Solo and Duo
Lin Chong's Night Escape
for fixed media, video, and piano (2025)
This piece is inspired by the tragic character Lin Chong from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin. The piece is structured in four sections: Prologue, Wrath, Revenge, and Escape, each reflecting a distinct emotional phase of Lin Chong’s journey.
Rather than directly reproducing the despair and betrayal found in the original narrative, I chose to reinterpret the story through sound. By blending cyberpunk textures, 8-bit arcade aesthetics, traditional Chinese operatic percussion, techno, Chiptune, and Black Noise hip-hop, I sought to construct a rhythmically driven, sensory-charged sonic environment. On the surface, the music may feel playful and theatrical, but beneath lies a hidden tragic undercurrent. This duality echoes the old Chinese saying that extreme joy often leads to sorrow. The work is also deeply personal. As a child, I was fascinated by arcade games featuring legendary Chinese heroes like Zhao Yun, Cao Cao, and Guan Yu. The visceral experience of controlling a character in moments of action, escape, and combat left a strong impression on me. When I revisited Lin Chong’s story, that same emotional intensity resurfaced, shaping the sonic imagination of this piece.
2025 – Time of Music (Musiikin aika) Festival, Finland
Lin Chong’s Night Escape premiered at Parish Hall on July 6th (Viitasaari, Finland) by Lis Marti
Meeting the Master
for Chinese suona and piano (2024)
This piece is inspired by Mo Yan's short story Meeting the Masters. Using the suona and piano, I tell a story imbued with absurdity, centering on the phenomenon of so-called "masters" in society—those who claim to possess exceptional skills and wisdom but lack moral integrity, yet still manage to attract a large number of blindly devoted followers. The suona, as a traditional Chinese instrument, is renowned for its distinctive timbre and expressive richness, with many of its traditional techniques carrying a strong sense of drama. In this piece, I explore the potential of the suona in contemporary music, pushing the boundaries of its traditional expressive capabilities. For instance, I employ various traditional techniques and the“Ka Xi”technique to imitate human voices, capturing the tone and fervent shouting of fans in their frenzied admiration of the "masters." The sharp and flamboyant sounds of the suona vividly recreate the frenzy and absurdity of blind worship. Meanwhile, the piano engages in an ongoing dialogue with the suona. It not only collaborates with the suona to build the absurd musical atmosphere but also serves as a contrasting character—a calm, resisting voice that stands in opposition to the suona's narrative. I believe that even with just two instruments, it is possible to tell a compelling story.
2025 – Central Chapter Conference
Meeting the Masters premiered at University of Kansas on April 5th (Lawrence, KS) by Kwan Leung Ling and Nichole Ying