Musical salute to the first emperor

Composer brings symphony 'home' to Xi'an for Chinese premiere, Chen Nan reports.

Tan Dun has traveled to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, many times. The ancient city has long fascinated the composer for various reasons — the delicious food, the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors, and Qinqiang Opera, a type of traditional Chinese opera popular in Shaanxi.

This month, Tan returned to the city once more, this time with a special purpose.

Along with the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra, on July 15, he conducted his Symphony of the First Emperor, the first time that the work has ever been performed in China.

"Many Chinese symphony orchestras wanted to premiere the work in China but Xi'an is the perfect city for it," Tan, 65, told China Daily two days before the concert. "I came to Xi'an many years ago when I was preparing to compose the piece, and I was inspired by the city. It's like it has returned to its hometown."

The composer and conductor is, arguably, best known for the Oscar-winning score he composed for director Ang Lee's martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Symphony of the First Emperor was based on the music from Tan's opera The First Emperor. In 2006, The First Emperor was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House, which had commissioned the production in cooperation with the Los Angeles Opera. Directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and conducted by Tan, the opera is about Qinshihuang, the first ruler of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), who united the country, began construction of the Great Wall, and issued orders for almost universal standardization of, among other things, weights, measures, the written language and the law.

The celebrated opera star Placido Domingo played the lead role of Qinshihuang.