Strings embody plants, narrating Taiwan's origins TSO
Artist-in-Residence Shiuan Chang's violin concerto, "23.5°N, 121°E," premieres this Saturday.
September 8, 2025
The Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO) collaborated with German violin master Antje Weithaas last weekend for the spectacular "Return to 1806" concert, marking the start of the second half of the 2025 season. On September 13th, the TSO will present the "2025 TSO Masters Series: Carter, Inmo Yang and TSO" concert at the National Concert Hall In addition to a series of visually arresting classics such as Britten's "Symphonic Requiem," Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead," and Debussy's "La Mer," the concert will feature TSO
Artist-in-Residence and Taiwanese composer Shiuan Chang's Violin Concerto, "23.5°N, 121°E." The concert will feature soloist Inmo Yang, a South Korean violinist and double gold medalist at both the 2015 Paganini Competition and the 2022 Sibelius Competition Notably, the two met at the New England Conservatory of Music and are close friends, sharing numerous discussions and exchanges during the composition process. This work transcends the realm of "tailor-made" creation; it is a completely new creation honed collaboratively by composer and soloist The world premiere takes place this Saturday!
Speaking of his friendship with Inmo Yang, Shiuan Chang laughed and said, "At parties, we're both the quiet type who don't like to talk much, so maybe that's why we're so compatible?" Jokes aside, even in today's internet-savvy world, the fact that they often call each other directly and chat for hours on end shows that their "frequency" is very compatible: "We often discuss some very deep questions with each other. For example, he once asked me, 'What is the core of composition?' I thought about it and answered, 'vulnerability ' Or maybe we both love meditation, and through it, we seek the essence of our music " Therefore, as early as 2018, after collaborating with the TSO on the orchestral piece "1931", Shiuan Chang was once again invited by the TSO to compose a new piece. The first thing that came to his mind was to write a violin concerto and have his friend Inmo Yang premiere it!
Plans can't keep up with change First, there was the three-year pandemic Then, after Inmo Yang won the 2022 Sibelius Violin Competition in Finland and filled his international tour schedule, the idea finally came to fruition seven years later, in 2025. Perhaps it was fate. Besides becoming a TSO Artist-in-Residence this year, which will allow for closer collaboration, Shiuan Chang stated that the core concept of his work from 2014 to 2022 was to answer the question "Who am I?" Now, the question has shifted to "Where am I?" Therefore, "23 5°N, 121°E," named after Taiwan's longitude and latitude, is the current answer "I pondered this title for a long time. On the one hand, I wanted it to be less literal and more poetic. On the other hand, it could use pure geographical designation to express my connection to Taiwan "
Music with Taiwan as its theme is not uncommon, and "23 5°N, 121°E" is one such example "121°E" attempts to open up a new perspective and tell the story of Taiwan's origin. Shiuan Chang said that he had previously read a book by agricultural doctor You Zhijia, which described how alpine plants such as red cypress and mountain incense came to Taiwan from other parts of the world and then developed into Taiwanese endemic species This process fascinated him and could also serve as an answer to the current creative theme of "Where am I?", so he decided to focus "23.5°N, 121°E" on the migration of plants: "The whole piece is divided into two movements In the first movement, I used a lot of string 'pressed bow' techniques, and used extended long notes to imagine the process of plants 'breathing'" Shiuan Chang said that the audience might not be accustomed to the sound effect of "pressed bow", but it is a creative technique that he has been
fascinated with in recent years He also wrote "Pressed Bow Etude" (Scratch) Etudes) to demonstrate the effects of such performance: "I hope everyone will break away from their usual notions of string music and listen to the transformation this technique can bring."
As for the second movement, Shiuan Chang recalled a visit to a dead sea in America, ravaged by wildfires "It was an overcast day, and the entire landscape was charred black It was truly shocking; even walking through it was difficult to breathe." However, after strolling for a while, Shiuan Chang unexpectedly discovered that new shoots were beginning to grow within the roots of the redwoods. "Later, I read about it and discovered that wildfires like these have a rebirthing effect on the forest After the plants that compete with them for nutrients disappear, the forest actually thrives " This process is captured in the second movement of "23 5°N, 121°E " Compared to the slow, flowing flow of the first movement, this movement offers a powerful portrayal of the wildfire and the ultimate hope of rebirth.
Shiuan Chang, who will serve as TSO Artist-in-Residence from 2025 to 2027, will bring a new composer's perspective to the orchestra
Shiuan Chang, who keeps in touch with Inmo Yang, often shared excerpts with him during the creative process "He gave me a lot of technical advice and help, such as what intervals make sense in playing, which had a huge impact on the composition of this piece " Shiuan Chang also incorporated his knowledge of Inmo Yang into the piece: "For me, his depth of thought is more appealing than his flashy technical skills; it draws
you deeply into his playing " The final piece, "23 5°N, 121°E," received high praise from Yang In-mo, who said, "There's not a single note missing or extra in this piece!"
In addition to the violin concerto, Shiuan Chang, as TSO Artist-in-Residence from 2025 to 2027, will collaborate on an album and new work He will also oversee the upcoming "Summer Music Walk" series, bringing a fresh perspective as a composer to the TSO Before then, audiences can explore Taiwan's origins and contemplate the question "Where am I?" at the world premiere of "23.5°N, 121°E" at the National Concert Hall on Saturday evening, September 13th.
※Ticket link: [2025 TSO Masters Series] Carter, Inmo Yang and TSO ***
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