Several months have gone by since my last post. Unlike the early months of 2022 when I went into hibernation mode, I stayed engaged this year. I reviewed a book series; recorded and performed with my singer friends; and, most importantly, reconnected with many friends. The activities that were held up by the pandemic and the visits that were cancelled all happened in a hurry.
Having friends around not only kept my spirit up but also inspired me to learn new music and to carry on with my old projects. For two years, I wrote about the nascency of Chinese art songs and traced the history and development of Chinese poems. In 2022, I began exploring the musical settings from the early twentieth century. One of my deepest wishes was to bring these musical works to live and to introduce them to new audiences.
Fascinated by the literary tradition and curious about the musical compositions, my bass friend Paul took upon himself to learn three songs: The Great River Flowering Eastwards and I Live by the Headwaters—both set by Qing Zhu, and Red Beans Verses by Liu Xuean. Despite the linguistic challenges, we were able present them to a live audience in Sarasota and recorded them afterwards. As things calm down gradually, I look forward to future performance opportunities and to being back at my desk for more discussions on song settings.