“I hear desert wind, the hush of pigment and brushwork, and the flow of people and ideas along the Silk Road,” says pipa virtuoso Lulu Liu of the ancient music manuscripts found in the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, also known as the Mogao Caves.

The caves in Dunhuang, an oasis city on the edge of the Gobi Desert along the historic Silk Road in China’s northwest Gansu Province, are renowned for their paintings and statues, representing 1,000 years of Buddhist art. In 1900, the Library Cave was unearthed by Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu. He noticed a crack in the wall that revealed a secret chamber which had been sealed for nearly 900 years. The chamber, containing over 50,000 manuscripts, paintings and other relics, is one of the greatest discoveries in the history of Chinese culture. Among the treasures are 25 pipa manuscripts from the 10th-century Tang Dynasty, offering a rare glimpse into the musical life of the Tang Court. The artistry reflected in the manuscripts spurred Sydney composer Alex Chilvers to write the Tang Suite. Commissioned by ABC Classic and released digitally in February this year, it features Sydney-based ensemble Bark Tin Band, comprising Chilvers (who plays the bass guitar), Liu and harpsichord master Anthony Abouhamad.

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