The Esplanade releases Tan Dun’s Martial Arts Trilogy online

From start to finish, I spent a total of twelve years composing music for three wuxia (martial arts) films: Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, Zhang Yimou’s “Hero”, and Feng Xiaogang’s “The Banquet” – Tan Dun

Performed in the Esplanade Concert Hall at Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts in 2012, come experience Tan Dun’s Martial Arts Trilogy, available online for a limited time. Showcasing Tan Dun’s lavish scores for three Chinese blockbusters: Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002) and Feng Xiaogang’s The Banquet (2006), catch these special recordings of the thrilling live performance, conducted by Tan himself from now to 31st July 2020.

The Tan Dun Martial Arts Trilogy comprises a trio of concertos: the violin concerto Hero, the cello concerto Crouching Tiger, and the piano concerto The Banquet. Performed here by the Singapore Festival Orchestra (now known as the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra), the Martial Arts Trilogy is a cinematic experience in itself, presented in the style and structure of a three-act opera.

Martial Arts Trilogy features Tan Dun’s musical compositions for three films in which the female protagonists sacrifice their love and life for different reasons: The character Jade, in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, gave her life for her love of the wuxia (martial arts) dream. In Feng Xiaogang’s The Banquet, Qing Nü traded life and love for desire and revenge, while in Zhang Yimou’s Hero, the character Snow sacrificed herself for her beloved country.

Catch Tan Dun’s Martial Arts Trilogy online from now to 31st July 2020. For more information, visit the Esplanade’s website here