perc5/Perc6; GSh/Gz

Composed: March-April 2013

Commissioned by: Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Dedication: Xu Feng Xia and maestro Yeh Tsung, in memory of my beloved late maternal grandfather Hakka storyteller/mountain song singer maestro Sak–

Duration: ca 29’

World premiere: 10/10/2013

Venue: Singapore Conference hall (Singapore)

1^st performed by: XU Feng Xia (sanxian/gu zheng/voice),

Singapore Chinese Orchestra,

YEH Tsung (conductor)

Team of Studio C, Yeo Chow Shern and Chow Jun Yan (Sound projection)

“Hak.Qing” [Hakka. Love] (2013)

Since young my parents taught me the value of our Hakka’s culture and heritages. They spent times telling me the stories of our grandparents how they came to NanYang and how they struggled with their hard life here in order to raise them up and keep teaching them the value of our Hakka’s spirit.

In the modern days, due to the mainstream education system, most of the young Hakka genration are not interested to learn about their own culture. They try to avoid the roots of their origin, many of the Hakka’s familes are no more practicing their own culture costume and even they don’t teach their kids to speak hakka at home! In this work, I’d like to be the story-teller like my maternal grandfather maestro Sak to show you the beauty of our Hakka’s mother tongue and hakka’s spirit of our ancestors.

As a Hakka, I’m very proud to hear my parents talking about the lengendary stories of my late maternal grandfather. In those stories , I was very moved by a meaningful Hakka’s phrase that is when our Hakka ancestors left their China’s home town and sailed to the NanYang area (South East Asia), they will tell their love one, they don’t know when they will back home. Only wait until a day the Loach grow scales and the Horse grow horn, then they will be back home!

…等到滑哥(泥鳅)生鱗, 馬生角..涯就轉來!

Special thanks to my Studio C team (Chow Jun Yan & Yeo Chow Shern) to work on my field recording Hakka sound files and do the live electronic part in this performance!

尋風

為四件中國樂器和國樂團之協奏曲而作

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (pipa, gu zheng, dizi/xiao and tradional 37-reed soprano sheng) and Chinese orchestra

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Video example

Score example: Xun Feng-original_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Onstage:

4Perc;1Gsh/1Zsh/1Dsh;1Yq.I/1Gzhg.I/1Yq.II/1Gzhg.II/2Lq/4Pp/4Zhr/2Dr;4Gh/4Eh.I/4Eh.II/4Zh/4Vc/4Db; Pp solo; Gzhg solo;

Offstage:

1Gs/1Bd/1Xd/(wine glass); 1Bd (Qd)/1Zs (Gs)/1Ds(wine glass); Shg solo (wine glass/hand Cymbal); Dizi solo (Xiao/wine glass/hand cymbal)

Composed: January-February 2013

Commissioned by: Chai Found Music Workshop (Taiwan)

Dedication: HUANG Chen-Ming, LIN Hui Kuan, Yeh Jiuan-Reng, WU Chung-Hsien, HUANG Lung-Yi and Chai Found Music Workshop; in memory of my beloved mentor Prof. Rao Yu Yan

Duration: ca 17’30”

World Premiere: 06 March 2013

Venue: Taiwan National Concert hall (Taipei, Taiwan)

1^st Performed by: Lin Hui Kuan, pipa

Yeh Jiuan-Reng, gu zheng

Wu Chung-Hsien, dizi/xiao

Huang Lung-Yi, traditional 37-reeds soprano sheng

Chai Found Music Workshop Orchestra

Huang Chen-Ming, conductor

“Xun Feng” (Seeking the wind) (Original version 2013)

“Xun Fun” (Seeking wind) is my first composition for Chinese traditional instrument soloists and Chinese orchestra.

My aim here is to imitate an old voice (Lao Dan, female character in Taiwan opera, in this case is the pipa soloist) to teach a young voice (guzheng soloist) how to learn the song phrase by phrase.

很榮幸與啓榮合作過三部作品，分別為「Metamorphosis VIII」、「別歌」及「尋風」。不論是「Metamorphosis VIII」的奇趣令人驚艷，以及「別歌」的波瀾壯闊，或是「尋風」的多彩與動人， 啓榮的作品前衞卻不悖離器樂及文化的根性，不僅如此，他更擅於結合時間與空間，將音樂玩的十足迷人、十分精彩！！演奏啓榮的作品根本是一種享受⋯⋯

黃朧逸 (笙演奏家)

It is my honor to have performed Kee Yong’s “Metamorphosis VIII,” “Bie Ge” (Song of Farewell), and “Xun Feng” (Seeking the Wind). The unusual yet stunning charm of “Metamorphosis VIII,” the grandeur of “Bie Ge,” and the multicolored and moving “Xun Feng” . . . all of Kee Yong’s works are avant-garde without violating instrumental and cultural traditions. Moreover, he is an expert in combining time and space to bring out the quintessential charm of music. Performing Kee Yong’s works is absolutely an enjoyable experience . . . .

Huang Long Yi, (Sheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

他的作品構思充滿靈感和創意，讓演奏聲音以最美與最獨特的方式，從不同的空間位置交互傳繞開來，令人印象深刻。

葉娟礽 (古箏演奏家)

The ideas of his works are full of inspiration and creativity. Sounds are intertwined and conveyed from different spaces and positions in the most beautiful and unique manner. Utterly impressive.

Yeh Jiuan Reng, (Gu Zheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

「尋風」如潑墨山水般的作品，濃淡皆有，揮灑自如，四位獨奏家分置四個位置，有各自的氛圍及色彩，大型樂團像大自然般地包容ㄧ切。在琵琶的演奏上，如巫師似的唱出大地之聲，演奏該作品是一種享受，有激昂的嘶吼，有細微的低吟，盡情揮灑了生命中的激情。

林慧寬 (琵琶演奏家)

“Xun Feng” (Seeking the Wind) is like an ink-splash landscape, instantly and effortlessly painted with thick and thin inks. The four soloists are individually placed in four different positions, each creating a distinct atmosphere and hue. The orchestra embraces everything, like Nature. The pipa sounds like a wizard chanting the sound of the earth. Performing this piece is joy itself because it involves both vibrant shouts and soft hums, allowing performers to freely express their passion for life.

Lin Hui-Kuan (Pipa soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

啟榮的作品在嚴謹的結構底下有著濃郁的人文氣息、極為絢麗的色彩與一種近乎哲學的思維，令人玩味再三!

吳宗憲 (笛子演奏家)

Kee Yong’s works are unique and worth pondering over because they convey profound humanistic concerns, emit brilliant colors, and manifest quasi-philosophical thinking while remaining rigorously structured.

Chung-Hsien Wu (Dizi soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

作曲家巧妙地運用傳統樂器獨特的音色，大型樂隊與竹笛、琵琶、箏與笙四件獨奏樂器之間既融合又競奏，微妙的交融，無時無刻在空間中迴盪。而臺灣人間國寶廖瓊枝老師的曲韻在似有似無中，訴說著感人的傳奇故事，單純而簡練地應和著當代多層次地交織，如此地引人入勝。

黃正銘 (二胡演奏家／指挥家) 采風樂坊

The composer adeptly employs the unique timbres of traditional instruments, making the orchestra and the four solo instruments merge and compete with one another. The subtle fusion of sounds reverberates continuously in the space. The faint songs and tunes by the master of Taiwanese opera Liao Chiung-Chih relate moving legends, echoing the contemporary multilayered fabric of music in a simple yet concise manner. Unbelievably intriguing.

Cheng-Ming Huang (Erhu performer / conductor)_Chai Found Music Workshop_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

地球之母的悲歌

長笛獨奏和室內樂團（十一位音樂家）而作

Threnody to the mother of earth

for flute solo and chamber ensemble (11 players)

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Video example

Score example: Threnody to the mother of Earth_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Fl. Solo/ Fl/Ob/Cl/2 Perc/Pf/VlnI/Vln.II/Vla/Vc/Db

Composed: March 2011

Commissioned by: New music concerts ensemble (Toronto/Canada)

Dedication: Robert Aitken and in memorial of the victims of the earthquake/ tsunami in Japan 11th March 2011

Duration: ca 18’

World premiere: 08/05/2011, concert of “Malaysian Voices II”

Venue: The Music Gallery (Toronto/Canada)

1^st performed by: Robert Aitken (Flute),

New music concerts ensemble (Toronto/Canada),

CHONG Kee Yong (conductor)

“Threnody to mother of the earth” (2011)

“Threnody to mother of the earth” for flute and 11 musicians was composed specially for and dedicated to maestro Robert Aitken and in memorial of the victims of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan 11th March 2011.

This work is a music ritual to reflect the profound sadness over Japan’s worst natural disaster of an earthquake and tsunami. We should all treasure our love one, our mother of earth and blessing to all the victims in this nature disaster to rest in peace.

The work was world premiered by maestro Robert Aitken and new music concerts ensemble at the concert of “Malaysian Voices” on May 8, 2011 in Toronto. The concert is curated by composer Dr. Chong Kee Yong under the invitation of the artistic director of new music concerts ensemble maestro Robert Aitken.

源－和

為五件中國樂器和五件西洋樂器之協奏曲而作

Yuan-He [Origin-Harmony]

concerto for five Chinese and five Western instruments

Video example

Score example: Yuan-He_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Dz (Gz/Xun)/Shg/Gzhg/Yq/Eh; Fl/Cl/Vln/Vc/Pf

Composed: January 2010

Commissioned by: Het Collectief Ensemble (Belgium)

Dedication: Ensemble Dragon (Germay) & Het Collectief ensemble (Belgium)

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 27 Jan 2010, “7 Jan 2010Sound Flowing” project

Venue: deSingel concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Ensemble Dragon:

Wu Wei (traditional 37-reeds soprano sheng),

Fu Reng Chang (yang qin and leading),

Xu Feng Xia (gu zheng),

Wang Hong (dizi/quan zi/xun),

Yan Jie Min (erhu),

Het Collectief Ensemble:

Toon Fret (Flute),

Benjamin Dieltjens (clarinet/bass clarinet),

Thomas Dieltjens (piano),

Wibert Aerts (violin),

Martijn Vink (cello),

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Yuan-He” (Origin-Harmony) (2010)

“Yuan-He” is the third piece of my “Yuan” series. “Yuan” series start with “Yuan-Fei” (Origin-Fly) for Chinese bamboo dizi and 5 Western instruments and second piece is “Yuan-Liu” for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng, 2 pianists and 2 percussionists.

The “Yuan” series is based on the “Wu Xing”, the Chinese philosophy of 5 elements. The five basic elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This order of presentation is known as the “mutual generation” sequence. In the order of “mutual overcoming”, they are wood, earth, water, fire, and metal.

In “Yuan-He”, the system of the five elements is used for describing interactions and harmonic relationships between natural phenomena. As such, in this composition, I interpret tranquility and movement as abstract space where the elements—every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action—transform and influence each other.

作為參與首演的古箏音樂家來說，我為我們的世界作曲家鍾啟榮自豪的是，他在這部世界委約創作中，成功的把各種中國民族樂器和西方樂器的音色乳水交融運用在一起，每位音樂家都巧妙的把作曲家要求的無常演奏技術成功的表現出來。作曲家把中國文化的中原音樂因素融合在不諧和的塊型音畫中，使得音樂藝術達到氣貫長河，綿延不斷，這是一部中國線條形象思維和西方立體理性思維結合的非常完美的好作品。

徐鳳霞，2015年3月25日，於德國Paderborn (古箏演奏家)

As a gu zheng performer, I congratulate the world-class composer Kee Yong CHONG on successfully employing and merging the timbres of various Chinese traditional and Western instruments in this commissioned work. In this piece, all of the performers have ingeniously and successfully demonstrated irregular and improvised playing techniques, as requested by the composer. The composer merged the musical elements of the Central Plain in Chinese culture into disharmonic tone paintings shaped in blocks, thus expanding music into be an unending process of artistic creation. This composition is a perfect example of integrating Chinese linear/pictorial thinking and Western spatial/rational thinking.

Xu Feng Xia at Paderborn, Germany, on March 25th, 2015 (Gu zheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

我從一個音樂演奏人的角度來看，他的作品風格多姿多彩、色彩繽紛、虛實相間、亂而有序；音樂時有歌唱，時有呻吟，時有吶喊、時有嬌柔；傳統的旋律與不同音色、色塊、音區、人聲、線條及多種東西方樂器色彩的時而交融和時而對比，把聽眾帶入到穿越傳統和飛入無限想像的虛擬空間。他的音樂具有散文一樣的無拘無束，又有構思上的嚴謹鋪敘。我想這與他曾在中國和西方的學習經歷，以及他所特有的東西文化交融的背景無不關係，他的不同作品多以多彩的聲音和線條來抒發文字已經不能表達的藝術家情懷。

我在他的作品《源。和》中擔任笛子、壎和管子的演奏，作曲家在作品有限的小節之間，給予了演奏家自由度極高的想像和技巧發揮，傳統音樂元素與現代作曲技術的巧妙碰撞，把以傳統為根的音樂藝術又提到一個新的高度。作曲家除了對於作品在演奏上賦予傳統上的自由，同時也證明作曲家對於傳統樂器具有很深的了解和學習。

汪洪 (自由音樂家)

CHONG’s compositions are colorful, metaphorical, seemingly chaotic, yet orderly to me as a music performer. We can find diverse expressive elements in his music that range from songs, moans, shouts, to delicate melodies. Traditional melodies fuse and contrast with different timbres, colors, registers, human voices, melodic lines, and numerous Eastern or Western instruments, taking the audience into a virtual space that transcends tradition and brims with unlimited imagination.

CHONG’s music is characteristic both of prose-like freedom and conceptual elaboration, which is probably related to his training in China and Europe as well as his unique background that incorporates both Eastern and Western cultures. CHONG frequently uses multicolored sounds and melodic lines in his works to express artistic sentiments that words cannot describe.

In his piece “Yuan-He” (Origin-Harmony), I played the dizi, xun, and guan zi. In the limited bars of the piece, the composer gave performers tremendous freedom in terms of imagination and playing skills. The encounter and clash between traditional musical elements and contemporary composition techniques have pushed the art of traditional music to a new level. The composer not only allowed his work to be performed with conventional freedom but demonstrated profound understanding and knowledge of traditional instruments.

Hong Wang (Independent musician)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

The most striking element in Chong’s music is his treatment of the instruments and their corresponding colours. The strength of his talent as a composer is his incredible feeling of how and what is the “DNA” of each instrument (winds, strings, percussion, piano, voice). With the years he developed a very personal way of writing for each instrument and he found a way of notating all these new sounds and colours that sometimes are far beyond the western sound-like tradition of the instruments. Never is the sound he wants against the nature of the instruments, but rarely it’s beyond the traditional way of sounding and beyond the limits of what we think (as an instrumentalist) is possible.

One of his last pieces I played as a member of the Het Collectief ensemble was the beautiful piece Yuan-He.

In this piece the difference of Western and Chinese instruments are of no importance. In fact it is the colour made by the combination of seemingly completely different worlds that makes the piece. The result is a fantastic new world of sounds and freedom, in expression and timing, a flow of energy that never stops singing. It is sometimes a miracle to see how this music could be notated in comprehensive signs and see what is the resulting sound.

Wibert Aerts (concert violinist)_member of Het Collectief_Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Mons (Belgium)

Playing Kee-Yong Chong’s music is for me like entering into a new listening and playing universe, experiencing a new orientalism that avoids all clichés, and feeling familiar with his contemporary idioma that has traces of musical DNA of different Western tendencies, a Hegelian synthesis that results in an innovating and inspiring new musical language. Colour, nuance, intensity, space.

Kee-Yong Chong invites you for a similar virtual walk into timelessness. Though “Yuan-He” is by no means non-structural, players as well as listeners are taken into a wide-open landscape with only a faraway horizon

Vertical Spatialisation

In his sound material and harmony, I find the same desire to break open the horizon: the chord material clearly bears traces of spectral thinking

Neue Innerlichkeit: intimacy leads to intensity

Referring to music as an ‘unsayable truth’ is a large cliché, but somehow Kee Yong’s music bears in itself the idea that the inner world of a human’s soul is far wider than the outside world. As in Salvatore Sciarrino’s world, Kee Yong Chong sucks you into his music by suggesting sounds, more than explicit rhetorics.

Multipolar unity

Here we come to the strangest of paradoxes, so often found in art, and unfortunately in today’s world too little observed: although clearly, by the use of Chinese instruments, the influence of a faraway world (for me as a Western flautist) in sound colour and language, yet I feel strangely at home, recognising DNA of familiar composers and idiomas such as Sciarrino & Saariaho, all resulting in a colourful, spectral, wide but intense and emotional landscape.

I look very much forward to continue to walk around in his world very often.

Toon Fret (Concert flutist)_Member of Het Collectief _Professor for flute at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and teaches flute at the Leuven City Conservatory of Music. (Belgium)

鳳凰的呼喚

為37簧高音笙和室內樂團（十一位音樂家）而作

Phoenix calling

for 37-reed soprano Sheng solo and chamber ensemble (11 players)

Score example: Phoenix calling 2008_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Shg solo+1cl, 1S.Sax, 1A.Sax, 1B.Cl, 1Hrn, 1Tb/ 1Perc / 1pf / 1Vln, 1Vla, 1Vc

Composed: 2008

Commissioned by:–

Dedication: Wu Wei

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 18/10/2008; final concert of Luxembourg International Composition Award 2008

Venue: the Centre des Arts Pluriels in Ettelbruck Luxembourg

1^st performed by: Wu Wei (Sheng)

Luxembourg Sinfonietta

Marcel Wengler (conductor)

*3rd prize in Luxembourg International Composition Award 2008.

“Phoenix calling” (Original version 2008)

In the ancient Chinese and Egyptian mythology, phoenix is symbolized as consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.

水。墨

為四件中國樂器和西洋管弦樂團之協奏曲而作

Shui. Mo

for four Chinese instruments (Sheng, Erhu, Pipa & Gu Zheng) and orchestra

Video example (1st movement)

Video example (2nd movement)

Score example: Shui.Mo_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Shg+Eh+Pp+Gzhg+2Fl/2Ob/2Cl/2Bsn; 4Hrn/2Tpt/2Trbn/1Tb; 1Cel; 1Hrp; 3Perc; 1Timp; Strings (18 Vln, 6 Vla, 6 Vc, 4 D.b)

Composed: 2007

Commissioned by: Symfonie Orkest Vlaanderen (Belgium)

Dedication: 1st Movement: 水紋 Shui Wen (Ripples of water)

–Dedicated to Prof. CHUO Wen Chung–

2nd Movement: 墨韻 Mo Yun (Charm of the ink)

–In memory of Isang YUN–

Duration: ca 20’

World premiere: 15/01/2008

Venue: Brugge Concertgebouw (Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Ensemble Dragon

Wu Wei (traditional 37-reeds soprano sheng),

Dong Ya (pipa),

Zhang Zhen Fang (erhu),

Xu Feng Xia (gu zheng),

Symfonie Orkest Vlaanderen (Belgium),

Jonas Alber (conductor)

“Shui.Mo” (Water.Ink) (2007)

My concerto “Shui.Mo” (2007-2008) is written for four Chinese instruments (erhu, pipa, gu zheng and sheng) with Western symphony orchestra. These two Chinese characters literally mean water and ink, but if you combine both Chinese characters together it becomes “monochrome ink painting”.

The work has two movements. The first is titled “Shui Wen”, which means “Ripples of Water”, is dedicated to my mentor Maestro Chou Wen-Chung. I quote one of the characters of his name “wen” in the title of this movement.

The second movement is titled “Mo Yun”, which means “The Charm of the Ink”. This movement is a tribute to the memory of Korean composer maestro Yun Isang. In a similar fashion to the first movement, I quote his family name “Yun” in this movement’s title.

The title bears great significance because I integrate the Chinese instruments with a Western orchestra as a metaphor for the relationship between water and ink in such ink paintings.

十多年前，在與荷蘭新音樂團的合作中第一次接觸鍾啟榮。當時演奏了他為笙，古箏，琵琶和西洋樂器混合合奏創作的新作品“變形六”－風的禱吿者－。首先為他如此專業精准的總譜而驚嘆！中國民族樂器雖有上干年的歷史，但大多是以口傳心授的方式傳承，樂器法發展欠缺，作曲家很難從書本文獻中了解學習中國器樂，從而阻礙了民族器樂的創作發展。鍾啟榮卻將很多獨特複雜的演奏技法准確表達在譜面上，從中感受到他非凡的表達能力。可見他之前的潛心鑽研和充分的準備。啟榮的音樂才華及想像力不隻是停留在譜面上，尤其在音響的空間設計上有自己獨特的風格。記得當時被安排在音樂廳最高的觀眾席上演奏笙聲部，看舞台上的指揮就像螞蟻一樣小，基本上隻能靠聲音進行交流，舞台聲響的延伸與笙的互動打破了民族室內樂常規，展示了啟榮多維流動空間在創作中的大膽探索和運用。很幸運自己作為演奏者，能從不同的空間角度,聲響角度直接感受和享受啟榮音樂中的立體美。啟榮亦是位非常的開明的作曲家，尊重在排練中音樂家提出的建議和問題，並有意識將現場演出的〝變數〝〝偶然〝巧妙的為他的音樂服務，最大限度地調度音樂家的主觀及客觀的能動性，將現場音樂表演氣場調節到最〝和諧〝的地步，並在作曲家和演奏者之間，演奏者和演奏者之間，演奏者和演奏廳之間建立強大的信任，產生強大張力，最佳為傳播音樂服務。這是極少的作曲家能夠意識到並能夠達到的層面。他的音樂嫻熟運用西方現代作曲技法，思路淸晰，想法大膽，最讓人難忘也是最感人的是蘊蔵在他音樂深層,賦有詩意的樂思中隱隱透出的中國音樂的〝韻〝及呼吸中淡淡滲出的〝鄉愁〝，聽者怎能不醉！

–吳巍, 2015年3月26於伊斯坦布爾機場 (笙演奏家)

I first met Kee Yong in a collaboration performance with Nieuw Ensemble 10 years ago. We performed his new piece “Metamorphosis—Wind Prayer.”

First of all, I was amazed by how professional and precise his full score was! Although Chinese instruments have undergone thousands of years of development, their techniques were mostly passed down from person to person. The lack of instrumentation development has made it difficult for composers to study Chinese instruments through books and historical documents, thus hindering composition for these instruments. However, the composer notated numerous unique and complex playing techniques on the score with such precision that few people would fail to notice his exceptional ability in musical expression. This example demonstrated his concentrated study and preparation before composing this piece.

Kee Yong’s musical talent and imagination extend beyond notation and scores. Particularly, he possesses a unique style in the spatial design of sound. I was arranged to play the sheng at the highest seat in the auditorium. The conductor on the stage was so tiny that we could communicate only through sound. The interaction between sheng and the sound resonating from the stage broke the convention of traditional chamber music, demonstrating how Kee Yong has boldly explored and employed multidimensional and flowing spaces in his composition. As a performer, I am fortunate to have directly experienced and savored the three-dimensional aesthetics in Kee Yong’s music from different spatial and sound perspectives.

Kee Yong is a liberal composer. He respects the suggestions and questions raised by musicians during rehearsal while consciously and ingeniously turning the unpredictable and the accidental to the service of his music. Kee Yong is capable of coordinating musicians’ subjective and objective agencies to the greatest extent so as to adjust the site of musical performance to the most harmonious condition. Meanwhile, he can establish strong mutual trust between composer and performers, between performers, and between performers and auditorium, thus generating tremendous dynamics for attaining the best music delivery. Indeed, very few composers can be both aware of this aspect of music performance and capable of such an accomplishment.

Clear in mind and bold in thinking, Kee Yong dexterously applies contemporary Western composing skills in his music. However, the most unforgettable and moving part of his music is the charm of Chinese music that flickers from the depth of his poetic thoughts, as well as the nostalgia that is quietly exhaled from the breath of music. How can an audience not feel enchanted!

—Wu Wei, at Istanbul Airport on March 26th, 2015 (Sheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

首演這部做品時，作曲家給我們世界公民拉開了一幅長卷，那就是宇宙的水墨畫，從那遠古的大氣層中，閃耀著無數的星球，每一件樂器就如那時隱時現的光環圍繞著大大小小的星球轉動。他繼承了中國線條性思維的創作方法，連續不斷的讓旋律穿插在每一件中西方樂器音響中，然而這無盡的線條組成了厚實的和弦疊層，這諧和與不諧和的音響疊層，讓人們感受到變化無窮的交響宇宙畫卷：宇宙是人類的先知，先知推動了自然世界，自然世界賦予人類聰明才智。

徐鳳霞 2015年3月25日於德國Paderborn (古箏演奏家)

When premiering this piece, I felt that the composer unfolded a long scroll for citizens of the world. The scroll was the water-ink painting of the universe. Countless celestial bodies sparkled in that ancient atmosphere. Every musical instrument was like a flickering ring revolving around a star, each of different sizes.

Kee Yong CHONG has inherited the compositional techniques characteristic of Chinese linear thinking. He has interwoven unceasing melodies with the sound produced by each Chinese or Western instrument. The endless melodic lines formed a thick stack of chords, both harmonic and disharmonic, for us to appreciate the ever-changing scroll of the orchestrating universe. The universe is the prophet of humanity. It initiated the natural world, which then gave intelligence to human beings.

Xu Feng Xia at Paderborn, Germany, on March 25th, 2015 (Gu zheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

海洋的脈搏

為四名中國鼓手，中國竹笛和西洋長笛與室內樂團而作（十五位音樂家）

Ocean’s pulse

for 4 Chinese drummers, off-stage Chinese bamboo flute and western flute with Chamber orchestra (15 players)

Video example

Score example: Ocean’s pulse pg1-4

Instrumentation:

4 Chinese drummers+ 2 off-stage Chinese bamboo flute & western flute (pic+alto fl), 1Ob (harmonica), 1Cl (Bass Cl + Harmonica), 1Bsn (D. Bsn +Ocean dr.) / 1Hrn (harmonica), 1Tpt (picc Tpt + Harmonica), 1Tbn (Ocean dr.) / 2Perc / 1Pf (Cel) /1Hrp / 2Vln, 1Vla, 1Vc, 1D.b

Composed: April 2007

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Dedication: Hand percussion and Yii Kah Hoe

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 23/05/2007

Venue: Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st performed by: Hand Percussion group,

Yii Kah Hoe (dizi)

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin FIELD (conductor)

“Ocean’s pulse” (2007)

This is the second commission work which I have to compose for MPO after winning the MPOICA. I’m grateful to my friend Kah Hoe (Chinese flutist and composer) for accepting my invitation and to MPO offering the Hand Percussion group as the featured guest in this creation! This is an important event for me as a Malaysian composer because this is the first time I co-operate with local traditional musicians and I really feel exciting and looking forward for more opportunities to invite local artists in my work in the near future!

This work is inspired by the nature power of the ocean. The powerful pulses and echoes of the ocean which metaphor slowly into the stillness horizontal edge of the Ocean.

隱藏的永恆

為四手聯彈鋼琴和室內樂團 (十一件西洋樂器)而作

Hidden Eternity

for 4 hands piano and ensemble (11 players)

Video example

Score example: Hidden Eternity_pg selection

Instrumentation:

1 Pf (4 hands) + 1Fl (B.Fl), 1Ob, 1Cl (B.Cl) /2Perc/Harmonium/2Vln, 1Vla, 1Vc, 1D.B

Composed: August 2006

Commissioned by: Prometheus ensemble.

Dedication: Pianists Jan Michiels, Inge Spinette & Prometheus ensemble-In memorial György Ligeti-

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 24/09/2006; 26/09/2006

Venue: the Maasmechelen (Belgium) and Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Holland)

1^st performed by: Jan Michiels (piano)

Inge Spinette (piano)

Prometheus ensemble

Etienne Siebens (conductor)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Hidden eternity” (2006)

“Hidden Eternity” has the character of a ritual; a lament on the death of a master. It is a piece in memorial to the great master György Ligeti who died last June (12 June 2006)! I had been listening to his music for a long time and I still remembered the first time when I heard the “Atmosphères” and “Lontano” of Ligeti, I was so deeply moved by them!

As an artist, you can search for the ultimate and eternal art, but we might never find it because it always escapes, somewhere in the shade.

Kee Yong’s music is made to be performed! That is of course applicable to almost all music; but in his case it means that he composes with a performer’s minds, in such a way that this performer always feels comfortable—even in the most difficult passages. Comfortable, because he is trusted by the composer. And again comfortable, because the notation of the composition is always idiomatically right!

Of course there are things that matter more in music than the comfort of the performer—may be the listener? In our opinion Kee Yong touches the right nerve in contemporary audiences: almost everybody therein has a busy life and is longing for some kind of relaxation, meditation, tranquillity. His music is not always relaxed, meditative or “tranquillo”—on the contrary—but his soundstructures appeal to that timeless, ‘eternal’ layer of every human being. “Hidden Eternity” indeed!

This brings us towards a third quality we wanted to point out: the so-called Eastern-Western synthesis has become a cliché in many concerts, lectures, compositions, and so on… But in Kee Yong’s music it is a living, organic reality—available to everybody willing to open his heart and ears.

Prof. Jan Michiels, Concert pianist and piano professor at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel _Soloist of “Hidden eternity”

Prof. Inge Spinette, Concert pianist and professor at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel_Soloist of “Hidden eternity”

獨腳戲

為雙簧管獨奏，室內樂團和現場電子互動而作

Monodrama

for Oboe solo, ensemble and live electronics

Video example

Audio example

Score example: Monodrama_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Ob solo + 1 Fl (Alto+Bass Fl), 1 Cl (Bass Cl) / 1 Perc / 1 Pf / 2 Vln, 1 Vla, 1 Vc

Composed: 2004

Commissioned by: Spectra ensemble (Belgium)

Dedication: Piet Van Bockstals and Filip Rathe

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 21/10/2004; “Transit” New Music Festival 2004

Venue: STUK, Leuven, Belgium.

1^st performed by: Piet Van Bockstals (oboe)

Spectra Ensemble (Belgium)

Filip Rathe (conductor)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Monodrama” (2004)

This work conceived as a concertante piece and had great influence from Malaysia Gamelan music. Firstly, I focused on the sound sample of Gamelan bow-string instrument “Rebab” as main feature sound materials in the electronic part. Secondly, I used Oboe solo to imitate the sound of Gamelan Oboe-like double reeds instrument “Serunai”. These two main figures versus and compromise each other; with the inherent virtuosic nature of the western instruments, electronic and the Asian musical instrument sounds and aesthetic. It creates and transforms the unique of contradiction and an amalgamation of the eastern and the western musical worlds.

I intend to create a mobility of different sounds during the performance, so I will dispose the instruments of the ensemble on stage and dispose the loudspeakers surrounding the audience; this will create a different layers and depth of the acoustic sound space in my piece.

野火之二

為長笛獨奏和十一件弦樂而作

Ye Huo II

for flute solo & 11 strings

Score example: Ye huo II_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Flute solo+ Strings (6 Vln, 2 Vla, 2 Vc, 1 D.b)

Composed: 2002

Commissioned by:

Dedication:

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 16/11/2002; Prize ceremony of the 4th International Andrzej Panufnik Competition for Young Composers, Kraków, Poland

Venue: The Jewish Art centre hall (Kraków, Poland)

1^st performed by: Renata Guzik (flute)

Malwa “Orpheus” chamber ensemble

* 1st prize in the “4th International Andrzej Panufnik Competition for Young Composers, Kraków, POLAND 2002”

“Ye Huo II” (2002)

賦得古原草送別 “GRASSES” 白居易 (Juyi BAI)

野火燒不盡，

Wildfire never quite consumes them

春風吹又生。

They are tall once more in the spring wind.

The title is an extract quotation from above poem by Juyi BAI (772―846, Tang dynasty). This poem gives an impression of the conflict between the two characters (Twitch fire and grasses), it can be a position on positive character or negative character, all depending on the correct interpretation of oneself! Democracy can be like fire, also can be like grasses!! Just like what is happening in the world nowadays.

野火之一

為中提琴獨奏和12個獨奏弦樂或弦樂團而作

Ye Huo I (Twitch fire)

for viola solo and 12 solo strings or string orchestra

Score example: Ye Huo pg1-3

Instrumentation:

Viola solo+ Strings (7 Vln, 2 Vla, 2 Vc, 1 D.b)

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: Konniklijk Conservatorium Brussel

Dedication: To the people who fight for their freedom!

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 10/12/2001; “Notes for Democracy” concert

Venue: Concert hall of Konniklijk Conservatorium Brussel (Belgium)

1^st performed by: Paul DE CLERCK (viola)

Kamerorkest Konniklijk Conservatorium Brussel

CHONG Kee Yong (conductor)

~Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Ye Huo I” (2001)

賦得古原草送別 “GRASSES” 白居易 (Juyi BAI)

野火燒不盡，

Wildfire never quite consumes them

春風吹又生。

They are tall once more in the spring wind.

時破

為小提琴獨奏和樂隊而作

Ravage Of Time

for violin solo and orchestra

Score example: Ravage of Time_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Violin solo+ 2Fl/2Ob/2Cl/2Bsn; 2Hrn/1Tpt/1Tbrn/0; 1Cel; 1Hrp; 2Perc; Timp; Strings (22 Vln, 8 Vla, 6 Vc, 4 D.b)

Composed: 2001, rev. 2010

Commissioned by:–

Dedication: Prof. Jan VAN LANDEGHEM

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 08/01/2010

Venue: the National Auditorium of Music (Madrid)

1^st performed by: Seguey Teslia (violin solo)

Spanish National Orchestra

José Luis Temes Rodríguez (conductor)

* Finalist of the “Queen Elizabeth competition for composer 2004, Belgium”

“Ravage of time” (2001)

“Ravage of time” for violin and orchestra was my first major orchestra work during my studies in Europe. Time destroys everything, but also built everything. In piece, I interpret ‘tranquility’ and ‘movement’ as an abstract space, which contains every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action. Through this space these elements transform and influence each other through the power of my music.

During my studied years in Belgium, I learned and gained myself a lot of things; I am so glad to have chance to meet all my friends and teachers there– who always give me warm support and help. For this, I would like to dedicate this work to my composition professor Mr. Jan VAN LANDEGHEM.

Chorus

念你如昔

正是以當代人聲創作為主軸，結合多媒體視覺設計與電子聲響，共同傳達一段戲劇故事。

．藝術總監暨指揮：陳雲紅

．音樂總監暨作曲：鍾啟榮 Kee Yong Chong

．作　　曲：沈　葉 Ye Shen

．鋼　　琴：王乃加 Nai-Chia Wang

．演　　唱：Taipei Chamber Singers 台北室內合唱團

．導　　演：符宏征 Hong-zheng Fu

．編　　劇：詹　傑詹傑

．舞台設計：劉達倫

．影像設計：葉蔭龍

．燈光設計：黃祖延

．演　　員：曾志遠OD OD Tseng

影子。戲歌

為大型清唱混合合唱與4個酒杯而作

Wayang-Lagu (Shadow. Song for the drama)

for large mixed choir A cappella with 4 wine glasses players

—大地蒼范，人影流幻倘若摇曳的树影俱有靈魂，屏幕後，颤抖的细弱火光，将引我何處？ —杜为

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sdr

cof

mde

Video example

Score example: Wayang-Lagu_pg selection

Composed: October 2014

Commissioned by: Taipei Chamber Singers (Taiwan)

Dedication: CHEN Yun-Hung and Taipei Chamber Singers

Duration: ca 20’

World premiere: 29/12/2014; Music unlimited program VII

Venue: Zhong Shan concert hall (Taipei/Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Taipei Chamber Singers (Taiwan)

CHEN Yun-Hung (conductor)

“Wayang-Lagu” (Shadow. Song for the drama) (2014)

This work is inspired by wayang kulit. (skin puppets theatre) In this piece I used two Malay poems:

Malay Pantun

Jikalau tidak kerana bintang

Masakan bulan terbit tinggi

Jikalau tidak kerana abang

Masakan adik datang ke sini

If not for the stars above

Why would the moon venture high

If not for you, my only love

Why would I venture nigh…

(Anonymous poem adapted translation by Francois Rene Daillie)

“Balade Terbunuhnya Beringin Tua Di Sebuah Bandaraya” by Dato Dr. Usman Awang

(A ballad mourning the murder of an old Banyan tree in a city)

Fragment from the poem and the English translation:

~Sampai sekarang, tiap senjakala lembayung petang

(To this day, when twilight graces the sky)

Dengarlah suara Beringin mengucapkan pesan:

(You can hear the old banyan tree’s farewell:)

Selamat tinggal, selamat tinggal wahai awan

(Goodbye, goodbye cloud)

Selamat tinggal matahari selamat tinggal bulan

(Goodbye sun, goodbye moon)

Selamat tinggal, kupu-kupu sayang

(Goodbye dear butterflies)

Selamat tinggal, wahai burung-burung bersarang

(Goodbye nesting birds)

Selamat tinggal anak-anak bermain riang

(Goodbye frolicking children)

Namaku Beringin pohon tua yang terbuang

(It was old Banyan tree cast inside)

Dimusuhi oleh rancangan bernama Pembangunan

(By an enemy called Development.)

© Dato Dr. Usman Awang

“Wayang. Lagu” is commissioned by the Taipei Chamber Singers for the “Music Unlimited 7” on 29^th Dec 2014 at Zhong Shan Concert hall (Taipei).

〈影子‧戲歌〉是一首為大型無伴奏混聲合唱團與舞台下的四重唱創作的作品。此作品受到馬來西亞皮影戲的啟發，歌詞採用兩首馬來詩歌同時並置重疊而成，一是馬來傳統短詩歌，另一首則是已逝著名馬來西亞詩人—拿督烏詩曼‧阿旺博士所創作的〈悼念城市中被謀殺的老榕樹之歌〉的其中選段。我採用這兩首詩歌是為了體現詩中對環保和藝術傳承的精神。

樂曲自始至終有四位合唱團員站在舞台下，他們圍繞著聽眾演唱，同時演奏不同音高的水晶杯，表達在皮影戲中像靈魂般創造影子的微弱火光。合唱的曲調有時低吟，有時起伏吟唱馬來詩詞，有些聲部如甘美朗樂隊的Ding、Dung、Dang、Deng作為伴唱。樂曲尾段，舞台上所有團員一邊演唱、一邊演奏手上的微聲風鈴，同時慢慢往台下走去圍繞聽眾，燈光也暗去。合唱團員在黑暗靜寂中，用微弱如繁星般的風鈴聲與磨奏水晶杯的音響，帶領聽眾進入一種忘我的情境。

皮影戲–影子，隨著幾組動機與旋律呼應，表現著作者意象的哲思。

樂曲結構環繞著此哲思發展，和聲表現不只是不諧和音程的堆疊，更是意境的色彩呈現。

特殊的伴奏樂器，是作曲者獨特的創意，強化整體情境。

演唱者分布於舞台與觀眾席，演出者在不受限的空間相互聆聽，再結合觀眾的微妙呼吸氣息，此相互聆聽的環繞音響，結合觀眾與演出者於一體，更是極大創新。

無論在音樂或是整體呈現，此作品將是現代合唱藝術的先鋒。

陳雲紅 (指挥家)_台北室內合唱團 藝術總監

別歌

為男聲女高音，高音笙，四組合唱團和六位打擊樂手而作

Bie Ke [Song of farewell]

for boy soprano, traditional soprano 24-reed sheng, choir in 4 groups and 6 percussionists

Video example

Score example: Bie Ge_pages selection

Composed: September-October 2012

Commissioned by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

Dedication: Hsu Bor-Nien, Chen Yun-Hung, Huang Lung-Yi, Forum Music Ensemble and Taipei Chamber Singers-Commemorate the history of countless unknown soldiers for peace sacrifice—

Duration: ca 14’30”

World premiere: 29/11/2012

Venue: Zhong Shan Concert hall (Taipei, Taiwan)

1^st Performed by: Huang Lun-Yi (Sheng),

Chen Mu-Qi (Boy soprano),

Forum Music percussion ensemble,

Taipei Chamber Singers,

Hsu Bor-Nien (conductor for percussion ensemble),

Chen Yun-Hung (conductor for choir)

“Bie Ge” [Song of farewell] (2012)

“Song of Farewell” describes the moment when helpless and besieged soldiers, who are faced with enemies, think of their family and struggle between life and death—facing surrender and destruction with mixed emotions.

There are six percussionists in the performance, four on the stage and one on each side of the audience. The chorus is divided into four groups around the audience. Their lyrics are composed of rearranged words from the four famous “Songs of Chu”. In addition, all choral members play xuns of different sizes in the performance.

The sheng is a significant part of the piece. It is adopted by the composer to express a prolonged breath, like lost, lonely ghosts in history and battles wandering on and under the stage freely.

In the end, boy sopranos sing the folk song-inspired melodies among the audience. One of the four choral groups gradually moves onto the stage and surrounds the piano, singing about yearning for home and family. “Song of Farewell” is written in memory of the countless, unknown warriors in history who have sacrificed their lives for peace.

Songs of Chu

Collective lyrics:

大風起兮

力拔山兮

生兮，死兮

路窮絕兮，老母已死兮

士眾滅兮，少壯幾時兮

時不利兮，草木黃落兮

蕭鼓鳴兮

降兮，滅兮

老母已死兮

欲報恩將安歸！

2012年，作曲家鍾啓榮受邀為十方樂集與台北室內合唱團於2012/11/29「撃樂人聲」年度音樂會所創作的作品～別歌～＂song of farewell”–紀念歷史中無數為和平犧牲的無名戰士—整部作品由六位打擊樂手（四位在舞台，兩位在觀眾席左右兩側），合唱團則分為四組在舞台下圍繞著觀眾，演唱、念詞，並吹著塤⋯⋯

而笙則代表著歷史上、戰爭中的無主孤魂，自由的遊走於舞台上與舞台下⋯⋯

樂曲一開始在場燈近乎全暗的氛圍下由笙奏出第一個單音持續音，猶如大地甦醒，萬物初生之姿般打開了千年歷史的卷軸。接著，笙緩慢的穿梭於觀眾席間，其聲響也由少漸漸堆疊至各種不同色彩的音堆群，音由少至多又漸次減少，恰似朝代的興衰更迭，在竹苗與簧片的共鳴聲中一一盡現。

而觀眾、打擊樂、人聲與笙似乎毫無關聯，卻又彼此緊緊相扣！！

樂曲的中段，打擊樂固定音型的組態循環則將歷史分合的景象反覆映照、交相呈現⋯

而代表孤魂的笙則依舊不改其冷冽空茫的姿態持續遊走於舞台下，當笙與撃樂或人聲相互靠近時，音響則又迸發出另一種迴盪在音樂廳的音聲碰撞，仿佛訴說著戰爭的無情、恐慌與失落，也照見這孤魂的無奈心境⋯⋯

樂曲尾聲，笙漸漸行至舞台中央，並以數次翻轉的高音滑音來呈現，讓這孤魂第一次站上舞台，並面對世人，那翻轉的滑音聲似內心的吶喊與掙扎，聲聲拍打著人們的內心⋯⋯直到燈光暗下，笙的角色轉換成塤，奏出一句句最幽遠的呼喚⋯⋯

啓榮這部波瀾壯闊的大型史詩作品，成功的形塑了每一個角色；用音樂訴說歷史卻能不落俗套，巧妙的將撃樂、笙與人聲完美的結合在一起，而〈聲響空間〉的鋪陳與設計更是此曲＂有機＂且＂自然天成＂之處。這種聲響不進音樂廳是無法一窺全貌的。

“別歌＂所呈現出來的是一種音畫，＂聲響音畫＂有別於傳統框架下的音畫，是一首為立體聲響空間而創作的作品。

而啓榮所要説的話，傳達的意念，早已觀照在這聲聲低迴吟詠當中⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯

黃朧逸 (笙演奏家)

In 2012, Kee Yong CHONG was invited to compose “Bie Ge” for the annual concert “Percussion and Vocal Music” (2012/11/19) of Forum Music Ensemble and Taipei Chamber Singers. “Bie Ge” commemorates the countless unknown soldiers who died for peace in history. This work is performed by six percussionists (four on stage, one on the left and one on the right of the auditorium) and a chorus divided into four groups that sing, recite lyrics, and play xuns around the audience.

The sheng represents a solitary soul wandering on and off the stage. In nearly complete darkness, “Bie Ge” begins with a single, prolonged note from the sheng, like the awakening of the earth and the initial creation of everything that unfolds a history of thousands of years. After that, the sheng performer unhurriedly walks among the audience, and the sound of sheng gradually stacks to form sound masses of myriad colors. The number of tones increases and then dwindles like the rise and decline of dynasties, all in the resonance of bamboo seedlings and reeds.

The audience, percussion, vocal sound, and sheng are seemingly unrelated yet closely interconnected. In the middle of the song, the repeated percussion ostinato reflect and map the vicissitudes of history.

As a solitary soul, the sheng performer keeps meandering in the auditorium in an austere and aimless gesture. When the sheng performer approaches the percussionists or the singers, their sounds clash together and burst into resonances of another kind that seems to be relating to the relentlessness, panic, and loss of wars as well as reflecting the helplessness of the solitary soul.

In the end, the sheng performer slowly walks to the center of the stage and produces several forceful high-pitched portamenti. The solitary soul steps onto the stage and faces the world for the first time. The swelling portamenti embody the soul’s internal struggle and shouts, battering the hearts of the audience. Finally the light dims, and the xuns take over the role of the sheng to convey the deepest and remotest calls.

Kee Yong’s magnificent and epic composition has successfully shaped every character in the setting. He has used music to reveal history in an unconventional way and has ingeniously and perfectly integrated percussion, sheng, and vocal sound. Furthermore, this piece is “organic” and “natural” in its arrangement and design of sound space. This combination of sounds can only be fully appreciated in a live performance.

The “sound painting” presented in “Bie Ge” differs from the traditional tone painting because this work is composed for a three-dimensional sound space. As to what Kee Yong intends to convey in this work, the music has expressed it for him.

Huang Long Yi (Sheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

關於「別歌」的感動，就像啟榮ㄧ貫的樂譜，「別歌」的記譜也是繁複、優美和不尋常，似乎必需刻意運算才可著手演練。然而樂譜轉換成音樂時，卻是令人驚奇的歌唱、如幻似真。處處充滿幽微與驚異的美感，並編織出ㄧ個如母親懷抱、令人嚮往的神秘聲響世界。

徐伯年 (擊樂演奏家/指挥家)_十方樂集團長

Just like Kee Yong’s other scores, what is so moving about “Bie Ge” resides in its intricate, beautiful, and unusual notation. While the score seems to take performers’ extra effort in computation, the notes leap to be surprisingly cantabile and fantastic when the score is converted into music. This work is teeming with subtle and amazing beauty. It creates a mother-like mysterious world of sound that everybody aspires to.

Bor-Nien Hsu (Percussionist / conductor)_Director of the Forum Music Ensemble_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

以西方打擊樂器與生活中的一些素材所發出的聲響結合在一起，此不受限的創意，交織著合唱所堆疊的不協和音響，撞擊出現代藝術的新美學思考；而打擊樂分佈於舞台與觀眾席後上方，合唱在舞台下圍繞着聽眾，最後又有少數合唱團員走上舞台，此交錯與融合形成自由意象的音画美學；樂曲中，打擊樂手也開始歌唱，合唱團員也拿著一個大小不一的塤，吹奏出不完美的音響，此演奏的角色互換以及包容不專業的演奏，更是一種錯亂的統一；演奏者分佈於觀眾席，隨意走動的流動環繞音響，觀眾在不自覺中也成為演奏者之一。此樂曲呈現各類角色的交錯進行，似乎象徵生命體的相互矛盾與融合，是一種內心的糾結情懷，更是對於生與死昇華的哲思。除了合唱團與打擊樂的互應，此作品的靈魂就是“笙”的獨奏，它以無言的吟唱，貫穿於整曲，化解了所有的撞擊，也唱出孤獨的自由以及美麗的哀愁，更道盡生命永無止盡的延續，生與死都是歷史永恆的交替軌跡。

啓榮的別歌，以最簡約的表演方式呈現其獨特的創新思維，此作品中，笙不只是笙，樂器不只是樂器，人聲與合唱也不再是不協和音堆的現代美學表現，它是彼此間相互交織變化無窮的交響宇宙，啓發每個人心靈最深處自在的哲思。

陳雲紅 (指挥家)_台北室內合唱團 藝術總監

In “Bie Ge,” Western percussion instruments are combined with sounds produced using materials found in daily life. Unlimited creativity interweaves with stacks of discordant choral sounds to initiate new aesthetic thinking of contemporary art. The percussion instruments are distributed on the stage as well as behind and above the auditorium; the choral singers surround the audience, with several of them finally walking onto the stage. This mixed and integrated arrangement constitutes tone-painting aesthetics of free images. In the piece, percussionists sing while choral singers play xuns of different sizes, producing imperfect sounds. This exchange of role and the tolerance for unprofessional playing bring unity in disorder. Performers scatter in the auditorium, walking aimlessly to produce surround sound, while audiences become performers without knowing it. The alternate appearances of various roles in this song symbolize the conflict and fusion between living organisms. The ongoing conflict and confusion signify not only the inner emotional entanglement in humans but the musings about the transcendence of life and death. In addition to the echo between chorus and percussion, the sheng solo is the soul of this piece. It threads through the entire piece by its wordless chanting, resolving all conflicts while revealing the solitary freedom and beautiful sorrows in humans as well as the endless continuation of life. Both life and death are eternal trajectories that intersect and progress in history.

Kee Yong’s “Bie Ge” uses the simplest mode of performance to present unique and innovative thoughts. In this piece, the sheng is no longer just a sheng, and musical instruments are not just instruments. Likewise, vocal sound and the chorus are no longer contemporary aesthetic representations of discordant sound masses. Instead, human voices interweave with one another to form an infinitely changing symphonic universe that inspires the innermost philosophical thoughts in everyone’s mind.

Chen Yun-Hung (Conductor)_Artistic Director of Taipei Chamber Singers_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

Large ensemble (7-20 players)

初始

為中西室內樂團（八位演奏员）而作

Inception

for Eastern and Western instruments ensemble (8 players)

Score example: Nanyang project 1st movt-pg1

Instrumentation:

Vc/Vln/Accor/ Eur/ Guan-Suona/Bansuri/Pipa/Perc

Composed: December 2021

Commissioned by: Nanyang Collective

Dedication: Nanyang Collective

Duration: ca 7’

World premiere: 16/01/2022

Venue: Esplanade Recital hall (Singapore)

1^st performed by: Nanyang Collective

Mr. Dedric Wong De Li (Conductor)

白熾

為中西室內樂團（八位演奏员）和預錄音頻而作

Incandescence

for Eastern and Western instruments ensemble (8 players) and pre-recorded audio

Score example: Nanyang project_5th movement-pg1

Instrumentation:

Vc/Vln/Accor/ Eur/ Guan-Suona/Bansuri/Pipa/Perc

Composed: December 2021

Commissioned by: Nanyang Collective

Dedication: Nanyang Collective

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 16/01/2022

Venue: Esplanade Recital hall (Singapore)

1^st performed by: Nanyang Collective

Mr. Dedric Wong De Li (Conductor)

心。橋

為華樂室內樂團（十五位音樂家），預錄音頻和投影而作

Heart.Bridge

for Chinese Chamber Orchestra (15 players), pre-recorded audio and video projection

Video example

Score example: Heart-Bridge_pg1

Instrumentation:

Yq /Lq /Zhr/Gz/Pp/Dz/Shg/Perc.2/Perc.1/Gh/Eh.I/Eh.II/Zh./Vc/Db

Composed: October 2018

Commissioned by: Ding Yi company

Dedication: Ding Yi and Mr. Quek Ling Kiong

Duration: ca 12’30”

World premiere: 02/12/2018

Venue: Esplanade Recital hall (Singapore)

1^st performed by: Ding Yi company (Singapore)

Mr. Quek Ling Kiong (Conductor)

Dr. Jean-David Caillouët (Visual)

無名者。聖擊

為四位舞台上與四位舞台下的打擊樂手和預先錄製的音頻而作

Being nameless. Holy strike

for 4 onstage and 4 offstage percussionists with pre-recorded audio

©顏歸真(Guei-Jhen,Yan)

©顏歸真(Guei-Jhen,Yan)

Video example

Audio example

Score example: Being nameless-holy strike_pages selection

Composed: November 2017

Commissioned by: Ju Percussion Group

Dedication: Ju Percussion Group

Duration: ca 15’30”

World premiere: 09/03/2018

Venue: Taiwan National Concert Hall

1^st performed by: Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan)

“Being nameless. Holy strike” (2017)

“Being nameless. Holy strike” describes the holy striking moment of being nameless saint in the holy journey of “The Ramayana”. This work is written in memory of the countless, unknown saints in history who have sacrificed their lives for peace and in their holy journey.

“無名者。聖擊”描述了“羅摩衍那”神聖旅程中無名聖人的聖擊時刻。此曲也為了紀念那些為了和平和神聖的旅程犧牲生命的無數名不見經傳的聖人。

滙流之歌

由11名音樂家和泰國傳統舞者即興創作和集體創作

Song of Confluence

Improvisation and collective creation by 11 musicians and Thai traditional dancer

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cof

sdr

mde

cof

Video example

Composed: May 2017

Commissioned by: C-Consonant Ensemble

Dedication:–

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 29/05/2017; Nanning Music Festival (China)

Venue: Guangxi College of Arts (Nanning, China)

1^st performed by: C-Consonant Ensemble

CHONG Kee Yong (leading)

Vr Changsan (dancer)

源。韻

為韓國24簧笙/ 筚篥，伽倻琴，笙，古箏，單簧管，小提琴和打擊樂而作

Yuan.Yun (Origin. Charm)

for 24-pipe Saenghwang/Piri, Gayageum, Sheng, Guzheng, Clarinet, Violin and percussion

Video example

Score example: Yuan-Yun_pages selection

Composed: April 2017

Commissioned by: Ensemble Studio C

Dedication: Ensemble Studio C

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 28/04/2017; 2017 Korean ACL music festival

Venue: Seoul Arts Centre (Korea)

1^st performed by: Ensemble Studio C

CHONG Kee Yong (conductor)

“Yuan.Yun” (2017)

“Yuan.Yun” 源。韻 (2017) for for Piri/Saenghwang, Gayageum, 37-reed soprano Sheng, Guzheng, Clarinet, Violin and percussion is the fourth piece of my “Yuan” series. The “Yuan” series starts with “Yuan-Fei” (Origin-Fly) for Chinese bamboo dizi and five Western instruments; the second piece is “Yuan-Liu” for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng, 2 pianists and 2 percussionists and the third piece is “Yuan-He” concerto for 5 Chinese instruments and 5 Western instruments.

The “Yuan” series is based on the “Wu Xing”, the Chinese philosophy of the five elements. The five basic elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. This order of presentation is known as the “mutual generation” sequence. In the order of “mutual overcoming”, they are wood, earth, water, fire, and metal.

This work is dedicated to Ensemble Studio C.

地平線的聖誦之三

為笙，日本箏，韓國伽倻琴和弦樂四重奏而作之版本

Horizon’s chants III

Version for Sheng, Koto, Gayageum and String quartet

(Original version for Sheng, Gayageum and Koto 2007)

Score example: Horizon’s chants-2017_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Shg/Koto/Gyg/VlnI/Vla/Vc/Db

Composed: March 2017

Commissioned by: AsianArt ensemble

Dedication: Wu Wei, Jocelyn Clark and Ryuko Mizutani

Duration: ca 16’

World premiere: 03/03/2017; “focused XVII – Durchschlagende Zungen” concert

Venue: Konserthaus Berlin

1^st performed by: AsianArt ensemble (Berlin/Germany)

Chung Il-Ryun (conductor)

“Horizon’s chants III” (2017)

“Horizon’s chants” is my “imaginary” chants when I’m alone facing the ocean. The “chants” depicts the endless view and loneliness of the horizon of the ocean.

This original version was commissioned by the Bayerisher Rundfunk/Musica Viva Festival and was first performed by Sheng player Mr. Wu Wei , Gayageum player Ms Jocelyn Clark and Koto player Ms Ryuko Mizutani on 16th September 2007 at the Villa Stuck ( Munich, Germany). “Horizon’s chants” is dedicated to Mr. Wu Wei, Ms Jocelyn Clark and Ms Ryuko Mizutani.

The new 2017 version of “Horizon’s chants” for Gayageum, Sheng, Koto and String quartet is required by the AsianArt ensemble for their “focused XVII – Durchschlagende Zungen” concert at the Konserthaus Berlin on 3-3-2017.

湧現的四季

為四組古箏，大阮，低音提琴和兩位打擊樂手而作

Streams of four seasons

for four groups of gu zheng, da ruan, double bass and 2 percussionists

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Video example

Score example: Streams of 4Seasons_pg selection

Instrumentation:

2GzhgI/2GzhgII/2GzhgIII/GzhgIV; Dr/D.b/2Perc

Composed: April 2015

Commissioned by: Hangzhou Fei Chui Guzheng ensemble (China)

Dedication: In memory of WU Guanzhong

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 31/05/2015

Venue: Concert hall of College of Music, Hangzhou Normal University (China)

1^st performed by: Hangzhou Fei Chui Guzheng ensemble (China)

Zhou Jan (conductor)

“Streams of four seasons” (2015)

《湧現的四季》是在2015年专为古筝四重奏，大阮，低音提琴和二位打击乐手而创作。这首曲子是题献给委约和首演此作品的周展和盛秧的翡翠筝乐团。

曲子是受了画家吴冠中大師的四季画作而啟发，曲子简括对象，以半抽象的音响形态表现对的大自然彩色的四季，充盈着世界上万物的生命的律动如大自然的赞歌！

我借此曲记念大师吴冠中先生。

源。飛 (二)

為尺八，長笛，單簧管（還有低音單簧管），中提琴，大提琴，打擊樂和鋼琴而作之版本

Yuan-Fei II [Origin-Fly]

version for shakuhachi, flute, clarinet (also bass Clarinet), viola, cello, percussion and piano

Video example

Score example: Yuan Fei II_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Shakuhachi/Fl/Cl (B.CL)/Vla/Vc/Perc/Pf

Composed: May 2014

Commissioned by: HERMES ensemble (Belgium)

Dedication: Koen Kessels and HERMES ensemble (Belgium)

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 20/01/2015, KEE YONG CHONG’s portrait concert

Venue: Het Kanaal – Wijnegem (Belgium)

1^st performed by: Koichi Yoshida (Shakuhachi),

HERMES ensemble

Koen Kessels (conductor)

“Yuan-Fei II” (Origin-Fly) (2014)

“Yuan-Fei II” (Origin-Fly) is the revision and new version of “Yuan-Fei”, the original piece is written for Chinese Dizi and 5 western instruments (2009); “Yuan-Fei” is the 2nd piece of my “Yuan” series. The “Yuan” series is based on the Chinese philosophy about 5 elements of The Wu Xing (Chinese: 五行). The five basic elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

In this piece, the system of five elements was used to describe interactions and harmonic relationships between the five elements.

海浪

室內樂團（八位音樂家）

Ocean waves

for chamber ensemble

Video example

Score example: Ocean waves_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Fl/Cl/Ob/Perc/Pno/Vln/Vla/Vc

Composed: September 2011

Commissioned by: Goethe Institut South East Asia Young Composers Competition & Festival 2011 Bandung

Dedication: Ensemble Mosaik (Berlin/Germany)

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 02/10/2011

Venue: Taman Budaya (Bandung, Indonesia)

1^st performed by: Ensemble Mosaik

Robert HP Platz (conductor)

“Ocean waves” (2011)

“Ocean waves” is a composition that portraying different fractals like quasi self-similarity found in the nature world. In this composition, you will hear different object or sound elements display self-similar structure over an extended, but finite, scale range.

飛濺的景觀之三

為五組室內樂團（十七位音樂家）而作

Splattered landscape III

for five instrumental groups (17 players)

Score example: Splattered landscape III_pg selection

Instrumentation:

1Fl/1Ob/1Cl/1Bass Cl/1Bsn; 1Hrn/1Tpt/1Tbrn; 2Perc; 1Pf (Cel.); 1Hrp; 2Vln/1Vla/1Vc/1D.b

Composed: 2007

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Isang Yun

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 15th and 16th September 2007; Isang Yun Festival.

Venue: Seoul Art Center hall

1^st performed by: Korean Symphony Orchestra

JUNG Chi Yong (conductor)

* BMW Award in the Isang Yun International composers Award 2007

“Splattered landscape III” (2007)

“Splattered landscape III” is the third piece of my splattered landscape series. This work is inspired by the ancient Chinese monochrome ink landscape painting which depict the variant metamorphosis by glimpse movement of the wind and clouds. I used the “Po Mo”-style (One of the technique used in the ancient monochrome Ink painting, literally called “splashed ink or Splattered Ink” ) to transform the sound texture into a pure impression and artistic conception described without any ideographic scenery in this imaginary landscape painting.

For a long time, I interest in music, literature, poem, painting and calligraphy of the ancient Tang Dynasty (689-740) has prompted me to experiment with “the abstract form-Ch’i (Qi) of the Chinese calligraphy and ink painting to present the image of wind and clouds in this composition.

I interpret the tranquillity and movement as an abstract space. Through the process of transformation and transference of every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, they show an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counter unification, like nature.

飛濺的景觀之二

為室內樂團而作（十九位音樂家）

Splattered landscape II-Cloud’s echoing-

for chamber orchestra (19 players)

Instrumentation:

1Fl/1 Ob/1Cl/1 Bass Cl/1Bsn; 1Hrn/2Tpt/1Tbrn; 2Perc; 2Pf (Cel.); 1Hrp; 2Vln/1Vla/1Vc/1 D.b

Composed: 2007

Commissioned by: “Ensemble Modern International composition seminar”

Dedication: Ensemble Modern

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 17-18/02/2007

Venue: Haus der Deutschen Ensemble Akademie, Dachsaal (Frankfurt, Germany)

1^st performed by: Ensemble Modern

Liao Xiao Lin (conductor)

“Splattered landscape II”- Cloud’s echoing- (2007)

“Splattered landscape II”- Cloud’s echoing- for chamber orchestra is especially written for the Ensemble Modern International composition seminar and dedicated to Ensemble Modern.

This piece is the second piece of my splattered landscape series. The first piece is “Spattered landscape” for piano solo (2005). This work is inspired by the ancient Chinese black and white landscape ink painting which depict the movement of the wind and clouds.

***變形之六*－風的禱告者－**

為37簧高音笙，琵琶，古箏和和室內樂團 (十件西洋樂器)而作

Metamorphosis VI-Wind prayer-

for Sheng, Pipa, Gu Zheng & 10 western instruments

Video example

Score example: Metamorphosis VI_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Shg (portable radio)+Pp+GZhg+1Fl (Thai gong+ portable radio), 1Ob (Thai gong), 1Cl (Thai gong+portable radio) / 1Perc /1Hrp /1 Pf / 1Vln, 1Vla, 1Vc, 1D.b

Composed: 2005

Commissioned by: Nieuw Ensemble (Holland)

Dedication: Nieuw Ensemble (Holland)

Duration: ca 10’30”

World premiere: 12/10/2005

Venue: Theatre Korzo (Den Haag) on 12/10/2005, Lantaren/Venster (Rotterdam) on 13/10/2005 & Muziekgebouw aan‘tIJ (Amsterdam) on 14/10/2005.

1^st Performed by: Wu Wei (traditional 37-reeds soprano sheng)

Min Xiao Fen (pipa)

Xu Feng Xia (gu zheng)

Nieuw Ensemble (Holland)

Ed Spanjaard (conductor)

* Winner of the Nieuw Ensemble’s young Chinese composer competition 2005

“Metamorphosis VI”-Wind prayer- (2005)

In July 2005, during my stay in Lyo Island, a little island in Denmark, I rewrote and re-conceptualized ideas from my piece “I hear the wind calling” for western instruments ensemble.

The main musical ideas of the previous composition remains; however, this new work is more than just a variation—it is a sublimation of the same musical ideas and portrays the same emotions as the previous composition.

After 10 years of only composing for western instruments, “Metamorphosis VI”-Wind prayer- is my very first composition that mixes Eastern instruments and western instruments.

For a long time, I have been interested in literature, poetry, painting and calligraphy of the ancient Tang Dynasty and its relation to music, and this has prompted me to experiment with the abstract form of “Qi” in Chinese calligraphy and ink painting to present the image of wind in this composition.

In this piece, I create a confluence of sounds in the timbre of both Eastern and Western instruments. I attempt to create the mobility of sound like wind during the performance, so the flute, clarinet and sheng are off-stage and around the audience. One can hear the wind’s “soundscape” from different directions and the depth of this new sonic world inside the concert space.

鍾啟榮是我最喜歡的一位現代音樂作曲家,也是當今世界具有獨特形象思維和立體思維的綜合的作曲家，他能抓住中西樂器的最好聽的音色， 掌握演奏家的個性，同時把每位演奏家的個性融合在一起，達到音樂的發揮極致。他在這“變形六–風的禱告者“的作品中給我們每人架起了一座空中寺院，禱告者轉化為僧尼，僧尼在這神秘的雲霧風化的寺院中，與自己的樂器對話，尋求每一個靈魂最空無的境界。

徐鳳霞 2015年3月25日於德國Paderborn (古箏演奏家)

Kee Yong CHONG is one of my favourite contemporary composers as well as a composer that has the unique capability of thinking in image and space. He knows how to induce the best timbres from both Western and Chinese instruments and how to grasp the personalities of individual performers while integrating their characteristics to accomplish the ultimate aesthetics of music. In “Metamorphosis VI—Wind Prayer,” CHONG builds a temple in the air, where prayers transform into monks and nuns conversing with their own instruments and pursuing the innermost emptiness of every soul in a mysterious temple borne by ever-changing clouds and wind.

Xu Feng Xia, Paderborn, Germany, March 25th, 2015 (Gu zheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

回想起十多年前，在荷蘭中國音樂節與荷蘭新音團的合作演出中，我有幸結識了啟榮，並應邀首演了他為琵琶，笙，箏及十件西洋樂器而創作的作品“變形六”－風的禱吿者－。當我看到這首作品后，我被這位才華橫溢的年輕作曲家所具備的深厚的創作功力，豐富的想象力，內在的修養，開闊的視野及譜面上精確的演奏技法所折服。在排練過程中，啟榮又與每一位演奏者合作並根據樂器特有的性能，音色以及演奏者的特點，量身定音，使演奏者在演奏這首作品時有極大的發揮和想像空間。他的音樂讓我感受到他所追求和運用的中國傳統音樂中所謂的“空靈”，“飄逸”，“大音希聲”以及“樂者，天地之和也”的意境。他運用的中國樂器不僅借鑒了西樂創作手法的虛聲，氣聲及非正常音—躁音，同時也保留著中國音樂的靈魂—旋律。啟榮在作品中還加用了我的吟唱，伴隨在琵琶的泛音和滑音聲中忽隱忽現，虛實相間。琵琶猶如一位禱告者的內心世界，時而風和日麗，又時而風起雲涌，在與笙，箏及其它西洋樂器交相輝映, 穿越時空。音樂中豐富的音色對比，強烈的張力感，可以鮮明地感受到這位作曲家在追求作品的意境，韻味，技藝方面的匠心獨運。

－閔小芬2015年3月28日於紐約 (琵琶演奏家)

I had the opportunity of meeting Kee Yong more than a decade ago in a collaboration with Nieuw Ensemble at the Amsterdam China Festival in the Netherlands. I was invited to perform in the premiere of his “Metamorphosis VI”-Wind Prayer-, a piece written for pipa, sheng, zheng, and 10 Western instruments. I was tremendously impressed by the young composer’s creative prowess, rich imagination, inner cultivation, broad vision, and precise notations. During the rehearsal, Kee Yong worked with each performer and adjusted every instrument according to its properties, timbres, and its player’s characteristics. Performers were thus given enormous freedom in imagining and playing this piece. In Kee Yong’s music, I sensed the moods of emptiness, ethereality, and heaven-earth harmony in traditional Chinese music that he pursued and introduced. His way of composing for Chinese instruments not only involved Western compositional techniques regarding virtual sounds, air sounds, and abnormal sounds (noise) but retained the soul of Chinese music—melody. Kee Yong added my chanting to this piece. The chanting sound surfaced and submerged among the overtones and glissandos of pipa, mixing the real and virtual worlds. Pipa embodied the inner world of a prayer, sunny and breezy at times, cloudy and gusty at others. Progressing with sheng, zheng, and other Western instruments, the sound of the pipa transcended space and time. From the rich contrast of timbre and the strong dynamics of his music, we can explicitly recognise the composer’s artistic mastery in his pursuit of the ambience and charm of this piece.

—Min Xiao Fen at New York on March 28th, 2015 (Pipa soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

空山

為室內樂團（九位音樂家）而作

Kong Shan [Hollow mountain]

for chamber ensemble (9 players)

Audio example

Video example 1

Video example 2

Score example: Kong Shan_pg selection

Instrumentation:

1Fl (A. fl+Thai gong), 1Ob (Thai gong) 1Cl (B. cl+ Thai gong) /1Perc /1Pf /1Vln, 1Vla, 1Vc, 1D.b

Composed: September 2003

Commissioned by: TRANSIT Festival 2003

Dedication: Prof. Mark Delaere

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 24/10/2003; “TRANSIT” festival

Venue: STUCK (Leuven, Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Ensemble Mosaik (Berlin/Germany)

Enno Pope (conductor)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Kong Shan” [Hollow Mountain] (2003)

“Kong Shan” (Hollow Mountain) for 9 musicians is a reflection of silent and movement fancy in the poem of “Lu Chai” (DEER-PARK HERMITAGE) by Wang Wei (Tang dynasty).

This poem showed the emotion of tranquillity and movement transformed from each other. His poems always full of description about the beauty, silent, movement, emptiness and fullness of nature, as you can see it by your eyes and hear by your ears like a living likeness Chinese landscape ink painting in front of you!

This is my second piece that I used his poem as my musical reflection; previous one is “Liu-xu-fei” (HARMONIZING A POEM BY PALACE-ATTENDANT GUO) for oboe and cello (2001). I’ve been very influenced by the music, poems, literatures, paintings and calligraphy from the ancient Tang Dynasty (618-907) during my studies in the province of Xian, China where I obtained my Bachelor of Arts. Today my music reflects all these influences.

I hope that my music gives an abstract space for the listener, where you can feel every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, which influences and transforms each other; it shows an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counters unification of nature.

In this piece, I intended to create a mobility of sound during the performance, so I disposed the instruments of the ensemble, which will create a different layers and depth of the acoustic sound space.

-鹿柴- 王維 (唐朝)

空山不見人，但聞人語響。

返景入深林，復照青苔上。

Translation in English:

“Lu Chai” (DEER-PARK HERMITAGE)

There seems to be no one on the hollow mountain….

And yet I think I hear a voice,

Where sunlight, entering a grove,

shines back to me from the green moss.

我傾聽到風在呼喚

為室內樂團（十三位音樂家）而作

I hear the wind calling

for chamber ensemble (13 players)

Video example

Score example: I hear the wind calling_pg selection

Instrumentation:

1Fl, 1Ob, 1Cl/ 1Tpt, 1Tbrn/1Perc/1Pf/1Hrp/2Vln,1Vla,1Vc,1D.b

Composed: 2003

Commissioned by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and especially written for MPO Malaysian Composers Forum 2003-2004

Dedication: To my parents

Duration: ca 6’

World premiere: 31/03/2003

Venue: Petronas concert hall (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

1^st Performed by: Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Kevin FIELD (conductor)

* Nomination the “Best original Composition for the “Boh Cameronian Arts Awards 2004” Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

** “Prix Special” from the Academie Internationale de Lutece, Paris, France in the “Grand Concours International 2003, music section”

“I hear the wind calling” (2003)

During my stay in La Chaux De Fonds, a little town on the mountain in Switzerland, I conceived this piece. I was deeply moved by the nature scene when I heard the wind passing through the snowy landscape.

For long time, I interests in music, literature, poem, painting and calligraphy of the ancient Tang Dynasty has prompted me to experiment with “the abstract form-Qi of the Chinese calligraphy and ink painting to present the image of wind in this composition. I interprets the tranquillity and movement of the wind in this piece as an abstract space, where every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action were influenced and transformed each other, it shows an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counters unification like the nature.

I attempts in creating a mobility of sound during the performance, so I disposed the instruments (Flute & Clarinet) of the ensemble around the audience and also make a total rearrangement of the stage layout of the instruments on the stage; So that you will listen to the snowy “soundscape” from different directions and depth inside of the concert hall.

I dedicate the work to my parents.

在你的靈魂之下

為室內樂團（八位音樂家）而作

Beneath your soul

for chamber ensemble (8 players)

Score example: Beneath your soul_pages selection

Instrumentation:

1Fl, 1Cl/1Tpt/1Perc/1Pf/1Vla, 1Vc, 1D.b

Composed: 2003

Commissioned by: International Composition Seminar_Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain

Dedication: Prof. Henri POUSSEUR.

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 21/01/2003; concert of International Composition Seminar_Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain

Venue: Philharmonic concert hall (La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland)

1^st performed by: Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain (Switzerland)

Pierre-Alain Monot (conductor)

Chamber ensemble (2-6 players)

漸漸淡去的19種青春記憶的感覺

为长笛和单簧管而作

Gradually fading away the 19 senses of youthful memories

for flute in C and clarinet in Bb

Score example: fading away 19 senses-pg1

Instrumentation:

Fl & Cl

Composed: September 2021

Commissioned by: Japan Federal Composers

Dedication: Japan Federal Composers’ 60^th anniversary concert

Duration: ca 9”

World premiere: 29/03/2022

Venue: MUZA Kawasaki Assembly Room

1^st Performed by: Jun-ichiro TAKU(fl) and Hideo KIKUCHI(cl)

穿过19號死荫的幽谷

为琵琶，古筝，打击乐而作

Walk through the 19th valley of the shadow of death

Trio for pipa, guzheng and percussion

Score example: 19 valley_Trio_2021-pg1

Instrumentation:

Pipa, guzheng and percussion

Composed: March 2021

Commissioned by: Studio Acht

Dedication: Cube Band

Duration: ca 9”

World premiere: 12/11/2021 SMCC SoundBridge Festival 2021

Venue: SMCC SoundBridge Festival 2021

1^st Performed by: Cube Band

第19號登機口出口儀式

為二胡，长笛，单簧管和中提琴而作

Ritual for gate 19 in order to exit

For Erhu, flute, clarinet and viola

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: Ritual for gate 19 in order to exit_pg1

Instrumentation:

Erhu; Fl; Cl; Vla

Composed: December 2020

Commissioned by: 1st KCAC contemporary music festival

Dedication: Kanazawa Citizen’s Arts Center

Duration: ca 7”

World premiere: 17/01/2020

Venue: KCAC (Kanazawa, Japan)

1^st Performed by: KCAC resident artists

穿越后看向19号门

為長笛，中提琴和豎琴而作

CrossOver and Viewing Door 19

for flute, viola and harp

Score example: CrossOver and Viewing Door 19_pg1

Instrumentation:

Fl; Vla; Hp

Composed: June 2020

Commissioned by: New Gates Trio

Dedication: New Gates Trio

Duration:–

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st Performed by: New Gates Trio

夢。亭

為琵琶與弦樂四重奏而作

“Dreaming pavilion”

for pipa and string Quartet

Video example

Dreaming PAvillion_pages selection

Composed: Aug 2019

Commissioned by: Miss Lin Hui-Kuan

Dedication: Miss Lin Hui-Kuan

Duration: ca. 11’

World premiere: 09/10/2019;

Venue: National Music Concert hall (Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Lin Hui-Kuan and Pacific Vienna Quartet

This work reflects my deepest feeling of the music of Kun opera.

Lock yourself

For 37-reed traditional soprano sheng (also Xun), Guzheng and bass clarinet with live electronic

Video example

Lock yourself_pages selection

Composed: June 2019

Commissioned by: Chengdu Exchange project

In memorial: two of the great musicians and my best friends Mr Harry Sparnaay and Mr Jean-Marc Sullon who are sadly lost in the cancer battle!

Duration: ca. 9’

World premiere: 14/07/2019

Venue: Kobus, ZKM (Germany)

1^st performed by: Mr Huang Lung Yi (Sheng), Ms Ye Jiuan-Reng (Guzheng), Ms Yuria Otaki (Bass clarinet) and the team of ZKM

This short piece “Lock yourself” for 37-reed traditional soprano sheng (also Xun), Guzheng and bass clarinet with live electronic is a re-creation derived from my previous work “Wu Wei. Meng Die” for the 37-reed traditional soprano Sheng (also Xun) and bass clarinet with live electronic, “Wu Wei. Meng Die” is specially written and dedicated to my best friends Wu Wei, Harry Sparnaay and the team of ExperiementalStudio des SWR.

I was always inspired by the Zhuangzi story of “Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly”. In “Lock yourself” you will find a similar character of struggling and confusion in life!

客。情 II

為37簧笙三重奏而作

Hak. Qin II

for 37-reed Sheng trio

Video example

Score example: Hak-Qin-II_pages selection

Composed: May 2017

Commissioned by: Mr. Huang Lung Yi

Dedication: Mr. Huang Lung Yi and in memory of my beloved late meternal grandfather Hakka storyteller & singer maestro Sak

Duration: ca. 10’

World premiere: 28/05/2017; Annual concert “Listen to he best Sheng voices”

Venue: Zhong Shan Concert hall (Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Taiwan Harmony Ensemble

源。流

為長笛，雙鋼琴與雙打擊樂而作

Yuan. Liu [Origin-Stream]

for flute, 2 pianos & 2 percussions

Video example

Score example: Yuan Liu-Flute version_pg1

Instrumentation:

Fl; 2 pno; 2 perc

Composed: 2019

Commissioned by: Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion (Germany)

Dedication: New Gates Trio

Duration: ca 11’30”

World premiere: 02/02/2019

Venue: Konzerthaus Berlin

1^st Performed by: Rebecca Lenten (flute) & Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion

(Prodromos Symeonidis/pno, Sawami Kiyoshi/pno, Adam Weisman/perc, Simone Beneventi/perc, Xie Ya-Ou/cond)

迷宮II

木管五重奏（1994； 2017修改)

Labyrinth II

for Wind quintet (1994; revised 2017)

With Prof. Rao and Prof. Zhang

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bty

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Video example

Score example: Labyrinth II_pg selection

Composed: 1994 rev. April 2017

Commissioned by: Sawasdee Woodwind Quintet (Thailand)

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 28/05/2017; China-Asean Music Music Week (Nanning, China)

Venue: Guangxi College of Arts (Nanning, China)

1^st performed by: Sawasdee Woodwind Quintet (Thailand)

“Labyrinth II” (1994; revised 2017)

“迷宫II”是我1994留学西安音乐院创作的作品。2017年我应泰国Sawasdee木管五重奏的要求而重新改写這首作品。这作品运用不同层次的线性语汇半音化和纯五度/减五度音程为主要素材。乐器之间交错复杂的声部和互相呼应而营照出如迷宫之境。

“Labyrinth II” was composed in 1994 during my study in the Xi’an conservatory. In 2017, I revised the work at the request of the Thailand Sawasdee Woodwind Quartet. This work uses different levels of linear semitics of chromatic and pure fifth/diminished fifth interval as the main compositional material.

The intertwined complex parts of the instruments and the echoes of each other create a sense of labyrinth.

地平線的聖誦之二

為日本箏，韓國伽倻琴和弦樂三重奏而作之版本

Horizon’s chants II

for Gayageum, Koto and String trio

(Original version 2007 is for Sheng, Gayageum and Koto)

Video example

Score example: Horizon chants-2015_pg selection

Instrumentation:

Koto/Gyg/Vln/Vla/Vc

Composed: March 2015

Commissioned by: AsianArt Ensemble (Berlin/Germany)

Dedication: Wu Wei, Jocelyn Clark and Ryuko Mizutani

Duration: ca 16’

World premiere: 08/04/2015; Concert of “Focused Asian Chants”

Venue: Konzerthaus: Werner-Otto-Saal (Berlin/Germany)

1^st performed by: AsianArt Ensemble (Berlin/Germany)

Chung Il-Ryun (conductor)

“Horizon’s chants II” (2015)

“Horizon’s chants” is my “imaginary” chant when I’m alone facing the ocean. The “chants” depicts the endless view and loneliness of the horizon of the ocean.

This original version was commissioned by the Bayerischer Rundfunk/Musica Viva Festival and was first performed by Sheng player Mr Wu Wei, Gayageum player Ms Jocelyn Clark and Koto player Ms Ryuko Mizutani on 16th September 2007 at the Villa Stuck ( Munich, Germany). “Horizon’s chants” is dedicated to Mr Wu Wei, Ms Jocelyn Clark and Ms Ryuko Mizutani.

The new version of “Horizon’s chants” for Gayageum, Koto and String trio is required by AsianArt ensemble for their “focused X – Asian Chants-Am Anfang war der Gesang” concert at the Konzerthaus Berlin on 8 April 2015!

浪湧於樹林間

為雙馬林巴而作

Surging on woods

for two 5 octaves marimbas

-After J.S Bach’s two-part Invention of No.3 in D major-

Video example

Score example: Surging on woods_pg selection

Composed: November 2014

Commissioned by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

Dedication: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

Duration: ca 3’

World premiere: 28/12/2014

Venue: Auditorium of Music (Taipei/Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

從古老的土地上傳來無盡的回聲

為中音長笛或任何旋律樂器，四個水晶酒杯和預錄音響而作

Endless echo from the ancient land

for alto flute or any melody instrument, 4 crystal glasses and pre-recorded sound sample

–After listening to ancient Shakuhachi ancient piece “Jimbo-Sanya” played by Yoshida Koichi–

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Video example

Score example: Endless echo from the ancient land_pages selection

Composed: July 2014

Commissioned by: Civitella Ranieri Foundation

Dedication: the Civitella Ranieri Foundation and its director Dana Prescott, staff and fellows (Group2_June-July)

Duration: 8’30”

World premiere: 14/07/2014

Venue: Auditorium of Civitella Ranieri Foundation (Umbertide, Italy)

1^st Performed by: Valerio Fasoli (alto flute)

Eric Wubbels (crystal wine glass)

Alexandre Lunsqui (crystal wine glass)

Sergio de Regules (crystal wine glass)

Chong Kee Yong (crystal wine glass)

Studio C (live electronics)

“Endless echo from the ancient land” (2014)

During my artist residency at the Civitella Ranieri (Umbertide, Italy) in July 2014, after listening to an ancient Shakuhachi piece “Jimbo-Sanya” played by my friend Yoshida Koichi at the concert of the Inspiratum Festival “Per-Form the Void” in Kanaal (Belgium), I was deeply moved by this ancient piece and decided to mix a fragment of it with the daily soundscape environment of my Civitella Ranieri residency as materials for this work.

In this work, I would like to thank Yoshida Koichi, Valerio Fasoli, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Sergio de Regules, Eric Wubbels and Alexandre Lunsqui for being the inspiration for this piece!

….open the music to the life, open the life to the music….

The approach to the music of Kee-Yong Chong is deeply emotional. The structure of the compositions is very compact. It is generally not possible to analyze his music, with a separation between the technical aspects and the emotional contents. We have to consider everything like a unicum.

The architecture of the music of Kee-Yong Chong is transparent and linear like the religions and the philosophy of the Far East.

The Western instruments are continuously used without limits and the performers are expected to reproduce sounds and effects that have origin in the traditional Oriental instruments. They move constantly between the two traditions. Like the Earth turns, the music of Kee-Yong Chong seems to turn with it. Often the orchestration contemplates the mix of west and east instruments. Instrumentation in this way has no cultural borders and opens the performer to infinite possibilities.

Valerio Fasoli (Concert flautist)

致傑米

為六個打擊樂手和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作之版本

Music for JIMI

version for 6 percussionists and pre-recorded sound samples

cof

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Video example

Score example: Music for JIMI-6 perc_pg selection

Composed: March 2014

Commissioned by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

Dedication: HSU Bor Nien

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 31/05/2014, the 8^th Taipei International Percussion Convention (Taiwan)

Venue: Taiwan National Concert Hall (Taipei/Taiwan)

1^st Performed by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

“Music for JIMI” (version for 6 percussionists 2014)

“致傑米”是向早逝的天才电子吉他手傑米致敬的曲子，曲中重點放在六位打撃樂手的炫技和默契地之互相追逐式的演奏，同時在演出中也配合已預錄和處理過傑米的经典炫技般地演奏電吉他的音軌。

感谢十方樂集的藝術总監徐老师和十方樂集圑員多年的合作。也感谢我C工作室的楊朝勝為曲中預置音响的设计。此曲題献给徐伯年老师。

“Music for JIMI” for 6 percussionists and pre-recorded sound samples (2014) is an homage to late guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

I’m grateful to the artistic director of Music Forum Ensemble Mr Hsu Bor Nien commissioned this work and thanks also go to my Studio C team member Mr Yeo Chow Shern who helped me to design the pre-recorded audio for this work!

This work is dedicated to Mr Hsu Bor Nien.

致傑米

為三個打擊樂手和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作

Music for JIMI

original version for 3 percussionists and pre-recorded sound samples

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Video example

Score example: Music for Jimi-3 perc_pg selection

Composed: November 2013, rev. August 2015

Commissioned by: Music Forum Ensemble (Taiwan)

Dedication: HSU Bor Nien

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 02/12/2013

Venue: Novel Hall (Taipei, Taiwan)

1^st Performed by: Forum Music Ensemble (Taiwan)

“Music for JIMI” (Revision version 2015)

感谢十方樂集的藝術总監徐老师和十方樂集圑員多年的合作。也感谢我C工作室的楊朝勝為曲中預置音响的设计。此曲題献给徐伯年老师。

“Music for JIMI” for 3 percussionists and pre-recorded sound samples (2013, revised 2015) is an homage to late guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

This work is dedicated to Mr Hsu Bor Nien.

驚鴻

為長笛，單簧管，小提琴，大提琴和打擊樂器而作

Jing Hong [Glimpse]

for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion

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Keeyong_conducting Shanghai New Music ensemble

Score example: Ji Hong_pg seletion

Composed: October 2013

Commissioned by: Asian New Music Ensemble (Shanghai/China)

Dedication: Asian New Music Ensemble

Duration: ca 8’30”

World premiere: 17/12/2013

Venue: He Luting Concert Hall of Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China)

1^st performed by: Asian New Music Ensemble (Shanghai/China)

CHONG Kee Yong CHONG (conductor)

“Jing Hong” [Glimpse] (2013)

“Jing Hong” is written after reading and moved by Cao Zi’s “Luoshen Appraisal”.

“With the elegance of a swan, the grace of a dragon”-By Cao Zi’s “Luoshen Appraisal”

翩若惊鸿,婉若游龙。——曹植《洛神赋》

I always admire musicians who perform on stage, fully concentrating in order to achieve elegance and grace like the expression of the poem above.

時間流逝之三

為鋼琴獨奏，視頻投影，現場電子和3個舞台下的音樂家（中提琴，長笛和打擊樂）而作

Time flows III

for piano solo, video projection, live electronic and 3 off-stage musicians (viola, flute and percussion)

Score example: Time flow III_pages selection

Composed: September 2013

Commissioned by: SMCC’s “SoundBridge 2013”

Dedication: Thor Hong Chuan

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 05/10/2013

Venue: (Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia)

1^st Performed by: Nicholas ONG (Piano),

Daisuke Kinoshita (Flute),

Saori (Violin),

Max Reifer (Percussion)

Studio C, YEO Chow Shern (live electronics)

“Time flows III” (2013)

“Time flows III” is written after reading Zhuang Zi’s “Happy Excursion”.

“Living life, such as fleeting, all of a sudden it.”

人生在世，如白驹过隙，忽然而已。”——庄子《逍遥游》

心。吟

為古琴，琵琶，打擊樂，演唱鼓手和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作

Xin.Yin (Heart. Chanting)

for guqin, pipa, percussion, acting drummer and pre-recorded sound samples

Score example: Xin-Ying_pages selection

Composed: March 2013

Commissioned by: LIN Hui Kuan

Dedication: TUNG Chao Ming, LIN Hui Kuan, WANG Xiao Yin & Alex CHEUNG Wai Yuen

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 13/04/2013

Venue: Zhong Shan Concert Hall (Taipei/Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Tung Chao Ming (guqin),

Lin Hui Kuan (pipa),

Wang Xiao Yin (percussion),

Alex Cheung Wai Yuen (actor/drummer)

Studio C, Yeo Chow Shern (Live electronics)

無為。夢蝶

傳統37簧高音笙（兼壎/人聲），低音單簧管，即興電子創作和現場電子互動而作

Wu Wei. Meng Die [For nothingness. Butterfly dream]

for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng (also Xun/Voice), bass clarinet, live electronics improviser and live electronics

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7357-5_2242 000_Chong, Kee Yong_Sparnaay, Harry_Hummel, Thomas_Spillner, Simon (2)

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Score example: WuWei-MengDie_pages selection

Composed: July 2012

Commissioned by: SWR ExperimentalStudio (Germany)

Dedication: WU Wei, Harry Sparnaay, Reinhold Braig, Thomas Hummel and ExperimentalStudio des SWR

Duration: ca 15’

World premiered: 26/08/2012

Venue: Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Haitinkzaal)

1^st Performed by: WU Wei (Sheng/Voice/Xun),

Harry Sparnaay (Bass clarinet),

Reinhold Braig (electronic performer)

Thomas Hummel and Simon Spillner (ExperimentalStudio des SWR)

“Wu Wei. Meng Die” [For nothingness. Butterfly dream] (2012)

“昔者庄周夢為蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也，自喻適志與！不知周也。俄然覺，則蘧蘧然周也。不知周之夢為蝴蝶與，蝴蝶之夢為周與？周與蝴蝶，則必有分矣。此之謂物化。”-庄子, 齊物論

“Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly (or a butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi)”

“Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn’t know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly, there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things. (2, tr. Burton Watson 1968:49)

迴聲

為大提琴和鋼琴而作

Echoes

for cello and piano

Score example: Echoes_page selection

Composed: June 2011

Commissioned by: ensemble cross.art (Stuttgart / Germany)

Dedication: “cross.art 400” project

Duration: ca 0’20”

World premiere: 20/10/2011

Venue: open art space (Stuttgart/Germany)

1^st performed by: Junko Yamamoto (piano),

Celine Papion (cello)

無名的愛

低音單簧管和打擊樂器而作

Untitled love

for bass clarinet and percussion

Score example: Untitled love_pages selection

Composed: 2011

Commissioned by: Asian Young Musicians’ Connection.

Dedication: Duplum Duo

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 03/06/2011, the second annual concert “A Confluence of Cultures: Music of the Pacific Rim”

Venue: California State University, San Bernardino (USA)

1^st performed by: Duplum Duo

“Untitled love” (2011)

“Untitled love” is a work to express love, sadness, and nostalgia. This piece has the character of solitude.

Like most of my recent music, I interpret the tranquillity and movement as an abstract space, every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, through the process of transforming and transfer each other, show an exoteric feeling of space and inspiring flashy of counter unification of inherence power of my music world.

風動

為長笛和鋼琴而作

Feng Dong (Movement of wind)

for flute and piano

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Score example: Feng Dong_pages selection

Composed: May 2011, revised March 2012

Commissioned by: A CONFLUENCE OF CULTURES: Echoes from the Pacific Rim Project

Dedication: ZAO Wou Ki

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 01/03/2011; concert of “The Night of New Music – a confluence of cultures: echoes from the Pacific Rim”

Venue: Taiwan Nation Recital Concert hall (Taipei/Taiwan)

Performed by: Glendy Chien (Flute),

Cha-Lin Liu (Piano)

“Feng Dong” [movement of wind] (2011, revision 2012)

“Feng Dong” (風動) [movement of wind] is influenced by Chinese master Mr Zao Wou Ki’s abstract painting which depicts the movement of wind with the masses multicolour flow like wind and full of energy!

“風動”是受中國繪畫大師趙無極先生的抽象繪畫所启发，他的作品中以斑斓色彩的交匯来描繪風的動态使他畫作充滿了活力！

變形之二b-江雪

為長笛（兼短笛, 中音長笛和四個鑼）打擊樂和台下兩位中音薩克斯管而作之版本

Metamorphosis IIb –Chant of snow river –

version for Flute in C [piccolo/alto flute and 4 gongs] and percussion with 2 off stage alto saxophones

Score example: Metamorphosis IIb_pg selection

Composed: January 2011

Commissioned by: Manila Composers Lab

Dedication: LIU Zong-Yuan

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 11/03/2011; concert of Manila Composers Lab (Manila/Philippine)

Venue: Aberlado hall of University Philippine (Manila/Philippine)

1^st performed by: Ensemble Selisih (Germany)

“Metamorphosis IIb” –Chant of snow river –(2011)

This piece is a new version of my Metamorphosis II”-Chant of the snow river- The “Metamorphosis II” is a metamorphosis of my previous piece “Invisible cell” for recorder, percussion and tape (2000). The work is inspired by poetry by Zong-Yuan LIU’s (柳宗元, 773―819) “Jiang Xue” (江雪) (Tang dynasty, 618-907). This poetry expressed the atmosphere of the loneliness and hopeless feeling!

This work conveys my derivation of idea on my own composition. It is more than just a variation; it is a sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous compositions.

“江雪” 柳宗元 (唐) “Jiang Xue” by Liu Zong-Yuan (Tang dynasty)

(Chinese pronunciation)

千山鳥飞绝,Qian shan niao fei jue,

萬径人踪灭.Wan jing ren zong mie.

孤舟簑笠翁,Gu zhou suo li weng,

獨钓寒江雪.Du diao han jiang xue.

Translation in Japanese:

KO SETSU

Sen zan tori to bu ko to ta e

Ban kei jin syo ki yu

Ko syu no ou

Hito ri tsu ru kan ko no yuki

Translation in English:

SNOW RIVER

Thousands of mountains, birds flew away.

Thousands and thousands of paths are without footsteps.

A lonely old fishing man in a small boat,

Fishing in an icy river of snow.

古代的呼喚

長號，鋼琴和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作

Ancient calling

for trombone, piano and pre-recorded sound sample

Exif_JPEG_PICTURE

Video example

Score example: Ancient calling_pages selection

Composed: June 2010

Commissioned by: Dirk Amrein and Jurg Henneberger

Dedication: Dirk Amrein and Jurg Henneberger

Duration: —

World premiere: 15 /07/2010; Thailand International Composers Festival 2010 (TICF)

Venue: the auditorium hall of Rangsit University

1^st performed by: Dirk Amrein (Trombone),

Jurg Henneberger (Piano)

飛色

為吉他四重奏而作

Flying colours

for Guitar quartet

Composed: April 2010

Commissioned by: Kalès Guitar Quartet

Dedication: Kalès Guitar Quartet

Duration: —

World premiere: —

Venue: —

Performed by: —

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

地平線的聖誦

為日本笙和兩台日本箏而作

Horizon’s chant

version for Sho and two 13-strings Kotos

Composed: 2010

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 16’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

Performed by: —

源－飛

為中國笛子和五件西方樂器合奏而作

Yuan-Fei (Origin-Fly)

for Chinese Dizi and 5 western instruments ensemble

Video example

Score example: Yuan-Fei_pages selection

Instrumentation:

Dz/Cl/Ob/Vla/Vc/Pf

Composed: September 2009

Commissioned by: KL Contemporary Music Festival 2009

Dedication: Hong Kong New Music Ensemble

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 28/11/2009; KL Contemporary Music Festival

Venue: SEGi College

1^st performed by: Hong Kong New Music Ensemble

“Yuan-Fei” [Origin-Fly] (2009)

This is a work specially composed for HKNME and KL contemporary music festival. “Yuan-Fei” (Origin-Fly) is based on the Chinese philosophy about 5 elements of The Wu Xing (Chinese: 五行). The five basic elements are:

Wood (木) ; Fire (火) ; Earth (土) ; Metal (金) ; Water (水)

In this piece, the system of five elements was used for describing interactions and relationships between the natural phenomena.

源－流

為37簧高音笙，雙鋼琴與雙打擊樂而作

Yuan-Liu [Origin-Stream]

for 37-reed soprano Sheng, 2 pianos & 2 percussions

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Video example

Score example: Yuan-Liu_pages selection

Composed: 2009

Commissioned by: Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion (Germany)

Dedication: Wu Wei (Sheng) & Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion

Duration: ca 11’30”

World premiere: 05/11/2009

Venue: the Japanese German Center Berlin (Germany) in the Concert series “Polarities”

1^st Performed by: Wu Wei (traditional 37-reeds soprano sheng)

Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion:

Prodromos Symeonidis (piano),

Sawami Kiyoshi (piano),

Adam Weisman (percussion),

Matthias Buchheim (percussion),

Xie Ya-Ou (conductor)

“Yuan-Liu” (Origin-Stream) (2009)

In Chinese, “yuan” is “source, origin or root” and “liu” is “flow, circulate, stream of water”.

“Yuan-Liu” is composed for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng, 2 pianists and 2 percussionists and it is the 2nd piece of the “Yuan” series. The first piece of the series is “Yuan-Fei” (Origin-Fly) for Chinese bamboo flute dizi and 5 western instruments and the third piece is “Yuan-He” (Origin-Harmony), a concerto for 5 Chinese instruments and 5 western instruments.

In “Yuan-Liu”, the sheng represents the oldest eastern traditions; the piano represents strong western traditions in general but also have a significant relationship with the percussion instruments; the percussion instruments are an intermediary between the East and West. I wanted to avoid using keyboard percussion instruments with well-tempered pitches by using mostly unpitched percussion instruments.

In “Yuan-Liu”, the system of the five elements is used for describing interactions and harmonic relationships between natural phenomena. As such, in this composition, I interpret tranquillity and movement as abstract space where the elements—every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action—transform and influence each other.

Kee Yong Chong composed in 2009 the piece “Yuan-Liu” for our Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion. It was the first musical composition for the Chinese instrument sheng in combination with the famed instrumentation of two pianos and two percussionists. Kee Yong mastered the communication between two different worlds of sound in the best way and created a marvellous, balanced dialogue between Eastern and Western traditions. The rehearsals with the composer as well as the experience of playing the piece in concert have been of great value for our ensemble. The interpretation by the fantastic sheng player Wu Wei was also for the whole project a big enrichment.

–Ensemble Berlin PianoPercussion, Xie Ya-Ou (Pianist/Conductor) and Prodomos Symeonidis (Pianist)

這次在休士頓的音樂節，我演出了“源。流”這首作品。給笙、双鋼琴、双打擊，描寫五行「金、木、水、火、土」，相生、相克，五種氣的變化，使萬物循環不已。

來說說我自已的理解：使用不固定的拍號（2/4、4/4、3/8、7/16⋯），象徵五行的變化–穩定–變化–穩定；音符線條堆疊、撞擊，就像五種形態的相生、相克；各樂器的特殊演奏法、音色的變化，和諧與不和諧的空間感，讓人感覺至身於宇宙萬物之間；演奏者即興的空間，五行作用每日都在發生，無法次次相同卻又相似。整體感覺亦柔亦剛，非常具有想像空間。

沈翎玄 (笙演奏家)

During the music festival in Houston, I performed “Yuan-Liu” (Origin-Stream), a piece written for sheng, two pianos and two percussion instruments. This composition describes the mutual generation and overcoming of the five elements that facilitate the circulation of everything. My understanding of this piece is that, varying time signatures (e.g., 2/4, 4/4, 3/8, and 7/16) are used to signify the change and stability of the five elements, and the stacking and clashing of notes and melodies imitate the mutual generation and overcoming of the five phases. The unique playing techniques of each instrument, the variations of timbre, and the harmonious and disharmonious senses of space make us feel present in the vast universe. In performers’ improvisation, the five elements interact constantly with one another, yielding similar but different results. The overall composition sounds both firm and gentle, providing a great room for imagination.

Shen Ling Hsuan (Sheng soloist)_(Translated by Kelly Chen Poyu)

展現精神

為小提琴和鋼琴而作

Unfolding spirit

for violin and piano

Audio example

Video example

Score example: Unfolding spirit_pages selection

Composed: 2009

Commissioned by: TIMF Ensemble (Korea)

Dedication: To my daughter Chong Chuan Le

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 23/06/2009; ADEvantgarde 09 Festival

Venue: The Gasteig, Black Box (cultural centre in Munich, Germany).

1^st performed by: TIMF ensemble (Korea)

“Unfolding spirit” (2009)

I dedicate this work to my second daughter Chuan Le for her pure and joyful smile that unfolds the inner spirit in our journey of life!

This work was first performed by TIMF Ensemble (Korea) at the ADEvantgarde 09 Festival on 23rd June 2009 in the Gasteig, Black Box (cultural centre in Munich, Germany). The Belgium premiere will take part in the KlaraFestival 2009 (International Brussels Music Festival) by TIMF Ensemble (Korea) on 5th September 2009 at BOZAR, ter Arken. FORZA MUSICA! (Brussels, Belgium)

變形之八

為37簧高音笙，長笛，雙簧管單簧管和低音提琴而作

Metamorphosis VIII

for 37-reed soprano sheng, flute, oboe, clarinet and double bass

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Score example: Metamorphosis VIII pg24-27

Composed: 2007

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 09/02/2008; the festival “Intersonanzen”

Venue: “Altes Rathaus”,Am Alten Markt ,Potsdam, Germany.

1^st Performed by: Wu Wei (Sheng)

Ensemble JungeMusik Berlin

Helmut Zapf (conductor)

*Second prize in the Preisträgerkonzert des Internationalen Kompositionswettbewerbes “global music – contemporary expression” (Berlin, Germany)

“Metamorphosis VIII” (2007)

This piece is a metamorphosis of my work “Endless whispering”. “Metamorphosis VIII’ conveys my derivation of ideas on my own composition.

It is more than just a variation; it is sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous composition.

“Metamorphosis VII” has the character of solitude and is inspired by ancient Chinese calligraphy which depicts the inner movement of the wind and floating clouds.

In this composition, I interpret tranquillity and movement as an abstract space: every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, through a process of transformation and transference to each other, show an esoteric feeling of space and an inspiring flash of counter-unification of the intrinsic power of the music world.

I am searching for a “confluence” between western and eastern culture in this composition: I’m convinced that with the inherent virtuoso nature of Eastern (Sheng), Western instruments (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet & double bass) and the Asian musical aesthetic, a new generation of integration will be brought to the highest level in Art.

地平線的聖誦

為37簧高音笙，日本箏和韓國伽倻琴而作

Horizon’s chant

for 37-reed soprano Sheng, Koto & Gayageum

Score example: Horizon’s chants_pg selection

Composed: July 2007

Commissioned by: Bayerisher Rundfunk for Musica Viva Festival (Munich)

Dedication: Wu Wei, Jocelyn Clark and Ryuko Mizutani

Duration: ca 16’

World premiere: 16th September 2007

Venue: Villa Stuck (Germany)

1^st performed by: Wu Wei (Sheng),

Jocelyn Clark (Gayageum),

Ryuko Mizutani (Koto)

“Horizon’s chants” (Original version 2007)

“Horizon’s chants” is my “imaginary” chant when I’m facing alone the ocean. The “chants” depicts the endless view and loneliness of the horizon of the ocean.

無盡的耳語

為37簧高音笙（壎），四件西洋樂器和現場電子互動而作

Endless whispering

for 37-reed soprano Sheng (Xun) and 4 western instruments (Fl/Ob/Cl/Tuba) with live electronics

Score example: Endless_whipering_pages selection

Composed: 2006

Commissioned by: Akademie der Künste (Berlin, Germany)

Dedication: Wu Wei & Ganesha of KNM Berlin

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 26/11/2006

Venue: the concert hall of Akademie der küste.

1^st performed by: Wu Wei (sheng)

Ganesha of KNM Berlin

Electronic studio of Akademie der küste (Berlin)

Andre Bartetzki (live electronics)

“Endless whispering” (2007)

“Endless whispering” has the character of solitude.

***變形之七－*無聲迴聲**

為四重奏而作

Metamorphosis VII-Voiceless echo-

for quartet (Cl/Vla/Vc/Pf)

Score example: Metamorphosis VII-Voiceless echo-pg selection

Composed: November 2006

Commissioned by: Heidelberg Spring Festival

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 08/03/2006; Heidelberg Spring Festivalin the “Jörg Widmann’s series” concert

Venue: Concert hall of festival forum alte PH Heidelberg (Germany)

1^st Performed by: Festival ensemble of Heidelberg Spring Festival

* Winner of the Heidelberg Spring Festival commission competition

“Metamorphosis VII”-Voiceless echo-(2006)

This is the seventh piece of my Metamorphosis composition series. I rework and convey my derivation of ideas on my previous ensemble piece “Kong Shan” (Hollow Mountain).

In all my Metamorphosis pieces, the main musical idea of the previous composition remains; this new work is more than just a variation; it is sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous composition.

Metamorphosis VII-Voiceless echo is a reflection of silent and movement fancy in the poem of “Lu Chai” (DEER-PARK HERMITAGE) by Wang Wei (Tang dynasty).

-鹿柴- 王維 (唐朝)

空山不見人，但聞人語響。

返景入深林，復照青苔上。

Translation in English:

“Lu Chai” (DEER-PARK HERMITAGE)

There seems to be no one on the hollow mountain….

And yet I think I hear a voice,

Where sunlight, entering a grove,

Shines back to me from the green moss.

This poem showed the emotion of tranquillity and movement transformed from each other. Wang Wei’s poems are always full of descriptions of the beauty, silence, movement, emptiness and fullness of nature, as you can see it by your eyes and hear by your ears like a living likeness Chinese landscape ink painting in front of you!

For a long time, my interest in music, literature, poem, painting and calligraphy of the ancient Tang Dynasty has prompted me to experiment with “the abstract form-Qi” of the Chinese calligraphy and ink painting to present the image of nature in my compositions. I interpret the tranquillity and movement of nature in this piece as an abstract space, where every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action were influenced and transformed each other, it shows an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counters unification like the nature.

獨角戲之二

帶有預錄音頻的雙簧管和鋼琴版本

Monodrama II

version for oboe and piano with pre-recorded audio

Video example

Score example: Monodrama II_pg selection

Composed: 2005

Commissioned by: Piet Van Bockstals and Yutaka Oya

Dedication: Piet Van Bockstals and Yutaka Oya

Duration: ca 14’

World premiere: 01/07/2005

Venue: the Tokyo Wander site concert hall (Japan)

1^st performed by: Piet Van Bockstals (oboe)

Yutaka Oya (piano)

“Monodrama II” (2005)

This work had a great influence on Gamelan music. I used Oboe solo to imitate the sound of Gamelan Oboe-like double reeds instrument “Serunai” and a piano like the gamelan ensemble group which dialogue with the main solo “Serunai”.

烏焰

為六位打擊樂手而作

Wu Yan [Black flame]

for 6 percussionists

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Video example

Score example: Wu Yan_pages selection

Composed: January 2003

Commissioned by: Brussels Conservatory percussion class

Dedication: Mr Bart Bouckaert

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: 21/10/2004

Venue: the Auditorium hall of Brussels Conservatory

1^st performed by: Brussels Conservatory percussion class

Bart Bouckaert (conductor)

“Wu Yan” [Black flame] (2003)

“Wu yan”乌焰if translated literally from Chinese is means “Black flame”, but “Wu yan”乌焰in the ancient Chinese mythology legend, it means “Red sun”.

According to the different interpretations of the colour in the ancient Chinese words and philosophy, it always refers to the contradictions of two figures or moods, like red to black, or green to blue, even black to white. I deeply feel the embodiment of perfection of the Oriental Philosophical view of this kind of transformation between each other, a process of transfer one another, thus exhibiting a counter unification of inherence power of nature.

For this piece, I intended to convey an immanent motif and immanent artistic conception, mere exceedingly abstract mentality spirit.

The percussion instruments setup of this piece is based on the palindrome layout, as Perc.1 have the same instruments as Perc.6; Perc.2=Perc.5 and Perc.3=Perc.4. But the only counter between the two is the pitches or approx. pitches, thus I intended to create different depth of the timbre, as bright or dark, every point and line, strong and weak, silence and action, which influences and transforms each other.

This work was commissioned by the Royal (Flemish) Brussels Conservatory percussion class for their percussion concert project, and the first performance was given by the percussion class of the Brussels Royal Conservatory and conducted by Mr Bart Bouckaert at Brussels Conservatory on 21/10/2004.

I’d like to dedicate this work to Mr Bart Bouckaert to show my gratitude to have commissioned me to write for this project. And I’m also like to thank Prof. Bart Quartier and Prof. Gert Francios from the percussion class of Brussels Royal (Flemish) Conservatory of Music for sharing their expertise on this piece.

暫停的愛

為小提琴和打擊樂而作

Suspended love

for violin and percussion

Score example: Suspended love_pg selection

Composed: 2003, revised 2005

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 23/08/2009; the Gretna Music festival (Pennsylvania, USA)

Venue: the Gretna Music festival (Pennsylvania, USA)

1^st performed by: Erik Carlson (violin),

Nathan Davis (percussion)

“Suspended love” (2003, revised version 2005)

“Suspended love” for violin and percussion is first written in 2003 during my time in Brussels. It is a request from my Belgian percussionist friend Prof. Gert Franciois to write for his duo, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, this piece is never been programmed and played! I’m grateful to my friend Ms Stephanie Griffin for giving me the great opportunity to share the world premiere performance of this piece with you all at this festival!

“Suspended love” is a work of love, sadness, and nostalgia. This piece has the character of solitude with all those fragile harmonics writing in the violin part and the delicate soft playing in the percussion part. I intended to create mobility of sound during the performance, so I disposed of these 2 instruments on 3 specifically performance positions on stage. In the 1st and 3rd position, two instruments are apart from each other and only in the 2nd position both instruments will meet in the middle of the stage. Those positions’ disposition creates a kind of suspended solitude feeling of 2 different worlds. The spatial relationship between these two instruments also makes a great nostalgia moment in the music.

The work is basically conceived from its quasi-theatrical as Asian folk traditional form of live performing art. Like most of my recent music, I interpret the tranquillity and movement as an abstract space, every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, through the process of transforming and transfer each other, show an exoteric feeling of space and inspiring flashy of counter unification of inherence power of my music world.

變形之二-江雪

為長笛（兼短笛和中音長笛）和打擊樂而作

Metamorphosis II –Chant of snow river-

for flute (also picc. & alto) and percussion

Score example: Metamorphosis II (snow river) pg1-2

Composed: July 2003

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 15 Nov 2003 (Boswil, Switzerland) and 16 Nov 2003 (La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland)

Venue: Boswil foundation

1^st performed by: Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain (Switzerland)

“Metamorphosis II” –Chant of snow river –(2011)

“江雪” 柳宗元 (唐) “Jiang Xue”by Liu Zong-Yuan (Tang dynasty)

(Chinese pronunciation)

千山鳥飞绝,Qian shan niao fei jue,

萬径人踪灭.Wan jing ren zong mie.

孤舟簑笠翁,Gu zhou suo li weng,

獨钓寒江雪.Du diao han jiang xue.

Translation in Japanese:

KO SETSU

Sen zan tori to bu ko to ta e

Ban kei jin syo ki yu

Ko syu no ou

Hito ri tsu ru kan ko no yuki

Translation in English:

SNOW RIVER

Thousands of mountains, birds flew away.

Thousands and thousands of paths are without footsteps.

A lonely old fishing man in a small boat,

Fishing in an icy river of snow.

沒有文字的墓誌銘

為鋼琴三重奏而作

Epitaphe sans mots

for piano trio (Vln/Vc/Pf)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Video example

Score example: Epitaphe sans mots_pages selection

Composed: May 2003

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Trio Jean Paul

Duration: ca 18’

World premiere: 19/09/2004; “Max-Reger-Tag Festival 2004”

Venue: Max Reger Concert hall (Weiden, Germany)

1^st performed by: Trio Jean-Paul

* 1st prize in the “Max-Reger-Tage International composition competition 2003 Weiden, Germany”

“Epitaphe sans mots” (2003)

In my piano trio “Epitaphe sans mots” (Epitaph without words), I was searching for a way to merge the present reality and the memory of the past. From 1994 to 1995, when I studied in Xi’an (China), I visited quite a lot of historic places in this old city, I remembered one day I passed by the countryside of this city, I was overwhelmed by seeing the abandoned gravestones, they were forgotten by people and most of them I didn’t see any name or words in it! That moment, in my heart I strongly felt I see the last scene of all those gravestones; I heard the sound of sculpting those gravestones and also surrounding by distant sadness crying voices. It made me keep thinking of this feeling after I left China.

The trio presents 3 different characters in this work. You can hear at the end of this piece, cello sung in the highest register quasi human-like sadness voices; violin acted as real life or you can say like an unknown passenger and piano always like a dream-like memory of the past to remind the pain!

被遺棄的心

為雙簧管（也兼英國管）和弦樂四重奏而作

Abandoned heart

for oboe (also cor anglais) and string quartet

Score example: Abandoned heart_pages selection

Composed: January 2003

Commissioned by: Danel Quartet

Dedication: Piet Van Bockstael and Danel Quartet

Duration: ca 15’

World premiere: 10/01/2003

Venue: Salon Voor Schone Kunst (Sint-Niklaas, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Piet Van Bockstael (Oboe)

Danel Quartet (Belgium)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

地界

為雙簧管，長笛，小提琴和大提琴而作

Di Jie [Abuttal]

for oboe, flute, violin & cello

Score example: Di Jie_pages selection

Composed: September 2002

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 20/03/2003; the prize ceremony concert of the “2nd Seoul International Competition for composers, 2003 Korea”

Venue: Youngsan Art Hall (Seoul, Korea)

1^st Performed by: SORI ensemble

* Grand Prix winner of the “2nd Seoul International Competition for composers, 2003 Korea”

“Di Jie” [Abuttal] (2002)

This piece is a metamorphosis of my ensemble piece “ Mourning the murder of an old Banyan tree”.I’d like to make a series of works based on the main musical idea — which is to express the power and the beauty of nature, although civilization brought the great effort to us, at the same time it also destroy so many things from us! I’m very afraid of losing our tradition, our culture, our language, our environment, our planet….etc, because of the unavoidable idea of development and improvement of life.

This work conveys my derivation of ideas on my own composition. It is more than just a variation, it is sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous composition.

悼念一棵被謀殺的老榕樹

為C長笛（兼短笛和中音長笛）; Bb單簧管（兼低音單簧管）;小提琴（擴音）;大提琴（擴音）;打擊樂和鋼琴（擴音）

Mourning the Murder of an old Banyan tree (Version II)

for Flute (also picc., alto); Clarinet in Bb (also Bass Clarinet); Violin (amplification); Cello (ampl.) ; Percussion & Piano (ampl.)

Video example

Score example: Old Banyan tree (ver II)_pg selection

Composed: 2002

Commissioned by: Het Collectif Ensemble

Dedication: Het Collectif Ensemble

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 05/12/2002

Venue: concert hall of Muziekinstrumentenmuseum (Brussels, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Kamermuziekensembles van het Conservatorium Brussel

Bart Bouckaert (conductor)

“Mourning the Murder of an old Banyan tree” (Version II) (2002)

Long time ago, I read a poem “Balade Terbunuhnya Beringin Tua Di Sebuah Bandaraya” by a Malaysian poet Dato Dr. Usman Awang, and this poem let me keep thinking of what the civilization brought effort to us, and in the same time it also destroy so much things from us! I’m very afraid of losing our tradition, our culture, our language, our environment, our planet….etc, because of the unavoidable idea of development and improvement of life.

In the Buddhist idiom the Banyan tree represents a consciousness of intelligence and consciousness of way.

“Balade Terbunuhnya Beringin Tua Di Sebuah Bandaraya” by Dato Dr. Usman Awang

(A ballad mourning the murder of an old Banyan tree in a city)

Fragment from the poem: Translation:

~Sampai sekarang, tiap senjakala lembayung petang To this day, when twilight graces the sky

Dengarlah suara Beringin mengucapkan pesan: You can hear the old banyan tree’s farewell:

Selamat tinggal, selamat tinggal wahai awan Goodbye, goodbye cloud

Selamat tinggal matari selamat tinggal bulan Goodbye sun, goodbye moon

Selamat tinggal, kupu-kupu sayang Goodbye dear butterflies

Selamat tinggal, wahai burung-burung bersarang Goodbye nesting birds

Selamat tinggal anak-anak bermain riang Goodbye frolicking children

Namaku Beringin pohon tua yang terbuang It was old Banyan tree cast inside

Dimusuhi oleh rancangan bernama Pembangunan By an enemy called Development.

This work was commissioned by “Het Collectief” ensemble and is dedicated to them.

The first performance was given by “Het Collectief” ensemble and conductor Mr.Wibert Aerts at “De Rode Pomp”, Gent, Belgium on June 8th, 2002, and at “NADINE”, Brussels, Belgium on June 9th, 2002

I rearranged a version II especially for the concert “OOST WEST in het MIM”. It was performed by Kamermuziekensemble van Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and conducted by Mr. Bart Bouckaert at the concert hall of Muziekinstrumentenmuseum (Brussels, Belgium) on December 5th, 2002.

祖先的沉默

為指揮（打擊樂），單簧管，中提琴，鋼琴和2個舞台下的打擊樂手而作

Il silencio dell’ Ancestrale

for conductor (percussion), clarinet, viola, piano and 2 offstage percussionists

Score example: il silenzio dell’Ancestrale_pg selection

Composed: September 2002

Commissioned by: “3rd Ictus International Composition Seminar”

Dedication: Salvatore Sciarrino and in memoriam of my maternal grandfather Maestro Sak

Duration: ca 7’

World premiere: 03/12/2002

Venue: Flagey_Studio 1 (Brussels, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Ictus ensemble (Brussels, Belgium)

George-Elie Octors (conductor)

悼念一棵被謀殺的老榕樹

為C長笛（兼短笛和中音長笛）; Bb單簧管（兼低音單簧管）;小提琴（擴音）;大提琴（擴音）和鋼琴（擴音）而作

“Mourning the Murder of an old Banyan tree” (Version I)

for Flute (also picc., alto, Thai-gong & tam-tam); Clarinet in Bb (also Bass Clarinet); Violin (amplification); Cello (ampl.) & Piano (ampl.)

Score example: Old Banyan tree_pg selection

Composed: 2002

Commissioned by: Het Collectief ensemble

Dedication: Het Collectief ensemble

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 08/06/2002; 09/06/2002

Venue: De Rode Pomp(Gent) and NADINE (Brussels)

1^st performed by: Het Collectief ensemble

Wibert Aert (conductor)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

* Selected piece by International juries to represent Malaysia in the ISCM world News Music Days 2004 “Trans-it” Switzerland

“Mourning the Murder of an old Banyan tree” (Version I 2002)

In the Buddhist idiom the Banyan tree represents a consciousness of intelligence and consciousness of way.

“Balade Terbunuhnya Beringin Tua Di Sebuah Bandaraya” by Dato Dr. Usman Awang

(A ballad mourning the murder of an old Banyan tree in a city)

Fragment from the poem: Translation:

~Sampai sekarang, tiap senjakala lembayung petang To this day, when twilight graces the sky

Dengarlah suara Beringin mengucapkan pesan: You can hear the old banyan tree’s farewell:

Selamat tinggal, selamat tinggal wahai awan Goodbye, goodbye cloud

Selamat tinggal matari selamat tinggal bulan Goodbye sun, goodbye moon

Selamat tinggal, kupu-kupu sayang Goodbye dear butterflies

Selamat tinggal, wahai burung-burung bersarang Goodbye nesting birds

Selamat tinggal anak-anak bermain riang Goodbye frolicking children

Namaku Beringin pohon tua yang terbuang It was old Banyan tree cast inside

Dimusuhi oleh rancangan bernama Pembangunan By an enemy called Development.

This work was commissioned by “Het Collectief” ensemble and is dedicated to them.

為X寫的四首簡短哀悼文

為室內樂團（長笛，低音單簧管，打擊樂和弦樂三重奏）而作

Four Short Laments For X.

for flute, bass Clarinet in Bb, percussion and string trio (Vln/Vla/Vc)

Score example: 4 short laments for X_pages selection

Composed: 2001

Dedication: In memorial Iannis Xenakis

Duration: ca 7’

World premiere: 20/07/2001

Venue: The Eglise de la Chartreuse de Villeneuve-Lez-Avignon (France)

1^st Performed by: The members of l’Orchestre Lyrique de Région-Provence

Sylvio GUALDA (conductor)

* Finalist of the 4th edition of “International Contemporary Music Contest 2002, Citta Di Udine, ITALY”

“Four Short Laments For X.” (2001)

This is homage to composer Iannis Xenakis, his works give me a lot of courage to be a composer, and his music always fascinating me.

You can hear his significant voice on this work; I would like to show my respect to his great creative mind!

變形之四

為兩個音樂家和預錄音頻樣本而作

Metamorphosis IV

for two musicians and pre-recorded audio samples

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: Miss Yoshiko SATO

Dedication: Miss Yoshiko SATO and Rikke PETERSEN

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 12/03/2001

Venue: Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Flemish section, Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Rikke PETERSEN (flute)

Yoshiko SATO (viola)

CHONG Kee-Yong (sound projectionist)

“Metamorphosis IV” (2001)

This piece is a metamorphosis of my “Si” for flute solo (2000); the fourth piece in my metamorphosis series.

“Metamorphosis IV” for two musicians and CD (2001) conveys my derivation of idea on my own composition. The main musical idea of the previous composition is remains; Two musicians (can be in any combination, premiered version: Flute & viola) and CD all shared the same musical emotion and atmosphere of “Si”.

For me, this piece is more than just a variation; it is a sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous composition.

“Si” & “Metamorphosis IV” both were inspired by the fragmentary poem from “Wu Ti” [Untitled] (Tang dynasty) by Shang-Yin LI and the elegiac address text written by Mr. Woon-Hong WONG for our dear friend Miss Lee-Ting PHANG (1971~1989) who was killed in the car accident.

Cherish is like the entangled threads, I treat the two musicians playing as the slender breath which simulate cherish, so remoteness like the threads that tangled people.

Poetry fragments:

無题李商隠（唐）Untitled by Shang-Yin LI (Tang dynasty)

春蠶到死絲方盡; And the silk-worms of spring will weave until they die;

蠟炬成灰涙始乾. And every night the candles will weep their wicks away.

Original text version is in Chinese:

你会不会相信

Do you believe

有很多爱你的还在想你

There are many that are still loving you, thinking of you

想你

Cherish you

会不会找不着我们而害怕

Will you be afraid because you didn’t find us

会不会因为距离而哭泣

Will you weep because of the distance

(永远抹不了那种喊着你的名字而没有回应的感觉…)

(I can not forget the feeling calling out your name over and over….)

於是

Thus

什么也不说了

we are wordless

只想让你知道

Just to let you know

有很多爱你的人

There are many who loves you

在

Still
想

Thinking of

你

You

The CD part is a montage of different sort of music I listened to while I was conceiving this piece; most of them are very strong with the spirit of ritualistic!

“METAMORPHOSIS IV” was first performed by flutist Miss Rikke PETERSEN , violist Miss Yoshiko SATO and composer as sound projectionist on 12/03/2001 at the Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

The second version (2006) is played and recorded by musicians of ENSEMBLE INTEGRALES viola/violin player Ms Barbara Lüneburg and double bass player Mr. John Eckhardt in their concerts and CD album “TRACES OF ASIA”. (CD label: Coviello Contempoarary, Germany)

柳－絮－飛

為雙簧管和大提琴而作

Liu-Xu-Fei

for oboe and cello

Video example 1

Video example 2

Audio example

Score example: Liu xu fei_pg selection

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: Rafael PALACIOS and Stijn KUPPENS

Dedication: Rafael PALACIOS and Stijn KUPPENS

Duration: ca 5’30”

World premiere: 12/03/2001

Venue: Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Flemish section, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Rafael PALACIOS (oboe)

Stijn KUPPENS (cello)

“Liu-Xu-Fei” (2001)

桃李阴阴柳絮飞。――唐·王维《酬郭給事》

“HARMONIZING A POEM BY PALACE-ATTENDANT GUO”

..Where peach and plum are blooming and the willow cotton flies..Wang wei (Tang dynasty)

The title is an extract quotation from above poem by Wang wei (Tang dynasty), the title means willow catkins hover or flutter in the air. These work presents the soliloquize atmosphere between these two instruments, two personal characters……etc

I’m most grateful to oboist Mr. Rafeal PALACIOS and cellist Mr.Stijn KUPPENS for their collaboration, especially for the technical advice of them, and to whom this work is dedicated.

意

為弦樂三重奏而作

Yi

for string trio

Video example

Audio example

Score example: Yi pg1-3

Composed: 2000-2001

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Mr. ZAO WOU-KI

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 12/03/2001

Venue: Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Flemish section, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Wibert AERTS (violin),

Yoshiko SATO (viola)

Stijn KUPPENS (cello)

“Yi” (2000-2001)

This work presents a Chinese philosophical concept of energy and desire — at the apex of concentration, one attains ‘Yi’, thus enabling breakthrough of the mind ,body…etc.

皮影戲

為兩位鋼琴家而作

Wayang Kulit

for two pianists

Score example: Wayang Kulit_pages selection

Composed: 2000

Commissioned by: Mihoko MORI and Ryoko NAKATA

Dedication: Mihoko MORI and Ryoko NAKATA

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 28/11/2000

Venue: Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels

1^st performed by: Mihoko MORI (piano, percussion and voice)

Ryoko NAKATA (piano, percussion, voice)

* Finalist of the 1st edition of the “Opera Prima Europa 2001 Rome, ITALY”

“Wayang Kulit” (2000)

“ WAYANG KULIT “ is a traditional puppet-show that has been popular in Indonesia and Malaysia area. (Wayang is shadow in Bahasa Malayu, kulit means skin.) There is a light at the back of the puppets, in front of the puppets hang a white cloth where the shadow of the puppets fall on it.

A story teller will tell in words and sing about the story while a group of musicians will play the traditional music as accompaniment.

As a description of the wayang kulit, I`ve used two pianos with percussion instruments i.e. piano is the shadoe, the pianist are the puppets or story teller or accompanist. Meanwhile there is interchange between the characters e.g. Piano I as a pianist with a lot of percussive playing will gradually become a play-actor/actress, and finally he/she will become Piano II; Piano II as a pianist with usual playing will become percussionist who will play accompaniment for the play-actor/actress, and further on, he/she will become Piano I.

It`s liked wayang kulit, you can`t define or differentiate who is the main-role in the play, puppets? Shadow?

變形之一

為中提琴和豎琴而作

Metamorphosis I

for viola and harp

Video example

Audio example

Score example: Metamorphosis I_pg selection

Composed: 2000

Commissioned by:

Dedication:

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 17 Dec 2007

Venue: Advent Lutheran Church (New York, USA)

1^st Performed by: musicians of Argento ensemble (New York)

Stephanie Griffin (viola)

Jacqueline Kerrod (harp)

“Metamorphosis I” (2000)

This work is a metamorphosis of my work “The reflection of the dancing ghost” for bassoon and harp. The viola and bassoon both share the same musical emotion background presented by the harp.

The microtone scordatura of the harp and viola create a mixture of pure and non-pure fifth tuning, as often evident in Asian folklore music. I simulated the non-pure tempered tuning of the Chinese traditional instruments, and attempted to present the versatility of these 2 western instruments in presenting phrases, melodies and structure of Chinese folklore.

隱形之牢籠

為木笛，打擊樂器和磁帶而作

Invisible Cell

for recorder, percussion and tape

Score example: Invisible cell_pg selection

Composed: 2000

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Fumiharu YOSHIMINE

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 27/04/2000

Venue: The Auditorium of Royal Conservatory

1^st performed by: Fumiharu YOSHIMINE (recorder)

Jan CHERLET (percussion)

*1st prize in the “18th Concorso Internazionale di Composizione ICOMS, Torino, ITALY”

鬼舞的反思

為巴松和豎琴而作

The Reflection Of The Dancing Ghost

for bassoon and harp

Composed: 1997, rev. 2000

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st performed by: —

String Quartet

雲湧

第四號弦樂四重奏

Yun Yong (Clouds Surging)

String quartet No.4

Video example

Score example: Yun Yong_pages selection

Composed: March 2011

Commissioned by: Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation for Momenta Quartet

Dedication: ca 19’ 20”

This work is for the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, and dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky; and special written for Momenta Quartet

World Premiere: 13/05/2011

Venue: The Museum of Chinese in America (New York/USA)

1^st Performed by: Momenta Quartet

Emilie-Anne Gendron (violin I)

Asmira Woodward-Page (violin II)

Stephanie Griffin (viola)

Michael Haas (cello)

“Yun Yong” (Clouds surging) (2011)

This work reflects my thoughts and feelings on the natural landscape of surging clouds and were inspired by the ink paintings of my friend Helena Belzer.

In this work, the four instruments depict the different layers and reflections in the various angles of my artistic concept with the idea of surging clouds as the central theme.

I was moved by the poem “My Retreat at Mount Zhongnan” by Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei in composing this work.

“行到水窮處，坐看雲起時。 -王維《終南別業》。

MY RETREAT AT MOUNT ZHONGNAN by Wang Wei

I will walk till the water checks my path,

Then sit and watch the rising clouds.

In general, I appreciate the clarity and specificity of your notation in “Yun Yong”. Despite the precision of your instructions, your music is highly expressive, often with flexible and highly soloistic gestures. I think the way you have notated the piece made it easy for us to use our instincts to figure out where we needed to play precisely, or where espressivo playing and rubato was needed.

That said, the challenging places are also what I love most about this piece. It’s fascinating to see how those gestures imitate and reflect each other, and subtly evolve over the course of the piece. It’s a wonderful experience for both performers and audience!

Emilie-Anne Gendron (Violist of Momenta Quartet)

The Momenta Quartet is honored to have received a grant from the Koussevitzky Foundation to commission Kee Yong Chong’s “Yun Yong”. He has a unique and personal voice, which is deeply informed by his Chinese Malaysian roots, without being too obvious or making a stereotype out of his cultural identity. Rather, one feels that he is deeply in touch with his own culture and assimilates Chinese aesthetics with what he likes best in other music he has encountered.

In “Yun Yong”, Kee Yong makes very effective use of space—both in the physical dimension and in the way he molds the listeners’ perception of time. Physically, he puts the four players in four corners of the concert hall, creating a surrounding sound effect. Having always been one of the players, I have not experienced the full effect of this, but we received very positive feedback from the audience about how this felt for them.

Stephanie Griffin (Violinist of Momenta Quartet)

內心鏡

第三號弦樂四重奏

Inner mirror

String Quartet No.3

Video example

Score example: SQ n3-Inner mirror_pg selection

Composed: 2006

Commissioned by: Spiegel quartet

Dedication: Spiegel quartet

Duration: ca 21’

World premiere: 08 Feb 2007

Venue: deSingel, concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Spiegel quartet

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“Inner mirror” (2006)

This work reflects my deepest feeling of my own “inner mirror” which it depicts the different levels, layers and the reflections in different viewing angles of my artistic concept. This mirror is like a lake, all images are vividly reflects as a live form and not dead objects!

The work basically conceived from its quasi-palindrome structure. And like most of my recent music, I interpret the tranquillity and movement as an abstract space, every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action, through the process of transform and transfer each other, show an exoteric feeling of space and inspiring flashy of counter unification of inherence power of my music world.

寂靜之宇宙

弦樂四重奏

Silence cosmos

for string quartet

Video example

Score example: Silence cosmos_pg selection

Composed: 2005

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Kairos String Quartet

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 22/09/2005; Warsaw Autumn Festival 2005 (Poland)

Venue: “Fabryka Trzciny” Arts Centre

1^st performed by: Kairos String Quartet (Berlin, Germany)

“Silence cosmos” (2005)

For a long time, I’m interested in music, literature, poem, painting and calligraphy of the ancient Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) that has prompted me to experiment with the abstract form-Qi of the Chinese calligraphy and ink painting to present the “image” and “movement” of silenceness in most of recent composition.

In my compositions, I interpret the tranquility and movement as an abstract space, where every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action were influenced and transformed each other, it shows an esoteric feeling of space and the inherent power of the counters unification like the nature.

In this short string quartet, I was inspired by the profound hush and overwhelming emotion of these poetic lines by Chen Ziang (689-740 Tang Dynasty) who shrouded by the emptiness space in his own poetic silence cosmos.

“I see no one before me,

I see no one after me;

All alone, overwhelmed by the thought of

the eternity of heaven and earth,

My tears fall.”——Chen Ziang

傷痕

第二弦樂四重奏

SCAR

String Quartet No. 2

Score example: Scar_pg selection

Composed: 1999

Dedication: Prof. Yu-Yan RAO

Duration: ca 16’

World premiere:–

* “Prix Marcel Hastir 1999”

“SCAR” (1999)

About my second string quartet “SCAR”(1999), this work is dedicated to my Professor Yu-Yan RAO who was one of the victim during the Culture Revolution happened in China (1966-1976). But his forgiving nature led him to face this painful “scar” bravely. His life inspired me to write this work. The inner pain is like the scar, which caused trembling pain when it is touched.

黃土

第一弦樂四重奏

Huang tu [yellowish dust]

String Quartet No. 1

Video example

Score example: SQ1_Huang Tu_pg selection

Composed: 1994, rev.2002

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 11’30”

World premiere: 19/07/2003; Finland Kuhmo Festival

Venue: Finland Kuhmo Festival

1^st performed by: Danel Quartet (Brussels, Belgium)

* “Prix Marcel Hastir 2003”

“Huang tu” [yellowish dust] (1994, rev. 2002)

The impression of this piece was first came to me while once I saw the spectacular scene of the yellow dust flying in sky of Xian, China, it presents a typical nature of this north-west China region.

Years by years, it covered the land and preserved the ancient history, culture and treasure of different dynasties of China.

Solo

离骚

為中提琴獨奏和預置音頻而作

Lisao (Sorrow at Parting)

For viola and pre-recorded audio

Score example: Lisao_2022-pg1

Composed: March 2022

Commissioned by: Christoven Tan

Dedication: Christoven Tan

Duration: ca 7’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st performed by: Christoven Tan

花海之变奏

為傳統37簧高音笙而作

Ocean of flowers variation

for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng solo

Score example: Ocean of flowers variation_pg1

Composed: February 2022

Commissioned by: WU Wei

Dedication: WU Wei

Duration: ca 7’30”

World premiere: 11/03/2022

Venue: Cleveland Art Museum (USA)

1^st performed by: WU Wei (traditional 37-reed soprano sheng)

把自己鎖在 19 樓的某個地方

为单簧管獨奏而作

Lock yourself somewhere on the 19th floor

For clarinet in Bb solo

Video example

Score example: Lock yourself soemwhere on the 19th floors-pg1

Composed: August 2021

Commissioned by: Tsai Pei-Lun

Dedication: Tsai Pei-Lun

Duration: ca 6′

World premiere: 16/10/2021

Venue: ICA New Music Weekend virtual festival 2021

1^st performed by: Tsai Pei-Lun

幻想19次的破壞

为小提琴獨奏而作

Fantasy on 19 times of ravage

For violin solo

Score example: Solo Violin-Capri_Revage of time_

Composed: April 2021

Commissioned by: David Nunez

Dedication: David Nunez

Duration: ca 1’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st performed by: David Nunez

古代的呼喚-c

長號獨奏版本

Ancient Calling-c

Version for trombone solo

Video example

Score example: Ancient calling (solo version 2021)-pg1

Composed: March 2021

Commissioned by: Dirk Amrein

Dedication: Dirk Amrein

Duration: ca 7′

World premiere: 27/03/2021

Venue: Bestattungshaus frank in rheinfelden

1^st performed by: Dirk Amrein

浪。人間

为琵琶而作

Wave on Earth

for pipa solo

Score example: Wave on Earth_pg1

Composed: 2020-2021

Commissioned by: Qi Jie

Dedication: Qi Jie

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: —

Venue: —

1^st performed by: Qi Jie

淚聲聲慢

為古箏獨奏和預置音頻或由四台拉奏的古箏伴奏而作

Sound of slow tears

for double guzheng solo and pre-recorded audio samples or accompany by 4 bowed Guzheng

Video example 1

Video example 2

Score example: Sound of tears-2021 rev-pg1

Composed: 2018

Commissioned by: Kuo Min-Chin

Dedication: Kuo Min-Chin

Duration: ca. 11’30”

World premiere: 04/01/2019

Venue: National concert hall (Taiwan)

1^st performed by: Kuo Min-Chin

*C.S.S的快樂***10週年紀念

為鋼琴獨奏而作

Happy 10th anniversary for C.S.S

for piano solo

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Score example: Happy 10th Anniversary for CSS

Composed: August 2016

Commissioned by: Composers Society of Singapore

Dedication: Composer Society of Singapore

Duration: ca 1’

World premiere: 17/08/2017; CSS 10th Anniversary Concert

Venue: NAFA Concert hall

1^st performed by: Moritz Ernst (piano)

致傑米

為打擊樂手和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作之版本

Music for JIMI

Version for percussionist and pre-recorded sound samples

Score example: Music for Jimi-solo_pg selection

Composed: 2013, solo version May 2016

Commissioned by: Max Riefer

Dedication: HSU Bor Nien

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 01/08/2016

Venue: Goethe Institut Yagon (Vietnam)

1^st Performed by: Max Riefer (Germany)

“Music for JIMI” (Revision version 2015)

感谢十方樂集的藝術总監徐老师和十方樂集圑員多年的合作。也感谢我C工作室的楊朝勝為曲中預置音响的设计。此曲題献给徐伯年老师。

“Music for JIMI” for 3 percussionists and pre-recorded sound samples (2013, revised 2015) is homage to late guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who was one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

I’m graceful to artistic director of Music Forum Ensemble Mr. Hsu Bor Nien commissioned this work and thanks also go to my Studio C team member Mr. YEO Chow Shern who helped me to design the pre-recorded audio for this work!

This work is dedicated to Mr. Hsu Bor Nien.

影子吟誦

為中音薩克斯管和現場電子互動而作

Shadow Chanting

for alto saxophone and live electronics

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: Shadow Chanting_pg selection

Composed: June 2015

Commissioned by: Shyen Lee

Dedication: Shyen Lee

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 10/06/2015

Venue: Bangkok Art & Culture Center (Thailand)

1^st performed by: Shyen Lee (saxophone),

Pradit Saengkrai (live electronics)

“Shadow Chanting” (2015)

This composition is especially composed for Taiwanese saxophonist Mr. Shyen Lee. It is inspired by the shadow play flourishing in Malaysia and a folk song and a poem written by Dato Usman Awang, “Ballade of mourning the Murder of an Old Banyan Tree”.

The electronic provides the base or an environment for the performer, similar to the torch that provides the resource of the ghost-like dim light in shadow play. The drone humming and accompanied bell, related to the Gamelan music, give the chant a heaven-like sound. Supported by the electronic generated tone color, the saxophone blend in and create the imaginary world of after-life.

The work hopes to provoke the human being should aware to make peace and be part of, instead of taking advantage of the environment.

懸停在地平線上

為小提琴獨奏和現場電子互動的版本而作

Hover in the Horizon

version for violin solo and live electronics

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Video example

Score example: Hover in the horizon-Vln-live_pg selection

Composed: September 2014

Commissioned by: Wibert Aerts

Dedication: Wibert Aerts

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 08/11/2014, the Festival Images sonores #16 (Liege/Belgium)

Venue: Théâtre de Liège (Belgium)

1^st performed by: Wibert Aerts (Violin)

Center Henri Pousseur

Jean Marc Sullon (live electronics)

“Hover in the Horizon” (Version 2014)

“Hover in the horizon” for violin & tape was commissioned by DeSingel for Wibert Aerts’s solo concert on 13/3/2011 at the Ars Musica festival 2010, DeSingel concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium).

“Hover in the horizon” has the character of solitude in the multi-layers of sound world. In this work, I explore the articulatory and vibratory characteristics of violin and with the co-ordinate control of articulation and of inflections in pitch, timbre, and intensity of the music materials in violin & tape.

In this piece, I interpret ‘tranquility’ and ‘movement’ as an abstract space, which contains every point and line, bright and dark, strong and weak, silence and action. Through this space these elements transform and influence each other through the power those multi-layers of sound world.

I take advantage of both the inherent virtuosic nature of the western instruments and the unique Asian musical aesthetic to generate a new kind of integration at the highest level of artistic endeavour.

I dedicate this work to Mr. Wibert Aerts for our long time friendship in our music journey!

靜心。花海

為傳統37簧高音笙而作

Jing Xin.Hua Hai [Peaceful heart. Ocean of flowers]

for traditional 37-reed soprano sheng solo

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Video example

Score example: Jinxin-hua hai_pg selection

Composed: June 2014

Commissioned by: WU Wei

Dedication: WU Wei

Duration: ca. 13’

World premiere: 25 June 2014; Båstad Chamber music festival (Sweden)

Venue: Båstad Chamber music festival (Sweden)

1^st Performed by: WU Wei (traditional 37-reed soprano sheng)

“Jing Xin.Hua Hai” [Peaceful heart. Ocean of flowers] (2014)

After written many pieces for sheng and other instrumentation for maestro Wu Wei, “Jing Xin.Hua Hai” (靜心。花海) [Peaceful heart. Ocean of flowers] is my first solo piece for 37 reeds traditional soprano sheng and especially composed for my long time music partner Sheng maestro Mr. Wu Wei!

As the composition’s title refer to, I always believe that when your heart is calm and peaceful, you’ll see the ocean of flowers in your peaceful inner world no matter where you are! In this composition, I’d like to express the individual lines that are the central motif of this work, these lines flow across the sound canvas in rhythms and frequencies that create depths and swells on the sound world of this composition.

眼淚的海洋

為低音長笛獨奏而作

Ocean of tears

for bass flute solo

Video example

Score example: Ocean of tears_pg selection

Composed: February 2013

Commissioned by: Daisuke Kinoshita

Dedication: Jonas Baes

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 26/02/2013

Venue: Kanazawa (Japan)

1^st performed by: Daisuke Kinoshita (Bass flute)

“Ocean of tears” (2013)

After listening to PATANGIS-BUWAYA by Prof. Jonas Baes.

地球之母的悲歌

長笛獨奏版本

Threnody of the mother of earth

version for flute solo

Video example

Score example: Threnody solo version_pg selection

Composed: June 2012

Commissioned by: “mmm…’s Hibari” Charity Project

Dedication: In the memory of the victims of the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan 11th March 2011

Duration: ca 6’

World premiere: 26/04/2012

Venue: Studio recording version

1^st Performed by: Reiko Manabe (Flute)

懸停在地平線上

小提琴獨奏的版本

Hover in the Horizon

version for violin solo

Composed: June 2011

Commissioned by: Wibert Aerts

Dedication: Wibert Aerts

Duration: ca 12’

World premiere: 05/07/2011

Venue: KL Performing Arts Center (Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia)

1^st Performed by: FUNG Chern Hwei (Violin)

“Hover in the Horizon” (Solo version 2011)

“Hover in the horizon” for violin & tape was commissioned by DeSingel for Wibert Aerts’s solo concert on 13/3/2011 at the Ars Musica festival 2010, DeSingel concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium).

I dedicate this work to Mr. Wibert Aerts for our long time friendship in our music journey!

鐘石

打擊樂獨奏

Bell stone

for percussion solo

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Video example

Score example: Bell stone_pages selection

Composed: April 2011

Commissioned by: HUANG AiYun

Dedication: HUANG AiYun

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 8 May 2011, concert of “Malaysian Voices II”

Venue: The Music Gallery (Toronto/Canada)

1^st Performed by: HUANG AiYun (Percussion)

“Bell stone” (2011)

In 2004, I first visited to a small island called Lyø in Denmark; I was there for a week for composing my work. From time to time, I visited the “bell stone” on this island; it is a more than thousand year old dolmen which makes bright sounds when you hit it. It have amazing sounds when you hit on it and it give me so many inspirations like talk to the people from the past.

In this work, I integrate some melody fragments from the Nanyin music. Nanyin music is one of the oldest existing music genres of China. In the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, and the Jin, Tang and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, immigrants from the central plains brought their music culture with them to Quanzhou-oriented Minnan area. Nanyin music is a beautiful genre that is soft and smooth in both lyrics and melodies. It is perfect for expressing heartfelt feelings of homesickness and yearning sentiment of a person traveling far away from home.

In Nov. 2003, I met an excellent Canadian/Tawainese percussionist Huang AiYun at the 15th Boswil International Composition Seminar in Switzerland, after hearing her performance, I immediately want to write her piece! So in 2005, I start to conceive this work, but due to both of us having a very busy schedule, only until 2011 this year, I able to finish this work for AiYun! I need to say thousands thanks to Maestro Aitken who is offering me a chance to invite Aiyun to be part of the “Malaysian Voice” concert on 8th May 2011 and world premiere this work!

時間流逝之二

為鋼琴和現場電子而作

Time flow II

for piano and live electronics

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: Time flow II_pages selection

Composed: February 2011

Commissioned by: Jen Chen Hui and Jacob David Sudol

Dedication: Jen Chen Hui and Jacob David Sudol

Duration: ca 11’

World premiere: 08/03/2011; concert of “A Poetic Space filled with the Natural and the Imagined –Music for Piano and Electronic Sound”

Venue: National Chiao Tung University Arts Center (Taiwan)

1^st Performed by: Jen Chen Hui (Piano)

Jacob David Sudol (live electronics)

“Time flows II” (2011)

“Time flows III” is written after reading Zhuang Zi’s “Happy Excursion”.

“Living life, such as fleeting, all of a sudden it.”

人生在世，如白驹过隙，忽然而已。”——庄子《逍遥游》

古代的呼喚

長號獨奏和預先錄製的聲音樣本而作之版本

Ancient calling (b)

Version for Trombone solo and pre-recorded sound sample

Score example: Ancient calling_page selection

Composed: February 2011

Commissioned by: Dirk Amrein

Dedication: Dirk Amrein

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 17/02/2011

Venue: Dampfzentrale (Bern/Switzerland)

Performed by: Dirk Amrein (Trombone)

永恆的迴響

為大提琴獨奏，現場電子互動和現場繪畫投影視頻而作

Timeless echoes

for cello solo, live electronics and projection video of live painting

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Video example

Score example: Timeless echoes_pages selection

Composed: October 2010

Commissioned by: Centre Henri Pousseur (Liege/Belgium)

Dedication: Arne Deforce, Sirgid Tanghe and Centre Henri Pousseur (Liege/Belgium), and in memory of Mr. MO Wu Ping, a composer I have never met, but respect highly!

Duration: ca 18’20”

World premiere: 19/11/2011; “Images Sonores” Festival

Venue: Éenue: Saint-Andr11 Liain, Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Arne Deforce (cello)

Sirgid Tanghe (visual painting and video projection)

Center Henri Pousseur

Jean Marc Sullon and Patrick Delges (live electronic)

“Timeless echoes” (2011)

“Timeless echoes” is inspired by ancient guqin’s music (Guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese instrument of the zither family) and has traditionally been favored by “wen ren” (a person with scholarly knowledge and understanding of the arts).

In this composition, I aim to demonstrate coordinated control of articulation and inflections in pitch, timbre, and intensity. It is an exploration of the articulatory and vibratory characteristics of the cello and guqin.

I was very moved by painter Sigrid Tanghe’s work and her live performance on stage—her live painting in this work demonstrates my passion in the relationship between the guqin repertoire, Chinese calligraphy and ink painting.

My aim for this composition is to also encourage a kind of multicultural musical performing arts, at the same time enhancing the intrinsic understanding of what constitutes multicultural and multi-disciplinary exchange between musicians and audience.

Timeless Echoes is an interesting example of multicultural musical performing arts. It is quite a demanding piece on the domain of performance practice, inventive playing technique and creative musical imagination. Having premiered the piece with Kee Yong, it was clear from the very beginning the composer asked for a certain kind of freedom in regards to the notation and the sound of the actual music.

The piece is conceived as an inter-change between two traditions, East and West, improvised and notated music, instrumental and electronic music, music and visual performing arts (action painting). Inspired by the gu qin, “Timeless Echoes” “explores” more precisely the articulatory (diverse pizzicati) and the vibratory characteristics of the cello.

It is interesting to mention that reading and playing the score, the question on its “notations” here needs certain artistic and experiential considerations on “how to make them work,” rather than questioning if they work.

Arne Deforce, (cellist)_March 23th 2015

Kee Yong Chong starts from the individual qualities of his soloists. Their extreme virtuosity inspires him excessively.

His unlimited appreciation, almost adoration for excellent soloists as Wu Wei, Xu Feng Xia or Arne Deforce was the starting point for several compositions.

I feel a corresponding appreciation.

Kee Yong Chong was/is in search for an extension of the expressive possibilities of the orchestra, of the music incorporating instruments from Asian traditional music into the Western art music. It was an almost obvious option, considering Kee Yong’s background. Within his compositions is the integration of moving, life-generated images.

A concert is—de facto—a performance. The formation of the orchestra, the expressive gesticulations of the conductor, the perceptible extremely focused mimicry of soloists and instrumentalists add theatricality to the concert. Kee Yong strengthens this dimension of the music by making moving images an equivalent partner in the composition.

This is my first collaboration with composed music, quite different from my previous stage experiences. Because of the rigid nature of composition, the performance loses in terms of spontaneous interaction, but wins in structural strength at once.

The adventure of performing happens on another level.

Sigrid Tanghe, (Painter/Visual artist)

寺廟鐘聲猶在我的心中

為尺八獨奏的版本獨奏而作

Temple bell still ringing in my heart

version for Shakuhachi solo

Video example

Score example: Temple bell still ringing in my heart (Shakuhachi 2010)-pg selection

Composed: May 2010

Commissioned by: Andrew MacGregor

Dedication: Andrew MacGregor and in memory of Madame FUJII Kazuko

Duration: ca 4’

World premiere: 16/06/2010

Venue: SEGi College Subang (Malaysia)

1^st performed by: Andrew MacGregor

“Temple bell still ringing in my heart” (2010 Shakuhachi version)

I wrote this short piece in memory of my good friend violist Yoshiko’s grandmother, Madame Kazuko FUJI. Yoshiko told me the story of her grandmother who spent many hours in the temple helping other people. I was very moved by her kindness and I wrote this piece in remembrance of her.

懸停在地平線上

為小提琴獨奏預先錄製的聲音樣本而作

Hover in the horizon

for violin solo pre-recorded sound sample

Score example: Hover in the horizon (vln-tp_pg selection

Composed: March 2010

Commissioned by: deSingel (Antwerp/Belgium)

Dedication: Wibert Aerts

Duration: ca 8’

World premiere: 13 March 2010, Wibert Aertstc debut concert at Ars Musica Festival 2010 (Belgium)

Venue: deSingel concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Wibert Aerts (violin),

Centre Henri Pousseur

Jean-Marc Sullon (live electronics)

“Hover in the Horizon” (Solo and tape version)

“Hover in the horizon” for violin & tape was commissioned by DeSingel for Wibert Aerts’s solo concert on 13/3/2011 at the Ars Musica festival 2010, DeSingel concert hall (Antwerp, Belgium).

I dedicate this work to Mr. Wibert Aerts for our long time friendship in our music journey!

時間流逝

為鋼琴而作

Time flows

for piano solo

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: Time flows_page selection

Composed: October 2007

Commissioned by: Guy Livingston for One Minute More DVD project

Dedication: Guy Livingston

Duration: ca 1’

World premiere: 2007 One Minute More DVD project

Venue: Studio of One Minute More DVD project

1^st Performed by: Guy Livingston (piano)

“Time flows” (2007)

“Time flows” is written after reading Zhuang Zi’s “Happy Excursion”.

“Living life, such as fleeting, all of a sudden it.”

人生在世，如白驹过隙，忽然而已。”——庄子《逍遥游》

寺廟鐘聲猶在我的心中

大提琴獨奏版本

Temple bell still ringing in my heart

version for cello solo

Score example: Temple bell still ringing in my heart_Cello_pg selection

Composed: 2006

Commissioned by: Yoshiko SATO

Dedication: In memoriam Madame FUJII Kazuko

Duration: ca 3’30”

World premiere: 16/12/2006; portait concert of CHONG Kee Yong at Herrenhaus Edenkoben Foundation

Venue: Herrenhaus Edenkoben Foundation

1^st Performed by: Martijn Vink (cello)

“Temple bell still ringing in my heart” (2006 cello version)

飛濺的景觀

為鋼琴獨奏而作

Splattered landscape

for piano solo

Score example: Splattered landscape_pg selection

Composed: February 2005

Commissioned by: the Weidener Max-Reger-Tage Festival and specially composed as compulsory piece for the “Max Reger International piano competition, September, 2005” in the semi-final round.

Dedication: Prof. Kurt Seibert

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: —

Venue: Max Reger concert hall (Weiden, Germany)

1^st Performed by: Participants of “Max Reger International piano competition, September, 2005”

“Splattered landscape” (2005)

“Splattered landscape” was commisioned by the Weidener Max-Reger-Tage Festival. This piece was composed as compulsory piece in the semi-final round for the “Max Reger International piano competition 2005 ”. I dedicate this work to Prof. Kurt Seibert.

This piece is inspired by the ancient Chinese black and white landscape ink painting.

虛幻的天使

為鋼琴獨奏而作

Illusory angel

for piano solo

Video example

Score example: Illusory Angel_pg selection

Composed: 2003

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: —

Duration: ca 8’30”

World premiere: 25/04/2004; Chong Kee Yong portrait concert

Venue: Concert hall of The Carl Nielsen Academy of Music (Odense, Denmark)

1^st Performed by: Berit Juul Rasmussen (piano)

深淵的最後一首詩

為長笛獨奏而作

The last psalm of the abyss

for flute solo

Video example

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Score example: The lost psalm of the abyss_pg selection

Composed: 2003

Commissioned by: Mr. Toon FRET

Dedication: Mr. Toon FRET

Duration: c 8’

World premiere: 10/05/2003 and 16/05/2003

Venue: Palace of the Legion of Honor (The Florence Gould Theater) and Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium.

1^st performed by: Toon FRET (flute)

~ Financial assistance provided by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap (The Flemish Community)~

“The last psalm of the abyss” (2003)

After the heartbreaking shock by seeing the image of the 9.11 tragedy from the television broadcasting, it was so astonishing and hopeless. I ran out from my apartment and walk alone on the street with heavy sadness breathing. The 4th paragraph of Psalm 23 (A psalm of David) is stirring in my head:

…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

After that I wrote this piece to mourn the victims of the tragedy.

寺廟鐘聲猶在我的心中

為中提琴獨奏而作

Temple bell still ringing in my heart

for viola solo

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: Temple still ringing in my heart_pg selection

Composed: 2002

Commissioned by: Yoshiko HANNYA

Dedication: In memoriam Madame FUJII Kazuko

Duration: ca 3’20”

World premiere: 28 August 2002

Venue: Concert hall of KENMIN BUNKA centre, (Hiroshima, Japan)

1^st Performed by: Yoshiko HANNYA, viola

“Temple bell still ringing in my heart” (Original version 2003)

Kee Yong Chong recalls the hometown of the human heart. I played this work everywhere in the world. His work impressed people with nostalgia each time.

Yoshiko Hannya (Violist)

飛影

為吉他獨奏而作

Flying Shadow

for guitar solo

Score example: Flying shadow_pages selection

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: DEXIA bank for the compulsory work of “Belgium National Axion Classics Competition 2001”

Dedication:–

Duration: ca 6’

World premiere: —

Venue:–

1^st Performed by: The participants of the “Belgium National Axion Classics Competition 2001”

*Score is published by Lantro Edition.

變形之三

為鋼琴獨奏而作

Metamorphosis III

for piano solo

Audio example

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Score example: Metamorphosis III_pg selection

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Prof. Jan Michiels

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: —

Venue: Mozarteum Concert hall (Salzburg, Austria)

1^st performed by: The participants of the “8th International Mozart Competition 2002, Salzburg, AUSTRIA”

* 2nd prize in the “8th International Mozart Competition, Salzburg, AUSTRIA”

** Score is published by Universal Edition.

“Metamorphosis III” (2001)

This piece is a metamorphosis of my piano solo piece “ Battarie”. “Metamorphosis III’ conveys my derivation of idea on my own composition.

The main musical idea remains — which are to express the beauty of the acoustic sound space after each time hitting or striking something, the resonance was always prepared by each attack and without realizing we are surrounded by this silence “sound”.

It is more than just a variation; it is a sublimation or mutation from the same musical idea or emotional condition evident in the previous composition.

“Metamorphosis III” proceeds from the percussions to the piano playing not only percussively, but also expressing the metamorphosis of the subtle melody, dynamic, gesture and spacial acoustics of the percussions!

I am most grateful to Prof. Jan Michiels for his collaboration, and especially for his advise on pianistic writing.

另一個更美好的世界

為小提琴獨奏而作

For another Better World

for violin solo

Audio example

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Score example: For another better world_page selection

Composed: 2001

Commissioned by: —

Dedication: Prof Franklin GYSELYNCK

Duration: ca 13’

World premiere: —

Venue: Mozarteum Concert hall (Salzburg, Austria)

1^st Performed by: The participants of the “8th International Mozart Competition 2002, Salzburg, AUSTRIA”

* Special prize in the “8th International Mozart Competition, Salzburg, AUSTRIA”

** Score is published by Universal Edition.

“For another Better World” (2001)

This is the second piece from a series of my compositions for string instruments. The first piece is “THE THOUSAND RIPPLES OF A LONELY BELL” for viola solo.

In this piece I adopted the cell motif from “For a better world” for cello solo by my friend, Belgian composer Franklin GYSELYNCK and also the famous “BACH” theme as my basic musical element. It develops gradually from a single-line statement to a more complex interlocution between lines or motivic elements in portrayal of two different worlds that cannot be separated regardless.

I dedicated this work to the honorific composer Franklin GYSELYNCK, and I’m most grateful to violinist Mr. Wibert AERTS for his collaboration, and his advise on technical writing for the instrument.

孤鐘之千縷漣漪

為中提琴獨奏而作

The Thousand Ripples Of a Lonely Bell

for viola solo

Video example

Video example 2

Score example: The thousand ripples of a lonely bell pg1-2

Composed: 2000-2001

Commissioned by: Paul DE CLERCK

Dedication: Paul DE CLERCK

Duration: ca 9’

World premiere: 08/02/2001; “Concert of Vlaanderen Internationaal Franklin GYSELYNCK”

Venue: Auditorium of Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Flemish section, Belgium)

1^st Performed by: Paul DE CLERCK (viola)

“The Thousand Ripples Of a Lonely Bell” (2000-2001)

This short piece is an honor to J.S.Bach enthusiasm about music. Be a composer, music of Bach is a great influence to me, from the very beginning of my composing, Bach led me to the highest inspiration of the creation!

For this piece, I quoted the theme from “The Art Of Fugue” by Bach. The theme reverberated throughout the piece, like the ripples from a bell, although the sounds are fading out, but it is still remained in the depth of one heart.

This work was premiere by violist Mr. Paul DE CLERCK on the 8/2/2001Vlaanderen Internationaal Franklin GYSELYNCK concert at the Brussels Royal (FLEMISH) Conservatory of Music, to whom this work is dedicated.

絲

為長笛獨奏而作

Si

for flute solo

Audio example

Score example: Si_pg selection

Composed: 2000

Commissioned by: Rikke PETERSEN

Dedication: Rikke PETERSEN

Duration: ca 10’

World premiere: 23/11/2000

Venue: CULTUREEL CENTRUM ORATORIENHOF (Leuven, Belgium)

1^st performed by: Rikke PETERSEN (flute)

“Si” (2000)

I’d liked to express my deeply feeling about the fragmentary poem from “Wu Ti” (Tang dynasty) [Untitled] by Shang-Yin LI. Cherish is like the entangled threads, I treat the flute playing as the slender breath which simulate cherish, so remoteness like the threads that tangled people.

This piece has quite a number of theatrical playing. The flutist must imagine that him/herself as a poet more than a musician, which needs a lot of imagination!!

Poetry fragments:

無题 –李商隠（唐） Untitled by Shang-Yin LI (Tang dynasty)

春蠶到死絲方盡

And the silk-worms of spring will weave until they die

蠟炬成灰涙始乾

And every night the candles will weep their wicks away

Text from the elegiac address of my dear friend Miss Lee-Ting PHANG (1971~1989) who was killed in a car accident. The text can be spoken in any language, because it is the free choose by the performer. The premiere is in Danish. I dedicated this piece to my friend Miss Rikke PETERSEN.

Original text version is in Chinese:

你会不会相信

Do you believe

有很多爱你的还在想你

There are many that are still loving you, thinking of you

想你

Cherish you

会不会找不着我们而害怕

Will you be afraid because you didn’t find us

会不会因为距离而哭泣

Will you weep because of the distance

(永远抹不了那种喊着你的名字而没有回应的感觉…)

(I can not forget the feeling calling out your name over and over….)

於是

Thus

什么也不说了

we are wordless

只想让你知道

Just to let you know

有很多爱你的人

There are many who loves you

在

Still
想

Thinking of

你

You

Complete list of compositions (1994–2022)

Atmospheric Music Theatre

無名者。聖跡

意境音樂劇場

Being nameless. Holy steps

A collective creative atmospheric Music Theatre

瘋猴王之傳說

意境音樂劇場

Legend of the Crazy Monkey King

A collective creative atmospheric Music Theatre

Eastern and Western Orchestral

黎明之婆裟聖詠

為室內樂隊而作

Dawn whirling chants

for chamber orchestra

南風

為華樂隊而作

Southern Wind

for Chinese orchestra

祭祀節慶

為華樂隊，預先錄製的音頻和圖像投影而作

Celebration of faith

for Chinese orchestra with pre-recorded audio and images projection

無淚月亮的幻想曲

為交響樂團而作

Fantasy on tearless moon

for symphony orchestra

無淚的月亮

為交響樂團而作

Tearless moon

for symphony orchestra

永恆的變形

為交響樂團而作

Timeless metamorphosis

for symphony orchestra

星夜的漣漪（修改的版本）

為交響樂團 而作

The starry night’s ripples

for symphony orchestra (revised version)

星夜的漣漪

為交響樂團而作

The starry night’s ripples

for symphony orchestra

晨歌

為弦樂四重奏，弦樂三重奏和弦樂團而作

Aubade (Dawn serenade)

for string quartet, string trio and string orchestra (15 strings)

夢廻

爲十一件弦樂而作 (2000); 爲弦樂而作 (2017)

The Echoed Dream

for 11 strings (2000); for string orchestra (2017)

Concerto

伴著你的歌入睡

Sleep with your song

for soprano and Philippine rondalla orchestra

老渔港的回忆

Remembering of the old fishing village

Music for 37-reed traditional soprano Sheng, Strings, Percussion and Celesta

尋風

為四件中國樂器和國樂團之協奏曲而作（2013， 2015改編較短版本）

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (Pipa, Gu Zheng, Dizi and 37-reed soprano Sheng) and Chinese orchestra (2013, 2015 arrangement for shorter version)

鳳凰的呼喚

為37簧高音笙和室內樂團 （八位音樂家）而作之修訂版

Phoenix calling

revised version for 37-reed soprano Sheng solo and chamber ensemble

尋風

為四件中國樂器（琵琶，古箏，笛子/蕭和傳統37簧女高音笙）和西方交響樂團而作之協奏曲

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (Pipa, Gu Zheng, Dizi/Xiao and traditional 37-reed soprano Sheng) and Western symphony orchestra

客。情

為三弦/古箏/配音協奏曲和中國樂團錄音預錄音而作

Hak.Qing [Hakka. Love]

Concerto for sanxian/gu zheng/voice and Chinese orchestra with pre-recorded sound samples

尋風

為四件中國樂器和國樂團之協奏曲而作

Xun Feng (Seeking the wind)

Concerto for 4 Chinese instruments (pipa, gu zheng, dizi/xiao and tradional 37-reed soprano sheng) and Chinese orchestra

地球之母的悲歌

長笛獨奏和室內樂團（十一位音樂家）而作

為交響樂團而作

為37簧高音笙和室內樂團（八位音樂家）而作之修訂版

為37簧高音笙和室內樂團（十一位音樂家）而作