In Tuesday’s (1/12) New York Times Amy Qin writes that Beijing’s Great Hall of the People “reverberated on Saturday with the sounds of violins, electric bass, French horns and drums for a rare event: a joint concert by a group of the country’s leading classical and popular musicians…. For the performance, [composer Tan Dun], 58, wrote, rearranged and conducted symphonic accompaniments to songs by three top headliners: the punk band Reflector, the Mongolian folk-rock group Hanggai and the folk singer-songwriter Song Dongye…. The [China National Symphony Orchestra] … also played several compositions by Mr. Tan…. For many of the rock musicians, the best part of the concert was the opportunity to work with Mr. Tan, one of China’s most recognizable names in the global music industry. Next month, the New York Philharmonic will perform the New York premiere of his ‘Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women’ as part of its fifth annual Chinese New Year concert.” Said Tan, “At the beginning of the 20th century, China had nothing, no classical music. Then we took the second step, which was following and introducing the music. Now, we are on the third step: We are creating.”
Posted January 12, 2016
