Writing music that straddles Chinese and Western traditions, Tan Dun  is a boundary-breaking artist of limitless imagination and inclusivity,  conjuring a soundscape that makes use of everything from ancient relics to smartphones. This first American performance of Five Muses of Dunhuang brings to life forgotten instruments painted centuries ago on devotional murals in Chinese caves. As a conductor, Tan has unique insights into another perceptive witness and recreator of human ritual, Stravinsky, especially in this rarely heard transcription from a Chinese-themed opera. Stravinsky, with his keen ear for real-life rituals, leans into the real splashy Fireworks and Chinese-themed opera transcription.
Artist Tan Dun, conductor
Repertoire STRAVINSKY Fireworks TAN DUN Five Muses of Dunhuang (U.S. premiere) STRAVINSKY Song of the Nightingale TAN DUN Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds