THE BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
The contrast between the two voices – one gravelly and earth-bound, the other high and gurgling – was extreme. The colours were further enhanced by the range of instruments on the Royal Festival Hall stage; the London Philharmonic Orchestra – with alto flute, celeste and no fewer than four percussionists – supplemented by a xiqin, a traditional Chinese three-stringed bowed instrument played vertically like the cello. The player was Batubagen, a musician from the Inner Mongolian area of Bairin Right Banner. He was one of several special guests that composer – and tonight’s conductor – Tan Dun had invited to give the UK premiere of Buddha Passion, the 2018 work co-commissioned by the Dresden Music Festival, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
When Bach composed his St Matthew Passion (first performed in 1727), he was following a centuries-long tradition of dramatising the Passion of Christ. Music had often accompanied Holy Week celebrations, eventually developing into a more standardised oratorio based on Gospel texts. Composers were compelled by the subject (Telemann wrote 44 Passions; Bach composed two others), and the form continues to be a mainstay of choral music – albeit in some unusual guises. In 2000, Helmuth Rilling commissioned four new Passions – from Dun, alongside Wolfgang Rihm, Sofia Gubaidulina and Osvaldo Golijov – to mark the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. For his work, Dun placed water at the centre of his piece (see panel, p35).
The Water Passion was an important artistic bridge between Eastern and Western traditions. But as he became more comfortable blending soundworlds, Dun’s duality became more deeply integrated. Buddha Passion is the first work to take the form and use it for a Buddhist rather than Christian narrative, with a libretto (in Sanskrit and Chinese) written by Dun after time spent in the Mogao Caves. ‘It’s a “we” passion,’ he says, ‘meaning west and east. It’s a spiritual statement.’ The Royal Festival Hall performance was recently released via Decca, with whom Dun has just signed a new recording partnership.
There may have been an array of percussion – including Tibetan singing bowls and water basins – for the recent Buddha Passion concert, but the large chime-bells heard in other Dun works were absent. ‘Every time I use them in a performance something happens,’ he smiles. The bells were those found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng – along with zithers, drums, flutes and pan pipes, suggesting the ancient leader appreciated music. Indeed, 22 servants were killed to
