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Tan Dun

From 'Crouching Tiger' To 'Secret Songs': Composer Tan Dun's Next Move

Chinese composer Tan Dun's latest work, Nu-Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, was inspred by an ancient language spoken in a remote area of Tan's home province of Hunan. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Music Interviews

From 'Crouching Tiger' To 'Secret Songs': Composer Tan Dun's Next Move

This week, harpist Elizabeth Hainen and the Philadelphia Orchestra will perform the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun's Nu-Shu: The Secret Songs of Women. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Tan and Hainen about the work, which was inspired by an ancient secret language spoken by women in Tan's home province.

From 'Crouching Tiger' To 'Secret Songs': Composer Tan Dun's Next Move

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The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

A garden serves as the stage in the opera. Zhang Yi hide caption

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Zhang Yi

Deceptive Cadence

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

Peony Pavilion is one of China's most famous operas, but uncut performances of this romantic 16th century work can take more than 22 hours. An adapted version of the dream-like opera will take place at the Metropolitan Museum.

The Peony Pavilion: A Vivid Dream In A Garden

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Musicians in Their Own Words

Tan Dun's Cultural Evolution

Composer Tan Dun grew up in Mao's China. As a boy, he saw his parents sent away for so-called "re-education." He describes his musical coming of age under China's Cultural Revolution.

Tan Dun's Cultural Evolution

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Studio Sessions

Lang Lang, Live in Studio 4A

Piano prodigy Lang Lang, just 20 years old, describes touching the keys as an electrical force. He's making his first appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he'll perform the world premiere of Eight Memories in Water Color by Chinese composer Tan Dun. Hear Lang Lang perform two pieces on piano, and listen to a duet with his father, playing the traditional Chinese violin, the er hu

Lang Lang, Live in Studio 4A

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