Actors from Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater and musicians from Suzhou Symphony Orchestra rehearse in Suzhou on Jan 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The original theatrical production, The Peony Pavilion, which combines chamber music with Kunqu Opera, will be staged at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan 24.
Produced by Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, the performance features eight classic excerpts from Kunqu Opera, The Peony Pavilion, and combines music pieces by Chen Qiangbin, who is a professor of the composition department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Six musical instruments are involved in the performance, including violin, cello, and clarinet.
This will be the first time the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra presents the original work overseas since its premiere in 2022.
Actors from Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater will play in the production.
Actors from Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater and musicians from Suzhou Symphony Orchestra rehearse in Suzhou on Jan 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Peony Pavilion was written by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) playwright Tang Xianzu.
One of the oldest traditional opera forms still performed in China, Kunqu Opera was born in the region of Kunshan in today's Suzhou, Jiangsu province. It has distinguished itself by the virtuosity of its rhythmic patterns and exerted a dominant influence on all the more recent forms of opera in China, such as Peking Opera. Combining songs performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, Kunqu Opera uses a seemingly endless variety of gestures to express specific emotions.
In 2008, UNESCO inscribed Kunqu Opera on the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Actors from Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater and musicians from Suzhou Symphony Orchestra rehearse in Suzhou on Jan 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
