Preserving the future of music

In the ever-evolving world of music, where tradition meets technology, one composer stands at the forefront of innovation: Tan Dun.

Known for weaving the ancient with the modern, Tan continues to push boundaries with his latest creation, Sound River — AI Symphony with Film, Electronics and Large Orchestra, which premiered in Chengdu, Sichuan province, over the weekend. Through it, Tan invites audiences to listen, reflect, and embark on a journey that bridges the past, present, and future in a harmonious symphony of sound.

Tan's musical journey is one of exploration and discovery. Wherever he travels, he seeks out unique and captivating sounds and records them to preserve their essence. In Venice, he was enchanted by the folk songs of elderly gondoliers. In Istanbul, the haunting strains of the kamancheh, a fretless stringed instrument, captured his imagination. Each encounter adds a new layer to his ever-expanding musical tapestry.

In 2024, Tan stumbled upon a rare gem while in Hong Kong: the voice of partially sighted elderly artist Tong Siu-yin, singing the nearly forgotten Dishui Nanyin. Nanyin is one of southern China's oldest existing musical genres. Dishui Nanyin, a distinctive form of Nanyin, traditionally performed by visually challenged artists, is named after the "Dishui Shi" hexagram from the I Ching (Book of Changes), symbolizing the historical roles of the visually impaired as singers and fortune tellers.

"Tong's voice seemed to emerge from a bygone era," Tan recalls, moved to tears by her poignant refrain, "Although I can't see, I hear you."

"After she finished singing, she asked me, 'Is the recorder still running? I haven't sung this joyfully in a long time.' I realized that these are living fossils of folk culture that are disappearing — the elderly artists and sounds that are on the verge of being lost."

For Tan, these encounters are not merely musical. They are a mission to save disappearing cultural treasures. "If their music fades, their stories vanish, and history is fragmented."

This realization sparked the creation of Sound River, a composition that seeks to capture the flow of human history through music.

Premiering in Hong Kong in November 2024, Sound River immerses listeners in a sonic river where Arabic vocals, Siberian jaw harps, Indian quartets, China's Yunnan wooden drums, Quanzhou (Fujian province) foot-pressed drums, and Dishui Nanyin converge.

For Tan, music is a river of human history, flowing from the ancient past to the present and beyond. If the "sound river" transported audiences to the past, Tan, about two years later, is taking a bold step forward by inviting listeners to contemplate the future.

By feeding the Sound River symphony score into an AI system, Tan seeks to uncover how technology interprets the concept of a river — a theme deeply rooted in classical music.

"Rivers never stop flowing, and neither does history. Humanity has entered the age of AI. Pop music has begun using AI, but classical musicians have not yet contemplated AI. Art and science have always been the two most important driving forces in human development. I want to explore their intersection," he says.

Tan continues: "What is a river? An orchestra offers a good answer: my composition Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra, Smetana's The Moldau, Debussy's La Mer, or Benjamin Britten's Four Sea Interludes. These are all human expressions of the feeling of flowing water and rivers. How would AI represent a river?"

He works with his AI studio to create pieces of music, such as the vocal chant Although I Can't See, I Hear You, and weaves them into the orchestration.

"The dialogue between AI and symphony is my deep meditation on the counterpoint between the universe and the metaverse," Tan explains. As humanity enters the AI era, he believes classical musicians must engage with these new possibilities.

The concert in Chengdu was a sensory feast. Breaking away from traditional orchestral arrangements, the ensemble is arranged in an S-shape and even extends into the audience to mimic the meandering flow of a river, creating a strong sense of immersion. A large screen displays 16 documentary shorts, capturing Tan's sound collections from the past 12 years. This immersive experience blends visuals, vocals and symphonic music into a cohesive narrative.

Comprising 20 movements, from the opening Prelude: Sound River to the closing Although I Can't See, I Hear You, the performance features a variety of artists. Hong Kong soprano Louise Kwong, Mongolian khoomei throat singer Wuyuntana, and percussionist Rong Chenchu join forces with the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra to create a rich tapestry of global soundscapes.

"This piece is very meaningful. The emotions expressed in the music are delicate. We were quite moved during rehearsals. Additionally, the interaction between the orchestra and the AI composition is so interesting," says Zhang Yiwen, first cello of the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra.

Sound River is scheduled to be performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Oct 2, 2027.