From Shaolin to Symphonies: RZA Announces New Orchestral LP ‘A Ballet Through Mud’

RZA will journey from Staten Island to symphony halls with the Wu-Tang Clan mastermind’s upcoming orchestral album, A Ballet Through Mud.

The producer rediscovered the project during the pandemic when he revisited lyrical songbooks he penned as a teenager in “Shaolin.” RZA then transformed those early works into a ballet that tells a coming-of-age story about love and growth.

“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing. The inspiration for A Ballet Through Mud comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal—love, exploration, and adventure,” RZA said of the work in a statement. 

“I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment.”

In addition to his film scores over the years, RZA also dipped into symphonic music in 2023 with his orchestral 36 Chambers concerts. A Ballet Through Mud was also initially performed in 2023 by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, which also features on the studio recording of the work, composed and produced by RZA. The album will arrive on streaming services via the Platoon label on August 30.

A Ballet Through Mud Track List

Aeolian Beauty
Clear Sky After Storm
Ballet Through Mud
Divine Intervention
Freedom of Movement
Soft Footsteps
Goodnight
The Night Dances When You Least Expect It
Moving Meditation
The Lotus Arrives