The Appearances of Snow (2015, 2023 revised)

Live Recording in the National University of Tainan Faculty Recital.

Piano / Shih-Wei Chen

Time: 2023/4/19, 7:30pm

Location: Ya-Yin Concert Hall, National University of Tainan

 

Program Note

Written in 2015, ”The Appearances of Snow” conveys various imaginations of the snow that could be either lonesome, pale, immense, gentle, flawless, or chilling. No matter what kind of picture it is, the snow always has some unique beauty. This composition explores the possibilities of new tonal music by emphasizing the lines of melody and focusing on the flow of harmony. Simultaneously, I would like to think out of the box and break the boundaries between classical and popular music by injecting elements that include contemporary classical music, new-age, and film scores into this piano work. I have tried to find my sounds through the diverse musical fusion and have attempted to build up the feel of vivid pictures via the liberal and intuitive musical structure.

In 2014, shortly after returning back my home country from studying abroad, I met my later wife. When we dated for more than four months, she was paralyzed due to cervical spinal ischemic stroke and was admitted to the intensive care unit for more than a month. Even though miraculously she was able to continue her life without leaving too many sequelae, in the two to three years after her illness, she faced a long and arduous rehabilitation process. In addition to the apparent disability, most of the challenges are actually psychological shocks and emotional adjustment barriers.

In 2015, the first year she was discharged from the hospital was especially the most bitter and unforgettable year. It is difficult to describe how we survived those days, facing her daily frustrations on the road to recovery. All kinds of unsatisfactory and tense relationships impacted her and all people around her. It was extreme havoc for her and for me. I would never be able to fully understand the ups and downs she needed to digest and dealt with, but it was indeed the first time in my life that I had to look directly at the fragility of life so intensely, and participated in the recovery life of a patient with major injuries. Personally, it was a shocking education. It was a long road that sometimes overturned, was sometimes so dark that you couldn’t see your fingers, and sometimes lost attachment and collided, fell, and sank. I was also puzzled as to why fate should manifest itself in such a way that one needs to experience the complex emotions of confusion, frustration, depression, and anger at the same time. I wrote this piece at that time, hoping that it would be a little relief for me and her, and let the notes bring some comfort and encouragement.

“The Appearance of Snow” was first heard in the piano recital of pianist Chu-Han Huang. And in early 2023, after seven years, the piece was slightly revised into the current version. So fortunately, during that snowy and bumpy journey, we saw softer light than pure, we felt warmer airflow than warmth, and even when looking back at the most devastating blizzard, the scene could now be tasted from a light closest to beauty so that those sufferings have transformed into frost and crystallized ice hail. In the exploration along the way, thanks to so many blessings and protections, we could find the direction to settle down and move forward steadily, and finally, transfigure in some form, bringing more richness and imagination to our lives.