Taiwanese composer and music educator. He graduated from the National Taiwan
University (1967-71) then studied composition with Lehmann at the Musikhochschule
and Musikakademie in Zürich (1974‚Äì6); he continued his studies with Helmut
Lachenmann at the Hochschule für Musik and Theater in Hanover (1976-8) and
with Isang Yun at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin (1978-80). Upon
his return to Taiwan he became professor of music and composition at the National
Institute of the Arts in Taibei and founded the Modern Music Centre there
in 1984. This organization became the kernel of the Taiwan branch of the ISCM,
which Pan co-founded with Wen Longxin and Zeng Xingkui in 1989.
While making use of the entire array of modernist and avant-garde techniques,
Pan's music is often inspired by Chinese philosophical or mythical concepts.
Hudiemeng (1979) and Du, ein sterblicher, unnützer Mensch (1981) are based
on texts by the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi. Yijing (1995) makes use of the
Classic of Changes (also an inspiration to Cage), while Penglai (1978) is
a sonic depiction of a Chinese paradise. His compositions series Yin-Yang
(1992-5) and Wuxing shengke (1979-86) are based on the Chinese philosophy
of change in which all parts of the cosmos are said to be in constant flux.
These works depict the permutations of the five primary elements as they successively
produce and destroy each other: movement generates new movement, or is destroyed
by new movement. Each motif is subjected to constant metamorphosis: change
may occur in sound colour, texture, structure, dynamics or metre. (© New Grove
Dictionary of Music and Musicians)