, Transfiguring Nightexcerpt of the real performance, Hackney Attic | Hackney Picturehouse, 2015
Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht was inspired by the poem written by Dehmel that has the same title.
Dehmel's poem describes a man and woman walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night. The woman shares a dark secret with her new lover: she bears the child of another man. The stages of Dehmel's poem are reflected throughout the composition, beginning with the sadness of the woman's confession, a neutral interlude wherein the man reflects upon the confession, and a finale reflecting the man's bright acceptance (and forgiveness) of the woman.
"Verklarte Nacht" (Transfiguring Night) Poem by Richard Dehmel
The story of lovers' betrayal, confession, and forgiveness contained in the poem gives richness to the each movement of the music. It poised on an emotional edge between despair and faith, between bittersweet and gorgeous. Even though it is a sextet piece, its dynamic composition makes a deep impression. The music is rich and complex, full of nuance and subtle articulation, a variety of sonic effects, frequent key and time signature changes, the score dense with intricate musical directions. I also attempt
The work comprises five sections which correspond to the structure of the poem on which it is based, with themes in each section being direct musical metaphors for the narrative and discourse found in the poem. As such, the video for projection mapping is also inspired by the emotional flows of the poem. tocreatevideo that can touch the audiences’ emotions with the flows of the score.
The work comprises five sections which correspond to the structure of the poem on which it is based, with themes in each section being direct musical metaphors for the narrative and discourse found in the poem. As such, the video for projection mapping is also inspired by the emotional flows of the poem.
The story of lovers' betrayal, confession, and forgiveness contained in the poem givesrichnesstothe each movement of the music. It poised on an emotional edge between despair and faith, between bittersweet and gorgeous. Even though it is a sextet piece, its dynamic composition makes a deep impression. The music is rich and complex, full of nuance and subtle articulation, a variety of sonic effects, frequent key and time signature changes, the score dense with intricate musical directions. I also attempt to create video that can touch the audiences’ emotions with the flows of the score.
Transfiguring Night, excerpt from the movement 3, 2015
video captured by Jade YAng
Music is a pure form of sound. In this piece, the sounds from three different instruments; violin, viola, and cello match and run into each other to complete the music. Not only the research of the music and its backgrounds, but also the process of observing musicians’ rehearsal made me decide not to use live-action footage but to use purely computer-generated images. Listening to live-time performing music in a real space gives totally different dimensions of feeling and emotion than listening it through records.
I also wish to create that intensity of feeling through the pure forms of digital imagery. I wanted to challenge the banal notion toward media art that it is a technology-oriented and not emotionally resonant. I wish to visualize music with my digital projection mapping. Therefore I did not use any live-action footage in every movement and use abstract elements such as dot, line, and shape that are the fundamental formative elements. It was very challenging process, but the outcome was impressive.
The poetic and dynamic digital imageries, mapped onto the real performing space, dramatically increased the emotional resonance to the audience with the music. The audiences’ feedback proved that it was a rich multisensory experience.
Movement 1
Movement 2
Movement 3
Movement 4
Movement 5
