Arts and Culture

Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion

North American Premiere

The North American Premiere of Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion was held in February 2019 at the Walt Disney Theater in Los Angeles.

Inspired by a trip to the Mogao Caves in 2012, Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion is a cumulation of years of dedicated research and creative work. Among the paintings in the Mogao Caves are depictions of court musicians playing instruments that no longer exist, dancing while they strummed pipa above their heads, and drummers playing with their feet. Curious about the sounds of the past, Tan Dun sought out local generational craftsmen as well as international experts to painstakingly recreate these instruments. He also visited museums around the world to decipher scrolls taken from the Dunhuang Caves that contain musical compositions and dance choreographies from the Tang and Song dynasties.

Premiering in May 2018 at the Kulturepalast in Dresden, Germany, Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion is sung in Chinese and Sanskrit, and is scored for seven soloists, choir and orchestra. The two-hour work comprises six short stories that capture the essence of Buddha’s teachings featured in the murals of the Mogao Caves.

We are currently working to bring this production to the Seattle Symphony as its next North American destination.