Gerard Salonga & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra – The Metaverse Symphony (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Gerard Salonga & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra – The Metaverse Symphony (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 40:08 minutes | 404 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Classical

Elliot Ho Yat Leung (IPA: eliːət lœŋ) is a composer who seeks to blend the five human senses through poignant musical storytelling. He is the youngest recipient of the prestigious Huabiao Award for music. The South China Morning Post observed Leung as a composer who writes “evocatively with flair and romance.”

His music has been described as “audio-graphically visual” (The Standard) and “invigorates life” (Film Inquiry). Highlights in the 23-24 concert season include premieres by the New York Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. His “Symphony No. 1, The Metaverse,” premiered and recorded by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra also saw a release by Sony Classical. Leung is also known for his celebrated film scores, recent releases include “Freelance” (John Cena/Alison Brie), “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (Wu Jing/Jackson Yee) and “Six Days in Fallujah” (Victura/Highwire).

Born in Hong Kong (1995), Leung received early musical training at the age of 5 and furthered his studies in the United States when he turned 17. He attended Wheaton Conservatory (B.M.) and later decided to give up his academic pursuits at the University of Southern California after being scouted into the film industry. During his time in the U.S., he was mentored by renowned composer Martin O’ Donnell.

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. 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.

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.

Tracklist:
01. Gerard Salonga – I. The Digital Age (09:48)
02. Gerard Salonga – IIa. Fibre Optics, an Homage to Sir Charles Kao (07:01)
03. Gerard Salonga – IIb. Fibre Optics, an Homage to Sir Charles Kao (03:18)
04. Gerard Salonga – III. The Internet of Things (05:57)
05. Gerard Salonga – IV. The Metaverse (14:03)

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