ENTERTAINMENT | Tan Dun’s music of ‘hope and love’

Tan Dun

The world-renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun will lead the Macau Orchestra and three guest musicians – violinist Jue Yao, cellist Amedeo Cicchese and pianist Jessie Chang – to present the “Tan Dun. Martial Arts Trilogy” concert at The Venetian Macao on December 9. It will include the scores for three Chinese movies, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hero” and “the Banquet”.
Tan Dun said during a phone interview last week that he wants the concert to impart the concept of love and hope with the audience, as well as to present the dilemmas expressed in the world of Chinese martial arts.
Tan said that the performance in Macau will consist of four concerti, with three from the aforementioned films. While those three concerti are music created to complement the films, the last concerto, Tan said, is the contrast, which requires a film to complement it.
However, rather than adopting a real film, Tan said that the audience needs to use their own imagination to come up with “the film in their heart.”
“Therefore, the audience will use their own concepts and imaginations to complement the music, which will make the display very exciting. I think it is similar to the feeling of being drunk. You will have a lot of visions and these visions will bring a strong artistic imagination. This imagination is what we want to achieve,” he said.
“We want to share with the Macau audience our desire to love, dream and hope,” Tan added.
Moreover, he indicated that the performance is a way to preserve and pass on the Chinese cultural legacy of martial arts. Nevertheless, Tan pointed out that in the performance, he is not emphasizing the “arts” or wushu fighting styles, 武術, but the people who practice martial arts: wuxia 武俠. He said that the character of the Chinese word “xia” is a combination of “man” and “placed or restricted in between” which, Tan suggested, means that “wuxia” are people who practice martial arts and “[living] between something very tricky.”
“Wuxia normally live between love and the practical life, between heaven and earth, between the memory and reality, between beautiful women and old love, between dream and reality,” he explained. The conductor added that incorporating the idea of wuxia in music is an original and creative move, different from regular music or orchestral writing.
During the performance in December 9, Tan Dun will again collaborate with the Macau Orchestra, of which he spoke highly. He also feels that the performance holds great meaning for him because it celebrates the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the MSAR.
This will be the second time Tan Dun performs in Macau since 2003. He hopes to see the city’s multicultural and historical architecture during his upcoming trip, and wants to try the local cuisines.  JPL