Composed 1995/2001; six minutes

 Soulmate started life as the second movement of Poetry on Ice (1995) a piece for string orchestra.  In it, the strings play the theme in unison – allowing for subsequent transcription in versions for solo violin, viola and cello.   The lyrical, joyously rhapsodic piece, Chan says, “describes two people who accept each other beyond love and affection.  Their understanding is subtle, mutual, and wordless, like a pair of dancers on ice.   The unending melody depicts their graceful, florid movement as well as their voices from their heart.”  

Photo: Bo Huang

“In composing, I tend to draw my inspiration from different aspects of life,” says Hong Kong born composer Chan Kan Nin, a Canadian citizen since 1971, now Professor Emeritus in Composition at the University of Toronto.  “Soulmate reflects my loving and understanding relationship with my longtime wife, Canadian pianist and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho.”