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Press Releases

Tan Dun & HKCO

This concert was originally scheduled for the previous season, but it had to be postponed due to the outbreak of SARS. Now, although nine months late, Tan Dun is back, with all the charisma and drawing power of a star.

From a composer and conductor from China, Tan has evolved to be a social icon. His works encompass the visual and dramatic arts - for dance drama (The Yellow Earth), opera (Marco Polo), modern dance (Nine Songs), film (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and another opera (Tea) - and historic occasions such as the reunification of Hong Kong with China (Symphony 1997: Heaven Earth and Mankind) and ringing in the new millennium (2000 Today – A World Symphony for the Millennium). He has firmly established himself as a name well reckoned with in the international music arena, and a social figure on the world stage.

As expectation mounts, this long-delayed meeting between the local audience and Tan Dun has gathered momentum rather than lost steam. Tan will be held in rigorous dialogue with Chan Ming-chi on all aspects of his work, so that the audience – be they his devout fans or not – will see him at close-up. This may well be the key to the inner world of Tan Dun, "world" composer and conductor.

# Tan Dun owes his success to many things, but most of all, his music. The programme for the concert and the active dialogue will make this one of those rare occasions you don't want to miss!

Undoubtedly, the focal point of the concert will be the world premiere of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for Erhu and Chinese Orchestra. The arrangement uses the erhu and zhonghu in place of the cello in the original film score version that won the Oscar. All the action and romantic nuances of the story are captured by Ma Xianghua, huqin artist from China famous for her alacrity and precision, and David Cossin, percussionist from the U.S. known for his cross-disciplinary virtuosity.

But obviously, there is more to Tan than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Let your imagination flow with Concerto for Improvisation and feel the rhythm of ink and brush in Chinese painting and calligraphy. Explore another aspect of Tan's musicality in Shadow of Sound. And see how he profiles himself in Three Fast Movements, a suite that contains excerpts from three previous works all different in mood, themes and orchestration.

Rests, silences, and music of the east and the west

Tan Dun said during one of his rehearsals with the Orchestra, "The difference between the music of the east and the west is in the use of the rest. The sound may have stopped, but the yi (meaning) has not. Emotions may have trailed off, but the yi (sense) has not. For Karajan, his sounds have a beginning, and an end. That is one point we should not overlook." He uses the hand in place of the baton because he thinks the hand allows for better communication with the musicians through qi, or "air flow". So take note – at the end of a piece, even though the sounds have stopped, when you can still feel the vibes of the yi and the qi, let them sink in, and leave the applause for later.