In August 2000 the world premiere of Tan Dun’s Waterpassion took place in Stuttgart’s Liederhalle.

(..) Tan Dun, along with Sofia Gubaidulina, Osvaldo Golijov, and Wolfgang Rihm, was commissioned by Helmuth Rilling and the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart to write a piece for the Passion 2000 project in commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach. His contribution was the Water Passion After St. Matthew. The piece was widely performed in Europe and was subsequently given its American premiere by the Oregon Bach Festival, also under Rilling’s direction.
(Quoted from Wikipedia)

Singers and an a Cappella Choir of the University of Utah performed Tan Dun’s “Water Passion After St. Matthew” on April 11th, and 12th 2009 in Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah. The first video is taken from that performance. The other three videos comprise an (english) interview with Tan Dun in Bilbao (Spain) in November 2009.

Enjoy…

» Tan Dun on Wikipedia….
» Tan Dun on Sony (page seems to have issues atm)…