Fabian Müller‘s commentary: The three Taiwan Rhapsodies are intended to act like the three movements of a cello concerto, but of course they can also stand alone and can be performed individually.

 

The principal theme of Taiwan Rhapsody No. 1 is made up of two of the most wellknown Taiwanese folk songs. The melody for “DiuDiuDeng”, on which the outer parts of the rhapsody are based, originated in Yilan County in the north-eastern part of Taiwan, where Pi-Chin is from. The song describes the sound of raindrops falling on the tin roof of a moving train. The lyrical middle section is based on Teng Yu-Hsien’s famous “Longing for the Spring Breeze”, written in 1933 ─ a song my wife loves and has carried with her since her childhood. The rhapsody starts with a quotation of the first notes from “Longing for the Spring Breeze” in the horns, followed by an almost impressionistic introduction to the lively melody of “DiuDiuDeng”. The melody is accompanied by a musical pattern in the orchestra that mimics the train’s engines. The entire middle section ─ the heart of the rhapsody ─ is dedicated to the touching melody of “Longing for the Spring Breeze”.