Ru
EnE. Aksayskova
Features of composer’s work with texts in the libretto of Water Passion After St. Matthew by Tan Dun (on the interpretation of the Passion genre)
The article examines the specific features of the libretto of Water Passion After St. Matthew (2000) by Tan Dun, considered in the context of the renewal of the Passion genre. Following the archetypal Bachian tradition of free textual interpretation, the composer significantly expands its boundaries. The mosaic structure of the libretto is formed through a contamination of fragments from three Gospels, the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Confucian text “Kongzi Jiayu“ (“The School Sayings of Confucius“), and Tan Dun’s original texts. The polytextual nature of the libretto is closely connected with the overall polygeneric character of Water Passion After St. Matthew, which incorporates archetypal features of the Passion genre (formal structure, choral functions, choral polyphony), elements of operatic dramaturgy (stages of dramatic development, the presence of conflict), traditions of Chinese Jingju drama (specific vocal techniques and the use of national instruments), shamanistic rituals, Jewish melos, and dance traditions (modes of Jewish music). Through these textual and generic fusions, a multi-level synthesis emerges, formed by dialogues between Christianity and Buddhism, Eastern and Western cultures, as well as by the parallel unfolding of linear (the Gospel narrative) and cyclical (ideas of Buddhism and Daoism) space-time models.
Overall, Tan Dun’s interpretation of the genre extends far beyond the tradition of the oratorio Passion. By transcending established confessional and cultural boundaries and expanding the figurative and semantic horizons of the narrative, the composer interprets the Passion of Christ within the context of the ancient idea of the eternal cycle of being. This perspective makes it possible to view Water Passion After St. Matthew through the lens of a worldview-oriented “universalism”. Thus, the work effectively anticipates a new trajectory in the development of the genre, associated with the “supra-confessional” spiritual quests of the contemporary era.
Key words
works of Tan Dun, Water Passion After St. Matthew, contemporary interpretation of the Passion genre, dialogue between East and West, genre interactions.
For citation
Aksayskova E. Features of composer’s work with texts in the libretto of Water Passion After St. Matthew by Tan Dun (on the interpretation of the Passion genre). In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 1. Pp. 43–51.
