Tan Dun’s Symphony 1997: Heaven, Earth, Man, which was composed to celebrate Hong Kong’s reunification with China, makes use of extensive self-borrowing, fitting the traditional Chinese practice of using the same work for various settings. The composer here assumes a dual role as creator and culture carrier. Tan’s incorporation of the suicidal duet from the opera Princess Cheungping in the sixth movement harbors a political tone, as the opera symbolizes a city’s downfall. Furthermore, the duet titled Xiang Yao (the death of the princess) abbreviates Xiang Gang Yao Wang (the death of Hong Kong), which is ironic for a symphony intended to celebrate Hong Kong. In the seventh to tenth movements, Tan borrows from his own previous works to create a collage. The next two movements are borrowed from Tan’s own movie soundtrack for the film Don’t Cry, Nanking, detailing the Nanjing Massacre and contributing an overall depressing tone to the handover celebration. The presence of the gigantic Zeng Hou Yi bells is crucial in the understanding of the music. The Zeng Hou Yi bell-chimes are symbols of a local lord subverting the hierarchy of the ritual system, thereby harboring defiant political undertones. The use of the Zeng Hou Yi bell-chimes in this composition further contributes to a revival of ancient ritual objects and can be interpreted as a subversive act in this reunification context. This accounts for why only the first two movements of the symphony were performed in the variety show televised to the public in commemoration of the reunification.

Works: Tan Dun: Symphony 1997: Heaven, Earth, Man (57-71).

Sources: Anonymous: Mo Li Hua (58); Puccini: Turandot (58); Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (58); Anonymous: Princess Cheungping (58-59), Xiang Gang Yao Wang (59); Tan Dun: Soundtrack to Don’t Cry, Nanking (60), Marco Polo (61); Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 (61).

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Jingyi Zhang