A concerted soundscape about death, emptiness and life in between. Huang Ruo builds musical bridges between Asia and the West. Stream now!

What lies between the end of one life and the beginning of another? Is there a space in between—a moment when we are no longer who we were, yet not yet who we are becoming?

Between Two Lights is neither a traditional narrative opera nor a classical concert. It is a physical listening experience—a journey to the edge of existence and back. In crafting this composition, Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo drew inspiration from the Heart Sutra, a Buddhist text in which emptiness and form intertwine. This is no abstract mysticism, but a meditation on the moment that affects us all: the fleeting interval between what we leave behind and what lies ahead.

During the pandemic, Huang Ruo experienced the profound loss of his mother. He returned to his home village and participated in a traditional mourning ritual lasting seven days, followed by six weeks of bardo—a time of transition, silence, and search. From this personal grief, the first notes of Between Two Lights were born. The piece consists of musical mantras—patterns that do more than sound; they become physically tangible. Sound, in this piece, carries rhythm, breath, and memory. Sixteen singers from the Netherlands Chamber Choir, two percussionists from the HERMESensemble, performer Grace Ellen Barkey, and Huang Ruo himself move through the space, their voices and bodies resonating and amplified by silence. Voice transforms into movement.

Do we dare to face the moment when everything falls silent? To look into the unknown, the emptiness? To recognize what binds us all, yet is seldom spoken of?

Stream Between Two Lights on OperaVision.

 

 

Credits

Speakers featured in the video: Dr. Herman Devriendt, Yves-Marina Gnahoua, Farnoosh Khodadadeh and Tobin Roymans

Managed by Opera Europa, OperaVision is a freeview streaming platform supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe funding programme. Between 2025 and 2028, Creative Europe’s support will help Opera Europa to promote and train emerging artists working in opera and dance. Known as Opera Europa Next Generation, this initiative will give visibility and development opportunities to over 560 emerging artists – in person and online, including via OperaVision – and all thanks to the efforts of a consortium of 44 opera houses and talent development organisations from 17 European countries.