Swing from Celestial River by Orchid Ensemble

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

“The knob on the gate, the iron cross-bar, the hollow of the cinder-block wall, the secluded alley beyond – all wear a thick glaze of darkness.
Night is always so dark and dense. Objects that were immersed in daylight quietly surface, their vague shapes hardening, each asserting its own colour and significance. My night vision is poor, and I keep stumbling, the pebbles in this narrow graveled alley could be boulders.
The iron-gate to the playground is locked shut, but climbing over presents no difficulty at all. I gather up my skirt and hop over the chain-link fence.
I climb up on to one of the swings. The sky is dark. The air is pregnant with rain and so oppressive that it’s all I can do to set myself in motion. I plant my feet on the plank and make myself swing.
Back and forth I go, my movement strong now. Soon I’m high enough to see the red light of your window and inside, perhaps part of your forehead. Your head is down.
When I’m almost upside down, my skirt flies up my legs, and the breeze plays soft and smooth between my thighs. The next time up, my skirt balloons. The skirt keeps puffing out; it’s like a parachute, covering your window and now draping the entire roof.
You just won’t life your head.
The croaking of frogs goes on unyieldingly. Insects flit through the lush thickets.
It becomes harder to swing. The stars look dimmer and the sky lower. I listen to the grating noise of the metal chains, while waiting for the swing to come to a stop. My skirt, now damp, sticks to my legs. I lean my head against one of the chains and gaze at your window. As my swing moves, so does your window.
Your window alone is bright as day, breaking the density of darkness. As I gaze at it, I forget the stubborn, dark space between your bright room and the swing that I am on. I’ll be able to fly to you like a bird. I have just leaned forward when a violent pain shoots through my belly.
In my flat belly, your son is beating a drum.”

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.

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