By HE NONG

Tan Dun and the Oscar he was awarded as composer of the musical score to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Editor's Note: In the early 1980s, some graduates of the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music began their musical careers. When one such graduate, Tan Dun, was awarded an Oscar in 1999 for his musical score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, well-known Chinese composer Chen Qigang, now resident in France, wrote a letter of congratulations to his former classmate. He said, "Ours was a class of student nonentities until we rocked China and then the world. We 'lit beacons' in different parts of the world. Whether friends or rivals, our influence on each other is symbiotic. Now, when people call me 'master,' I can't help remembering being one of eight classmates, all sharing an hotel room in Amsterdam." At the end of his letter Chen Qigang wrote, "Our horizons are broadening."

This article gives an insight into artists who were young during the "cultural revolution," and the impressions of European and American music circles they gained from their experience abroad.

THIS topic is prompted by the "French Radio Modern Music Festival 2002," held in Paris. The festival, which ended on February 18, 2002, was venue for 17 concerts, of which three were dedicated to Chinese composers. Two key concerts, performed by the French Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra and the French State Symphony Orchestra respectively, were of the works of Tan Dun and Chen Qigang. Within the context of this international modern music festival, they were of particular interest.

An untoward event during the festival made Tan Dun a focus of discussion.

The French Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra's presentation of Tan Dun's music -- the concert-version of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," was performed along with a video of incoherent Chinese scenes from the film. Despite having won an Oscar, this violoncello concerto's long melody and visual accompaniment were repugnant to certain audience members so much so that they expressed their dissatisfaction by hissing loudly. The reaction of some of the younger members of the audience was to show their support for the composer by warmly applauding. Neither side would concede, so the performance had to be suspended for a while. According to one expert, this was unprecedented in Paris -- a city noted for the discernment of its patrons of the arts.

The main French newspaper, Le Monde, later published a review of Tan Dun's music describing it as "absurd," "trying to curry favor by claptrap," and "playing tricks to hoodwink young people." Its critique of the concert-version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was caustic; calling it a "hotchpotch" that was "nauseating" and "unacceptably vulgar."

Tan Dun was confounded by this reaction, as his work had been successfully staged over a dozen times in other countries. Certain artists residing in France have since expressed their views on this event.

One commonly shared is that music, along with all the arts, is taken much more seriously in Europe than in the United States. Chen Qigang, whose music was acclaimed by the festival audience, said that Europeans, whether laymen or professionals, are serious about art, and will not tolerate commercialized performances like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, at an orthodox concert. He went on to say that the more professional the critic, the more subjective his appraisal of a piece of music will be. His education and professional experience are his personal frame of reference, and anything deviating from it is to be shunned. A layperson, on the other hand, often has a broader view, and is capable of a more objective evaluation of a new musical work.

Chen Qigang went on to say that tradition impedes the French in their appreciation of avant-garde artistic concepts. French musicologists maintain that music with popular appeal lacks refinement, and that only "profound" music in the received sense can be regarded as good work. American artists are, however, much more commercially aware than their European counterparts. This would indicate that Americans are musically pragmatic, whereas European artists are more idealistic, with little regard for the market.

Xu Shuya, another well-known Chinese composer residing in France, said that Europeans generally consider themselves artistically orthodox, but that this concept is changing. This could be agreed simply on the basis of Tan Dun's music being included in such a serious music festival at all.

On commenting on Tan Dun and his music, Chen Qigang said: "Tan Dun is the bravest, most successful, and talented of contemporary Chinese composers, as regards unconstrained "continuous exploration," in form and spirit. Even those that dislike his works must acknowledge that he is the boldest of innovators. His influence as a composer, born of applying learned Western music composition techniques, has been the greatest for over a century. His successes and failures have, therefore, enormous impact on me, and on our generation as a whole."

Another yardstick through which to appraise this event is that of considering the quality of the music itself as primary, and all other external performing factors, such as unconventional sounds and effects, as secondary. Excessive performance "frills" often distract from the artistic effect. Xu Shuya gave as an example "The Rites of Spring," by Igor Feodorovich Stravinsky. When this was first performed in 1913, it strayed too far from the contemporary mores. The audience loudly hissed and booed, forcing Stravinsky to flee backstage and make his escape. Today, this work is a required course for students of music and a frequently performed concert piece. It is regarded as perfect in its composition and peerless quality. Xu Shuya nevertheless takes the line that composers should center on the essential quality of their music and heed audience response.

Chen Qigang says, "Although there are great differences between Tan Dun and me, we have one belief in common -- that of taking one's own road. This is easier said than done. Only the composer himself knows the agonizing birth pangs of creation. To an artist, individuality and attainment are both vital, but individuality takes precedence." French writer Jean Cocteau, explained this concept: "You should nurture what others criticize about you, because this is what distinguishes you."

The audience is the final judge of a work of art. Music coldly received might eventually become a classic work, but that which is instantly accepted does so more readily. Expert evaluation and box-office success do not necessarily conflict. Audiences did not understand Stravinsky's "The Rites of Spring" when it was first performed, but now, after time, they do. But one question arises: is music that takes time to understand necessarily good? And when a piece of music is fused with visual, emotional or avant-garde non-musical aspects, is the sensual pleasure it brings purely musical?

HE NONG is Paris correspondent for the Guangming Daily.