This 2018 “Buddha Passion” by Chinese-American composer Tan Dun, released by Decca, doesn’t feature much of the Buddha. He only appears as at the very beginning and at the end. Then again, Siddhartha Gautama doesn’t have the same centrality in Buddhism that Jesus does in Christianity. As the Buddha himself tells his disciples in Tan’s work, he is neither a {…}
Tan Dun is arguably the most famous and influential Chinese composer, having written numerous operas such as “The First Emperor,” “Marco Polo,” “The Peony Pavilion,” and “Tea: A Mirror of Soul.” He has also written film scores (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), organic music, and several classical and symphonic works. And now, there’s “Buddha Passion.” Inspired by the famed Chinese composer’s {…}
The London Philharmonic is set to perform Tan Dun’s “Buddha Passion” on Jan. 22, 2023 at the Southbank Centre. The composer himself will conduct the performance, which will feature soprano Sen Guo, mezzo-soprano Huiling Zhu, tenor Kang Wang, and bass-baritone Shenyang. There will also be two indigenous singers who will be announced at a later date. They will be joined {…}
Tan Dun is set to world premiere his new opera “Buddha Passion” at the Dresden Music Festival this coming May 23, 2018. The work is a joint commission by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and will be sung in Chinese and Sanskrit. The work is written for seven soloists, {…}