Zhou Tian's Metropolis | Minnesota Orchestra | Thomas Søndergård

Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian, born in Hangzhou in 1981 and educated at Curtis, Juilliard and USC, wrote Metropolis to celebrate the Guangzhou Symphony's 65th anniversary, and that orchestra premiered the work in the composer's home country in 2022. Zhou drew inspiration from a Tang dynasty poem describing the ancient city of Southern Yue, today's Guangzhou, explaining that the piece "explores the intersection between cultures, reflecting my own upbringing." This month also marks 20 years since Zhou's earlier work Palace of 9 Perfections received a reading at the 2006 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute. Metropolis opens with bright brass fanfares and rapid woodwind gestures that rush by in the piece's opening minutes. Low strings then offer a gentler transition through pizzicato, opening up into a stunning horn solo that woodwinds and harp take turns echoing and supporting before the strings join in lush, unified strokes of sweet, tender music. A brief pause led by celesta, harp and percussion transitions back to the piece's original energetic theme, with accented rhythms and swirling woodwind and string flourishes driving the music to a powerful, thrilling close. Music Director Thomas Søndergård led the Minnesota Orchestra in this performance on May 1, 2026. This recording was produced as part of The Listening Project, an ongoing initiative to spotlight the music of historically underrepresented composers and to collaborate with a broader group of composers living today.