Goi Ywei Chern - A Re-fusion of Cultures Programme Notes

A Re-fusion of Cultures

Sunday 31 May 2026, 1PM - 2PM

Kentish Town Congregational Church, London

Wednesday 10 June 2026, 12:45PM - 13:30PM

Westminster Music Library, London

Efe Yüksel and Goi Ywei Chern will perform an eclectic array of music, from ancient to contemporary, from anonymous composers to a king, all composed or arranged for the melodica and guitar.

Poster designed by Tianjing Zhu.

Mark Griskey - Rebuilt Jedi Enclave (arr. Goi)

Richard Coeur de Lion - Ja nus hons pris (arr. Goi)

Anonymous - Quand je bois du vin clairet (arr. Goi)

J.S. Bach - Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639 (arr. Goi)

Traditional - Havada Bulut Yok (arr. Yüksel)

Traditional - İzmir Marşı (arr. Yüksel)

Goi Ywei Chern - Threading Chaos

I. Sunrise, Babylon
II. Wreathed in Grain
III. Distant Lights
IV. Nora
V. Spectre
VI. The Field at Dusk

Efe Yüksel - Duo for guitar and melodica

Seikilos - Seikilos Epitaph (arr. Goi & Yüksel)

Mark Griskey

Rebuilt Jedi Enclave (arr. Goi)

This piece comes from the soundtrack of the 2004 video game Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

Richard Coeur de Lion

Ja nus hons pris (arr. Goi)

This song was originally composed by Richard the Lionheart, the king of England around the year 1192, when he was imprisoned by Duke Leopold V of Austria after being shipwrecked on his way back to Europe after leading the Third Crusade in the Levant. In the lyrics, a letter he writes to his sister, he complains about how his many friends and subjects refuse to pay the ransom to get him out of prison. The lyrics, translated into English by Charmaine Lee, as are follows:

No prisoner will speak his mind fittingly unless he does so as a man in sorrow; but he can, for consolation, make a song. I have friends enough but the gifts are few; they will be shamed if for want of my ransom I am here for two winters a prisoner.

This my men and my barons – English, Norman, Poitevin and Gascon – know full well: I never had a companion so poor I would leave him in prison for the sake of wealth. I do not say this as a reproach, but I am still a prisoner.

Now I well and truly know for certain that a dead man or a prisoner has no friend or family, since I am left here for the sake of gold or silver. I fear for myself, but even more so for my people, for after my death they will be dishonoured, if I am held prisoner for a long time.

It is no wonder I have a grieving heart when my lord causes havoc in my land. If he were to remember our oath which we both made together, I know for sure that I would no longer be a prisoner here.

The men of Anjou and Touraine, those youths who are free and healthy, know full well that I am held far from them in another’s hands; they would help me greatly but see no money coming. The plains are now empty of fine arms because I am a prisoner.

My companions whom I loved and love still – the lords of Cayeux and of Perche – tell them, Song, that they are not men to rely on: the heart I had for them was never false nor faltering. If they now wage war on me, they will act most basely, as long as I were to remain a prisoner.

Countess sister, may the one to whom I appeal and on whose account I am a prisoner save and guard your sovereign worth for you.

I do not say this about the one in Chartres, The mother of Louis.No prisoner will speak his mind fittingly unless he does so as a man in sorrow; but he can, for consolation, make a song. I have friends enough but the gifts are few; they will be shamed if for want of my ransom I am here for two winters a prisoner.

It is no wonder I have a grieving heart when my lord causes havoc in my land. If he were to remember our oath which we both made together, I know for sure that I would no longer be a prisoner here.

Countess sister, may the one to whom I appeal and on whose account I am a prisoner save and guard your sovereign worth for you.

I do not say this about the one in Chartres, The mother of Louis.

Anonymous

Quand je bois du vin clairet (arr. Goi)

Also known as Tourdion, this piece by an unknown composer was published by Pierre Attaingnant is 1530. It is a lively dance popular in France at the time, and similar to a galliard.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ

BWV 639 (Arr. Goi)

Originally for organ, Bach composed this choral prelude using the melody from Johann Agricola's hymn of the same name. It has also been used in the 1972 film Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Traditional

Havada Bulut Yok (arr. Yüksel)

İzmir Marşı (arr. Yüksel)

Havada Bulut Yok (There are no clouds in the sky):

Havada bulut yok, one of the most popular and recognisable Turkish folk tunes of the 20th century, originated from the eastern parts of the country, to commemorate a garrison of soldiers who were sent to the front in Yemen during WW1, of whom non returned.

Havada bulut yok bu ne dumandır

Mahlede ölü yok bu ne şivandır

Şu Yemen elleri ne de yamandır

Ah o Yemen'dir gülü çemendir

Giden gelmiyor acep ne iştir"

There are no clouds in the sky, why is there smoke?

There is no death in the neighborhood, why are there cries?

The lands of Yemen are so rugged

That place is Yemen, its rose are thorns

Those who go do not return, I wonder why this is

İzmir Marşı (The march of İzmir):

This anonymous march, dedicated to the city of İzmir located in the western coast of Turkey (and the city that I was born in), has been popular ever since WW1 up to the present day, often played and sung by marching parades during national holidays. In recent years, it has taken on the symbolic meaning of showing support to democracy, freedom and secularism.

“İzmir is a special city, a place where nobody will discriminate against you due to your background, appearance or the way you present yourself. Every year, many people from all over the country gather here and sing the march of İzmir together, they come in the name of democracy and freedom, and express themselves as they wish.” Former MP for İzmir, Tacettin Bayır

Goi Ywei Chern

Threading Chaos

I. Sunrise, Babylon

II. Wreathed in Grain

III. Distant Lights

IV. Nora

V. Spectre

VI. The Field at Dusk

These six short movements depict scenes from the story of Eumenes of Cardia, Alexander the Great's secretary, from Alexander's death in 323 BC to his own in 316 BC.

Sunrise, Babylon portrays the morning after the death of the king, a time of mourning which also promises a new, violent beginning as his successorts tear his empire apart.

Wreathed in Grain is titled after an episode decribed by Plutarch, in which Eumenes claimed to have seen, the day before his first major battle against another of Alexander's sucessors, a vision in which an army of Alexander supported by Demeter was victorious, and thus ordered his soldiers to "wreath their arms in ears of grain".

Distant Lights follows the period spent by Eumenes raiding the Anatolian territory claimed by another successor, Antipater. At this time he was said to have used fast raids with his experienced cavalry, in which I would imagine he would have been glad to see the distant lights of towns and villages, or cautious when spotting the camps of the enemy.

He was eventually cornered and defeated in battle by an ally of Antipater, Antigonus Monophthalmus. At this point he retreated to a Cappadocian fortress, Nora, to wait out his enemies.

After finally escaping, possibly through trickery, the siege of Nora, Eumenes gathered allies, some of which were unwilling to follow his command as he was a Greek rather than a Macedonian. Thus, he came up with a solution for planning his strategy by setting up a tent in which Alexander's diadem, sceptre, and throne were present, and so he and his allies could meet as equals in the presence of the king's Spectre.

The Field at Dusk refers to the battlefield near Gabiene, Eumenes' final battle. Here he faced and nearly defeated Antigonus, but during the battle his men's baggage were captured by the enemy, and as dusk fell there was no time to continue fighting to retrieve it. Thus, despite the battle being inconclusive and having inflicted far more casualties on the enemy, Eumenes' men betrayed himand delivered him to Antigonus in exchange for their possessions. Thus ends the story of Eumenes, who was executed shortly after by his reluctant former friend Antigonus, at the demand of his army.

Goi Ywei Chern, 2026

Efe Yüksel

Duo for guitar and melodica

"Duo for guitar and melodica" is an exploration of the matching (or mismatching) of analogous gestures on two instruments with significantly different physical constructs and techniques of playing. The piece aims to take the instruments beyond their grided natures (the keys of the melodica, and the frets of the guitar) and treat them as generators of noise.

Seikilos

Seikilos Epitaph (arr. Goi & Yüksel)

The Seikilos Epitaph is the name given to the oldest complete music composition found thus far. Composed in the 1st or 2nd century AD, it was discovered engraved on a pillar in what is now Turkey in 1883. The name Seikilos is also engraved into the pillar as the person who placed it there. The lyrics, translated into English by Robert Rohland, are as follows:

As long as you're alive, shine, don't be sad at all;

life is short, time asks for its due

instagram - @efeyukselcomposer

website - https://efeyuksel.wixsite.com/composer

Efe Yüksel

Efe Yüksel (1999) is a composer, electronic musician, and melodica performer from İzmir (Turkey), based in London. He is currently undertaking doctoral studies in the Guildhall School if Music, supervised by Julian Anderson and Aaron Einbond, looking into the structural organisation of inharmonic sonorities and formulating a personal theory of working with noise. His work involves exploring the physical capabilities of instruments and voices via close collaborations and the use of live electronic processing. Alongside composing he is also active as a melodica performer, with a particular focus on the bass melodica, writing and commissioning new works for the instrument.

instagram - @goiyweichern

website - www.goiyweichern.com

Goi Ywei Chern

Goi Ywei Chern is a Singaporean composer and guitarist based in London. His music is evocative, intense, and mystical, often inspired by his interests in ancient history, mythology, and traditional music.

In 2025, his opera Medusa, composed with a libretto by Jess McNulty, premiered in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. His song Letter from Heaven, composed for the Composers & Poets Forum Showcase: A Leeds Songbook in collaboration with poet Yvonne Ugarte, who wrote the lyrics, was performed in the Leeds Lieder Festival in 2024. His compositions have been performed in Singapore, London, Leeds, Bangkok, and Ayrshire.

Goi has taken part in numerous performances and competitions, winning the 11th International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition (Senior Category) in 2023 and the Leong Yoon Pin Composition Competition in 2016. He also participated in MusicFest Aberystwyth in 2019, and he was selected as one of eight composers to participate in The Cumnock Tryst International Summer-School for Composers 2024 under the guidance of Sir James MacMillan and Oscar Bettison, where his piece Charybdis for contrabass clarinet and string trio was performed on the Dumfries House estate.

In 2026, Goi performed as the soloist in Efe Yüksel's piece Confluences for guitar and chamber ensemble, and he performs as part of Duo Flore with flautist Jess McNulty. He is currently undertaking a DMus (Composition Route) in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the supervision of Professors Richard Baker, Matt Kaner, and Julian Anderson.

He previously studied in the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) School of Music, receiving his Diploma in Music Performance in 2016 and NAFA-RCM Undergraduate degree (funded by the OCBC Local Undergraduate Scholarship) in 2019, and the Royal College of Music, where he achieved a Distinction in the Master of Music in Composition degree . He has studied the guitar under Manuel Cabrera II and Hunter Mah and composition under Dr Zechariah Goh, Professor Kenneth Hesketh, and Professor Alison Kay. He is also a Britten Pears Young Artist 2026-27.