"Earthing” Introduction
In the summer of 2012, lyricist Yung-Feng Chung visited Dun Ren Hospital in Yuanlin. The contrast between the live scene and his stereotyped impressions left him perplexed. There were no iron bars, strange smells, or nerve-wracking noises; the patients seemed at ease. Was this a psychiatric hospital? Chung recalled the vivid personalities and free-spirited activities of schizophrenia patients from his rural experiences. They were known as “immortals,” perhaps due to villagers being bound by layers of farming and household tasks, which led to admiration and self-mockery. They freely participated in various village rituals, while villagers showed respect through unspoken understanding. Reflecting on memories and the live scene, Yung-Feng realized the preciousness of both. Patients’ lives are like those of ordinary people, requiring profound understanding, meticulous care, and the persistence of human nature! With immense admiration, Yung-Feng decided to dedicate his newly completed song “Immortals Wander the Village” to the hospital’s founder, Dr. Hu.
Amidst the pandemic peak on June 21, 2020, during a solar eclipse, Yung-Feng and composer Shiuan Chang visited Dr. Hu to learn how Dun Ren Hospital centers around patients, refining an internal support system through daily morning reflections and reviews. This assists patients in restoring self-care abilities and adapting to symptoms’ impact. Dr. Hu has further extended this system into design and artistic creation, enriching patients’ life experiences. For composing music for patients, Dr. Hu suggested evoking childhood memories and reminiscing about the past. Shiuan envisioned creating new music to replace radios and alarms, accompanying patients from waking to sleeping. Under Dr. Hu’s generous commission, Shiuan initially composed 20 to 30 nostalgic folk songs, nursery rhymes, and melodic tunes, which he then refined according to each music’s characteristics, resulting in a distinct blend of classical and contemporary styles. Shiuan aimed to establish a memory link with patients, building a bridge to the past.
At the outset of his commission, Shiuan experienced panic attacks, resulting in severe autonomic nervous system disorders. The creative process became a journey of introspection, healing, and self-awareness. Songs like “Andante Cantabile,” “Farewell,”
“Farewell; Adieu,” “One More Good Day,” and “Theater on The BEDs” not only served as compositions for Dun Ren patients but also documented his ongoing internal dialogue and physical and mental reconstruction. Understanding why Dun Ren Hospital adheres to the principle of “settling the earth and being humane,” the album received its title.
Artistic Collaboration with Chi-Tsung Wu
At the invitation of Shiuan Chang, Chi-Tsung Wu experienced the full presentation of "Earthing" for the first time in the recording studio. He was captivated by the myriad perspectives unfolding at every turn and the depiction of contemporary ethos and the psychological landscape of modern life woven into the music. This left Chi-Tsung eagerly anticipating delving deeper into his emotional and experiential connection with the music through the visual artistry of the album.
Chi-Tsung expressed his surprise, "I never imagined the final presentation would unfold as it does now." Through the familiar acts of "tearing" and "kneading" in his artistic process, Chi-Tsung embodies the narrative perspective of "Earthing." He metaphorically navigates life's twists and turns and confronts its myriad challenges within the folded pages, utilizing a "visualized" textual arrangement to delve into life's mysteries.
In the role of the album's "facade," Chi-Tsung's design encapsulates the dynamic journey of listeners' interpretation and comprehension, serving as an "immersive" prelude to listening. It infuses traditional packaging functionality with artistic depth, fundamentally reshaping it from a mere shield into a conduit for understanding the creative process. In harmony with the essence of "Earthing," Chi-Tsung dismantles this process to rekindle the original intent of creation and pays homage to the album's essence.
Program Notes
One More Good Day (violin piano duo)
On many nights, I am plagued by autonomic nervous system disorders and
sluggish movements, with roaring tinnitus, a sensation of foreign objects in the neck, frequent belching and bloating, palpitations, compulsive breathing, irritable bowel, prostatitis, and various other symptoms, whether individually or in tandem, they come one after another. Sitting at my desk composing, I always tell myself: “‘One More Good Day.’ It is another beautiful day. I wonder how the friends at Dun Ren Hospital view each of their tomorrows?”
The entire piece is crafted in a style reminiscent of impressionist music, revolving around and developing the piano melody that emerges around 1 minute and 50 seconds into the composition. Each preceding phrase before the main melody ambiguously questions it: “Were you like this before?” Each subsequent phrase after it hazily self-inquires: “Could this be my future appearance?” The octave main melody on the piano reappears until the ending, accompanied by a simple violin pizzicato, declaring: “So, this was how I looked as a child; it is all from my childhood.”
Cantabile Andante (violin piano duo)
The structure is a simple A-B-C-A format, styled in the romantic tradition. The melody is akin to a velvety, fluctuating warmth throughout. The B and C sections in the middle are like a little waltz, with musical materials derived and transformed from the main theme and motifs of the A section.
To The Joyful Solitary Wanderer (violin piano duo)
“The essence of this composition perfectly embodies Dr. Hu’s elegance!” YungFeng remarked, thus naming it "To The Joyful Solitary Wanderer." While halfway through composing this piece, I discovered that the melodic motif of another nursery rhyme, "Daydreaming I," is actually an inversion of the musical gesture in "To The Joyful Solitary Wanderer," and the musical materials complement each other perfectly. Therefore, I decided to merge the two pieces. The melody of the music draws inspiration from old Taiwanese songs and nursery rhymes. I imagine a solitary entertainer dancing in the alleyways of Paris, gracefully stepping on raindrops.
Farewell (violin-piano duo)
One evening, after a long period of meditation, I finally found peace with dysautonomia and various complications. I gently said to them, “Dear ones, you may depart now.”
This piece is extremely slow, with a quarter note = 24, likening the experience to a slow heartbeat with 24 beats per minute. The music begins with the marking of “Dense Fog,” prompting musicians to imagine slowly progressing through the mist. The following piano solo section is marked with “Crystal of Fog,” hoping pianists to depict the crystalline state of fog purely through tone and color. Before the ending, I marked “Fog Burning,” representing the climax of the violin and piano duet, paying homage to Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time,” a work that profoundly influenced me. Throughout the piece, the piano’s progression is primarily in groups of sixteenth notes, as though treading with resolute steps, forging ahead into the boundless mist where the hand’s reach fades into obscurity.
Farewell; Adieu (violin-piano duo)
The opening melody of this piece, like a revolving cycle, emerges from the introductory notes of "Farewell." However, the perspective of this composition intends to elevate listeners above the dense fog, where they catch a sudden glimpse of a radiant sun, subtly implying a farewell to the disturbing symptoms and a return to the essence of the heart.
Daydreaming By The Country Road (violin solo)
Dun Ren Hospital and Dongning Village both nestle in the rural expanse of Changhua Township. Patients perch by windowsills or amid the fields in the sweltering summer heat, their gaze fixed upon the heavens. Stepping into the hospital, I envision them in a liminal state, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, lost in reverie. The composition unfolds across seven movements, its inception and conclusion mirroring each other. The process of crafting the six musical segments was profoundly distinctive: they evolved and concluded concurrently, mutually influencing one another yet maintaining a remarkable
cohesion of theme and expression. When discussing the boundaries of several sections during recording, I explained to violinist William Wei, "It's like imagining you're reciting Buddhist scriptures in Scotland!"
Theater on the BEDs (violin-piano duo)
Before drifting to sleep without meditation, my mind often wanders aimlessly upon the bed. I ponder, what dreams do my fellow patients entertain before slumber? Do they, like me, stage a nightly theater with changing scenes? This composition is my first approach to minimalism, woven delicately around three notes: B (si), E (mi), and D (re). Though I have no formal study of minimalist music, its essence lies in the subtle shifts of sound weight between each repeated interval, giving rise to a sense of weightless beauty.
專輯名稱: 安土（Earthing）
人: violin | William Wei
Piano | Evan Wong
母版刻字: Earthing
唱片規格: 12 inch
Vinyl_1 SIDE A:
1 One more good day 07:22
2 Andante Cantabile 07:01
3 To the joyful solitary wanderer 06:30 總分鐘數: 20:53b
Vinyl_1 SIDE B:
1 Farewell 12:57
2 Farewell；Adieu 05:18
總分鐘數: 18:15 產品名稱
: 安土（Earthing）
Vinyl_2 SIDE A:
1 Theater on the BEDs 6:57
2 Daydreaming by the country 1 0:44 2 0:58 3 1:05
3:15
2:24
母版刻字: Earthing
: 12 inch
主創人員 Creative Team
作曲
Composition
張玹 Shiuan Chang
魏靖儀 William Wei
小提琴
Violin
汪奕聞 Evan Wong
鋼琴
Piano
吳季璁 Chi-Tsung Wu
藝術設計 Visual Design
Composition
張玹
Shiuan Chang
張玹，1989 年次，全職豆芽菜農夫，惟所種之物不可食，亦未必可充當精神糧食。出生後 的第一個記憶是推著學步車，一步一聲音；第二次出生時正在抄寫心經。想透過運動中的聲 音，放下對未來與過去的分別。
法國著名音樂評論雜誌 Classic Agenda 寫道「充滿靈性」的旅美作曲家張玹，為美國作曲 家論壇（ACF），亞洲文化協會（ACC），Djerassi Foundation，Helene Wurlitzer Foundation 受獎人。1989 年生於臺北，其作品曾受邀於紐約卡內基音樂廳，芝加哥交響 中心，東京三多利音樂廳,，莫斯科愛樂廳，法國 Royuamont，柏林愛樂室內樂廳，日內瓦 Archipel Festival，國家音樂廳等演出。合作過的樂團與指揮家包括維也納音樂家樂團 （Tonkunstler Orchestra），臺灣國家交響樂團，臺北市立交響樂團，芝加哥市民管弦樂 團，奧爾巴尼管弦樂團，普林斯頓室內合唱團，斯圖加特人聲獨唱團，TANA 弦樂四重奏， 莫斯科現代室內樂團，Ensemble Multilaterale，指揮大師 Péter Eötvös，Gilbert Varga。2020 年雲門舞集《定光》擔任聲音暨人聲創作，帶領表演者用身體尋找聲音的共鳴； 2021 TIFA 《千年舞臺，我卻沒怎麼活過》以及 2021 TIFA《我庒三部曲》擔任作曲。
2016 年創辦音元 Innuan，活躍於紐約，結合空間/藝術/音樂/科技舉辦策展演出。演出策展 場地包含紐約哥倫比亞大學祖克曼中心，康乃爾大學強森美術館，紐約普瑞特藝術學院畫廊， 義大利現代藝術中心，Fotografiska，紐約百老匯大道等。
除了藝術與嚴肅音樂領域，張玹也
積極投入慈善公益活動：2015 年為喜憨兒基金會創作二 十週年影片配樂，並於松菸誠品演奏廳合辦創世基金會慈善音樂會。
Shiuan Chang. Described as "spiritual, light, and comforting" by Classic Agenda (FR), Shiuan is the Chicago Civic Symphony Composer Prize (2018) and the Asian Cultural Council (2021) awardee. In addition, he is the recipient of the Djerassi Artist Residency, the 2022 Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Residency Grant.
His recent major productions include "Sounding Light (2020)," collaborating with the Cloudgate Contemporary Dance Company; Two flagship productions of the Taiwan International Festival of Arts: "I-Village (2021)," collaborating with the Sheng-Xiang Rock Band and the National Symphony Orchestra, and "A thousand
stages, Yet I have never quite lived (2021)" collaborating with the Beijing Opera artist Hei-Min Wei and National Symphony Orchestra, directed by Kengsen Ong; “Fateless Love (2022)” for orchestra, choir, and three singers premiered by National Symphony Orchestra. Chang's music has been performed nationally and internationally at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Suntory Hall, Jordan Hall, Moscow Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Taiwan National Concert Hall, Le Phenix Valenciennes, Royaumont, Archipel Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Grafenegg Festival, and the Bartok Festival. In addition, he has been commissioned and collaborated with the Tonkunstler Orchestra, Taiwan Philharmonic, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Asasello Quartett, TANA Quartet, Mivos Quartet, Atlas Ensemble, Ensemble Multilaterale, Ensemble Musicatreize, Earplay Ensemble, Neue Vocalisten Stuttgart, Ekmeles Ensemble, Les Metabole, Princeton Singers, and Orkest de Ereprijs.
魏靖儀
William Wei
魏靖儀為新生代備受國際矚目的臺灣小提琴家，2015 年摘下伊莉莎白女王國際音樂大賽桂 冠殊榮。擁有天然靈動的音樂性、游刃有餘的演奏技巧、真摯細膩的情感與哲思，散發著光
芒四溢的音樂爆發力，西德日報的讚賞「具有極其細微的音樂顏色變化。」目前使用由奇美
基金會贊助提供的 1722 年史特拉底瓦里「姚阿幸—艾爾曼」名琴。
此琴曾為浪漫時期匈牙利小提琴家姚阿幸擁有；1907 年後由俄籍小提琴家艾爾曼廣泛使用
此琴巡迴演奏長達 41 年。至此，名琴被冠以兩位大師之名諱－「姚阿幸-艾爾曼」，令人深
刻感受到名琴所肩負的歷史傳承之使命。此琴製作時，史特拉底瓦里正處於手藝爐火純青的
成熟盛期，積極地在提琴外貌與弧度作細部修正，造形上更為堅實強壯。
“Mr. Wei … proved to be a virtuoso, but a special and sensitive interpreter at the same time."
- WestDeutsche Zeitung
Laureate of the prestigious 2015 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, Taiwanese violinist William Wei is quickly building an international career as a soloist. With inherent musicality, liberated virtuosity, refined sensibility and shimmering dynamism, he has been expressing his unique voice to the world. Westdeutsche Zeitung described William as “proved to be a virtuoso, but a special and sensitive interpreter at the same time;” Wei has collaborated as a soloist with leading conductors and orchestra such as Belgium National Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal, Gilbert Varga, Marin Alsop, Gil Shaham, Nai-Yuan Hu, Cho-Liang Lin, Ray Chen, Pei-Yao Wang, Vikingur Ólafsson and Jörg Widmann. William plays on a Stradivari, 1722 ex “Joachim-Elman," kindly loaded to him by the Chimei Foundation in Taiwan.
汪奕聞
Evan Wong
第六屆日本仙台國際音樂大賽銀獎暨觀眾獎得主汪奕聞，其演出經歷遍及世界各地。第一張
個人專輯《Beethoven, Chopin & Others》於 2020 年秋天由德國 Acousence Label 發 行。
合作過的樂團包括日本仙台愛樂、比利時皇家瓦隆室內樂團、墨西哥美藝室內樂團、國立臺 灣交響樂團、長榮交響樂團、美國南伊利諾音樂節交響樂團等，並活躍於各大音樂節，包括 瑞士 Verbier Festival、Lucerne Festival、美國 Ravinia Festival、Aspen Music Festival 等。。
汪奕聞擁有歐美雙博士──德國漢諾威音樂戲劇學院鋼琴最高演奏家文憑和美國西北大學音 樂院音樂藝術博士並畢業於美國茱莉亞音樂學院和新英格蘭音樂院。
目前為日本經紀公司 Yatabe Music Associates 和臺灣新象旗下藝術家的汪奕聞自 2023 年 起擔任國立臺北藝術大學專任助理教授。
Silver medalist of the 6th Sendai International Competition in Japan, Taiwanese American pianist Evan Wong has appeared in recitals and concerts throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Mr. Wong has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Sendai Philharmonic, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and released his first solo album under the Acousence Label in Germany in 2020.
Mr. Wong holds degrees from the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Northwestern University, The Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory.
Currently, Mr. Wong serves on the faculty at the Taipei National University of the Arts.
藝術設計
Visual Design
吳季璁
Chi-Tsung Wu
吳季璁，1981 年出生於臺北，2004 年畢業於國立臺北藝術大學美術系。致力於攝影、錄像、 裝置、繪畫與舞台設計，其創作媒體媒材多元，發想自日常生活中平凡的材料與現象，轉換 出充滿詩意的想像空間。關注影像及觀看本質的探討，並融合東西方傳統與現當代藝術形式。
曾獲臺北美術獎首獎（2003）、波蘭媒體藝術雙年展（WRO，2013）藝評與藝術雜誌編輯 獎、劉國松水墨藝術大獎（2019），並入選英國世界藝術獎（Artes Mundi，2006）、英 國保誠當代藝術獎（Prudential Eye Awards，2015）。其作品被多個國際機構收藏，其 中包括美國三藩市亞洲藝術博物館、美國洛杉磯郡藝術博物館、和香港 M+博物館等。他目 前居住、創作於臺北，並有工作室於柏林和胡志明市。
Wu Chi-Tsung was born in 1981 in Taipei. Wu received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 2004. His work, in which he devotes great attention to the methods used in producing and interpreting images, spans across different media, including photography, video, installation art, painting and set design. He combines traditions and contemporary art forms from the East and the West. Daily objects and phenomena are great inspiration for his work, what he transforms into poetic imagery. He received the top prize of the “Taipei Arts Award” (2003), the “WRO Media Art Biannual” (2013) – Award of Critics and Editors of Art Magazines”, the “Liu Kuo Sung Ink Art Award” (2019), short-listed for the “Artes Mundi” (2006), and the “Prudential Eye Awards” (2015). His works are in collections at the Asian Art Museum (USA), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA), M+ Museum (Hong Kong), to name a few. He currently lives and works in Taipei, with studios in Berlin and Ho Chi Minh City.
Recording at Chimei Museum 製作團隊 Production Team 概念 Concept
胡延忠 ＆ 張玹 Yen-Chung Hu, Shiuan Chang
專輯顧問＆文字 Album Consultant & Writing
鍾永豐 Yung-Feng Chung
作曲 Composition
張玹 Shiuan Chang
小提琴 Violin
魏靖儀William Wei
鋼琴 Piano
汪奕聞 Evan Wong
錄音, 混音&後製 Recording Engineer, Mixing & Mastering
孫紹庭 Shao-Ting Sun
錄音行程統籌企劃 Recording Coordination
黃毓棻 Yu-Fen Huang
錄音場地 Recording Venue
奇美博物館 演奏廳 Chimei Museum Recital Hall
視覺設計 Visual Design
吳季璁 Chi-Tsung Wu
後期發行統籌 Releasing Coordination
林家駒 Chia-Chu Lin
黑膠專輯發布計畫執行製作人 Vinyl Release Project Executive Producer
李家鎮 Andrew Lee
媒體統籌 Media Coordinator
張世文 Gershwin Chang
節目冊贊助 Program Booklet Sponsor
恆成紙業 Auspic Paper
製作＆發行 Production & Release
敦仁醫院 Dun Ren Psychiatric Hospital
Upcoming Performances
May 8th, 2024
Taipei, Taiwan
《Earthing 安土》
Vinyl Releasing Concert
Violin | William Wei
Piano | Evan Wong
Bach Inspiration
Taipei, Taiwan
January, 2025
USA
Touring with Music from Earthing
Violin | William Wei
Piano | Evan Wong
New England Conservatory | Jordan Hall
Boston, MA
Third Street Music School
Manhattan, NY
The Harker School | Harker Concert Series
San Jose, CA
Bard College | Winter Concert Series
Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
Past Performances
December 6th, 2023
Yokohama, Japan
Tatsuki Naruta Recital
”Songs of Dun Ren” for violin & piano
Violin | Tatsuki Naruta
Piano | Akiko Mimata
Minato Mirai Recital Hall
Yokohama, Japan
© 2024 Chang Shiuan All Rights Reserved