Four Seasons—Chinese Landscape, Poetry and Sound at Manchester Museum

Four Seasons — Chinese Landscape, Poetry and Sound

Four Seasons is a composer-led live performance project by Abigail Yang from Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), inspired by the natural imagery and emotional depth of classical Chinese poetry.

Through newly composed works for string instruments and Chinese classical solo dance, the work unfolds across four seasonal movements — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — each evoking shifting landscapes, atmospheres, and states of mind. Audiences are invited to a calm and immersive environment to enjoy the sound and movement.
Four Seasons — Chinese Landscape, Poetry and Sound

Four Seasons is a composer-led live performance project by Abigail Yang from Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), inspired by the natural imagery and emotional depth of classical Chinese poetry.

Through newly composed works for string instruments and Chinese classical solo dance, the work unfolds across four seasonal movements — Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter — each evoking shifting landscapes, atmospheres, and states of mind. Audiences are invited to a calm and immersive environment to enjoy the sound and movement.

Spring

Inspired by Wang Wei’s Birdsong Valley 王維《鳥鳴澗》

A violin solo with Chinese classical solo dance. A quiet and restrained opening, inspired by stillness, birdsong, and early spring landscapes.

Summer

Drawing on Li Bai’s Summer in the Mountains 李白《夏日山中》

A cello solo with Chinese classical solo dance. Focused on vitality and movement, reflecting mountain air, flowing water, and the physical presence of summer.

Autumn

Based on Wang Wei’s Autumn Evening in the Mountains 王維《山居秋暝》

A violin and cello duo with Chinese classical solo dance. A dialogue between instruments and movement, evoking space, breath, and quiet night-time landscapes.

Winter

Inspired by Cen Shen’s Song of White Snow on Secretary Wu’s Return to the Capital 岑參《白雪歌送武判官歸京》

A string quartet with Chinese classical solo dance. The concluding work expands the sound world, drawing on images of vast terrain, wind, snow, and movement across distance.

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