TOWARD A 'RESURRECTION'

'Crouching Tiger' composer Tan Dun gives the spirit a vigorous massage in Singapore

Tan Dun's "Martial Arts Trilogy" - comprising his much-awarded film scores for Zhang Yimou's "Hero", Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet" - was one of the thrillers of the recent Huayi: Chinese Festival of Arts in Singapore.

Tan Dun conducted the Singapore Festival Orchestra with guest soloists as scenes from the movies were projected onto three screens above the stage.

The visuals were a nice touch. Most viewers would have already seen the films, but came to hear the scores in more detail, and the clips were there to remind them of their original experience.

Put together, the three concertos demonstrated Tan's vast range. His music for "Hero" was frequently feisty, for "Crouching Tiger" thoroughly soulful and for "Banquet" passionate in general.

Before each one, Tan explained how the violin, cello and piano represented, respectively, the leading female characters in each movie. Then he let his young guest soloists - violinist Wang Jiamin, cellist Ng Pei-Sian and pianist Sun Jiayi - and the rest of the orchestra shine to the fullest in their interpretations.

Tan worked with cellist Yo-Yo Ma on "Crouching Tiger", violinist Itzhak Perlman on "Hero" and pianist Lang Lang on "The Banquet" and told me he wants to bring them all together for a "Resurrection" concerto he's working on.

It's a project he calls "urgent, because everything in China is developing very quickly. It's very exciting, but people also worry about what we're losing, especially in terms of culture."

"Resurrection" - which he plans to finish in 2014 - is not being prepared for any martial-arts film, yet Tan is interested in some form of visual accompaniment, and a digital animation has been suggested.

"I'm also a visual artist, though not in the sense that I make a living at it. I do a lot of things visually with my music. The theory in the conservatory was that you should focus on the notes without being disturbed by any visuals. Come on - I've never felt that I'm disturbed!"

Tan said he loves the cinema and is also "greatly inspired" by Wagner's Ring Cycle.

"I always thought opera and cinema were twin sisters. Before electricity, opera was the cinema, providing the entertainment for the masses. In the future, cinema is going to be like opera, and presenting stories in much more magical ways.

"So 'Resurrection' can also be a salute to the Ring Cycle and Wagner's philosophy."

I asked Tan where he gets his creative ideas and he told me he swims every day, at least when the weather in Shanghai and New York permits.

"I love being 'in contact', mentally and physically. I feel like the water is massaging not only my body but also my spirit. Of course, there are all kinds of spas and gyms, but to get that spiritual massage you need to swim in a pool or a pond or the sea where there aren't many people.

"It's a time for me to think. And thinking in the water is a lot of fun!"

Learn more at www.TanDunOnline.com.