A Red, Red Rose
From Flowers · Journeys · Songs

Lyrics: Robert Burns
Chinese translation: Zuoliang Wang
Composer: Vivian Zhang
Piano: Ruiyan Qian
Violin: Xiaojun Huang
Baritone: Yuan Chai

Premiered on August 30, 2024, at The Centennial Shanghai Music Week: From Huang Zi to Us — A Shining Moment Special Concert, Shanghai Concert Hall.

Before composing this original work, I immersed myself in the study of Huang Zi’s art songs. Having studied extensively in the United States, Huang Zi absorbed Western music theory and then integrated it with traditional Chinese music, shaping his own distinctive style. This naturally made me reflect on my own experience of studying abroad in the UK, and my wish to weave together the Celtic musical influences of Scotland with the sounds that have long nurtured me. In doing so, I also sought to revisit and reflect upon my own growth throughout my four years of university.

My inspiration branched from Huang Zi’s Three Wishes of the Rose. The rose as an image evokes a wide range of emotions and resonances, intersecting with the communicative nature of song itself. I eventually chose to set Robert Burns’s A Red, Red Rose as an art song. Burns’s poem speaks of parting from a beloved and the promise of return. Into this, I embedded the thematic spirit of Three Wishes of the Rose, creating an interplay and dialogue with Celtic-styled verses.

Through this piece, I hope to tell a story of fusion and return—not only in content and musicality, but even across the dimension of time. At the same time, I wish for it to remain accessible and heartfelt, so that it may find a place in listeners’ affections.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

【原创艺术歌曲】一朵红红的玫瑰

艺术歌曲集《花·旅·歌》

作词：罗伯特·彭斯

翻译：王佐良

作曲：张薇雯

钢琴：钱蕊嫣

小提琴：黄晓俊

男中音：柴源

首演于 2024年8月30日 《百年海派音乐周：从黄自到我们——璀璨时刻专场》 上海音乐厅

在准备原创作品前，我先大量学习了黄自先生的艺术歌曲，黄自先生在美国学习大量西方音乐理论，再与中国传统音乐融合，完美地形成了黄自先生自己的风格。我也由此联想到自己英国游学经历，想要将苏格兰凯尔特风格和自己耳濡目染的音乐结合起来，回顾大学四年自己的成长经历。

于是我便从《玫瑰三愿》发散思维，“玫瑰”这一意象可以唤出与之相连广泛的情感，正好和歌曲的传播性交叉。最后，我选择将彭斯的《一朵红红的玫瑰》写成艺术歌曲。这首诗歌诉说了与心爱之人的别离和归来的约定，我将《玫瑰三愿》的主题镶嵌其中，与凯尔特风格的主歌互动和呼应。希望我的作品可以在内容、音乐性甚至时空的维度讲述融合和归来，也希望我的作品浅显易懂，能获得大家的喜爱。

玫瑰若改其名，亦不减其芬芳。