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A Poet and
His Muse——
Yu Kwang-chung’s Poetry in Music

Date

10/24(Fri) –25(Sat)

7:30pm

Location Eslite Performance Hall, B2, Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store
Ticketing NT$300, 500, 800
Duration Approx. 1 hour 40 mins,
with no interval
Lang Mandarin

‘A brand-new experience of poetry and music’

——Hong Kong Economic Journal

‘A unique artistic experience where poetry and music complement each other perfectly’

——Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kong

Shared Nostalgia for the Motherland:
The World of Chinese Poetry and Song

Yu Kwang-chung, one of the foremost literary figures in the contemporary Chinese-speaking world, has been writing for over half a century and his poems number over a thousand. His works are well-known for combining both Chinese and Western sensibilities, and for their rhythmic, melodious qualities. Indeed, many of Yu’s poems have been set to music, and have endured as part of our collective memory and popular culture. The lyricism and power of poems such as Nostalgia, Nostalgia in Four Rhymes and The Night Watchman lie in not only their wistfulness for the homeland and evocation of nature, but also their reflections on the many facets of life.

The concerts will showcase Yu’s works over the past 30 years which have been set to music by composers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland. Some of these are well-known classics, while others are newly composed. This meeting between music and verse will be held at the beautiful Eslite Performance Hall, in what promises to be an absolutely unforgettable musical experience.



Yu Kwang-chung

Professor Yu Kwang-chung, who famously proclaimed ‘Mainland China is my mother; Taiwan is my wife, and Hong Kong my mistress’, was born in Nanjing in 1928. He moved to Taiwan at the age of 20, and taught in Hong Kong for over ten years. The Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong therefore all feature prominently in his literary output. Yu was a man of many talents, and wrote poetry, prose and criticism in addition to his translation work. He published over 60 books. Many of his works, such as poems Nostalgia, Nostalgia in Four Rhymes and prose essays Listen to the Cold Rain and My Four Hypothetical Enemies, have been included in Chinese textbooks across Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. Yu is widely loved as one of the most well-known Chinese writers in the world.

Co-presenters

Forum on Words & Music

Musicality is key to Yu’s poetry. In the forum, Yu will be discussing the relationship between literature and music, and other guest speakers will be sharing their fascinating experiences of singing or performing music based on Yu’s poetry.

Speaker Yu Kwang-chung
Speakers Hui Cheung-wai (Hong Kong Composer), David Quah (Hong Kong Tenor),
Chao Ching-wen (Taiwanese Composer)
Host Hsing Tzn-Ching (Radio and Television Host)
Date 10/18 (Sat) 3:00pm
Location Screening Room, 6/F, Eslite Xinyi Store
Registration (886) 2 8773 5130

Documentary Screening: The Untrammeled Traveler

Directed by Chen Hwai-eng, Taiwanese documentary director famous for his observant, lyrical vision, The Untrammelled Traveller follows the footsteps of Mr. and Mrs. Yu on their travels. The documentary explores many aspects of the poet’s life, including his sense of nostalgia, his literary inspiration and writing style, as well his interaction with other writers and intellectuals. It also delves into Yu’s search for a poetic voice of his own in a time when traditional Chinese literature was quickly absorbing Western influences. Yet perhaps the most touching of all in the film is the depiction of the loving relationship between Yu and his wife.

Director Chen Hwai-eng
Summy 2011 / Color / 75 mins / Mandarin / Chinese sub-titles
Date 10/18 (Sat) 7:30pm, 10/19 (Sun) 3:00pm
Location Screening Room, 6/F, Eslite Xinyi Store
Registration (886) 2 8773 5130

Forum on “Setting Chinese Text to Music”

Professor Victor Chan, Professor of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and renowned composer, will be sharing his ideas and experiences with the faculty staff and students of the Music School of the National Taipei University of Arts. The topic of the discussion will be ‘Setting Chinese Text to Music’.

Speakers Chan Wai-kwong Victor
Date 10/24 (Fri) 3:10pm
Location School of Music, National Taipei University of Arts
Notice By Invitation only

Cast

Tenor David Quah
Soprano Margaret Yim
Mezzo-soprano Emily Liu
Bass Edmund Kwan
Piano Julie Kuok
Reader Hsing Tzn-Ching

Songs

Titita Chen Maoshuen
Nostalgia in Four Rhymes -Quotation of Lo Da-yu’s Melody Lo Da-yu (Arr. Phoebus Lee)
The Sunflowers Tang Lok-yin
What is the Rain Saying through the Night Julie Kuok
Nostalgia in Four Rhymes Yang Hsien (Arr. Leung Chi-hin)
The Night Watchman Hui Cheung-wai
Nostalgia Chao Daijian (Arr. Lesley Chan)
Do You Want to be a Mermaid? (World Premiere) Chao Chingwen
Titita Ma Shui-lung
The Answer Jenny Chou (Arr. David Quah)
The Blind Fortune-teller David Quah
Nostalgia in Four Rhymes Chin Shi-wen (Arr. Dennis Wu)
Your Smile Last Night Jenny Chou (Arr. Dennis Wu)
Firefly Tai Ching-chuan (Arr. David Quah)
And When I Die Richard Tsang
Strange was the World (World Premiere) Victor Chan

Yu Kwang-chung’s Poetry in Music

Access

Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store
No.88, Yanchang Road, Xinyi District, Taipei

artevent.eslite.com

Ticketing

Tickets now on sale


Booking Hotline

(886) 2 3393 9888

Discount Details and Online Booking

ArtsTicket www.artsticket.com.tw

Programme Enquiries

Phone

(886) 2 8773 5130 / (852) 2722 1650

Discount

  • 10% off for Dear Friends of National Theatre Concert Hall and Eslite Bookstore Members
  • 20% off for students, military, police veterans
  • 50% off for disabled and a minder
  • 20% off for group purchase of 20 tickets or above