Fantasy on Wang Baoe Chuan

“Fantasy on Wang Bao Chuang is inspired by the Taiwanese opera Wang Bao Chuang. Growing up in an environment where Taiwanese opera was very popular and featured on prime time television almost every night, I was naturally attracted by the unique way of singing featured in these presentations – different from the normal way of singing in Chinese folksongs and different from western opera singing, especially in slow tempo songs. The bending of melodic notes and the heterophonic accompaniments without harmony are very different from vocal music in the western classical tradition. In order to try to catch some essence of the musical flavor of the original opera and its story, I have incorporate melodic material from Wang Bao Chuan in my new orchestral score. These elements are developed with western musical techniques to lend a personal reflection on this important component of my early musical environment.”