Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women review – ancient words live again
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Version 0 of 1. Academy and Grammy award-winner Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has chronicled the secrets of ancient and storied women in his latest artistic endeavour, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women. The multimedia extravaganza brought beauty and wisdom to Adelaide for its Australian premiere at the OzAsia festival. Born in segregation with lament close to its heart, Nu Shu is the script developed over hundreds of years by Jian-yong county women in Tan’s own Hunan province to communicate their feelings to one another, and remained exclusively in their domain until it neared extinction. Rediscovered in 1982, the secret language has been the focus of a documentary, books, film and even a Guinness world record. Now Tan Dun’s inventive piece, five years in the making, seeks to weave heartrending stories of Nu Shu women through song and historical context. In another Australian premiere, Tan Dun first reveals his Symphonic Poem on Three Notes, conducting the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with metal percussion soloist Chenchu Rong. Composed to pay tribute to Tan’s friend Plácido Domingo on his 70th birthday, the musical theme forms on three solfège syllables, which, rapped repeatedly by the orchestra, calls the singer’s name. Chenchu’s cadenza is spectacular as the barefoot artist masterfully works her kit, which includes three metal rim car wheels. She delivers mechanical precision with an elegant style, while Tan’s mathematical, spiritual composition sees an inspired orchestra stomping and chanting to a dramatic climax. Tan Dun then conducts Béla Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin suite, illustrating its “pantomime grotesque” storyline with passion. Three screens are set after the interval before harp ambassador Elizabeth Hainen takes to the stage. Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women marries 13 micro-films shot on location in Hunan province (most in a single take) to 13 musical movements, composed and directed by Tan Dun. The first movement, Secret Fan, opens with mosquito strings (visually, the Nu Shu script resembles mosquito legs), but when Hainen’s harp comes in, its strong and personal timbre serves to link the history of the language to the voice of the orchestra. Some sections are particularly confronting. The sixth film, Longing For Her Sister, shows a close-up of an elderly women crying and singing. It’s evocative but invasive, reflected by melancholy strings that ultimately yield to the full orchestra and some sweeping brass. Strong rhythms, water elements (rivers and tears), and Nu Shu’s heartbeat theme – “ta-dum” – hold our focus. Amplified droplets add to the soundtrack as this orchestral heartbeat intensifies before a vividly hopeful final movement. Despite Tan Dun’s assertion that he is more artist than archaeologist, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women works on many levels, recording a culture and its traditions while also paying respect to their deep sense of honour. It’s a retrospective reflection that may just reveal the secrets of Nu Shu to future generations. • Tan Dun will conduct harpist Petra Van Der Heide for the European premiere of Secret Songs with the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, 29-30 January 2015, in Amsterdam. |