崔展鴻多年以作曲家和吉他手兩個身分尋找屬於能代表自己最真誠、原始的聲音,此專輯為他對自己音樂的第一次解說。
這張同名專輯共收錄八首誠心製作的曲目,包涵六首受古典、爵士、東方民俗音樂啟發的原創作品。在位於美國麻省的PBS Studios 收錄,該錄音室曾為葛來美獎得主Esperanza Spalding, Jerry Bergonzi 錄音。
「吉他是我的第一樂器,這樂器曾經帶我看過我從沒想像過的事,儘管我對這樂器心存感激,學習初期我知道獨特、個人的聲音和想法從來不是樂器的責任,樂器從沒有保證能賦予創造力。若要寫出任何不同於吉他的慣用語法,剩下的其實不多。
此時我知道要接近表達內心深處的能力,是作曲方法能允許的。我好幸運能遇到幾位關鍵和影響深遠的老師,他們讓我獲得作曲需要的控制力。然而跟所有有關藝術的教育和學院一樣,給予我技巧是他們的題目,創新與否到頭來還是落在我手上。
在搜索任何獨特的想法時,我必須有意識地監控自己的寫作,要不停提問什麼對我來說是重要,『個人』對我來說其實是什麼意思。最難部分是要放棄一切目的性較弱和會讓我聯想到我的英雄的任何東西。這時候我學懂辨別什麼是我不能依靠的。
傳統是輝煌的,他會常青,他永遠都是。 但若然創造是我的追求,傳統其實從來不是意味要給我們接下來該發生的事情留下痕跡。
為求創造能發生,我要觀察著、訓練自己、並發展自己寫作的方式。作曲曾經和永遠都不會是隨便的事,我希望自己能藉此身份超越吉他帶給我的領略。
這本來是我的首張專輯,我被其他事分心了,與它一起碰壁,趕不及按計劃的時候發表。期間我都沒有停止過與我的樂團演出這些作品,這些音樂是我珍惜的、對我重要的。現在終於能把它發表,能讓大家聽到它,我很高興這些作品最終能重見天日。”
- 崔展鴻 2022
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Tsui Chin Hung’s debut album is a collection of 8 deeply personal and heartfelt pieces, including 6 original compositions, wrapped in the silks of classical, jazz, and oriental folk-inspired styles.
“Guitar is my first instrument. As much as I love the instrument, the language of guitar centric music, I’d found myself less and less drawn to.
Early on, I knew the instrument wasn’t going to guarantee a creative voice. If I was to write anything distinct from the guitaristic idiom, there wasn’t really much left.
That was when I looked for abilities to articulate my innermost thoughts, approaching it compositionally is what allows that.
I started to have the ideas of music I like to write, that kept me going. Having few very mentors was my chance to gain the tools to compose technically in control. Yet as every academic in music or just about anything in art, giving me tools to write was their problem, being creative was still my problem.
In the process of searching for anything distinctive and personal enough, I had to monitor myself how conscious I am of that in my writings. I started to question what’s important to me, what personal meant for me. The hardest part is to give up anything that’s unintentional, anything that reminisces my music heroes. There was when I learned how to identify things that work or do not work for me, things I couldn’t rely on.
The traditions are glorious and ever present, that will always be. But it never means to leave us traces of what should come next if being creative is what I’m going about.
Training myself to think, to write in certain ways for that to happen, to make observations about what it was. I had to start develop my own writing techniques. Composition was and will never be a casual thing. I hope to have an identity that transcends the guitar.
It was to be my first record. It had not came out in schedule, I got distracted with other stuff, hit a few walls with it. The materials were being played over and over by my group and with people I worked with over the years. It has had a big impact on me to these days. I want to put it out so that others can finally hear it after all these years. I am happy that these pieces be seeing the light of day finally.”
- Tsui Chin Hung
2022