Die Konzertisten - Constraints/Creativity: Cantonese Choral Works by Kai-young Chan (2025)

CONSTRAINTS/CREATIVITY considers the humanistic thread connecting disparate cultures across time and space. This collection of 10 original works from composer Kai-Young Chan sets ancient Chinese lyric poetry, contemporary literature, and religious texts to moving choral music. The journey begins with themes of longing and separation, vividly depicted in poems like Li Ch’ing-Chao’s “Seeking, Searching” and “Withering Blossoms, Fading Scent,” which depict imagery of scattered petals and autumnal decay. The collection also explores the solace found in nature and the resilience of hope, as in Su Tung-Po’s “Egrets around the Mountain” and “Beneath the Moonlight.” Concluding with Psalm 23, the music finds strength in life’s darkest moments.