Program Note

Seven Doors to Eternity follows the journey of a Soul in search of Truth. Passing through seven symbolic worlds — Sky, Water, Mountains, Land, Life, Universe and Truth — the Soul first searches outward, discovering different forms of beauty, mystery and spirit in nature. Its journey then turns inward as it encounters human life, memory and the self. Throughout the symphony, a recurring “Eternity motif” quietly connects these experiences. Gradually, the Soul comes to understand that Truth is not a distant destination to be reached, but a presence that has existed within nature, life and ourselves from the very beginning.

I. SKY

The Soul is born beneath an open blue sky, entering the world with innocence, curiosity and no knowledge of what lies ahead. Ethereal woodwinds, warm horns and strings create a world of weightlessness, while fragments of the Eternity motif are embedded within the harmony. As the Soul drifts among the clouds, familiar sounds begin to change identity: a high bassoon seems almost like a flute, reflecting a world in which imagination and reality freely meet. Eventually, the Soul descends from this purity into a more complicated world. The first door closes with a question, and the journey must continue.

II. WATER

The Soul enters the world of water, where harp arpeggios, woodwinds and low strings create ripples, droplets and waves. Beneath the calm surface, an Eye appears — an image inspired by the composer’s experience at Heaven Lake in Changbaishan. At first mysterious and threatening, the Eye gradually reveals itself as a guide rather than an enemy. As the Soul approaches it, darkness gives way to warmth and tenderness, while mist rises through delicate pizzicato strings, marimba, harp and woodwinds. The Soul does not yet discover Truth, but learns something equally important: how to look beyond appearances and remain open to what it does not understand.

III. MOUNTAINS

The third door leads to mountains and the ancient world of stone. Inspired by encounters with rocks formed millions of years ago, the music imagines each stone as possessing its own character, resonance and spirit. For the Soul, the mountain becomes a meeting point between the temporary nature of individual life and the immense timescale of the natural world. As it rises towards and beyond the summit, the Soul reflects on the sky, the water and the Eye it has already encountered. These experiences begin to appear less like separate episodes and more like parts of a single search. Yet the journey towards Truth remains unfinished.

IV. LAND

At first, the Soul sees the land as ordinary and predictable: a world governed by gravity, order and familiar forms. But as it looks more closely, this first impression begins to dissolve. The desert reveals hidden beauty within apparently empty dunes; the forest becomes a conversation between animals, plants and unseen forms of life; and the grasslands open into seemingly endless space. Clarinet, harp, marimba, strings and luminous harmonies reveal depth within these everyday landscapes. By the end of the movement, the Soul has learned an important lesson: mystery and beauty do not belong only to the extraordinary. They can exist within the most familiar parts of the world.

V. LIFE

Having travelled through nature, the Soul now enters the human world — a world shaped by order, pressure, expectations and social structures. Searching for a human life, it encounters the first breaths of a newborn child, expressed through open strings and gently rising woodwinds. The child is eventually revealed to be the composer himself. Memories of childhood emerge through quotations from two earlier works, Crash the Piano and Time to Go Home, representing emotional intensity on one side and quiet reflection on the other. The Soul and the composer are now joined, yet separated by experience and society. Together, they continue their search for Truth.

VI. UNIVERSE

The Soul and the composer now appear to leave the Earth, but this is not a physical journey into space. Instead, they travel inward, beneath the surface of the world and towards its hidden centre. Extreme instrumental registers meet quieter, familiar sounds as the Eternity motif returns and earlier musical memories reappear. Gradually, the orchestra rises until, for the first time in the symphony, the full ensemble speaks together as the “Voice of the Earth.” The Earth is no longer merely a landscape but a living presence, revealing a path towards Truth. After this great release of energy, the music withdraws, preparing the opening of the final door.

VII. TRUTH

In the final movement, the separate experiences of the journey begin to connect. The blue sky, the Eye within the water, the spirits of the rocks, the landscapes of the Earth and the memories of human life are revealed as different signs pointing towards the same Truth. At its centre is innocence: the ability to encounter the world openly, before expectation and habit determine how it should be understood. The Soul finally realizes that Truth was never hidden at some distant destination. It was present throughout the journey and within the self from the beginning. The symphony closes in radiant D major — not as a conquest, but as recognition and reunion.