Angel Lam, Her Thousand Years Dance (World premiere)
Soloist Eric Jacobsen, cello and Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi
Members of the Silk Road Ensemble and the Silk Road Project
Rimsky Korsakov, Russian Easter Overture
Bruch, Kol Nidrei,
Eric Jacobsen, soloist
Strauss, Death and Transfiguration
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Greenvich Village Orchestra
In a concert titled "Spiritual", Sunday, November 18, 2007, 3:00 p.m.
Washington Irving Auditorium, 40 Irving Place, New York
see gvo poster
tickets sold at the door or online
for shakuhachi, cello, percussion and string orchestra, commissioned by the Greenwich Village Orchestra
As a composer, my life is a beautiful, chaotic mess. Everything is always under a deadline--meeting these deadlines, traveling here and there, crossing oceans for a single performance, meeting new people, meeting old acquaintances... My mind is full of musical notes and ideas, but it spares no space for a normal life. Every time I fly, I always forget something, something important, like a passport, an air ticket, an identity card, money...
Once in a while, I go back to my birthplace, Hong Kong. My mother will take me on a journey to visit the Guan-Yin Buddha, the Goddess of Compassion. This visit is when I feel truly released, caressed by Guan-YinŐs gentle smile. When I was small, I used to call her the Green Buddha because my grandparents owned a Guan-Yin figurine made out of precious green jade.
For thousands of years, Guan-Yin is the most worshiped figure among women in China. She has the most elegant and graceful facial features of all female faces. No matter which angle you view her from, she is always wearing a welcoming smile that intently listens to all that speak to her. Women pray to her for help and guidance to their grievances. They ask for a good husband and blessings for their family.
Is it too simple to rely on a jade green figure for our fortune?
As the well-known Chinese author Eileen Chang once said, "Life is a luxurious and majestic overcoat, but when we examine it closely, it is full of worms and maggots."
From time to time, I want to pray in front of her, to massage the soul and keep hopes for the future.
This is my song; in dreams the Green Buddha invites me to join her in her dance, beyond the boundaries of time and space, the thousand years dance.
Angel Lam, October 13, 2007
GVO eNewsletter:From the Podium
Our world premier of Angel Lam's "Her thousand years dance…" is a special occasion. Angel has scored her piece for solo cello, shakuhachi, strings and percussion and creates an extraordinary atmosphere to express her special relationship to the Green Buddha. We are very fortunate to have cello soloist Eric Jacobsen return to play with us together with his colleague from the Silk Road Ensemble, shakuhachi soloist, Kojiro Umezaki.
Maestro Barbara Yahr
For more information:
Greenwich Village Orchestra P.O. Box 910 New York, NY 10113