Harmonising Skylines: Composing the Marina Bay Symphony with Jonathan Shin
As the sun sets in Singapore, the weaves a tapestry of looming skyscrapers and city lights reflecting off the bay's waters in a dance of light and architecture that defies verbal capture.
The view from the most exclusive penthouse suite perched on the 23rd floor of the newly transformed Mandarin Oriental, Singapore has inspired a piece of music in honour of the iconic view of the Marina Bay skyline.
The debut of The Exceptional Bay Symphony marks the official reopening celebration of the hotel, with the help of Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore and through the vibrant orchestration of Composer Jonathan Shin.
Speaking to LBB, Jonathan unveils the intricate process behind weaving the essence of the skyline into an auditory work. He discusses how architectural elements and visual nuances metamorphosed into stirring musical motifs within the composition, and reveals the challenges and collaboration involved in the project.
LBB> Can you walk us through your creative process in translating the iconic view of the Marina Bay skyline into a musical composition? How did you capture the essence of the view through music?
Jonathan> Composing a view is folding its geography, topology, history, geology, metaphors, and energies into an artwork. Sometimes, I walk in a tabula rasa, ready to be imprinted upon. Other times, I feel happy about the place, as in this project! I always scribble as many things as I can, taking in the circumference the centre and the periphery. Imagine a windsock in a storm! Afterwards I put the windsock away, and I lie down or walk around my room trying to communicate the wonderful storm to my listener.
LBB> The symphony reflects a narrative of Singapore’s skyline. Could you highlight some musical elements or instruments used in the symphony that represent certain architectural or visual aspects of the skyline?
Jonathan> Some works practically write themselves: in Exceptional, I transcribed the shape of the skyline note-for-note and knew this had to be the climactic section. The rising gradation of the skyline (from left to right) inspired the opening cello motif; the Bay the susurration in the piano lines; foliage in the boulevards required woodwind trills. The city's combination of glass, steel, and concrete has been a great influence to me in my compositional career; in Exceptional, I compose stentorious brass lines to limn the skyscrapers.
LBB> What challenges did you face in merging the visual grandeur of the skyline with the auditory experience of music?
Jonathan> Some form of composing is communicating, and in some ways music — even without semiotics — accomplishes that easier than language. My challenge is to transport, jolt, charm, or even bully the listener into different worlds. In Exceptional, it was important to charm them and send frissons down their spines during the climax!
LBB> How did you collaborate with the Orchestra of The Music Makers to ensure that the symphony effectively conveyed the emotions and visuals of the Marina Bay skyline?
Jonathan> I could not be happier when I realised we would be working together! They are altogether technically-excellent players, with such vivacious spirits and appetites for larger-than-life works. I’m fortunate to have made many friends within OMM, so communicating about the music was much easier, and we could make many decisions on the fly for the Symphony. It didn’t hurt that they immediately understood what the music was conveying; all that was left were minor details.
LBB> In your view, what are the parallels between the architectural elements of the skyline and the rhythmic or melodic aspects of your symphony?
Jonathan> A quote comes to mind: Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” Some visual things lend themselves more accessible to auditory metaphors. A swooping highway filled with cars transmutes as busy, harmonically rising sequences in the violins. The tall skyscrapers become stacks of brass chords. The roofs of pre-war houses return us to nostalgia: I choose harmonies that help us soak in imagined memories. The hyper-modernity of the entire tableaux informs my harmonic language as well: I tend towards open fourths and fifths, seventh chords, with abrupt changes in harmony not unlike quickly shifting gears in a car.
LBB> Could you describe the emotions or sensations you aimed to evoke in the listeners through the symphony, particularly regarding their connection to the visual experience of the skyline?
Jonathan> I try to evoke a sense of awe, a sense of Seeing the Sublime. There's the comprehension that it’s an incredible effort altogether, to make a thing, to build a building, to engineer an experience, all culminating in a view seen by a pair of eyes. Millions of man-hours! But I think that’s why music is so wonderful: you don’t need words to say all of that. The right vibrations, in the correct order and time, can communicate the ineffable. If they can sense wind billowing, or see in their inner eye a shimmering air, or feel a sense of expanse and great growth, I would say it's job done for me!
LBB> What techniques did you employ to make the symphony not just a musical composition but also an experiential journey for the audience?
Jonathan> I borrowed many techniques from the past: motivic manipulation, accelerating and decelerating harmonic rhythm, economical orchestration, etc.
LBB> Finally, how does this composition compare to your previous work, especially considering the unique inspiration drawn from a visual landscape rather than thematic or personal narratives?
Jonathan> Interestingly a sizable number of my commissioned works are about landscapes! However, this brief turning of skyline into melody made my work more tangible and, in a way, easier. Its short length also meant that I had to be much more precise about my ideas, which was a lovely challenge.
