SOTA Year 2 Music student Parveen Kaur and alumna Tonglin Lin were featured in the Spectrum Showcase at Esplanade Concourse on 11 February! The two musicians presented perspectives on two contemporary works from two musical cultures: Première communion de la Vierge (The Virgin’s First Communion) by Olivier Messiaen, performed by Tonglin on solo piano and 刘德海: 《春蚕》(Spring Silk by Liu De Hai), performed by Parveen on solo pipa.

SOTA student Parveen Kaur (left) and alumna Tonglin Lin. Photo courtesy of Esplanade.

Composed in 1944, Première communion de la Vierge (The Virgin’s First Communion) is the eleventh piece of Olivier Messiaen’s famous piano suite Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus (Twenty Contemplations of the Infant Jesus). Incorporating his trademark of including birdsongs, Greek meters, Hindu rhythms, modal harmonies, glittering dissonances and lyrical interludes, the work reflects a view, gaze, meditation and a theological exploration.

刘德海: 《春蚕》(Spring Silk by Liu De Hai) takes its listeners on the life journey of silkworms. The music presents captivating narratives and expressive metaphors through virtuosic approaches on the pipa.