When tradition meets technology, beautiful things can come about. Such as a multimedia concert conducted by Tan Dun and performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in a rural Chinese village. The DVD Tan Dun: The Map contains footage from the concert in addition to a short film, Rediscovering The Map. Comprising nine movements, The Map represents Tan's personal journey into China's musical past. By combining video images with orchestral music and traditional folk music, he offers fresh insights into questions about the future of arts and culture. Can the future be mapped by melding traditional and contemporary art forms? Tan offers us some insights in the soaring love song Feige which juxtaposes a video recording of a Miao girl singing a passionate centuries-old love song with a live performance by Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen. Traditional ethnic musical styles captured in video images have new life breathed into them when melded with compositions for Karttunen and the orchestra. By creating counterpoints between the video, cello solo and the orchestra, The Map is a piece of beautiful music that will transcend cultures, history and time.
