Three Variations of Yang Pass 阳关三叠: an ancient guqin tune sung at an inn in Yang Pass 从新疆转西入阳关后有感而发

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“Three Variations of Yang Pass”(《阳关三叠》) is a guqin song (琴歌) that intertwines poetry and music. This piece is closely tied to a poem penned by a Tang Dynasty poet, Wang Wei.

This poem, often referred to as "Sending Off Yuan Er, the Envoy to Anxi" (《送元二使安西》), was composed by Wang Wei as a farewell to his friend Yuan Er, who was dispatched by the Tang central government on a diplomatic mission to the northwestern frontier of China. Anxi was the abbreviated name for the "Anxi Protectorate," an administrative division established by the Tang government to govern the vast territories of the Western Regions. Its headquarters were located in Qiuci (龟兹), now known as Kucha (库车), a city in modern-day Uyghur Xinjiang.

The poet Wang Wei, known for his profound sensitivity to nature and human relationships, channelled his sentiments into this poem, immortalizing the scene at the Yang Pass where the traveller’s path diverged. "Three Variations of Yang Pass" is a musical interpretation of Wang Wei's verses.

During July 2023, I took a road-trip around some parts of Uyghur Xinjiang. The landscapes I encountered and the souls I crossed paths with during my journey, spanning from Kucha all the way to Yang Pass, painted a vivid mosaic of memories that would forever enhance the sentiments woven into my interpretation of this piece.


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