乐光·月谱Spectrum- Journey 胡旅.胡途

There are not many masters who are proficient in both the erhu and pipa. Initially, while learning, Wei Siong himself said that he was confused by the two instruments. But after 30 years, he is surprised to see how far the erhu and pipa have come with him.

For Wei Siong, the process of playing these instruments is a lot like the ups and downs of life, the journey frustrating and never smooth, but, like with life, you go on. Through his travels, he finds inspiration, which he largely incorporates into his pieces. For instance, when he visited Bali, he saw the coexistence of islanders and myths. “Penumur”, the local musician Ana’s ceremonial invitation to God, deeply resonated with him. Then, while visiting his friend, composer Yuan Leow Yunn at a gamelan studio, he heard her composition of “Flame (Huo Yan)”.

In Journey, Wei Siong tries to address all the big and little aspects of life. In “Good Night (Liang Xiao)”, he learns to appreciate the short but precious time we have; he observes in “Love” that without emotions, the garden of life is just a dead tree; meanwhile, the upbeat “Horse Racing (Sai Ma)” brings his joy to play with a group of friends.
Meeting his best friend Leow Yunn, who also the music director for this show, is instrumental to his musical journey. Wei Siong reflects that his experiences in life—all made up of the people he has met, things he has seen—make him feel like a galloping, happy horse: always racing to find new ways to fill his life with meaning and purpose.