Tan Dun's Choral Concerto: A Fusion of East and West

Chinese-born American composer Tan Dun, acclaimed for his scores for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, recently presented the UK premiere of his Choral Concerto: Nine in London. This new work, commissioned for Beethoven's 250th anniversary, features a large orchestra and chorus, augmented with extensive percussion.

The London premiere, conducted by Tan himself, involved the London Philharmonic Orchestra and a combined choir. The performance incorporated a wide array of choral sound effects and unique orchestral textures, including dampened pizzicatos and percussionists using pebbles. The conventional choral sections featured English translations of texts by Chinese poets Qu Yuan and Li Bai.

Tan's concerto also interwove brief quotations from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, blending diatonic and pentatonic harmonies. The subsequent performance of Beethoven's Ninth, led by Tan, was noted for its fast tempos and crisp rhythms, though it was described as lacking large-scale direction and featuring an overloud brass section on the finale's "chaos" chord. The vocal soloists and chorus delivered strong performances in Beethoven's Ninth, with Matthew Rose particularly noted for his powerful solo entry in the "Ode to Joy." However, the overall rendition of Beethoven's Ninth was perceived as somewhat conventional despite the vocal power on display.