The following November 7, 2008 Sun-Times Newsgroup article talks about TurboMandala artist Michael Boo’s composition in memory of two Chinese scholars.
The tragedy has moved Boo to compose a musical piece, “In the Sky are Two Shining Stars,” in memory of Xiangyang Xu and Wei-min Liu. The Valparaiso University Chamber Concert Band will premiere the piece Saturday night.
The piece, just over five minutes, combines portions of songs from the universities from which Xu and Liu came, traditional music played at Chinese funerals called “Mourning Song,” and sounds of nature, as well as tinkling representing the stars.
Boo became familiar with “Mourning Song” during a memorial service for Xu and Liu.
“I liked the melody. It’s very elegiac and very emotionally satisfying in concert,” Boo said.
The title of “In the Sky” comes from a poem written in Chinese and English for that memorial service. The piece begins with the sounds of birds, crickets and rain “because it reflects the scholars’ lives on earth,” Boo said.
“It builds into a song of hope as they’re lifted into Heaven, because the Chinese believe in Heaven, and once they get there, the twinkling (of the stars) begins,” Boo added, referring to the tinkling at the end of the song.
Jeff Doebler, conductor of the VU Concert Chamber Band, noted the piece also contains a heartbeat motif throughout, representing the heartbeats of the scholars. He called Boo’s work “a very introspective piece” that gives listeners the chance to reflect on Xu and Liu’s lives.
Even if listeners don’t know all the symbolism in the piece, Doebler said, “it’s still going to be, I think, a very moving tribute.”
