Parallel to Goethe and Schubert’s Gesang der Geister über den Wassern (“Song of the Spirits over the Waters”), the three ancient Chinese poems in this piece also offer a profound meditation on the relationship between nature and the human soul. These classical Chinese texts, centered around the majestic waterfalls of Mount Lu, evoke a similar sense of awe and introspection found in Goethe’s verse. Through the imagery of water—a symbol of impermanence, hidden depths, and spiritual longing—both traditions explore the mystery of life, shaped by unseen forces and drawn inevitably toward a greater, transcendent power.

The poems juxtapose moments of stillness with sudden turbulence, mirroring the emotional and existential ebb and flow of human experience. They reflect on the fragility of life, the beauty of nature, and the quiet resilience of the spirit in the face of time and change. Together with Goethe’s and Schubert’s work, they form a cross-cultural dialogue that bridges centuries and geographies.

Musically, brief quotations from Schubert’s Wassern are woven into the fabric of the piece, subtly reinforcing the connection between the two worlds. Scored for three male voices and three low-string period instruments, the work features texts sung or spoken in Chinese, German, and English. This multilingual setting highlights the universality of the themes, while the timbral blend of historical instruments lends a timeless resonance.

I am deeply grateful to KlangForum Heidelberg e.V. for the commission, which offered a meaningful opportunity to explore a transcultural journey—from East to West, from the ancient to the contemporary—through the shared language of poetry and music.

水落何處

這首作品和歌德、舒伯特的《水上靈歌》相互呼應。作品中引用的三首中國古詩，描寫廬山壯麗的瀑布，同樣在思考自然和人心之間的關係。無論是東方還是西方，詩人都透過「水」的意象，來表達人生的無常、深藏的力量，以及對精神寄託的渴望。

詩中有時描寫平靜，有時展現激烈的變化，就像人生情感和經歷的起伏。它們提醒我們，生命雖然脆弱，但自然的美與心靈的堅韌，能夠讓人在時間和變化中找到力量。把這些詩和歌德、舒伯特的作品放在一起，就形成了一種跨越文化與世紀的對話。

在音樂上，這首作品巧妙融入了舒伯特《水上靈歌》的片段，讓兩個世界彼此呼應。全曲由三位男聲和三件低音弦樂古樂器演出，並用中文、德文和英文演唱或朗誦。多語言的呈現突顯了主題的普世性，而古樂器的音色則為作品增添了一種跨越時空的共鳴。

我特別感謝 KlangForum Heidelberg e.V. 的委託，讓我能透過詩與音樂展開一段跨文化的旅程——從東到西，從古至今。