„Silence is the only music“ was inspired by one of Xu Zhimo’s (1896–1931) poems. The full sentence in the poem [Second farewell to Cambridge] reads as follows: I say nothing, silence is the only music to be heard when one departs. I interpreted the poet’s words into something more than a momentary departure. Zhimo’s departure from a beloved place in my opinion has a more general meaning of autumn and, furthermore, of the autumn of life. So my piece is a bit like
Gustav Mahler’s last song from “The Song of the Earth” [Farewell] a music for someone departing forever. So the listener may either take the “stormy” passage in my piece literally as a description of autumn storms with hailing ripe fuits, branches, and dead leaves, or in a more figurative sense as a death scene with light moments. But it is by no means a dramatic piece. More contemplative or meditative, my piece reflects on something religious or transcendental.