07/04/23

Serbian premiere of Three Muses in a Video Game

It’s a rather unusual repertoire of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday, April 7, inspired by China and conducted by Daniel Raiskin (Kolarac, 8 p.m.). In the Serbian premiere of the composition Three Muses in a Video Game by Tan Dun, the global superstar Jörgen van Rijen performs on the trombone, and singers Eva Vogel and Thomas Mohr perform with the orchestra in Mahler’s Song of the Earth.

The concert program titled Beijing opens with the most recent work of the Chinese-American composer Tan Dun Three Muses in a Video Game. The composition is a tribute to the music in video games with a deep appreciation of the Chinese musical tradition. The work was premiered in 2021 by Jürgen von Ryen, the soloist of the Philharmonic concert to which the work is dedicated.

Principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra s a highly sought-after musician, particularly for the way he promotes his instrument, his innovative repertoire for the trombone, as well as the way in which he brings his regular repertoire closer to a wider audience. A true ambassador of his instrument, von Rijen will demonstrate his technical superiority in a composition with an unusual title inspired by the sounds of Chinese instruments.

It is the Serbian premiere of Tan Dun’s Three Muses in a Video Game performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. The philharmonic enthusiasts remember this composer for his Water Concert, which was a real success in 2012, when more than 250 litres of water had been used and the audience in the front rows was given raincoats to wear that performance.

In the second part of the concert, the greatest of all Mahler’s symphonies will resonate across the concert hall. A cycle of songs for two vocals and orchestra Song of the Earth is based on verses from The Chinese Flute. Mezzo-soprano Eva Vogel and tenor Thomas Mohr, great names known for their performances on opera stages such as the Staatsoper Berlin, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Musikverein, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, the Malmö Opera and the Leipzig Opera, perform together with the BPO orchestra, under the baton of Daniel Raiskin, permanent guest conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.