Danhong Wang: Dreaming by the Plum Blossoms Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra / Chih-Sheng Chen / National Recital Hall, Taipei, Taiwan 2011.9.18

‘There are some predestined connections in life,

With an unexpected encounter and a quiet smile,

We see the face in our fate.

In reversed time and space,

And probably in a different life,

We are silent and vivid, void but real.

“Why can’t the love we experience in dreams be real?

Since there are so many who are lost in their dreams.”’

In “Dreaming by the Plum Blossoms”, the composer uses traditional elements from Kunqu opera and combines them with a modern perspective to interpret the four fantasies described in “Peony Pavilion”, an opera from the Ming Dynasty. It is through these four dreams that the heroine experiences love, and the composer uses each movement to portray conflicts between romantic ideals and harsh reality.

This work has four movements:

The first movement: the beauty of dreams

The second movement: the beauty of humour

The third movement: the beauty of deep love

The fourth movement: the beauty of grace

“Dreaming by the Plum Blossoms” was commissioned by the Forbidden City New Music Orchestra in 2010.

(Translation: Calvin Chan / Edit: Patty Chan)