Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse"
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| Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse" | |
|---|---|
| by Elliot Leung | |
| Other name | The Metaverse Symphony |
| Genre | Contemporary Classical Music |
| Form | Symphony in four movements |
| Time | Mixed Meters |
| Composed | 2021–2023 |
| Publisher | Sony Classical Records |
| Recorded | 4 May 2023 |
| Duration | About 40–45 minutes |
| Movements | Four |
| Scoring | Orchestra, Ableton Push (Prepared Samples) |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 5 May 2023 |
| Location | Cultural Center, Hong Kong |
| Conductor | Gerard Salonga |
| Performers | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Solos by Jing Wang, Andrew Ling, Richard Bamping and Benjamin Moermond |
Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse" is a symphony in four movements by 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 was conducted by Gerard Salonga. The metaverse premiere will be held in the Sandbox as a part of their Alpha Season 4 in 2024. The metaverse experience, titled "The Metaverse Symphony" is currently in development by Artifact Labs.
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, two tenor trombones, two bass trombones one tuba, six percussionists, Harp, Piano, Celesta and strings.[3]