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In July 2000, Matthew Lien debuted his
new and much-anticipated composition for
the President of Taiwan and other dignitaries
of Taiwan's central and regional governments.
The song "Dreamland Express"
was commissioned by the Government of
Taiwan's I-Lan County to celebrate I-Lan's
culture and its youth. Drawing from the
traditional folk song "Dew Dew Dang,"
Matthew blends both its musical and lyrical
theme (which sings of the excitement of
returning by train to the beautiful I-Lan
countryside) with his own musical styles.
I-Lan's Children's Choir and a traditional
Attayal Tribe aboriginal children's choir
are featured in this passionate work,
as are performances by some of Taiwan's
leading traditional musicians. The unique
sounds of Erhu, Xiao, Di and Xun instruments
are embraced in contemporary instrumentation,
resulting in a timeless-yet-contemporary
production. Matthew is also featured in
this work, singing in both English and
Taiwanese.
Matthew's "Dreamland
Express" is the first track on this
compilation CD featuring other artists
and children's songs from around the world.
"Dreamland Express"
is also the first composition of what
will become a full suite of music commissioned
by the I-Lan Government. Pre-production
of the two-CD set will occur in early
2001, with final studio production occurring
later in the year. A release date has
not yet been determined. Watch this site
and the Wind Records site for more details.
Music of International
Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival
is available only from Wind
Records.
Words from
the artist
In order for me to write
this piece, I had to get to the heart
of the folk song "Dew Dew Dang"
on which "Dreamland Express"
is based. While the lyrics of "Dew
Dew Dang" are fairly minimal—singing
of the excitement of heading home to I-lan,
coming through the tunnel by train and
hearing the water dripping—every
person who would elaborate on this song
always described much more than this.
They would speak of the thrill of seeing
I-Lan's Turtle Island and knowing that
home was not far away. It was clear that
this song was deep in the heart of the
people of I-Lan.
Because this song would
become the official song of I-Lan's International
Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival,
I wanted this sense of "home"
to be accessible for all those who would
come to I-Lan. My feeling is that, once
you experience the beauty and warmth of
I-Lan's culture and its people, you will
always have a home in I-Lan. And the excitement
of returning will be yours as well. The
train, the Dreamland Express, became a
magical symbol suggesting that it is always
out there moving through the tracks of
our hearts, ready to take you home . .
. home to lovely I-Lan.
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Matthew Lien and Wind Records 2000