Movt. I

Movt. II

Movt. III

While touring with the nanguan troupe Gang-a-tsui/Lâm-hun-kohm in the US in 2016, I become familiar with Withholding the Umbrella, an episode from the famous nanguan opera, The Lichee and the Mirror. This is a love story between a young scholar, Chen San, and an aristocratic lady, Wu-Niang. To approach Wu-Niang, Chen San disguised himself as a mirror polisher and broke a mirror on purpose, thereby enslaving himself as a servant in her family’s mansion. Three years have elapsed, yet Chen San has not received a single message from Wu-Niang. Out of frustration, he plans to return to his hometown and is discovered by the maid, Yi-Chun. This episode features Yi-Chun’s withholding of Chen San’s umbrella in an attempt to make him stay. 

The drama and the rich musical expression of the original material provided me with much inspiration as I composed Withholding the Umbrella for Chinese Orchestra. It is divided into three movements: A dramatic first movement setting the mood for the story, a lyrical second movement expressing the longing of homeland and melancholy longing for unattained love, and a scherzo last movement describing the chase and action of “ withholding the umbrella”. 

Withholding the Umbrella for Chinese Orchestra  is commissioned by the Taiwan Institute and premiered by the National Chinese Orchestra on January 17, 2020. 

2016 年10月很榮幸邀請台灣知名梨園戲劇團「南薰閣」(前江仔翠)到美國巡迴。除了南管古典的器樂曲和幾首以西洋音樂創作的南管新曲外，二首梨園戲的經典之作「留傘」、「賞花」，是這次巡迴最重要的曲目。隨著五個城市、十場音樂會和工作坊的演出，不但讓我沈浸其中，更熟悉了這兩首曲子的精髓，所以當我再次有以南管素材譜曲的機會，便立刻想到「留傘」。

「留傘」選自南管戲《荔鏡記》，官家子弟陳三為了靠近五娘，假扮磨鏡師傅，故意打破寶鏡，賣身入黃家為奴，三年未得到五娘表明心意，因而灰心氣憤，在收拾行囊意欲返鄉之際，為五娘貼身ㄚ環益春發現。此段即藉由益春與陳三之間的奪傘，表現益春對陳三的挽留。

「留傘」的原曲豐富且戲劇化，給我很多啟發、容易投入與伸展的構想。這首曲分為三段：  第一段一快一慢兩種截然不同的速度、情緒和風格，立即呈現故事的戲劇化，第二段為情韻深遠且悲傷的慢板，表現了陳三得不到五娘採昧、灰心回故里的心情，而第三段則描述益春與陳三打鬦、追趕的「留傘」動作。雖然三段曲子都有截然不同的題材、速度與意境，但最後一段仍試著連結前兩段音樂，以達到整曲的統一。

感謝台灣音樂館的委託，讓我再次運用在台灣學習南管的經驗，繼「推枕著衣— 南管新唱」之後， 再次創作「留傘」。