Sui Yuan 随缘

Programme notes

The Mandarin title, Sui Yuan (随缘) carries the primary meaning of: to follow one’s destiny or fate. In a casual context, it is also frequently used by Chinese speakers to mean "to play by ear" or "to go with the flow." The piece itself was inspired by Buddhist spirituality and composed entirely within a single day. The composition draws a contrast between Western and Oriental concepts of time. While the Western perspective often perceives time linearly—a constant movement where the present instantly becomes the past—the Oriental sense of time is often described as concentric: it appears to occupy the same location while continually moving deeper inward. The latter, concentric approach, precisely defines the structure of Sui Yuan. The piece is divided into two parts, each involving a process of change:

• Part One: A single piano phrase, comprising six distinct elements, is repeated twelve times. In each subsequent repetition, notes gradually disappear, causing the phrase to become progressively shorter until it reaches a brief pause. This represents the journey inward.

• Part Two: The reverse process takes place as the phrase re-expands to its original length. This section also features a subtle interplay between notes that are allowed to resonate (sustained) and those that are rendered short and dry (staccato).

Completion of the composition 1-I-2002

Analysis

see Sui Yuan (1982) under Articles

Recording

link #1 audio by pianist Shane Thio

see page 25 of the black cover logbook #2 and page 51 of the green cover logbook #3

Score follower

link #2

Review

"A falling of a drop of water and its ripple effect but in reverse"

Chang Tou Liang, Singapore