Music

First time in ages when I stayed home (well, at Bévinda's flat) the whole day to make music: composing for this new documentary project by the Weinert brother, playing the piano or rehearsing with my soprano friend Hanna for her upcoming audition. I will need more of those moments. Unlikely, though...
And time is getting tighter as the day of my return is near.

Dream

I dreamed that a big old tree was taking me in its branches.

My nephew as photographer

I received a message from Naomi Kawase telling me that the film True Mothers (Asa ga kuru) was expected to receive the Cannes 2020 Label alongside Wes Anderson and Thomas Vinterberg. True Mothers was supposed to have its world premiere at the Cannes Festival then open in Japan this month. 

Not sure what's going to happen now. Not sure how my music has been used in that film... Not sure I want to know... 

Anyway, between this and Ròm which finally passed the censorship in Vietnam and resume its life,  it's good news for the season.

Rừng

RỪNG: Second recording session of my mother talking and 'remembering'.

I still don't know how I will structure all that. Her actual memories is blended with 'facts' she would make up as she talked. Her childhood, mostly. Her father, her mother's work, schooltime. The French solderis. They often came back in her stories. I can't help but wonder if anything happened to her with those French soldiers... 

Talk. Her eyes looking at some distant scene.

She sometime wouldn't even realise I was there.

I try to use my own impressions as I'm listening to her. Whether it is true doesn't matter. The connection, the way to those memories are more interesting. 

It's slowly coming, as her memory is slowly waning.

As I wrote the other day, after a very long wait, the film has eventually passed the censorship in Vietnam, although it hasn't got out of the process totally unscathed.

I have been asked to come up with some additional music for a new scene that features the secondary but important character of Bà Ba, an adorable old lady who gambles her last money even though she has no illusion about the outcome. The music is supposed to come from an old favourite record that she plays one last time as she tidies her flat, Huy told me. 

So it's been with great joy that I resumed work with Franco Maigue. Since we had very little time, Huy said that it could be a piece I had already written for another project. Then I suddenly remembered a song, I wrote for the musical play 阿姨 (Auntie), some twelve years ago in Taipei. ChingYao had recorded his vocals, but a piano and cello version had also been done at the studio and luckily, I happened to have the files in my hard disk! Franco immediately said yes and his beautiful and sensitive playing did wonders for the melodic line. It felt strange to hear a piece I had not listened to for nealy ten years! 
Just minutes after I sent the track to Huy, he replied to say that he loved the music. Mission accomplished!

Again, making music is really the only thing that makes sense to me now in this wacky world.

Well, what?

Return to Taiwan... Nothings seems to be sure. The travel agency says I'm on the wait list, but it isn't even certain that I will even get a seat... They hinted that I could put an end to all the uncertainties by paying an extra fee of 400 euros... Yes, of course... Nice try...

Expect the unexpected but be prepared that it might be something else...