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LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Leon Siu and Malia Elliott
JERRÉ TANNER laid aside his opera Ka Lei No Kane to began composing Boy With Goldfish in 1974. He had already created The Hawaiian Songbook (a symphonic song cycle) and The Naupaka Floret (an opera/oratorio for soloists and large chorus and orchestra centering about the symbol of a torn-in-half love-flower); so creating another large work centering around the symbol of two goldfish, Agape and Eros, and their various metamorphoses, seemed natural enough. Ever since he could remember Tanner was attracted to myth and folklore, not only for the fantasy element but for the encoded symbolism which they contained. The Boy With Goldfish series of paintings by Kona artist John Thomas, which inspired the music, were bursting with symbolism. Thomas, a devout Jungian, united storied Narcissus, Apollo, the drugged Tristan, and the demi-god Maui to create a trans-Hawaiian legend in which nature plays as significant a part as does the central figure of a boy in search of his anima. Tanner, of French and Cherokee descent, was born in Pennsylvania in 1939. His childhood was spent in national wildlife reserve lands where his father was superintendent of fish hatcheries. As a youth Tanner manifested a zen-like feeling for the natural world which later, as a composer, helped him create in his music a strong sense of physical place. His youthful opus Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), a collection of concert arias, describes in rich melodic lines ruins of ancient Mexico, the harbor of Hong Kong, and snow on the Bosporus. In Goldfish Tanner calls upon his experiences with nature to create musical equivalents for thunder and lightning, for the stillness of a pool, for the ocean from which the sun dawns and for the final glory of the rainbow. Tanner's mastery of nature equivalents can be found throughout all his works, most notably those based on Hawaiian mythology. Ka Lei No Kane (The Garland of God Kane), his opera for young people Na Pupu-Kani-Oe (The Singing Snails), and his award- winning symphonic tone poem Aukele (The Swimmer) [recorded by the Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra] are rich with these equivalents.
LEON SIU and MALIA ELLIOTT inherited the bountiful tradition of English/Hawaiian balladry. These young musicians perform extensively in Hawaii, Canada and on the U. S. Mainland. They have composed and performed music for several films including the National Geographic Society's "Voyage of the Hokule'a" shown on National Public Television. Besides Goldfish they have written and performed songs for six other recordings.
JOHN THOMAS, an artist living in Hawaii, exhibits nationally and internationally. Influenced by the Italian Renaissance and Gestalt psychology, Thomas is a theoretician, scholar, educator and an abiding inspiration to all who view his art. His paintings are in numerous private and public collections including those of the State of Hawaii and the Hirshhorn Collection at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
a heroic fantasy for soloists, chorus and orchestra
based on the Hawaiian legend paintings of John Thomas
THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Leon Siu and Malia Elliott vocal soloists
the Nigel Brooks Chorale, Nigel Brooks director
Timothy Farrell, pipe organ; Leon Siu, guitar
1. INTRODUCTION AND OPENING CHANT
(Out of the darkness called Po the many voices of Eternal Male and Eternal Female announce the appearance of those figures who shall later become the contestants in the psychomachia.)
Puka kana ke Ao me ka Pa,
Puka kana ke 'Ohu me ka Ua,
Puka kana ke Kupua me ka Mo'o.
Puka kana ka Maile me ka Ti.
Puka kana ka Pua me ka Hua.
Come out in the open, O Light, with Sound,
Come out in the open, O Mist, with the Rain,
Even the coupling seen in the rainbow.
Come out of Formal Night, and be born, O Garden.
Come out, O Spirit Forms, with the Serpent-monster.
Come out, Maile vine, with the Ti plant.
Come out, O Flower, with the Fruit.
Come out, O Seed-sprouting Tree fern.
Be born, come out of Formal Night, O Child!
(The eternal figures disappear; and where they had once stood there now crouches, asleep in the rainbow's midst, a child glowing palely gold.)
(Approaching the sleeping child through the rain forest Forest Mother arrives bearing gifts of the five senses and love, the child's psychic messenger in the form of a beautiful young girl. Spirits of the forest precede them.)
Rainbow's birth in golden dawn,
Give your eyes to open light ...
Crystal chimes in milky wind,
Living green leaf rhapsody,
Give your ears to open sound ...
Fair and pure the tiny bud,
Quiet grasses perfumed heart.
Give your senses opened doors ...
Vine entwines to kiss the tree,
To withered blossom sunlight flows.
Give your heart to open love ...
(Forest Mother delivers these gifts as the child's birth-right. From his sleeping body the Spirit Form rises to accept the gifts and in doing so reveals the child as destined to achieve heroic stature.)
My mind awakens from the deep;
Stretching from dreamless sleep.
The dear Earth is a friend to keep.
I can feel the birth of dawn,
I can hear the daylight come.
I can feel the birth of dawn, and
I can hear the daylight come.
The thing to set me free!
Now the haze begins to sway,
Invaded by the sight of day,
Swept into the light display!
The thing to set me free!
My heart proclaims profound surprise
As worldly splendor fills my eyes!
Terrestrial beauty in mine own eyes!
So much abounds for me to see;
So many wonders there must be.
So much abounds for me to see, and
So many wonders there must be.
For sight has made me free!
My joyful heart ... (etc.)
(The heroic Spirit Form returns within the sleeping child. Anticipating the coming of day, Nature Spirits scurry through the rain forest.)
Forest Mother & Nature Spirits
Wake and arise ... (etc.)
Mother's first song ... (etc.)
(Faintly conscious, the child stirs in his sleep, upon hearing fantastic voices, as though of dim, imagined memories, raised by Forest Mother and her attendants, speaking uncertainly of images not yet familiar to him. He emerges into wakefulness.)
(The first sight to meet the child's eyes is a profound pool, the surface a mirror-threshold intermittently disrupted by raindrops.)
(Beneath the mirror-threshold the goldfish spiral upward from the deep. A complex image presents itself. When the raindrops shatter the pool's surface, it seems to him that the goldfish, himself and the rainbow all form a single sight. He reaches for this enticing vision, and his hand pierces the surface.) [see Trailing a Passing Wake painting on page 4]
They glisten in sunlight!
(Three tempters say the goldfish are Desire, but the boy sees Friendship.)
Here, taste this fruit of the Earth,
Its flavor will bring joy and mirth.
Won't you please tell me your secret?
I am drawn to your beauty,
The fragrance of flora is sweet,
Lovingly spread at your feet.
I reach out with my hand,
Won't you please be my friend?
Come, drink the spice of the sun.
Your heart will be a happy one.
I am trying to touch you.
Won't you play with me now?
Won't you please teach me how?
(Out of dark recesses of the rain forest Forest Mother appears, hands raised in warning.)
Look around! Look around!
Others may be needing you,
Though they may seem small.
But alas, pretty Goldfish,
Your little game eludes me,
I don't know how you play;
(A decision firmly made to commit himself to following the goldfish, the boy steps into the mirror-threshold, expecting an intensification of his delight, only to plunge into darkness. He leaves behind the figure of the girl arrayed in a nimbus of golden light. Divided from her true companion, she laments for him.)
Or the vague complexities
Quietly I hear your gentle call.
He laughed beneath ... (etc.)
He looked about and you were gone.
The Girl and Nature Spirits
You are gone. You are gone.
Innocent Summer, you are gone.
(He finds himself submerged all alone in the barren darkness of a cave, his way clogged with obstacles. Struggling onward, and without being aware, he is growing stronger and older. With darkness and despair closing around him, he realizes he has lost his way.)
I do wish that I could see,
But darkness closes in on me!
I have lost the Golden Sight,
And in this swiftly fading light
The pretty fish did lead me here,
Led me here to face my fear;
The gilded fish did lead me here,
And left me here to face my fear
What's happened to my world.
Distortion makes me wonder
Was it really there at all?
Was it there, or did I fall?
The Earth, once my friend,
Is all cracked until it bleeds,
But could the fault lay in me?
I feel I'm being swallowed down,
Sinking deep into the ground!
Nature that was always kind
Now wears the crooked frown,
Now wears some somber gown!
Mother Nature seemed so kind,
My mind cries out in agony,
Where is the love she gave to me?
I feel I'm being swallowed down,
Sinking deep into the ground.
Nature that was always kind
Now wears the crooked frown.
(From above, standing on a high cliff overlooking the brooding sea, the girl sings to a soft south wind. She calls on it to comfort and inspire the boy in his agony of transformation.)
He's grown from what he used to be.
He's grown from what he used to be.
He's crying rivers to the sea,
Rivers to the brooding sea.
Try to soothe his misery,
A smile to soothe his misery.
He's changed from what he used to be.
He's crying rivers ... (etc.)
He's changed from what he used to be.
(The sun dawns out of the ocean illuminating the cavern. The boy,emerging from the darkness, now glimpses another complex and compelling image, as when he first awoke. This second image, of greater magnitude, fuses the reflection of the sun and the golden eel, Puhi, now the goldfish Desire transformed.)
Pretty fish did lead me here,
Left me here to face my fear.
He fails to see my dread.
[see Puhi painting on page 8] (Aggressive Puhi undulates seductively towards the boy and draws his attention, for the first time, away from his pursuit of the goldfish named Friendship, leaving the girl more vulnerable than ever. The boy, believing all is well, fascinated by Puhi, is oblivious to the plight of the girl. She sees for the first time the ghastly form of Mo'o [dragon], Puhi's ultimate metamorphosis.)
A writhing shape confronting me,
When will he see the threat I see?
This gilded fish that used to flee
Is changing now, it beckons me.
This scaly shape that chases me!
Dark and writhing bodily,
Foreboding creature of the sea!
(Mo'o encoils the defenseless girl. Her cries for help, as she is carried off to the dragon monster's cave, at last tear the boy's attention from Puhi, who instantly vanishes.)
Help me! Help me! I am caught!
That's the voice I long have sought!
Help me! I'm within its thrall!
Yes, I answer to your call!
(Still maturing, and with his powers divided by his having turned to Puhi, the boy perceives his inability to rescue the girl from Mo'o and calls for help.)
Help me, whether great or small,
Help me fight beyond the fall.
(Singing with the tongue of tradition, the boy calls on creatures of the sea for help.)
'Opae e O Shrimps, my friends,
'Opae e O Shrimps, my friends,
'Opae ho'i O noble Shrimps,
'Opae ho'i O noble Shrimps,
Ua hele mai au I have arrived,
Ua hele mai au Arrived to take you with me,
Na kuahine. Dear, helpful kin.
'Ai a wai Don't you know we're food?
'Ai a puhi Food for that eel?
'A 'ole loa. Absolutely not! We're staying!
Mano e O Sharks, my friends
Mano e O Sharks, my friends,
Mano ho'i O noble Sharks,
Mano ho'i O noble Sharks,
Ua hele mai au I have arrived,
Ua hele mai au Arrived to take you with me,
Na kuahine. Dear, helpful kin.
'Ai a wai Well, even sharks are food.
'Ai a puhi Food for that huge eel
A li'ili'i au Middle-sized us!
'A 'ole loa. Absolutely not! We're staying!
(In desperation, he appeals to humble limpets.)
'Opihi e O Limpets, my friends,
'Opihi e O Limpets, my friends,
'Opihi ho'i O noble Limpets,
'Opihi ho'i O noble Limpets,
Ua hele mai au I have arrived,
Ua hele mai au Arrived to take you with me,
Na kuahine. Dear, helpful kin.
Mai maka'u Don't be afraid.
Na'u e pani We will clamp down
I ka maka And close the eyes
A 'ike 'ole Of that huge eel
Kela puhi. So he shall not see!
Mai maka'u ... (etc.) Don't be afraid ... (etc.)
12. DESIRE, SEDUCTION and THE BATTLE
(With the girl securely captive in a gloomy chamber of the cavern, Mo'o awaits the arrival of the boy. Sensing his approach, great Mo'o first transforms himself into Puhi, slithers into the water, and then transforms himself into the goldfish Desire. Mistaking Desire for Friendship, the boy expectantly follows through a subterranean waterfall, his eyes blinking with the mists. He catches sight of golden Puhi. Again, Puhi undulates enticingly towards the boy. Succumbing, at last, to Puhi's advances, as though hypnotized, he kneels and reaches for Puhi. They meet and play with each other. Puhi proffers the boy his head. The boy kisses it. Puhi begins changing into Mo'o. As though united to the love for which he was destined, the narcotized boy yields himself altogether to the omnivorous cravings of Mo'o. Meanwhile, the tiny limpets have been faithfully following through with their promise, creeping up the magnifying form of the serpent-monster. Just as the tongue of Mo'o is entering the boy's gullet, to consume him from within, the limpets slide over the eyes of Mo'o, blinding him. At once, the boy awakens from allurements of the deadly trance, facing the hideous head of Mo'o. The strife between the two ensues. The earth shakes. At places, the cavern crumbles. Waters thunder down. Mo'o's tail, held securely in his hand, gives the boy the insight needed for triumph.
Great strength flows through him as he visibly grows in size and extricates himself from the scaly coils. Then, swinging Mo'o's body in an arch, he whips its lashing tail deep within its jaws, turning its deadliness upon itself. At that moment, the body of Mo'o is transmuted into bands of color-light, flowing as arching rainbows from the cavern, through the falls and out into the sky. The rainbows expand, turning back the dark canopy of the cave. For the first time, the youth and his psychic messenger are free to meet face-to-face. During the struggle the boy was transformed into a heroic youth, the image of his Spirit Form.
Turn the dark upon darkness
Lest darkness steal your sight.
Then turn darkness to light!
Then turn chaos to peace!
Lest fear be your descent.
Then turn fear into strength!
But death, like shadows, lies.
Then turn death into life!
(The girl holds out her hand to the youth; he raises his hand to hers. They merge, the two now made one, and form an orb of light rising as the sun encircled by rainbows, the victor prize, the glory of the triumph.)
And sight at your command,
Let swift the tide of sorrow flow,
Bend tears into the Sun-glow,
The Rainbow Children and Nature Spirits
Ho'okoi i ke au i kaumaha
A ala i loko ke anuenue la.
Ia wa ola pa'a lima ... (etc.)
... A ala i loko ke anuenue la.
(From the vantage point above, it may be noted by any far-seeing observer, that a luminous commotion animates the waters below. Goldfish still sport there, swimming off where, doubtless, other boys shall see them and make choices of their own.)
Leon Siu and Malia Elliott
'Opae E is a traditional Hawaiian song
translations from Hawaiian,
mis en scène and biographies
BOY WITH GOLDFISH PAINTINGS BY JOHN THOMAS
NO. 1 Rainbow Birth 60 X 50"
(see page 3) private collection
NO. 2 Trailing a Passing Wake 75 X 45"
(see page 4) collection of Hon. & Mrs. John T. Ushijima
(see page 7) collection of the State of Hawaii
(see page 8) collection of the State of Hawaii
(see page 8) collection of the State of Hawaii
NO. 6 The Battle 60 X 90"
(see page 11) collection of the artist
NO. 7 Rainbow Falls 66 X 96"
(see page 12) collection of the Contemporary Arts Center
For information on Boy with Goldfish reproductions suitable for framing, note cards and book of collected essays write to Multi-Arts Inc., Post Office Box 1761, Honolulu, Hawaii 96806
Boy with Goldfish was recorded at Watford Town Hall, London, England July 9 and 10, 1979 using Soundstream digital recording equipment engineered by Bruce Rothaar. Recording engineer was Brian Culverhouse. The masters were digitally edited by Jules Blumenthal at Soundstream's studios, Salt Lake City, Utah, in August 1979. Goldfish was Soundstream's twelfth recording and utilized Soundstream's 16-bit linear encoding, 35 ips tape speed, sampling at a rate of 50,000 times per second. Desire, Seduction and the Battle and Turn! was the first music heard in a direct from Soundstream digital recorder to FM broadcast which was aired over KFAC-FM radio in Los Angeles on March 3, 1980. The digital masters were re-edited by Thomas MacCluskey in 1991 at BMG Music Studios, New York City, with composer Tanner supervising the editing. The final edited version was transferred to a Sony 1630 master which was used for creating the Albany Records CD master.
Putman Clark, Howard Grant, Edith Kanaka'ole, Joseph Levine, Kalani Meinecke, Alfred Preis, Thomas Stockham, Mae Tucker, Laila and Thurston Twigg-Smith, Margaret and John Ushijima
London Symphony Orchestra
Leon Siu and Malia Elliott, Vocal Soloists
v Introduction and Opening Chant (6:24)
v Dawn and Help Me! (5:15)
recorded July 9 and 10, 1979
at Watford Town Hall, Watford, U.K.
Soundstream digital recording
engineer Brian Culverhouse
1991 editing Thomas MacCluskey
editing supervised by the composer
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