Intro: Clouds, Birds, and the Old Lady

Through Her Eyes

Interlude 1: Dusk

Dancing Through the Night

Interlude 2: All the Birds

The Dark Clouds

Interlude 3: Rain Dance

Through the Moon

Interlude 4: Dawn

Sitting on the Clouds

序曲：雲、鳥與老太太

她眼中的世界

間奏一：黃昏

夜間舞蹈

間奏二：眾鳥

烏雲

間奏三：雨之舞

穿越月光

間奏四：黎明

與雲同坐

Sitting on the Clouds is a musical meditation inspired by the flight of migratory birds along Houston’s Central Flyway. From July to November, countless wings trace the Texas coastline—a natural, ancient journey that the piece echoes in its drift across the deep currents of memory, the breath of nature, and the whispers of dream. Rich with ethereal, bird-like sonorities, the music ascends beyond simple birdsong, weaving a shared space where human and avian spirits coexist in harmony. It offers stolen moments of quiet contemplation, recovering the natural rhythms often lost to modern noise.

Structured as a series of short movements and interludes, the piece opens with "Clouds, Birds, and the Old Lady" and "Through Her Eyes," inviting us to peer through her gaze and witness the birds—intimate, reflective, and infused with the sheer marvel of life. As the music flows, passing through the gentle hues of "Dusk," the vibrancy of "Dancing Through the Night," and the whirl of "All the Birds," tension gathers in "The Dark Clouds." This intensity then yields swiftly to a scherzo-like "Rain Dance," which delivers us to "Through the Moon," where the flocks cut silhouettes across the midnight sky. Finally, after the soft awakening of "Dawn," the journey culminates and settles in "Sitting on the Clouds"—a tranquil homecoming where memory, melody, and the vast expanse of the sky become one.

Sitting on the Clouds is written for the Formosa Quartet’s American Mirror Project with the support of the Houston Arts Alliance.

《與雲同坐》的靈感擷取自休士頓中途遷徙路線上，那無盡的飛鳥旅程。每年七月至十一月，成千上萬的翅膀拂過德州海岸線。這段自然的遷徙，在音樂中化為一場流動的夢境，涵蓋了記憶的沉澱、自然與夢境的低語。作品迴盪著鳥鳴般的音色，它超越了單純的模仿，織造出一個人類與飛鳥共感的和諧空間。樂曲提供片刻的沉思，尋回那在現代塵囂中幾近失落的自然節奏。

全曲由多個短小的樂章與間奏精巧地串連而成。開頭的〈雲、鳥與老太太〉與〈她眼中的世界〉，引領我們穿透她的眼眸，看見鳥兒——親密、細膩，充滿生命的奇蹟。樂思流轉，隨時間推移，經過〈黃昏〉的溫柔、〈夜間舞蹈〉的躍動、與〈眾鳥〉的迴旋，情緒的張力在〈烏雲〉中凝聚，隨後倏地轉入一段狂想曲般的〈雨之舞〉。接著是〈穿越月光〉，描繪群鳥剪裁月夜天空的景象。最終，在〈黎明〉輕輕拂曉之後，音樂於〈與雲同坐〉中靜謐收束——那是記憶與音符的歸宿，天空與心靈的靜靜合一。

《與雲同坐》是為福爾摩沙四重奏的 American Mirror Project 所創作，並獲得Houston Arts Alliance 的支持。