To the Forgotten : for orchestra

Abstract

To the forgotten is inspired by the process of observing nature and realizing the interrelationship between humanity and nature by the method of self-preservation. I discovered a similar approach toward nature in three main references for this piece, including a Chinese poem “Moon Over Frontier Mountains” by Li Bai, the philosophy of Zhuangzi (369 BC-286 BC), and my journey in Northeast Taiwan. In the poem, the poetic process of picturing the remote landscape first, reminiscing about the grievous battle in the middle, and humanizing the scene with personal emotions in the end demonstrates the transformation between visual sensation, social consciousness, and self-reflection. This poetic approach reminds me of my Taiwan journey in which the magnificent scenery, a carnival, the sharing of human emotions, inheritance of tradition, and spiritual inspiration not only symbolize the process of self-preservation, but also resonate with Zhuangzi’s statement of achieving the unification of humanity and nature by avoiding the self-centered thinking. This piece is divided into three main contrasting sections that portray nature, people, and self to represent the programmatic approach of forgetting self in which the focus of perception transfers from visualization to participation and ends in self-preservation. The ideas of uncertainty, fragmentation, and interruption characterize every musical element in the first section. The opening gesture, constructed by a three-note motive G-Bb-F# going downward with an extreme registral expansion, symbolizes the visual transformation. The intervallic relationship and harmonic structure of the first section are based on the opening gesture and the following motive E-C-B-C#. The rhythmic complexity, motivic layering, and harmonic variety are particularly emphasized in the energetic second section. The enhanced harmonic energy and rhythmic pulse of alternating duple and triple in this carnival-like section contrast with the diatonically grounded last section in which the diatonic persistency on E flat, articulated by a transparent texture, resolves the preceding harmonic dissonance. In the coda, the return of the opening gesture, accompanied by the sustained diatonic sonority, resonates with the mysterious first section and invokes harmonic dissonance, dynamic change, and textural opposition to metaphorically reflect the process of the unification of humanity and nature