Tan Dun

Born 18 August 1957, Si Mao (Hunan).

Born in the Hunan province of China, Tan planted rice for two years during the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, then worked in a Beijing opera troupe. Inspired by a live performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, he found his way to the Beijing Conservatory to study composition, and from there to Columbia University for doctoral studies in music. While his base of operations remains New York, the multicultural nature of Tan's work makes for a literally global exposure. The streth of its receiption has earned him exclusive contractual arrangements with Sony Classical for his recordings and G. Schirmer for his music publications. His opera Marco Polo, premiered in Munich in 1996, was thought in many circles the high point of that season.

Works

Orchestra
Symphony 1997 (Heaven - Earth - Mankind) (1997)
    "Opera in Temple Street"
2000 Today: A World Symphony for the Millennium (2000)

Concertos
The Intercourse of Fire and Water (Yi1), cello and orch. (1993)
Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, in memory of Toru Takemitsu (1998)

Operas
Marco Polo (1995)
Peony Pavilion (1998)

Multimedia Works, Works for Asian Instruments, Songs, Chamber Music