Revival of Tan Dun's Water Passion

Sarah Ioannides, conductor Symphony Tacoma Voices (Geoffrey Boers, director) Elizabeth Keusch, soprano; Gary Sorenson, bass; David Cossin, percussion; Svend Rønning, violin; David Requiro, cello; Amy Boers, keyboard In 2000, the International Bach Academy in Germany commissioned Tan Dun to compose a new “passion” to mark the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death. The Asian-influenced Water Passion After St. Matthew transcends the traditional passion tale with juxtapositions of East meets West, tribal rituals meet electronica, symphony meets theater, and Buddhism meets Christianity. The stage design is centered around a massive cross comprised of seventeen large, transparent, illuminated water basins on pedestals that are used as percussion instruments along with a “voice orchestra,” solo violin, cello and keyboard. This production includes excerpts from Symphony Tacoma’s 2016 performance augmented by interviews of some of the key players and curated by Music Director Sarah Ioannides.