Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse"

Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse" is a symphony in four movements by composer Elliot Leung. The work was commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre with Chow Sang Sang as the title sponsor and Audio Exotics as sponsor. It is the first symphony to be premiered in both the concert hall and the Sandbox metaverse.[1] The concert hall premiere, conducted by Gerard Salonga also features generative artwork by Henry Chu.

Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse"
by Elliot Leung
Other nameThe Metaverse Symphony
FormSymphony in four movements
MeterMixed
Composed2021 (2021)–2023
DurationAbout 40–45 minutes
MovementsFour
ScoringOrchestra
Premiere
Date5 May 2023
LocationCultural Center, Hong Kong
ConductorGerard Salonga
PerformersHong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Composition

Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse" has a duration of approximately 43 minutes. In a pre-premiere interview, the composer addressed the work's genesis, remarking, "Each of the four movements celebrates and captures the experience of progressive milestones regarding the advancements of the Internet. Designed to be musically palpable, textural stabs reflect the injection of energy we feel when our phones buzz. While my symphony pushes the bounds of composition into modernity – exploring new sounds, instruments, and technologies, it remains faithful to the discipline and rigour of my heroes such as Bartók and Stravinsky. I hope digital natives like myself can find familiarity and fascination in this work."

Leung commented that movement two serves as an homage to the late Charles K. Kao, the pioneer of fibre optics. As for the third movement titled "The Internet of Things," Leung has engaged the public to submit short community soundbites as part of his composition. The community samples are mapped to an Ableton Push by Olivia D. Mok, and performed live alongside the orchestra.[2]

The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of three flutes (all doubling piccolo), two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets (in B-flat and E-flat), bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, four trombones, one tuba, six percussionists, Harp, Piano, Celesta and strings.[3]

Release

Sony Classical Records will release an album of the symphony in July along with the metaverse premiere in the Sandbox as a part of their Alpha Season 4. The metaverse experience, titled "The Metaverse Symphony" is currently in development by Artifact Labs.

Reception

The reviews of the artwork were mixed. Many commented it did not enhance the music and found it distracting. However, the praises for the composition and the performance was highly acclaimed. Tina Fu of the South China Morning Post wrote:

Citing such traditional influences as Sibelius, Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff, Leung’s music has flair and romance, and the players were impressive with their sensitive treatment of the evocative materials. Salonga proved that he was a skilful conductor in balancing different sections and his handling of mood changes. The second movement, with a title of “Fibre Optics: An Homage to Sir Charles Kao”, was stunning. Leung wrote two solo passages for the cello and the viola. Bamping was again at his best, with good sound and intonation that made the elegant piece sing. Principal violist Andrew Ling, accompanied by pianist Linda Yim, provided the most moving passage of all. [However,] my appreciation of the music certainly wasn't helped by the visual experience. There was one huge screen in the centre and a large screen on either side, which was too much for the eyes. There was no escaping them, and in the faster passages, the kaleidoscope-like rapid motions gave an unpleasant sensation of vertigo.[4]

References
  1. Wild, Stephi. "HK Phil Presents The First-Ever Metaverse Symphony, Performed Both In A Concert Hall and The Sandbox". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. "HK Phil's The Metaverse Symphony: Third Movement Sound File Submission". www.hkphil.org. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  3. "Metaverse Symphony". Asia Society. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. "'Painfully unimpressive' visuals distract from HK Phil's tech-led concerts". South China Morning Post. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
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