The Stream Flows is inspired by the Yunna folk song Xiao He Tang Shui (小河淌水), which describes moonrise in a mountain valley to the longing of the loved one. This lyrical theme flows throughout the piece, as if tune sings through the mountain mists in a spring night, outlining the wandering landscape, delicate and gentle yet trembling and agitated towards the second half. The tune blends with the tranquil, milky-colored moonlight represented by the subordinate voices, often presented in thirds and fourths. Its earnest voice is presented towards the end in octaves, with the tune passing to the pedal in cantabile and calming down on the lower E, resonating and yearning in the dimmed vale.

—Yiqing Ma