Drie vragen aan Yi-Luen Hung - Domestica Rotterdam

Yi-Luen Hung, student aan Codarts, componeerde voor ons verhalende concert ‘Maria’ een nieuwe werk: A Conversation within Herself.

1

Tell something about yourself: who are you and what kind of music do you compose?

I am Yi-Luen Hung, also known as Elaine, now studying classical composition at Codarts for master degree. I compose contemporary music for ensemble and orchestra, but I am also willing to compose music for films or stage dramas. I appreciate all kinds of music, but my ultimate goal is to compose music that really speaks for concepts not so easy to be told in words.

2

What inspired you to write A Conversation within Herself?

I was working on a project with friends to promote gender equality before I came to Netherlands, so when I got this chance to compose a piece for Domestica under the theme of women, my eagerness to speak for women and my own situation at the point of stepping into a more unfamiliar field in composition spurred me to compose a self-conversation of a women, which is also a conversation happening inside me.

3

What can the audience experience listening to the piece?

"A Conversation within Herself" derives from one of Palestrina's "Ave Maria", and the music is trying to escape from the modal song, going through a chromatic process, and finally reach a microtonal soundscape. Instead of just hearing music, you will find all instruments are like stage actors, each representing certain characters. For instance, the two violin solos are the woman and herself debating on her own life, and the organ represents her father. I hope the audience can try to discover: whether the woman finds her peace in life or surrenders to the society.