By CGTN’s Greg Navarro
Tan Dun, one of the world's most innovative and respected composers, is performing in Australia this week.
He is the first Chinese musician to receive a Grammy. And he won for the soundtrack to the movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Tan said he hopes his success will help the Grammys and other awards to recognize more musicians from around the world.
One day before his first performance in Sydney’s Opera House, Tan wanted to make sure the musicians who surrounded him understood the story behind the music.
The 59-year old composer’s latest work, "Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women" is very much about bringing that story to life.
The screengrab shows Tan Dun's latest work. /CGTN Photo
“[It's] a very, very ancient women’s culture and it’s about the dream discovery and it’s about the people with the most tears who ended up the happiest,” Tan said.
The story of that ancient women’s language is told through a blend of visual arts and music creating the kind of unique and moving experience that Tan has become known for.
“Although the shapes are one by one the screens and are not actually linked together, we can actually use the sound to link them together and that becomes so interesting,” Tan said.
Tan Dun /CFP Photo
Tan’s performances in Australia are the latest in a career spanning more than four decades, and include a growing list of international accolades that includes an Oscar and a Grammy.
Tan hopes the Grammys will continue to look across borders and recognize musicians from the East. Not a surprising view from a man whose career has not been defined by musical borders. With his latest work, he blends a dying ancient Eastern language with modern Western musical elements.
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