Tan Dun speaks on his research and inspiration from his work exploring the cave temples of Mogao. "In the desert of Western China is a place called Dunhuang. Its beauty has haunted me or many years, and when I had the chance to visit, I jumped at the opportunity," says Tan Dun. "A story I heard there changed my life and work. More than a hundred years ago, an abbott found an undiscovered cave filled with sutras, scores, and paintings. He greedily sold them, unaware of their cultural worth. Many were lost, but some were saved by the Qing Dynasty government. This story not only made me cry, but inspired me. I set out to reconstruct the beliefs and sounds of the people of Dunhuang, a journey to let the world revisit that culture. I have spent the last two years visiting the national libraries and museums of London, Paris, Tokyo and Boston, learning, tracking and studying the Dunhuang manuscripts and sutras." The afternoon includes a presentation of music from the 8th century manuscripts, rediscovered by Tan Dun and interpreted for the first time by a composer. Percussionist Chenchu Rong and pipa player Wenqing Shi perform.
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