CANCELLED: China: Buddha Passion

The opening concert of the Easter Festival takes the audience away to the Taklamakan Desert in north-western China. The ancient oasis town of Dunhuang, an important hub in the trans-Asian trade network, is the scene of an opulently cast oratorio. Tan Dun – China’s leading contemporary composer – drew his inspiration for the work from the famous Mogao Caves, which were built by Buddhist monks between the 4th and 12th centuries.

Over the centuries, they served as a centre for the teaching and veneration of the Buddha, which is reflected not only in paintings and sculptures, but also in musical manuscripts. Tan Dun spent years researching the site, and from his discoveries he has created a work in six acts: »Buddha Passion«.

It brings together settings, themes and characters from the religious tradition, and fuses western and eastern tonal language. To astonishing effect, Tan Dun takes the musical tradition of the Passion out of its Christian context and transfers it to a non-European system of faith.