BBC Symphony Orchestra
A concert given last night as part of the Fire Crossing Water festival at the Barbican, featuring multimedia works by Varese and by Chinese composer, Tan Dun. Varese's description of an urban desert features pre-recorded factory and treated percussion sounds interwoven with the live ensemble.
The Gate is a story of three women seeking eternal forgiveness -they have all committed suicide for love: the Chinese Yuji - the heroine from Farewell My
Concubine, Juliet from the Shakespeare play, and the Japanese Koharu, from Love Suicides at Amijima Chikamatsu. Varese Deserts
BBC SO, conductor Pierre-Andre Valade Tan Dun Orchestra Theatre IV: The Gate Shi Ming (Peking Opera actress),
Nancy Lundy (soprano), Zehua Zhang (puppeteer) BBC SO, conductor Tan Dun