Morning Symphony from Celestial River by Orchid Ensemble

Lan Tung: erhu, Peggy Lee: cello
improvisation inspired by below text from “Weaver Woman” (1970) by O Chŏng-Hŭi:

“I wake up to a din. The dawn has broken. Mornings arrive noisily, uttering all the sighs that have been held back while passing through the dark secret cave of the night. The light in your room pales in the light of daybreak, and the shadow of your slouched back has also faded from the rice-paper panel of your door. Lying in bed, eyes closed, I strain to listen to your room.
I hear a rooster flap its wings. I stretch out and pull the quilt up to my chin. Again the flapping of the rooster, followed by a pitiable moan that escapes between clenched teeth. At dawn every day I hear this from the expanse of the bed in your room.”

Weaver Woman Suite was commissioned by Tomoe Arts Society for its dance theatre production Weaver Woman (2015), inspired by Korean writer O Chŏng-Hŭi’s 1970 short story, also named Weaver Woman. O’s writing tells the story of a woman struggling from lost love and traditional values and reaching self transformation. Although making references to the well known Asian legend of Weaver Woman, this contemporary short novel is completely different from the ancient love story. Weaver Woman Suite is a series of compositions and improvisation dedicated to Colleen Lanki, the producer and creator of dance theatre Weaver Woman and the late artistic director of the Tomoe Arts Society.

Established in 1997, the JUNO nominated Orchid Ensemble is acclaimed as “one of the most adventurous groups uniting Eastern and Western musical traditions” (Georgia Straight). The trio is made up of internationally renowned musicians Lan Tung (Taiwan/Canada) on the erhu/Chinese violin & vocals, Dailin Hsieh (Taiwan/Canada) on the zheng/Chinese zither, and Jonathan Bernard (Canada) on percussion.

orchidensemble.com