T. B. D. (2025)
Program Note
2025
It tells the story of a composer who organizes a rehearsal, only to find that no performers show up. Strangely, this event unfolds both in his dream and in reality. He drifts between the two realms, unable to distinguish whether what he is experiencing is real or imagined.
In both the dream and the waking world, he feels deeply frustrated, caught in a state of emotional turmoil and hesitation. He keeps asking himself: Are the performers on their way? Should he follow up and urge them to come? Yet a more unsettling question lingers—Is any of this even real?
As he oscillates between waiting and wondering, something begins to stir within him. Two distinct voices gradually emerge, each representing a reality he is most unwilling to confront. It is this very reluctance that causes the story to stall—trapped in a moment with no resolution, no clear ending.
This program explores the blurred boundary between dream and reality through a musical and spatial structure. It seeks to capture the psychological tension of delay, doubt, and the inner resistance to facing difficult truths.
SEMI-DRAMA
Soprano 1 - Protagonist
Soprano 2 - Narrator/Devil/Angel
Accompany - Melodica/Piano
Premiered by
Protagonist - Victoria Magnusson (soprano)
Devil/Angel/Narrator - Suzuna Ikeda (soprano)
Dan Powers – accompaniment
May 9th, 2025, Manhattan School of Music
Intro:
This drama consists of three acts in total. Act I and Act II are essentially repetitions of each other, differing only slightly in the outcomes of their narratives. Act III, meanwhile, presents a fragmented re-enactment of Scene 1 from Act I. This repetition serves to blur the line between dream and reality. The similarity between the acts not only reduces the preparation burden for the performers but also enhances the illusion of an indistinguishable narrative space. To different viewers, any of these acts may represent either a dream or reality—or perhaps each act represents one or the other.
While developing this piece, I drew significant inspiration from the films Inception and Happy Death Day. In Inception, the boundary between dream and reality is deliberately ambiguous—what seems like a dream may be reality, and what is thought to be real may in fact be a dream. This provoked my reflections on the complexity of the human psyche: what we refuse to confront often resurfaces in our dreams, echoing the saying, “What one constantly thinks about will surely appear in dreams.”
On the other hand, Happy Death Day introduced me to the idea of a single day endlessly repeating until the protagonist uncovers the cause of her death. This narrative loop offered a different kind of insight. Given the limited duration of this drama and the inherently linear nature of live performance, this cyclical structure proved ideal for maximizing the expression of the indistinct boundary between dream and reality. As such, I chose to structure the drama around three looping acts.
Each act contains two scenes. In Scene 1, the protagonist unfolds their story, revealing the origin of the narrative and the root of their inner struggle. Scene 2 centers around the two aspects of reality the protagonist is most reluctant to confront. These symbolic representations of repressed truths engage in intense debate with the protagonist. Just as the confrontation reaches a critical turning point, the action is abruptly halted—everything rewinds, as if time itself is looping back to the beginning.
Libretto
ACT I
SCENE I
Scene: A dimly lit rehearsal room. The piano is open, sheet music scattered.
(Opening: The Narrator’s voice emerges from the darkness, using sprechstimme.)
Narrator (Sprechstimme, whispering, echoing):"A room… filled with echoes. A mind… filled with nothing. A heart… uncertain."
(Soprano 2 should remain hidden behind Soprano 1, following her movements. Soprano 2 is the shadow of Soprano 1 and represents the part of her inner world she is most unwilling to confront.）
(The hums softly, imitating the distant sound of tuning instruments, gradually becoming an anxious, rhythmic vocal percussive texture.)
She sings in a warm but restrained tone.
Protagonist: (hesitant yet hopeful)"Today… perhaps today… the moment is near! My hands are steady, my breath is deep. A chance, a moment, a place to belong! But where are my people?"
ACT I
SCENE II
(Angel emerges, gentle and bright, floating above.)
Angel: "Go forth, Call them! Ask them! Your voice is strong, your passion true.They will listen, they will see!"
(Breathing sound intertwines with Angel, growing in intensity.)
(Suddenly, Devil interrupts, sharp and mocking.)
Devil (darkly amused):"Foolish dreamer! Do you truly believe? Did you hear theirs last time? Did you see their response? They do not wait for you… they never did!"
(The Protagonist joins in, using percussive consonants and whispering breaths to create tension. Using dissonant humming, harmonic singing.)
(Protagnonist falters, voice unsteady.)
Protagonist: "No, I am ready! I have worked, I have decided! This is my time, my moment—"
(Devil laughs, a sharp glissando, distorting into fragmented, breathy echoes.)
Devil (mocking, teasing):"Your? Oh, listen! The clock ticks, but not for you. Step back, fade away…"
Angel (urgently, passionately):"No! Calling, Texting, Asking for the excuse! Do not let the silence go through the space!"
(Protagonist tries to sing, but his voice falters. The rhythm slows, the energy dissipates.)
Protagonist (softly, almost breaking): "But what if… what if they do not answer me?"
(The music stops. Silence.)
Then rewind like a cassette tape, tracing back to where the drama first began.
ACT III
SCENE I
Scene: A dimly lit rehearsal room. The piano is open, sheet music scattered.
(Opening: The Narrator’s voice emerges from the darkness, using sprechstimme.)
Narrator (Sprechstimme, whispering, echoing):"A room… filled with echoes. A mind… filled with nots. A heart… uncertain."
(Soprano stands at center stage, while Soprano 2 and the accompanist remain offstage. The sound emerges from a distance.)
(The hums softly, imitating the distant sound of tuning instruments, gradually becoming an anxious, rhythmic vocal percussive texture.)
She sings in a warm but restrained tone.
Protagonist: (hesitant yet hopeful)"Today… perhaps today… the moment is ne - ar(stuck).
ACT II
SCENE I
Scene: A dimly lit rehearsal room. The piano is open, sheet music scattered.
(Opening: The Narrator’s voice emerges from the darkness, using sprechstimme.)
Narrator (Sprechstimme, whispering, echoing):"A room… filled with echoes. A mind… filled with nothing. A heart… uncertain."
(Soprano 2 must not mirror Soprano 1's steps; every sound she makes should feel as though it arrives from a distant realm, like an echo from beyond the heavens.）
(The hums softly, imitating the distant sound of tuning instruments, gradually becoming an anxious, rhythmic vocal percussive texture.)
She sings in a warm but restrained tone.
Protagonist: (hesitant yet hopeful)"Today… perhaps today… the moment is near! My hands are steady, my breath is deep. A chance, a moment, a place to belong! But where are my people?"
ACT II
SCENE II
(Angel emerges, gentle and bright, floating above.)
Angel: "Go forth, Call them! Ask them! Your voice is strong, your passion true.They will listen, they will see!"
(Breathing sound intertwines with Angel, growing in intensity.)
(Suddenly, Devil interrupts, sharp and mocking.)
Devil (darkly amused):"Foolish dreamer! Do you truly believe? Did you hear theirs last time? Did you see their response? They do not wait for you… they never did!"
(The Protagonist joins in, using percussive consonants and whispering breaths to create tension. Using dissonant humming, harmonic singing.)
(Protagnonist falters, voice unsteady.)
Protagonist: "No, I am ready! I have worked, I have decided! This is my time, my moment—"
(Devil laughs, a sharp glissando, distorting into fragmented, breathy echoes.)
Devil (mocking, teasing):"Your? Oh, listen! The clock ticks, but not for you. Step back, fade away…"
Angel (urgently, passionately):"No! Calling, Texting, Asking for the excuse! Do not let the silence go through the space!"
(Protagonist tries to sing, but his voice falters. The rhythm slows, the energy dissipates.)
Protagonist (softly, almost breaking): "But what if… what if they do not answer me?"
Narrator (whispering, fading):"A message unheard… a schedule uncertain… yet the hesitation remain."
(Deep breathing sound accelerating, fading into breathy silence. The music stops. Silence.)
Then rewind like a cassette tape, tracing back to where the drama first began.