The Call of a Calling
An adventurous song cycle for choir and chamber orchestra, featuring poetry from a Taiwanese-American poet.
20 min • Composed 2023 • Purchase: score & partsComposer’s notes
Tiffany Sun and I decided to collaborate on a three-song cycle that would set her original poetry, which depicts a journey of discovery, our calling in life, and the mystery of the One who calls us. The first poem evokes the feeling of waking up in the morning and realizing that there are no thoughts in your head yet—just a lulling sense of calm and unease. I wanted to capture the lingering vestiges of dreams in the harmonic language, taking inspiration from Daniel Rosenfeld (Minecraft soundtrack guy), due to his mastery at setting subtle yet complex emotions.
The final two movements of this piece are a work in progress.
Lyrics
Text from Tiffany Sun's poem, "The Call of a Calling."
5:00 in the morning
on the other side of this world
the seagulls have awakened
light light breeze
peaceful land
I can hear them all
as if they never went to sleep
the world right now
is quiet
as if all the noisy thoughts
are still asleep
凌晨五點
在世界的另一端
海鷗們早已甦醒
微微的風
平靜的地
都聽得到
好像始終都沒睡
這個時候的世界
好安靜
彷彿吵雜的心思
還沒醒
