Ning-Chi Chen: Ancient Capital

Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra, Tien-Ku Percussion Group / Chih-Sheng Chen / National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan http://www.littlegiant.idv.tw/index.htm

This is a nostalgic and magical piece that brings a lone traveler back in time to savour the bygone days. He visits the deserts and the grasslands under the bright sun. He sees the ancient city of Xian and a temple in the wilderness bathed in the last rays of the setting sun in western China, where legends abound. He can almost see the footsteps of time fading away, and hear the bell on the city towers tolling day in, day out, linking the ancient past with the future. Upon waking, the memories are gone and all that is left is wistful yearning. With each beat of the drum marking the hour, the lights and noises of the city gradually dim, with the glories of China’s dynastic past settling into dust.

(Translation: Anthony Ko / Edit: Patty Chan)