Tan Dun: Concerto for strings and pipa

Who knows what a pipa is? And even better: who knows a concerto for string quartet and pipa by a Chinese Oscar winner? The pipa is a bowl-necked lute used in classical, traditional Chinese music. In 1999, the Chinese conductor and Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun wrote a concerto for string quartet and this very lute for his film score to "Tiger and Dragon". The basis for this concerto was his "Ghost Opera", inspired by the 4,000-year-old tradition of Taoist funeral ceremonies, in which shamans communicate with spirits from the past and future and develop dialogs between nature and the human soul. The pipa concerto is a work full of dynamic and colorful sound effects, allusive (Bach quote) and sensual music with an extremely virtuoso solo part. In the spirit of theatrical expression, the musicians don't just play, they stomp, sigh, scream and even shout. A fascinating, captivating work and an adventurous journey into different worlds of sound and cultures. The pipa part was arranged by Chia-Ling Chang for Liuqin, another Chinese plucked instrument.