Tan Dun, who wrote the Oscar-winning score for the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is writing music for the Olympic Games. Good. Nay, splendid.

The music might not be quite what you expect.

The composer intends to incorporate sounds made by China’s three best known Olympians. He said, ‘I will use the sounds of water splashes made by diver Guo Jingjing, balls hit by basketball player Yao Ming and the race start of hurdler Liu Xiang. . . I can sense musical tempos in their movements. They are natural sounds embodying sports passion, which are quite touching. I can see colours and hear music in the rhythm of their movement.’

Tan, 50, a leader of China’s New Wave of composers, has often used natural sounds in his work, water in particular. He said, ‘I often think of the scene around the Liuyang River in my hometown, people washing clothes in the river and the musicality of the sounds of water never cease.’

The amazing portrait is on the site of his agent Harrison Parrot.