Composer Tan Dun signs for Decca Classics

Decca Classics has signed the multi award-winning composer and conductor Tan Dun.

Best known for his Oscar, Bafta and Grammy-award winning score for Ang Lee's 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tan Dun recently conducted the UK premiere of his epic 2006 work Buddha Passion at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

It was his score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that catapulted Tan Dun into the spotlight. Since then, the composer – now a UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador – has scored music for global events such as the reunification of Hong Kong with China, the world's celebration of the new millennium, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has also written music for some of the biggest names in music, including Lang Lang, and for many of the world’s leading orchestras, and was the first composer ever commissioned by Google/YouTube.

All this came from relatively humble beginnings. When China's Cultural Revolution broke out in 1966, Tan Dun’s parents were sent away and he stayed at home with his grandmother. He has spoken about the daily task of washing the clothes in the river, and what a soothing experience this was. Throughout his career, he has used the sound of water as an instrument in his compositions. Always curious about the connection between sound and the earth itself, Tan Dun also employs other organic materials as instruments, such as stones and paper.

Upcoming releases for Decca include Five Souls (released 3 March 2023), which Tan Dun describes as a “a journey from the universe to the metaverse where we discover our spirit, who we are and what we are meant to be”. The five movements for small ensemble include sections for water percussion, harp, brass, strings and digeridoo. You can sample the first single from Five Souls via the Decca Classics website.

The composer's first major new album for Decca, meanwhile, will be a world premiere recording of his Buddha Passion on 7 April 2023. 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 to be based on a Buddhist rather than Christian narrative.

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Later in 2023, another major world premiere recording, The Tears of Nature, will follow in September. The 25-minute percussion concerto was written in the wake of three major natural disasters – the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, the Japanese Tsunami in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, all of which affected Tan Dun personally.

Co-Presidents of Decca Label Group, Tom Lewis and Laura Monks, say, 'We are so proud to welcome Tan Dun to Decca. He is a global statesman for classical music; arguably one of the most inventive, energetic and warm-hearted composers alive. His story is quite extraordinary. He embodies the sometimes unimaginable and unique way in which music can change your life.'

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Tan Dun says, 'Decca has always been a dream for me. As a young artist, I could never have imagined that one day we would embrace each other. I’ve worked with many recording labels over the years, but now, connecting with Decca, I understand. It is so pure and classical and, yet cool and fresh and open to all sorts of music and cultures, it is a very special place. I feel deeply honoured to be part of it.

'I have two goals in my heart: I don’t just want to establish a musical idea…. I want to develop a cross-cultural idea that brings nature and classical music, ancient and modern, together.'