Three Muses in the Zen Garden (2025)
(Clarinet Concerto)

Composer note
Three Muses in the Zen Garden is composed for my dear friend and clarinetist Patrick Messina. For many years we spoke about creating a clarinet concerto together, imagining its sound and spirit. I’m so happy that this dream is coming to life.

The piece begins with a quiet, Zen-like prelude that opens into the first movement, a lyrical and meditative movement. I imagined the feeling of stillness and quiet like if I was sitting in a garden, where nature and silence exist together.

The second movement is inspired by the ancient Buddhist caves of Dunhuang along the Silk Road. While visiting Dunhuang, I was deeply moved by the sound world suggested by the murals and manuscripts preserved there. The main musical motif of this movement comes from an ancient Buddhist chant associated with the caves. In this movement, the clarinet becomes a kind of voice that echoes those distant spiritual sounds across time.

The third movement turns toward light and joy. I imagined the blooming of the lotus — what I think of as “lotus happiness.” After meditation comes a feeling of openness and renewal, and the music becomes brighter and more playful, like sunlight reflecting on water in the garden.

In this piece, I wanted to explore a philosophical and spiritual feeling of nature, meditation, and the quiet spirit that exists within a garden and within ourselves.

— Tan Dun (March, 2026)

Movements
Optional prelude
I. Andante
II. Allegretto subito
III. Allegro