Page 182 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2019. Vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju - The Role of National Opera Houses in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 3
P. 182
vloga nacionalnih opernih gledališč v 20. in 21. stoletju
lebrity. Faustus (2006), his fifth opera, was hailed in Berlin, its place of cre-
ation, but also across the Atlantic29. As often, Americans first identify “on
stage” successes. Then, everything logically followed. That same year, the
very prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned30 him one
piece, Reverso (2006), which was premiered on the first of July of the follow-
ing year. This is to say that the international career of Dusapin was pushed,
undoubtedly, in 2006, by the creation of his fifth opera.
Let‘s take a last example. One of the great symbols of musical globali-
zation today is probably the person of Tan Dun. He represents, in himself,
a bridge between East (China, his country of birth) and West (U.S.A., his
host country). Thus, the success of this composer, in itself, is spectacular.
As early as 2010, at the age of 53, Tan Dun had been commisioned by
such prestigious institutions as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New
York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the Berliner Philharmoni-
ker, the International Bach-Akademie Stuttgart, Youtube/Google, the Ed-
inburgh Festival. He had recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, collabo-
rated with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Lang-Lang. He had won the Suntory
Award, the Grawemeyer Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar (for the music
of Crouching tiger, hidden dragon). He had been played at the Beijing Olym-
pics (2008). He had been cultural ambassador for the Shanghai World Expo
(2010).
But the turning point of this spectacular career came with his second
opera. Marco Polo (1995) was in itself the show of globalization and the glo-
balization of the show. We can understand that, in a way, globalization is a
show, indeed, the very show of the new millennium. The work mixed West-
ern dramatic and Peking opera styles. Dreamlike passages (in the Pekin-
ese style), transhistorical, see apparitions of Dante, Scheherazade, Freud,
Mahler, Cage. A narration of the famous voyage is woven however between
these interludes. This motley ensemble won the Grawemeyer Award in 1998.
This propelled the musician into his global career. The same year, the op-
era Peony Pavilion was created in the staging of Peter Sellars. Again in 1998
– a key year for Tan – saw the composition of the Water Concerto, which
already marked a culmination for his “organic music”, composed for per-
29 This led to the commissioning of an article, to which we refer the English-speaking
readers. See Jacques Amblard, “Faustus: the last night. The new “lyric style” of Pas-
cal Dusapin,” in Faust in music, ed. Lorna Fitzsimmons (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2018), 484–93.
30 And this “democratic” orchestra only makes its decisions after the vote of its musi-
cians…
180
lebrity. Faustus (2006), his fifth opera, was hailed in Berlin, its place of cre-
ation, but also across the Atlantic29. As often, Americans first identify “on
stage” successes. Then, everything logically followed. That same year, the
very prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned30 him one
piece, Reverso (2006), which was premiered on the first of July of the follow-
ing year. This is to say that the international career of Dusapin was pushed,
undoubtedly, in 2006, by the creation of his fifth opera.
Let‘s take a last example. One of the great symbols of musical globali-
zation today is probably the person of Tan Dun. He represents, in himself,
a bridge between East (China, his country of birth) and West (U.S.A., his
host country). Thus, the success of this composer, in itself, is spectacular.
As early as 2010, at the age of 53, Tan Dun had been commisioned by
such prestigious institutions as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New
York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the Berliner Philharmoni-
ker, the International Bach-Akademie Stuttgart, Youtube/Google, the Ed-
inburgh Festival. He had recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, collabo-
rated with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Lang-Lang. He had won the Suntory
Award, the Grawemeyer Award, a Grammy Award, an Oscar (for the music
of Crouching tiger, hidden dragon). He had been played at the Beijing Olym-
pics (2008). He had been cultural ambassador for the Shanghai World Expo
(2010).
But the turning point of this spectacular career came with his second
opera. Marco Polo (1995) was in itself the show of globalization and the glo-
balization of the show. We can understand that, in a way, globalization is a
show, indeed, the very show of the new millennium. The work mixed West-
ern dramatic and Peking opera styles. Dreamlike passages (in the Pekin-
ese style), transhistorical, see apparitions of Dante, Scheherazade, Freud,
Mahler, Cage. A narration of the famous voyage is woven however between
these interludes. This motley ensemble won the Grawemeyer Award in 1998.
This propelled the musician into his global career. The same year, the op-
era Peony Pavilion was created in the staging of Peter Sellars. Again in 1998
– a key year for Tan – saw the composition of the Water Concerto, which
already marked a culmination for his “organic music”, composed for per-
29 This led to the commissioning of an article, to which we refer the English-speaking
readers. See Jacques Amblard, “Faustus: the last night. The new “lyric style” of Pas-
cal Dusapin,” in Faust in music, ed. Lorna Fitzsimmons (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2018), 484–93.
30 And this “democratic” orchestra only makes its decisions after the vote of its musi-
cians…
180
