The inaugural “Tan Dun WE-Festival” offers a fresh perspective on Hong Kong’s unique heritage as a cultural melting pot
- The eagerly awaited extravaganza, which includes concerts, operas, dance theatre, and dialogues with masters, is poised to offer an artistically immersive, multisensory experience.
- Maestro Tan will collaborate with renowned Chinese choreographer Yang Liping, Mongolian rock band Hanggai, the New York Bard Percussion Ensemble, and the Hunan-Changsha Symphony Orchestra.
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Acclaimed composer and conductor Tan Dun, celebrated for his numerous awards and global recognition, has curated three captivating productions that seamlessly blend genres and cultural traditions. These performances showcase the extraordinary skills of musicians, singers, composers, dancers, and ensembles from the Mainland, Hong Kong and across the globe.
The productions, titled “Opera and Dance Theatre”, “Tan Dun: Bach Rock & Hanggai When BACH meets GENGHIS KHAN”, and “World Premiere & Symposium”, are set to grace the stage at the Grand Theatre in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, from December 6 to 10, 2023.
Tan, a UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador and Hong Kong’s Cultural Promotion Ambassador, says that the festival’s goal is to engage audiences in artistic dialogues that explore ‘old and new,’ ‘West and East,’ and ‘you and me.’
He observes, “While Hong Kong is a cultural melting pot, its artistic tradition has been primarily presented from a Western perspective.”
The WE-Festival is thus a testament to Tan’s inspired endeavour to deepen Eastern tradition into Hong Kong’s distinctive multi-cultural identity. “Its goal is to enhance and elevate Hong Kong’s ‘East meets West’ cultural and artistic tradition,” he notes. “It is all-encompassing, envisioning a future that embraces the concept of ‘You are in me, and I am in you, West and East, together as WE.”
Opera and Dance Theatre
The programme, rich with diverse narratives that delve into indigenous beliefs and religions, encapsulates the artistic journeys of Tan and Yang. These journeys, which began in their respective native provinces of Hunan and Yunnan and have led them to the global stage, are beautifully highlighted. The programme breathes life into a dialogue between the mainstream classical music tradition, represented by iconic works such as those by Igor Stravinsky, and the Chinese indigenous ‘dazhi yue’ (music of great wisdom).
Tan was captivated by the tea blessing ritual performed by a shaman in Yunnan, as well as their ethereal language. For millennia, high-quality tea leaves were transported as tributes to the imperial court in Beijing. Rituals were conducted to ensure their safe passage, a journey that typically spanned half a year. In the “Shaman Tea Ritual” segment, a sibling pair from the Yi ethnic minority in Yunnan, who have learned the shaman language, will unlock the deep spirituality of the ritual on stage.
Meanwhile, Yang was profoundly touched during her field study of women’s culture in the remote Nushu village in Hunan.
They joined forces, distilling the quintessence of their individual experiences to create a spectacular performance that blends primitive music, dance, drama, opera, and physical expressions.
In the dance theatre production, Stravinsky The Rite of Spring, two young indigenous dancers from the village, Dazhu and Jinhua, employ their physical language from a primitive perspective to engage in visual communication with the Russian maestro. “The spirit of ‘WE’ permeates this segment,” says Tan.
