Composers
Tan Dun
© Nan Watanabe
Born: 1957
Brief Biography:
The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical, multimedia, Eastern and Western musical systems. Central to his body of work, Tan Dun has composed distinct series of works which reflect his individual compositional concepts and personal ideas — among them a series which brings his childhood memories of shamanistic ritual into symphonic performances; works which incorporate elements from the natural world; and multimedia concerti. Opera has a significant role in Tan Dun's creative output of the past decade, mostly recently with the premiere of The First Emperor by the Metropolitan Opera in December 2006 with a title role created for Plácido Domingo. In 2008, Tan composed Internet Symphony No. 1: "Eroica" commissioned by Google/YouTube as the focal point for the world’s first collaborative online orchestra. Recent works include Piano Concerto: The Fire for Lang Lang and the New York Philharmonic; Violin Concerto: The Love, for soloist Cho-Liang Lin, and Earth Concerto for Ceramic Percussion and Orchestra. Of his many works for film, Tan Dun’s score for Ang Lee's film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, received an Oscar Award for best original score. His music is published exclusively by G. Schirmer, Inc.
For a complete biography, click here.
Key Works:- Ghost Opera
(1994; pip, string quartet) - Marco Polo
(1995; opera) - Symphony 1977: Heaven, Earth, Mankind
(1997;cello, bianzhong bells, children's chorus, orchestra) - Water Passion after St. Matthew
(2000; soloists, choir, ensemble, sampler) - Tea: A Mirror of Soul
(2002; opera) - The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra
(2002; cello, orchestra) - The First Emperor
(2006; opera) - Piano Concerto: The Fire
(2008; piano, orchestra)
| Career Highlights:- 1996 Recipient of the Glenn Gould International Protégé Prize in Music
- 1997 Symphony 1997: Heaven, Earth, Manking commemorates the official handover of Hong Kong by UK to China
- 2000 Academy and Grammy Awards for score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- 2003 Performance of The Map in rural Hunan brought the first Western music concerto to thousands of local villagers
- 2003 Premiere of Paper Concerto at the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles
- 2006 The First Emperor premiered by the Metropolitan Opera
- 2008 Selected to compose official ceremonial music for the Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
- 2010 Collaborated with producer Quincy Jones on the theme song and appointed as Cultural Ambassador for World Expo 2010 in Shanghai
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Critical Acclaim:
Theatrical [and] ritualistic, Tan Dun’s music sculpts sound and transforms everything into a riveting experience that is hard to define but very easy to appreciate.
— The Los Angeles Times
[In Tea] Tan unfolds his music in a dynamic and spatial manner, first slow and aesthetic, then strongly and urgently, all the while keeping the grace of the music in overall balance. He is especially successful in moving the spectator by always breaking the pattern of what the listener expects to happen.
— The Tokyo Journal
...stylistically assured...the real McCoy.
— The Glasgow Herald
Full Biography:
The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. A winner of today's most prestigious honors including the Grawemeyer Award for classical composition, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Musical America's Composer of The Year, Tan Dun's music has been played throughout the world by the leading orchestras, opera houses, international festivals, and on radio and television. Most recent compositions include: Internet Symphony No. 1: "Eroica" (2008) commissioned by Google/YouTube as the focal point for the world’s first collaborative online orchestra to connect aspiring musicians with world class conductors, star soloists of the classical music world, and influential institutions including the London Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall; a new opera, The First Emperor, with Plácido Domingo in the title role, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera of New York and nominated for a Grammy Award for best opera recording in 2009; Piano Concerto: The Fire (2008) for pianist Lang Lang and The New York Philharmonic; Violin Concerto: The Love (2009) for soloist Cho-Liang Lin; Earth Concerto for Ceramic Instruments and Orchestra (2009); The Banquet Concerto for piano, chorus and orchestra (2010); Hero Concerto for violin and orchestra (2010); and Four Secret Roads of Marco Polo (2004) for the Berlin Philharmonic. Tan Dun was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to write the Logo Music and Award Ceremony Music for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and also wrote music and served as Cultural Ambassador for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Central to Tan Dun's body of work are several distinct series that reflect his individual compositional concepts and personal ideas. Among them are the "Orchestral Theatre Series," which brings his memories of shamanistic ritual into symphonic performances and includes the representative work The Gate (1999), which premiered by the NHK Symphony, conducted by Charles Dutoit; the "Organic Music Series," consisting of works which incorporate elements from the natural world such as Water Concerto for water percussion and orchestra (1998), Paper Concerto for paper percussion and orchestra (2003) and Earth Concerto for Ceramic Instruments and Orchestra (2009); and the "Multimedia Series," including The Map: Concerto for Cello, Video and Orchestra (2002), premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma with the composer conducting. Tan Dun's manuscript of The Map was acquired recently by Carnegie Hall for its Composers Gallery in New York. In August 2010, Tan presented the premiere of the Martial Arts Trilogy – a triple bill of his film and music works Crouching Tiger Concerto for cello and orchestra; Banquet Concerto for piano, chorus, and orchestra; and Hero Concerto for violin and orchestra.
Opera has played a significant role in Tan Dun's creative output during the past decade. Marco Polo (1995-96), has had four different productions including the most recent in November 2008 with De Nederlandse Opera directed by Pierre Audi. This production was released on DVD and nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award. Peony Pavilion (1998), based on the text by Tang Xianzu (1598) and directed by Peter Sellars, has had more than 50 performances at major festivals in Vienna, Paris, London and Rome. Tea (2002), set to music of water, paper, ceramic and stone instruments with orchestra, premiered at Japan's Suntory Hall with De Nederlandse Opera with Pierre Audi directing, and has since had numerous new productions throughout the world, including Amon Miyamoto’s production at Santa Fe Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia.
As a conductor, Tan Dun has led the world's most renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, among others. He records for Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, and EMI. His recordings have garnered many accolades, including a Grammy Award (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Japan's Recording Academy Awards 2003 for Best Contemporary Music CD (Water Passion after St. Matthew) and the BBC's Best Orchestral Album (Death and Fire).
— August 2010
For more information on Tan Dun, please visit www.tandunonline.com and www.youtube.com/tandun.
For specific inquiries about this composer, please contact Peggy Monastra at peggy.monastra(at)schirmer.com or (212) 254-2100 ext. 130.
External Websites
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