A Pledge of Love - 2008 Beijing Olympics Theme Song Entry

A Pledge of Love - 2008 Beijing Olympics Theme Song Entry

August 13, 2007

    CHICAGO, Aug. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- "A Pledge
of Love," a North American- composed entry as the
theme song of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing in 2008, was
performed Sunday, May 20, at the 2007 All Chinese Music
Concert at Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center in
Chicago. 

    This concert was named by Chicago Tribune as one of the
top 10 classical music concerts in Chicago. 

    Mrs. Martha Wright founder and director of "The
West Tennessee Youth Chorus" said that she cries with
tears after listening to the song.

    Composed for the 2008 Olympics' opening ceremony,
"A Pledge of Love" suffuses contemporary
musicology in a restrained classical form. Reaching a level
of purity and beauty, the composition integrates slight
jazz-like pop music modulation to create a dynamic sense of
freedom of expression and contradiction. It is a lively yet
haunting piece - pure, compassionate, powerful and
inspiring. In the orchestra-only version, the composer
seamlessly integrates Chinese tunes and instruments with
the orchestra, symbolizing the globalization of arts and
culture.
 
    As the Olympic ceremony unfolds, the beating of 100
thundering drums gives way to a triumphant medley of
trumpets and brass. A lyrical melody marks the first
section - pastoral, spring-like and hopeful. "We sing
to our land," the lyrics say, "carry high the
torch." 

    In the second dance-like section, people are
"back-to-back and hand-in- hand," celebrating
friendship and togetherness. A male solo voice gives a
lively feel of modernism and action. 

    To highlight the Olympic slogan, "One World, One
Dream," the dramatization starts at a transition where
trumpets climb to the highest notes. The tubas and double
basses contradict their sounds with a very low scale. This
creates a feeling of strength and determination, inducing
the forces of "Ying and Yang." In effect, it
represents human struggle and undaunted courage. 

    Finally, the song explodes into a majestic,
compassionate and memorable "One World, One
Dream" theme which invites listeners to sing. In Dr.
Leung's words, "It is mankind's yearning for love and
hope." The orchestra and chorus finally reach the
grandest measures of the music, inviting the first
explosion of colors and sounds of fireworks. 

    A recording of "A Pledge of Love," is
available at http://www.omusic.us 


    For more information, please contact:

     Yvonne Song
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]