and Theater Works learn more at www.musicsalesclassical.com December 2006withatitlerolecreatedforPlácidoDomingo. premiere of Dun's creativeoutputofthepastdecade,mostlyrecentlywith world; andmultimediaconcerti.OperahasasignificantroleinTan formances; workswhichincorporateelementsfromthenatural his childhoodmemoriesofshamanisticritualintosymphonicper- Company, HongKong Festival d’AutomneaParis; Front Coverand CREDITS PHOTO by HaJinandTanDun Libretto inEnglish The FirstEmperor DUN TAN ALSO BY The MusicSalesGroupofCompanies www.musicsalesclassical.com/rental Publisher andAgencyRepresentation fortheMusicSalesGroup See yourmusicdealerororderonline from The HalLeonardCorporationdistributes G.Schirmer/AMPmusicinprint. Sales materials [email protected] G. Schirmer/AMPPromotionDepartment paperscores www.musicsalesclassical.com/OnDemand SchirmerOnDemand digitalscoresvia freedownload Perusal materials [email protected] digital.schirmer.com/gr G. Schirmer/AMPRentalandPerformanceDepartment Grand Rights:Opera,Ballet,Dance ORDERING INFORMATION Tel: +4533117888 Email: [email protected] Denmark Tel: +442076127400 E-mail: [email protected] Novello &CoLtd UK Tel: +12122542100 E-mail: [email protected] Associated MusicPublishers,Inc. USA : ChesterMusicLtd : G.Schirmer,Inc. : EditionWilhelmHansen AS The FirstEmperor : : Marco Polo, ideas —amongthemaserieswhichbrings vidual compositionalconceptsandpersonal tinct seriesofworkswhichreflecthisindi- body ofwork,TanDunhascomposeddis- Western musicalsystems.Centraltohis of classical,multimedia,Easternand creative repertoirethatspanstheboundaries ble markontheworld'smusicscenewitha er/conductor TanDunhasmadeanindeli- The conceptualandmultifacetedcompos- Nine Songs, Netherlands Opera; by theMetropolitanOperain : Tel: +33153 246852 E-mail: [email protected] France Tel: +493022322019 E-mail: [email protected] Germany Tel: +61292998877 E-mail: [email protected] Australia Tel: +34913084040 E-mail: [email protected] Spain by TanDunandXuYing Libretto inEnglish AMirrorof Tea: www.halleonard.com : UniónMusicalEdiciones City ContemporaryDance : ChesterMusic France : G.SchirmerPtyLtd : MusicSalesClassical Berlin Peony Pavilion, Soul : Tan Dun Peony Pavilion Marco Polo Nine Songs Marco Polo Peony Pavilion Opera in One Act, 1995 Opera in One Act, 1998 Duration: 2 hours Duration: 1 hour, 50 minutes Text in English; trans. by Cyril Birch, based on Text in English by the original Chinese text by Tang Xianzu (1598) WORLD PREMIERE WORLD PREMIERE May 12, 1998 May 7, 1996 Vienna Festival; Peter Sellars, director Munich Biennale CAST AND ORCHESTRATION Munchener Kammerorchester BRIDAL DU: Soprano LIU MENGMEI: Tenor SYNOPSIS SYNOPSIS Marco and Polo, led by the shadows of Dante CAST LIST SISTER STONE: (Chinese Kun-Opera or Bridal Du, daughter of Du Baoyan, the provini- and Scheherazade, journey from Venetian MEMORY Peking-Opera actress) cial governor of Nan-an, falls asleep in the gar- darkness across seas, desert and the high POLO: Dramatic Tenor CHORUS: Baritones, plus all musicians den, intoxicated by the springtime. She dreams Himalayas to arrive at The Wall, where Kublai of meeting a handsome young man. Upon wak- MUSICIANS ing, she pines for this dream lover, and lan- Khan awaits them. Medieval chant, ancient BEINGS THE JUDGE: Elec. MIDI Hn, Xun and Dizi guishes with lovesickness. Eventually she dies of timbres, violence, longing and the sensuality of MARCO: Mezzo-Soprano THE CLERK: Elect. MIDI Hn, and Sona her longings, and is buried in the garden. Three nature open a world of light. In four dreams KUBLAI KHAN: years later, the young scholar Liu Mengmei and three interviews, Marco and Polo are led (or Kiri, or Taeponso) finds a portrait of Bridal Du while in the gar- by the Shadows of Shakespeare, Freud and NATURE THE FLOWER SPIRIT: Pipa den, and falls in love with her picture. Faithful John Cage to examine inner space. Chuang Zi ZHAO: Sampler (or Computer) to her dream even in death, Bridal Du steps out WATER, lover of Marco Polo: Soprano dreams as a butterfly; Mahler and Li Po drink SUN: Percussion - Chinese Opera Drum, Chinese of the painting; as a wandering ghost she pur- to the song of the earth. In China or else- cymb. (6'), small gong (8'), large bass drum, sues her dream lover. Liu Mengmei helps bring where, is contact possible? Can love be SHADOWS her back to life, and she becomes his wife. RUSTICHELLO / LI PO: Tenor water gong (12'-14'), ratchet achieved? Kublai still waits; Marco and Polo LI: Percussion: drum set, udo drum, maraca, guiro, “Opera has not in years sounded so vital or give way to Marco Polo; the unending begins. SHEHERAZADA / MAHLER / QUEEN: original.“ Mezzo-Soprano Chinese cymb. (6'), brush, bow, flexitone, 4 SUBSEQUENT PRODUCTIONS DANTE / SHAKESPEARE: Baritone small Chinese bells, 2 cowbells (large and small) —Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner February 15-18, 1997 Hong Kong Arts Festival; Wanchai, Hong Kong CHORUS OF AT LEAST 20; DANCERS November 8-22, 1997 ORCHESTRATION ; New York, NY Nine Songs 1(pic)1(ca)1(bcl)1(cbn)/2220/3perc/prpf.hp/str (min 10.8.6.6.4) September 5, 1998 Ritual Opera, 1989 Settembre Musica; Turin, Italy world instruments*: rec.medieval hp.rebec. Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes November 22, 1998 sitar.tabla.2 Tibetan hn.Tibetan bowls and bells (chorus).pipa.sheng Text in English by the composer, after the poems Huddersfield Festival; London, England of Qu Yan (340-277 B.C.) April 25, 1999 *Musicians may double on world and western instruments. WORLD PREMIERE Neue Oper Wien; Vienna, Austria May 12, 1989 April 22, 2001 For information on Chinese instruments and Pace Downtown Theatre, New York, NY Zagreb Biennale; Zagreb, Croatia performers, please contact Parnassus Yoshiko Chuma, stage director/choreographer; Productions, Inc. November 7-28, 2008 ORCHESTRATION The Netherlands Opera; Amsterdam, Netherlands 20 singer-performers; 3perc.2cbn.3 Chinese instrumentalists ITEMS FOR SALE SYNOPSIS Libretto: available from Hal Leonard 50483499 Nine Songs is non-narrative, based on ancient poems of the same name by the great poet Qu Yuan. Written for performance with dance, music and drama, they are filled with the beauty of nature and the CD: Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra; Cappella Amsterdam; Tan Dun, conductor; Sony 62912 mysteries of shamanistic ritual. The text, a multi-language construction of abstract sound and form, makes DVD: Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; Capella Amsterdam; Tan Dun, conductor; Opus Arte 1010 an independent but integral contribution to the musical scoring.