Tan Dun: Water Passion After St. Matthew

Have you heard of Tan Dun? The guy that wrote all the music for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? He wrote such a compelling soundtrack. It melded Chinese music with the symphony orchestra, particularly Yo-Yo Ma's many cello solos.

Don't mess with me. Not only do I write awesome music, I have an awesome coat.

It's like a double-dose of awesome!

I had never heard another piece by Tan Dun. Until last week.

The Water Passion After St. Matthew is so striking. This is one of the most incredible pieces of music I've heard. It's so haunting and atmospheric...wow. It's spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing music at its finest.

I wonder if it has the same effect on non-musicians, or if the more bizarre effects and aspects get in the way. To me, I heard links to George Crumb in the use of the string instruments.

Classically trained in the Beijing conservatory (studying composition with the likes of Toru Takemitsu, no less), Dun traveled to the U.S. to pursue a doctorate at Columbia, where he encountered the music of Edgar Varese, John Cage, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. These experimental composers seem to have really inspired him; in 2003 he wrote a concerto for paper, where the medium is manipulated as percussion in various ways to get different effects and sounds. He expanded this concept of experimental percussion with his Water Concerto, which utilizes amplified bowls of water as an instrument.

The Water Passion After St. Matthew explores the theme of water as musical device. It also ties in to the symbolic meanings from the New Testament; water as baptism. The combinations of vocal timbres and unusual string instrument technique is thrilling. The choir takes on a timeless, tonal feel, almost like a chorus in Greek mythology. The solo bass sings quotes of Jesus, and in the Temptation movement the soprano takes on an incredibly eerie incarnation of the devil, shrieking "If thou art the son of god, turn these stones into bread"

The piece does not wear the mantle of European classicism; instead, the biblical text is set with Eastern flair and 20th century abandon. It's refreshing to see a sacred setting be so bold! I am spellbound every time I hear the piece.

What do you think? Musicians? Non-musicians? Is it more rewarding to listen to with a background in things like George Crumb and Cage and Reich, or is it as powerful without the burden of scholarship? I often wonder this, but I cannot exist in both states. I have all my music history classes behind me and my so-called classical training, so I often wonder how new music like this is perceived in our society.