From world-renowned composer Tan Dun, Buddha Passion is a sweeping work of imagination and a luminous meditation on the life and teaching of the Buddha.

For Buddha Passion, Grammy and Academy award-winning artist Tan Dun has travelled the globe, from the mystical Buddhist caves of the ancient city of Dunhuang to the storied libraries of Europe.

Richly evoking an allegorical world inspired by Buddhist philosophy, Buddha Passion is marked by mythical characters and eastern landscapes in a multi-layered performance of narrative, rich chorals and orchestra.

Buddha Passion unfolds over six acts. It begins with a mural alluding to Buddha’s moment of nirvana. A little prince learns all lives are equal while a man reaps the fruits of karma after betraying the Deer of Nine Colours. Princess Miaoshan’s sacrifice transmutes into the ultimate symbol of compassion, while a Zen Master and lowly woodcutter debate on the true meaning of Zen. In a chance encounter on the Silk Road, a minstrel monk finds himself inexorably drawn to the fate of a dying woman.

Witness Tan Dun’s prodigious, genre-breaking gifts which have won standing ovations from audiences globally, as he performs with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra alongside a 100-strong choir comprising singers from the Internationale Chorakademie Lübeck and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.  

Shimmering with mythic grace, Buddha Passion incarnates the timeless message of peace, compassion and gentleness and is a thrilling musical achievement not to be missed.

Artists

Since its founding in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene in the cosmopolitan city-state. In addition to its subscription series concerts, the orchestra is well-loved for its outdoor and community appearances, and its significant role educating the young people of Singapore. The SSO makes its performing home at the 1,800-seat state-of-the-art Esplanade Concert Hall. More intimate works and all outreach performances take place at the 673-seat Victoria Concert Hall, the home of the SSO. The SSO has also earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity, having garnered sterling reviews for its overseas tours and many successful recordings. Under the Music Directorship of Lan Shui from 1997 to January 2019, the SSO has performed in Europe, Asia and the United States. In July 2019, the SSO named Austrian conductor Hans Graf as its Chief Conductor designate, beginning in the 2020/21 concert season.

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Why You Should Watch Buddha Passion

Photos by Dunhuang Academy
Photography by Wu Jian