Tan Dun
Three Muses in Video Game

Sergei Rachmaninov
Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Jörgen van Rijen – trombone
Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
Daniel Raiskin – Chief Conductor of JPO

The American composer of Chinese origin Tan Dun ranks among the most prominent figures in contemporary music. He gained international recognition especially for his score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which received both an Academy Award and a Grammy. Tan Dun composed Three Muses in Video Game specifically for the evening’s soloist, the phenomenal Dutch trombonist Jörgen van Rijen, who premiered the work in 2021 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The fascinating music of Tan Dun’s trombone concerto draws inspiration not only from video game soundtracks but also from the sounds of three traditional ancient Chinese instruments.

The remainder of the evening is devoted to Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. The renowned Russian piano virtuoso and composer wrote this work in 1940, near the end of his life, while living in exile in the United States. In Symphonic Dances, he succeeded in combining modern rhythms— inspired by Stravinsky and Prokofiev —with his Romantic fondness for broad, lyrical melodies.