The famous Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun, author of the remarkable music of the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, showcases his tremendous talent at the musée Guimet for a world premiere inspired by the Tang dynasty.
Transported by his exploration of the Mogao Caves in Jiuquan and by his research on the musical heritage of ancient China, the Chinese maestro creates an all-encompassing experience in which the stage installation and the pictures projected onto the screen behind the orchestra immerse the audience in the magical embrace of a mystical cave.
Programme:
In the first part, the orchestra will play instrumental and choreographic pieces found in the Mogao Caves and deciphered by Tan Dun.
Then, two one-act operas will be plated in Chinese and Sanskrit. The first one, The Deer of Nine Colours, is inspired by a Buddhist popular tale set in stone in the Mogao frescoes: A magical deer with a nine-color coat seal its fate by saving a drowning man. The second one, The Heart Sutra, tells the imaginary love story between two strangers who meets in the desert during their journey on the Silk Road.