The Peony Pavilion is one of China’s most famous operas, but uncut performances of this romantic 16th century work can take more than 22 hours. Chinese composer Tan Dun, who’s best known for his Academy Award-winning score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has adapted the work into a compact 75 minutes. His version will be performed in the Astor Court — a replica of a Chinese garden — in New York’s Metropolitan Museum, beginning tonight.
When The Peony Pavilion was written in 1598, there were no theaters or opera houses in China. So this drama, which takes place in a garden, was actually staged in one, says Tan: “The garden became their live stage, actually, to present the writing, poetry, music and opera.”
A few years ago, Tan found himself having tea in a garden outside of Shanghai, listening to the birds and insects — and he had an epiphany.
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