Chen has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Academy of
Arts and Letters, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A setting of a poem by Meng Hao-ran (689-740, Tang Dynasty), Spring Dreams
was commissioned by the Ithaca College School of Music, where it was premiered
in 1997. In the beginning of the piece, several groups of ostinati are brought in
gradually in various tempos, imitating the vivid pulse of birds singing. There is a
turning point in the middle of the poem, where the poet clearly wakes up from his
been ruined by a night of wind and showers. He sympathizes with the fallen petals
as he treasures the beautiful springtime.
Spring dreams not conscious of dawning,
Not awoken till I hear birds singing;
O night long, wind and showers –
Know you how many petals falling?
Sung in Chinese
– Trad. Chinese, arr. Chen Yi
Relatively speaking, Mo Li Hua is a rather young folk song, dating back just to the
18th century. Regardless of its “youth,” the folk song has seen widespread popularity
both in China and abroad: versions of the tune have been used during several
international events hosted by China, including the 2008 Summer Olympics. Puccini
also used a version of the melody in his opera Turandot. During the 2011 Chinese
pro-democracy protests the song became associated with the Jasmine Revolution,
as protesters were instructed to play “Mo Li Hua” on their cell phones as a form of
anti-government protest. For a time, the song was placed on authorities' list of online
censored materials, but due to its ubiquitousness, it was impossible to regulate.
Most versions of the folk song depict the purity of love between young people by
Her sweet scent covers all others in the garden.
I want to pluck her for myself,
But I’m afraid of the garden’s keeper.
|