With memory is a trance, composer and pianist Baldwin Giang transforms Nhi Hyunh’s piano through preparations, giving it an almost entirely different sound that’s inspired by the Vietnamese musical practice, chầu văn. Drawing inspiration from his and Hyunh’s Vietnamese heritage, Giang seeks to connect his experiences as a first-generation American to those of his parents, who are Vietnamese immigrants to the United States. Their trauma is something he understands through memory; while he may never fully understand their experiences through the Vietnam War, here, he hopes to connect to and channel the filaments of remembrance into music.
Originally composed for the International Competition of Orléans in France, but delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic, memory is a trance receives its digital premiere in this House Music Series video. This is both Giang and Hyunh’s first time working with Metropolis Ensemble; when Metropolis Ensemble Artistic Director Andrew Cyr reached out to Giang asking if he’d be interested in performing a solo work, Giang immediately knew memory is a trance was the perfect piece for the occasion.
In composing memory is a trance, Giang worked with his parents to uncover the Vietnamese musical traditions that they found the most compelling. This musicological research brought them to chầu văn, an ancient musical practice and sacred medium worship that differs across Vietnam, and features two to four musicians who put a medium into a trance state to access spirits and deities. In his composition, Hyunh acts as every musician in the band, depicting a tension between individual and group that metaphorically represents the tension members of the Vietnamese diaspora feel from their displacement. And, through the alteration of the piano, an imperialist instrument, into an instrument that evokes Vietnamese musical tradition, he illustrates the colonialist history and foreign intervention between France, Vietnam, and the United States. In bringing together the history of these countries and the lived experiences of his family, himself, and Hyunh, Giang creates a wholly encapsulating work of music with many layers of interpretation and emotional connection.
memory is a trance was recently awarded first prize in the 2020-2021 Musica Prospettiva Competition, which includes a cash award and two future performances in Siena, Italy. — Vanessa Ague
Episode: 67Date: November 19, 2020Artist: Nhi HuynhInstrumentation: PianoWork: "memory is a trance"Composer: Baldwin GiangMore from House Music