Judging by Navona’s VOICES OF EARTH AND AIR VOL. III, this century is facing a significant paradigm shift in contemporary composition. The third installment of the trailblazing series again showcases contemporary choral music, and once more, it is mesmerizing – mesmerizingly tonal and aesthetic. Cantonese-born Kong-Yu Wong introduces the album with Three Lyrics of Lu Fang Weng. The work consists of a prelude and three choral works based on poems by the 12th-century Chinese poet, which are so timeless in nature that they might well have been written yesterday.
Today, Kong-Yu is our featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to discover his thoughts on the atmosphere most crucial to composing…
Who was your first favorite artist(s) growing up?
The British composer Elisabeth Lutyens.
What was your most unusual performance, or the most embarrassing thing that happened to you during a performance?
Being a member in a vocal ensemble performing a new piece by my classmate. We were asked to scream at the end of the piece and I accomplished it.
If you could make a living at any job in the world, what would that job be?
I wish to be the curator for a large film festival whose job is watching art films all year long.
If you could spend creative time anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
By my desk regardless which city it locates as the inner world is more crucial during composing.
What was your favorite musical moment on the album?
Moment of the highest notes in the second song is my all time favorite.
Is there a specific feeling that you would like communicated to audiences in this work?
The sense of loneliness and longing.
Explore Kong-Yu Wong’s Latest Release
VOICES OF EARTH & AIR, VOL. III
VOICES OF EARTH & AIR, VOL. III is available now from Navona Records. Click here to visit the catalog page and explore this album.
Kong-Yu Wong was born in Canton and he then became a HongKonger. He studies music at different institutes in China and Hong Kong, and was awarded a PhD from the University of York in England. Principal mentors of his include composers Gao Weijie and Nicola LeFanu. Wong’s recent works include a number of vocal compositions in varied forces and different languages. His piano music for young people is especially welcomed by pianists and audiences alike.
