Synopsis
On today’s date in 2000, a new cello concerto received its premiere performance at the Barbican Center in London. Billed as the Crouching Tiger Concerto, this score was by Chinese composer Tan Dun, and was derived from his film score for Ang Lee’s martial arts film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
That score featured a prominent cello part, tailor-made for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as well as a variety of traditional Chinese instruments and a percussion battery that included a North African frame drum. The haunting score matched the film so effectively that it was nominated for — and won — an Academy Award.
It was director Ang Lee who suggested that Dun rework his film score into a cello concerto, and even offered to put together a special film to accompany it. In effect, saying, “Turnabout is fair play — you composed music to fit my film, now I’ll compose a film to fit your concerto!”
Lee pulled together shots from the original film and mixed in real and imaginary scenes from New York’s Chinatown and 19th century Beijing for the new film designed to accompany performances of the new concerto.
Music Played in Today's Program
Tan Dun (b. 1957): Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon film score; Yo Yo Ma, cello; Shanghai Symphony; Tan Dun, conductor; Sony 89347
On This Day
Births
1673 - French flutist and composer Jacques-Martin Hottetere, in Paris
Deaths
1977 - Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin, 78, in Paris
Premieres
1918 - Holst: The Planets, at Queen’s Hall, London
1921 - Sigmund Romberg: operetta Blossom Time, in New York City
1949 - Bliss: opera The Olympians, in London
1968 - Henze: Piano Concerto No. 2, in Bielefeld, Germany
1969 - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 (to poems of Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke), in Leningrad, by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai conducting, with vocal soloists Galina Vishnevskaya and Yevgeny Vladimirov
1983 - Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3, in Chicago
1997 - Michael Torke: Overnight Mail for chamber ensemble, in Carre, Amsterdam, by the Orkest de Volharding, Jurjen Hempel conducting
2000 - Tan Dun: Crouching Tiger Concerto, at the Barbican Festival in London, by the London Sinfonietta
Others
1739 - Handel completes his Concerto Grosso No. 1 in London (Gregorian date: Oct. 10)
1789 - Mozart completes in Vienna his Quintet for clarinet and strings, written for clarinetist Anton Stadler, who gave the first public performance of the new work in December of that year
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About Composers Datebook®
Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events and appropriate, accessible music related to each.
He has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.