Tan Dun—Symphony of Colors: Terracotta and Triple Concerto: Hero

The Met commissioned a new work from composer Tan Dun, “Symphony of Colors: Terracotta,” based on music from his opera The First Emperor.

In 2017, the exhibition Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C.–A.D. 220) brought to The Met the terracotta warrior sculptures that were buried with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect him in the afterlife. To celebrate this extraordinary exhibition, The Met commissioned a new work from composer Tan Dun, “Symphony of Colors: Terracotta,” based on music from his opera The First Emperor. Also on the program was “Triple Concerto: Hero” for violin, cello, piano, and orchestra, with music drawn from the composer's score to Zhang Yimou's film Hero.

This performance was presented in conjunction with the exhibition Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C.–A.D. 220), which was on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from April 3 through July 16, 2017.

Recorded Friday, March 31, 2017.

Credits
This commission was made possible by The Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.

© 2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art



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