William Chan interviews Macau-Hong Kong musician Nina Wang Sin-I 

       The musical theatre piece “The Book of Longing”, co-presented by conductor Vivian Ip (葉詠媛), the ANIMA Ensemble and Bel Canto Singers, will hold its Hong Kong premiere at The Box, Freespace in West Kowloon Cultural District from May 10 to 12. Co-Artistic Director and solo violinist Nina Wong Sin-I (王倩兒) has gave details about the production in an exclusive interview with the Post recently.

Wong, a graduate of Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, is the co-founder and Music Director of the ANIMA Ensemble. She noted that “The Book of Longing” by Philip Glass is a musical theatre piece based on Leonard Cohen’s poems, resulting from Cohen’s six-year-long Zen meditation in the mountains. Philip Glass found the poems “intensely beautiful, personal, and inspiring,” and set 22 of the 167 poems to music.

According to Wong, the performance will feature four singers, eight musicians, and a movement artist to represent the desires and emotions expressed in the poems. Even the musicians will move around quite a bit during the performance, she added.

Wong noted that the audience area will be divided into Area X and Area Y. Area X is located within the performing area, allowing for some interaction with the actors and providing a first-person perspective, similar to when Cohen was practising his spirituality in the mountains. Area Y, on the other hand, is located outside the performing area, offering a third-person perspective as an onlooker, with standard audience seating from The Box.

Wong noted that Philip Glass’s music is known for its minimalism, with simple melodies repeating and different harmonies underlying, aligning with Cohen’s poetic pieces and the meditation sphere. This simplicity, she added, allows listeners to imagine different colours and scenery according to the flow of the music.

After returning to Hong Kong in 2020, Wong began exploring more musical genres, even delving into acting, as she found that many people in Hong Kong enjoy opera. This led her to engage with more contemporary styles. While admitting that there can be hesitation in Hong Kong and Macau, where she grew up, to embrace contemporary artwork, which can sometimes be abstract, Wong believes ‘The Book of Longing’ is suitable for introducing contemporary styles, as it has a strong theme and background that make it easy to convey what’s happening.

“Classical music was also once ‘contemporary’ – exciting and innovating in its own era,” Wong underlined. “Unfortunately, nowadays, classical musicians are often considered mere athletes replicating goodness, lacking the essential human connections.” With ‘The Book of Longing,’ she hopes audiences can connect with the emotions and understand the poems through the music.

“The Book of Longing” is set to be performed on May 10 and May 11 at 8 p.m. as well as on May 12 at 2:30 p.m.at the West Kowloon Cultural District Freespace. Tickets are priced at HK$680, HK$480, HK$380 and HK$280, with various discounts available. For purchase, visit: art-mate.net

This undated photo shows conductor Vivian Ip rehearsing.

This undated photo shows director Mo Lai Yan Chi rehearsing.

Nina Wong plays the violin.

– Photos provided by Nina Wong