Choose artist...
Home   >   Projects   >   Buddha Passion
Tan Dun

Buddha Passion

Decca Classics
Release Date: August 4, 2023

Press Release

Read press

Artist Details

Read bio

Website

Visit
1 Chant  
2 Little Prince  
3 Mantra  
4 Under the Bodhi Tree  
5 Equality  
6 Deer of Nine Colors  
7 Gratitude  
8 Betrayal  
9 Trees Wish to Be Still, yet the Wind Doesn't Let Go  
10 Karma  
11 Apsaras  
12 Father and Three Daughters  
13 My Dear Father  
14 Sacrifice  
15 Mantra of Nine  
16 A Body is a Bodhi Tree  
17 Is it the Wind or a Banner Moving, or is it My Soul  
18 Zen Dream  
19 A Solar Eclipse  
20 Silk Road An Invisible Road  
21 Home Lies so Far Away  
22 Love is Destined to Part  
23 Heart Sutra  
24 In No Time, I Shall Enter Nirvana  
25 All Creatures in the Universe  
26 The Other Side  
27 Buddha Was Man, Man Will Be Buddha  
28 One Last Question  
29 Nirvana  
Show all tracks
Hide

The world-premiere recording of Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion – an epic choral work which will also launch the Edinburgh International Festival this summer – is set for release on Friday 4 August.

Described by the New York Times as “a kind of rock star of the modern music scene”, the multi-award-winning composer and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador conducts as he begins his recording partnership with Decca.

Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion is a captivating tale of wonder, truth and gentle but irresistible transformation. The monumental work involving massed choirs, large orchestra, six percussionists and an array of soloists including indigenous singers, traditional Chinese instruments and a dancing pipa player, is the first such ‘Passion’ on a Buddhist rather than Christian narrative.

Set at the foot of the Himalayas and inspired by Chinese and Sanskrit texts, the story follows a little prince as he finds enlightenment and becomes Buddha, meeting an array of characters before reaching Nirvana. The life-affirming score fuses the ancient wisdom of Buddhism with the musical tradition of JS Bach’s Passions, featuring hypnotic orchestral textures and Eastern vocal techniques.

  • Tan Dun's Sound River' at Hong Kong Coliseum has right scale and format for a Silk Road journey / South China Morning Post
    Posted At: October 19, 2024
    South China Morning Post's Ken Smith writes….Like other students admitted to Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music when it reopened after the Cultural Revolution, Tan Dun was sent down to the provinces during school breaks to study “music of the people”.Unlike many of his fellow composers, Tan made this a major part of his career.Sound River, which opened the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area...

  • Tan Dun - Buddha Passion is Cincinnati Public Radio - 90.9WGUC: New at Noon
    Posted At: February 12, 2024
    90.9WGUC's John Nasukaluk Clare writes….This week we celebrate Chinese New Year Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion is “a captivating tale of wonder, truth and gentle but irresistible transformation. The monumental work involving massed choirs, large orchestra, six percussionists and an array of soloists including indigenous singers, traditional Chinese instruments and a dancing pipa player, is the first such ‘Pa...

  • Tan Dun envisions Hong Kong as a global hub for East-West cultural exchange and talent dev. / South China Morning Post
    Posted At: December 12, 2023
    South China Morning Post writes…..Since assuming his role earlier this year, the maestro has made it a priority to nurture promising young artists in Hong Kong and organise large-scale arts events. Tan, through diverse initiatives, is committed to enriching the stage experiences of artists beyond Hong Kong and equipping them with a global perspective.Tan’s efforts to showcase Hong Kong talent on significant...

  • Tan Dun hosts Hong Kong music festival to engage younger audiences and springboard emerging talent / ChinaDaily
    Posted At: December 7, 2023
    China Daily's Chen Nan writes…..Award-winning composer Tan Dun has made a unique mark on the world music scene with creative work that bridges Eastern and Western traditions, as well as pushes the boundaries of classical music.His latest project, the Tan Dun WE-Festival, which is curated by the musician himself, is taking place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre until Sunday. It is divided into three main par...

  • An excellent conductor of his own music, Tan Dun gets impressive results on 'Buddha Passion' / THE CLASSIC REVIEW
    Posted At: August 18, 2023
    THE CLASSIC REVIEW's David A. McConnell writes….Tan Dun’s ‘Buddha Passion’ began with a visit to ancient caves in the Dunhuang desert, which have hundreds of drawings and paintings featuring musicians, instruments, and orchestras. Dun was “so deeply moved that I could almost hear the sounds emanating from the murals.” He then spent the next six years composing a work that would give the murals voice, comple...

  • Tan Dun's message of love and compassion on 'Buddha Passion' opens EIF in spectacular style / The Guardian
    Posted At: August 6, 2023
    The massed ranks of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, its junior chorus and the Edinburgh festival chorus rose to the occasion to create an uplifting and joyous opening festival concert The Guardian's David Lee writes….Edinburgh International festival director Nicola Benedetti has framed her first festival with the question: “Where do we go from here?” A question, she explained in a short speech b...

  • Tan Dun on creating Buddha Passion / OPERAWIRE Q&A
    Posted At: January 20, 2023
    The world-renowned artist and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. A winner of today’s most prestigious honours including the Grammy Award, Oscar/Academy Award, Grawemeyer Award, Bach Prize, Shostakovich Award, Italy’s...

  • Tan Dun's 'Buddha Passion' Is an opera in waiting / SFCV
    Posted At: February 12, 2019
    SFCV - Jim Farber writes…..As a contradiction to Rudyard Kipling’s geo-cultural claim, Chinese-American composer Tan Dun has created a body of musical compositions that demonstrates East does meet West, frequently.It’s been a delicate balancing act of influences that dates back to his 1994 collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, Ghost Opera (for String Quartet and Pipa), and includes his Academy Award / Gram...
Go to artist details