“这次画的只是我的卧室，但色彩在这里起着关键作用——通过简化处理，赋予事物一种更宏大的风格，从而唤起人们对休憩或睡眠的联想。简而言之，凝视这幅画应当能让心灵得到安宁，或者更确切地说，让想象力得到安宁。（……）家具的稳重感，也应传递出一种坚定不移的宁静”
——文森特·梵高 (1888年10月16日)
如果我这次柏林之旅是一幅画，那幅画是梵高的《在亚尔的卧室》，仿佛去赴一场让身心灵好好休息的盛宴。
A Night at Sea is a concert in Bristol Cathedral. A sea-themed concert that contained the world premiere of Bright’s The Lighthouse, Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony. Bristol, the harbour, the seagulls, and a sea concert—all fitting together perfectly. Besides being an audience member, I was also honoured to be a …
This post is a continuation of my previous reflection. Two thoughts came to me while listening to Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Berlin Philharmonie on 8 March 2026. In my previous post, I discussed “the essence of Elijah.” In this post, I would like to share my thoughts on “Baal worship.” At first sight, it looks …
The Elijah I listened to at the Berlin Philharmonie on 8.3.2026 is the kind of version where Mendelssohn would be watching from heaven and smiling with utmost satisfaction. Having heard Benjamin Appl’s excellent and moving interpretations of Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passions, I had been anticipating his interpretation of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Personally, the …
“A white hand wavesFrom fairy tales of old,Where there are sounds and songsOf a magic land.” — Aus alten Märchen winkt es, Heinrich Heine The Liederabend was indeed an entry into a magical land of sounds and songs. Our guides for the evening were Benjamin (baritone) and James (piano), who led us through the poetic …
“One Line a Day” is a diary I received as a gift, and I have been using it for a year now. Honestly, I did not fill in every page last year. This year, I want to be more consistent. Having five years recorded on the same page for the same date helps me reflect …
Turning 40, apparently, in German culture is quite something. Already at the beginning of the year, my German friends and family were kindly asking how, when, and where I would celebrate my 40th runden Geburtstag. Usually, they celebrate it with a huge party. In case I organized this kind of party, they wanted to mark …
I had fairly high expectations for this concert, Franz Schubert: Master Storyteller by Benjamin Appl and Sholto Kynoch, which was also the opening concert of this year’s Oxford International Song Festival, for three reasons. Firstly, I had heard their wonderful performance back in May in Heidelberg, Germany. Secondly, I have been a lover of Lieder …
“Lange lieb’ ich dich schon…” — Friedrich Hölderlin “I have loved you for a long time…” wrote Hölderlin in his poem Heidelberg. But how long is a long time? How about twenty years? It was in 2005 when I first visited this enchanting, romantic city with my sister. We were tourists then, right before I …
In five minutes, the train was supposed to arrive at its destination. Suddenly, an emergency occurred, resulting in at least an hour of delay. This real-life travel experience mirrors my current life situation—filled with pauses and unexpected turns. The Malaysian embassy in Germany once told me, “Please be patient, your new passport is coming.” I …