On March 18, I attended a concert from UBC Music’s Wednesday Noon Hours Series; titled UBC Composers’ Concerts. It was interesting to be able to attend a concert on campus in such a casual setting, by dropping into Roy Barnett Recital Hall during a block of time in my day that I probably would have otherwise spent standing in line at the Delly.
The first performance, titled 29th Avenue Station composed by Eugene Shen, was a solo Baritone Saxophone piece performed by Jackson Bell. The second piece was a flute solo titled Second Beach, also composed by Eugene Shen and played by Shilpa Sharma. Both Second Beach and 29th Avenue Station were interesting monophonic pieces that truly showcased the individual talent of the performers. Asides from the musical performances themselves, I particularly enjoyed the titles of the pieces, as they both refer to locations in Vancouver that I am familiar with. As I listened to the compositions, I associated the aural experience with imagery of these locations. As Jackson Bell performed 29th Avenue Station on the saxophone, I pictured the solemn and vacant East Vancouver Skytrain station in the calm of the night. As Shilpa Sharma performed Second Beach, I envisioned the subtle, lapping waves on the shore of Second Beach as the high pitched melody of the flute gently played.
It is rare to come across musical pieces that refer specifically to Vancouver, and I feel an inexplicable connection with these pieces when I do. In contrast, most classical music that I have listened to or played originates from Europe, written centuries ago. As a result, I realize that I have always listened to and admired classical music from a distance; a degree of separation; as it comes from a time long before mine, and from a continent I’ve yet to set foot on. Contrarily, as someone who has grown up in Vancouver, pieces like 29th Avenue Station and Second Beach evoke a feeling of closeness; of home.
Another piece from the UBC Composers’ Concerts that I enjoyed was Chance Encounter, originally a poem written by poet Xu Zhimo. Soprano singer Tze Liew adapted this poem to a musical performance, accompanied by harpist Nathania Ko. In Chance Encounter, Xu Zhimo speaks of her life crossing with another’s:
We cross paths on the midnight sea
You on your way
I on mine
The melody of the harp intertwined beautifully with the words of the poem. I believe that the poem’s adaptation into a polytonic musical piece added an additional layer of emotive meaning to the text. I believe that listening to the poem as an adapted musical evoked a heightened feeling of distance and solitude, one which goes beyond what could be achieved by listening to the poem alone merely as a monotonic text.
Admittedly, when I first entered the concert, I didn’t initially realize that the pieces were composed by UBC students. However, there was a sense of locality and familiarity that came with the realization that the musical pieces I was listening to were written by students who also attended UBC. It left me to ponder whether these composers drew inspiration from places and people that I had also encountered myself, and I envisioned these images as I listened to the musical compositions.