Commissioned by the Taiwan Lantern Festival celebrating the Year of the Dragon and Tainan’s 400th anniversary, Chia-Ying’s new work (龍耀樂章) was premiered at the 2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival on 24 February in front of tens of thousands of audience in Tainan. The work was specifically created for the light show of the 22-meter-tall dragon lantern, which was illuminated by President Tsai Ing-wen.
Scored for both Western and Easterm instruments, the music symbolises the transcultural confluences in Taiwan’s history, dating back to 1624 during the Age of Discovery. The work was inspired by the uniqueness of the dragon being the only mythical creature among the twelve Chinese zodiac, aiming to present the dignity and majestic glory often associated with it. The music was performed on the outdoor stage by 22 musicians made up of 10 brass players, 9 percussionists, harp, erhu and pipa.
The premiere involving live performance was broadcast online and on TV. The lantern will continue to shine with the recorded music for 16 days (once every 30 minutes from 6-10pm). The event has reportedly attracted over 15 million audiences in attendance.
Full music can be found below and on the Festival’s official website.
TLF Official website: https://2024taiwanlanternfestival.org/Lantern/IntroductionDetail/%E4%B8%BB%E5%B1%95%E5%8D%80
CNA News (中央社 with video): https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202402240206.aspx
CNA News (中央社 composer focus): https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acul/202402240031.aspx
The Liberty Times (自由時報2024/3/4) : https://art.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/1633701
TV Coverage (TVBS):
2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival’s Main Lantern Show on the Closing Ceremony – excerpt from TVBS broadcast:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6x9q9qRKdfwhnaq4zXkeDq_yHHniBSOQ?si=iannO_rMosm-P0AG
Chia-Ying Lin | composer 