The music includes Water Concerto and Paper Concerto which focused on water and paper as a kind of instrument. It is a percussion of water and paper which is very special and gave the audience exotic enjoyment.
Forsberg said this was the first time that Tan Dun's music was performed for the whole week in Sweden and it was the first time that Tan Dun has ever been in Sweden for two weeks.
Tan Dun was the host for most of the performances and he gave some explanations about his music. For example in the Map, all kinds of instrument were used including stones, wood, paper, cello and many kinds of drums. It depicts the life of the Chinese people and how they made life melody with their simple tools.
In his "Secret Land for Twelve Cello", Tan Dun describes a land of music.
"This is a version which only has 12 cellos without other instruments. The piece is based on all the music secrecy. A secret land of Marco Polo, both psychological and symbolic. It has to do with a land, but the land here is a land for music, a land for musicians to approach. But how to approach is a secret, different musicians have different ways. It's like a cook who cooks different dishes. This piece is more about people in Inner Mongolia or along the Silk Road. It's typical Chinese music because it uses the 'bang's beat. It's mainly a silk road culture for string techniques to show the thousands years of history along the silk road including India, China and ….even Iran. "
Tan Dun said in his music, he is also trying to show the changes in China through the 1980s, to 90s and 21st century during which people are seeking the modern sense which let people more open in their minds. He compared his composition with cooking food. "You can't always eat spaghetti, you have to eat some rice or noodles from time to time." It means that his music is across the border, mixing the east and the western cultures and lives.
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