Tan Dun: NU SHU – The Secret Songs of Women 谭盾 女书
PUBLISHED February 2nd, 2015 04:02 am | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am
NU SHU – The Secret Songs of Women is a spellbinding and intimate look into the lives of the women of a remote village in Hunan, China. Award-winning composer and conductor Tan Dun delves into the fast-disappearing world of Nu Shu, the only existing language in the world today used exclusively by females.
Thirteen microfilms provide a glimpse into a private bond of sisterhood, accompanied by Tan Dun’s compositions inspired by the ancient music of the community. Tan Dun conducts the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and guest solo harpist Chen Yuying from Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, providing the evocative score to heartrending everyday scenes of village life-elderly Nu Shu women sing with tearful dedication; younger members ready themselves in their wedding dresses; a young female rows down a river of symbolic tears-all connected together by an ancient form of communication that continues to be an essential element of life in the village.
Join Tan Dun as he conducts the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra in a programme featuring Nu Shu and familiar works from the Chinese classical repertoire including Li Huanzhi’s celebratory Spring Festival Overture and Liu Yuan’s Train Toccata. The concert also features guzheng virtuoso Yuan Li, who performs Guan Xia’s Hua Mulan, and erhu musician Zhao Lei, who performs a soulful interpretation of Zhao Jiping’s The Grand Mansion Gate.
This event is happening on Saturday, 21 February at 8pm at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
To purchase tickets, please click [here](http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/secret0215).
