Inspired by the movie “UP” , the piece describes a person striving to step out of the comfort zone. The first section begins with a violin motif, followed by another 3-note motif with an octave leap on the flute. The major tonality signifies the routine daily life. The tutti diminuendo marks the person moving away from the comfort zone. The modulation from major key to Phrygian mode represents the person facing new challenges. The motifs are developed in the second section, and the music modulates again, representing the hardship ahead. A sustained minor 7th chord at the third section symbolises the start of a new chapter in life. Finally, the beginning motif recaps and modulates back to major key, imitating the nostalgia of the past. The ending passage is a metaphor for the endless life cycle.
[This composition was completed under the guidance of experienced composer Ms NG Hau-yee Poly.]

This piece captures the mood of the poem taken from the Book of Songs (詩經) and it is written in Impressionistic style to depict the romance and loneliness of the dawn. The duet by piano and vibraphone represents the appearance of the protagonist in the poem, with frequent uses of pedals that creates a dewy feeling. The double bass imitates several calls of a wild goose, creating a sense of desolation in autumn. The fast passages feature the poet’s excitement of meeting the protagonist. “Her” vivid image is also represented by a short tonal passage in minor key. The weakening tonal sense symbolises the poet losing sight of “her”, and a sudden pause expresses the disappointment of losing “her” forever.
[This composition was completed under the guidance of experienced composer Ms LI Kar-yee.]

The piece portrays the present world situation, like a dystopian society which is full of wars and chaos. The reminiscence of peace and calmness in memories sparks joy, creating a sharp contrast between now and then. Utopia and the dream of peace only exist in one’s imagination. The musical elements of the piece are organised for conveying the mood and atmosphere, and three distinct motifs are played with imitations throughout the piece.

The piece is written in the structure of “verse 1 > pre-chorus 1 > chorus > verse 2 > pre-chorus 2 > chorus > coda”. It depicts the glamour of sunrise with dreamy colourful clouds in the sky and shiny beams of radiant light reflected by the peaceful wave of the lake. In the chorus, the low register of the piano accompanies the stunning view.

“Contagious” is written during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affects almost everyone on the planet earth. The opening glockenspiel solo symbolises the loneliness during the quarantine. The theme is played in canon by different instruments, mimicking the virus being widely spread in the community. The quieter middle section signifies the disappointment caused by the cancellation of many planned events. The piece ends in major key, wishing people still be able to enjoy music during the hard time and hoping everything return to normal soon.

This piece is written in minor key to portray the emotion of fear. The theme appears twice at the beginning and recaps at the end. It signifies that we may encounter fear anytime in our life and it is often unpredictable. The piano plays the harmony of intense feeling with thick texture, serving as the backbone of the piece. The call and response between erhu and viola brings frequent changes in dynamics. Everyone has fear. Escape is just the way to a dead end. To overcome it, one is to confront it, and trust in faith.

The increasing tension among countries hints us that war may break out sooner or later. The piece is a call for peace, unity, respect and harmony, to appeal for the prevention of bloodshed. Written in A-B-A form, the piece begins with a young child having fun with friends, illustrated by the erhu imitating the pentatonic melody of the dizi. Introduced by the bass drum, war is approaching. The war then breaks out with the motif on erhu. With the bursting of cannons imitated by the bass drum, three different motifs played by bass clarinet, viola and piano signify the chaos and mayhem in the battlefield. Represented by the whole tone scale, the child faints in the grave miserably. The original pentatonic melody returns in minor key and ends with Picardy 3rd symbolising the hope for peace.

This piece depicts a pastoral scene in autumn, where peasants enjoy the harvest season and peaceful aura in the far Oriental region, a place where no one has ever visited, nor anyone has left there. The opening piano arpeggios represent the autumn zephyr blowing lightly in the yellow-leaved forest. Fishermen paddle the rafts gently on the placid streams when returning from fishing in the lagoon. The dizi represents the birds chirping on the branches, and leads to modulation on the piano, symbolising the ode to nature. The piano cadenza portrays the breeze nourishing the land, leading to the jubilant middle section. The violin imitates a chant sung by the farmers celebrating their harvest. In the end, dizi and bass clarinet lead the music back to the pastoral scene, then the region fades into oblivion.

“Afterglow”, the sunset, is inspired by two pictures seen on the Internet. It shows the emotional transition from the darker “murmuring” to the brighter “happiness” of oneself. The composition starts in minor key portraying the sadness and loneliness in response to the first picture. The clarinet solo plays the introduction as a soliloquy leading to the peaceful first theme. Gaohu and violin then play interlocking quavers and triplets in the melody and the accompaniment to create an intense mood. The first theme reappears with the clarinet and the gaohu, together with the countermelody played by the violin, illustrating the emergence of thoughts by the upward and downward motions of the melody. The clarinet solo interacts with the piano gracefully, and pizzicatos are used to create a contented mood that lead the piece to an end.

This piece is written in verse-chorus form, portraying a gentle stream lit created by the mellow moonlight. Dizi and violin play the themes in turn, and juxtapose with fill-ins to thicken the texture for intense feeling. Similar rhythmic patterns being gradually played by the two instruments which means different streams joining together. In the second verse, dizi and violin play the previous fill-ins with similar melodic contour. The piano plays steady quavers that symbolises the gentle flow of water. The changes in dynamics portray the vigor and calmness of the stream. The piece is a fusion of western and Chinese music styles, in which the violin and the piano employ the diatonic scale with borrowed chords, while the dizi employs pentatonic scale with modulation.