The peony pavilion tells a love story through the medium of dream beyond space and time, even beyond life and death. Both the play and its dramatist get a high reputation on chinese and. This production of the epic chinese opera the peony pavilion was a smash hit at new yorks lincoln center festival in 2000. The love story of du liniang and liu mengmei is no longer limited to the narrow meaning of fighting against the dictates of parents and words of matchmakers. Rong lan joey wang, a chinese ghost story series, the cousin. Its an experience that can be overwhelming and bewildering. One of tangs four dreams, it has traditionally been performed as a kunqu opera, but chuan and gan opera versions also exist. With robert powell, yi qian, yuhang wen, fulin wen. The introduction is followed by excerpts and analysis of the peony pavilion, kunqus masterpiece.
The poetic artistry shown in the arias, dialogues and dance movement of the characters exemplifies the aesthetic achievement of kunqu. The lyrics of the peony pavilion have been around for 400 years, and its musical score for 300 years, zhang explains. The peony pavilion is a love story that transcends time and space, hearn says. Both rachael and the troxy team have worked to support us on the production, which was a determining factor when choosing a venue to host this show. Interview with shanghai kunqu opera artist zhang jun cnn travel. A short film about a young male escorts struggle to maintain his relationship with the girl he truly loves, while trying to survive in shanghai. Today there are only six kunqu opera troupes left in china. Kun opera is known as the king or ancestor of modern chinese oepra. Peony pavilion 2001 yesasia peony pavilion 2001 amazon. Aug 18, 2010 a chinese opera troupes condensed version of the peony pavilion, staged in a shanghai garden, tries to breathe new life into a traditional art form in danger of disappearing. It was entered into the 23rd moscow international film festival where rie miyazawa won. Interrupted dream is the crucial scene in the peony pavilion, the most important scene. National ballet of china are one of the worlds biggest and best ballet companies, so were super excited that theyll be leaping over to the lowry as part of their uk tour. The play mu dan ting huan hun ji the peony pavilion is by tang xianzu 15501616, a native of linchuan, jiangsu province.
The deaths and lives of the peony pavilion california. The peony pavilion, also named the return of soul at the peony pavilion, is a romantic tragicomedy play written by dramatist tang xianzu in 1598, and the plo. The peony pavilion gets modern touches in china the new. An opera in four scenes conceived by tan dun and directed by tan dun and zhang jun, based on the 16thcentury dream drama peony pavilion. Zhang is at the forefront of the movement to save kunqu, although he is one of the few professional artists remaining in the field. Dec 07, 2001 the story takes place in a beautiful pavilion in 1930s suzhou. Tan dun composer peony pavilion 1998 music sales classical. Peony pavilion to revitalize kunqu opera in shanghai cnn.
Jade is a famous songstress courtesan, marrying into the noble house. Ye tang the peony pavilion lincoln center, festival d. The 16 yearold young lady du liniang, raised by her strict parents, is. Tang xianzu was born around the same time as who in europe. He was also active in the theater about 30 miles from linchuan in ihuang. The making of the peony pavilion in shanghai new york. The deaths and lives of the peony pavilion california magazine. The unique menu takes it cue from timehonored east asian cuisines with contemporary approaches using the freshest, finest ingredients to be found. This course will focus on the historical and cultural background, literary aesthetics, music, and performance of kunqu, chinas classical opera. Sep 18, 2017 the peony pavilion tells a love story through the medium of dream beyond space and time, even beyond life and death. It looks like we dont have any akas for this title yet. The 16 yearold young lady du liniang, raised by her strict parents, is forbidden to leave her boudoir. A teacher can easily forget what its like for a student to encounter a classical art such as opera for the first time.
Interview with shanghai kunqu opera artist zhang jun cnn. The 4th disc has the special features about the production. Inspired by the potential of returning this latesixteenthcentury opera to its original context in a garden setting, he worked with kunqu master zhang jun and choreographer huang doudou to. Peony pavilion dvd movie buy it now at cd universe. The story takes place in a beautiful pavilion in 1930s suzhou.
Its been very different to doing it in china, the venue is newer, the people are working much quicker its a different culture and. A chinese love story from beyond the grave the pony pavilion is the premier example of the southernstyle opera that was popular in the 17th century. It was entered into the 23rd moscow international film festival where rie miyazawa won the award for best actress. The peony pavilion by tang xianzu is widely considered to be the crowning achievement of chinese drama, or if not, only a close second to the peach blossom fanholding, i suppose, a place in the chinese literary pantheon akin to that of hamlet in the english. Peony pavilion was premiered in the opening gala of the 25th hong kong film festival. As the director, producer and leading actor of peony pavilion, zhang juns goal is simple. What you should know first and foremost about the peony pavilion, a 16thcentury chinese musical drama about love, death, and resurrection, and arguably the most famous of all kunqu operas, is that its poetry can kill. Later reinstated as district magistrate of shuichang, zhejiang province, tang retired from this position in 1598. With joey wang, rie miyazawa, daniel wu, brigitte lin. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the akas submission guide. Cyril birch has captured all the elegance, lyricism, and subtle, earthy humor of this panoramic tale of romance and chinese society. It was written by tang xian zu, a contemporary of shakespeare. The peony pavilion the peony pavilion is a masterpiece by tang xianzu, the greatest poet playwright of the ming dynasty 681644. Written in 1598 by tang xianzu, the peony pavilion is one of literatures most memorable love stories and a masterpiece of ming drama.
It is a song in praise of love and life, touching the hearts of every young generation for four hundred years. Peony pavilion dvd movie video at cd universe, at the center of the exquisite chinese opera, the peony pavillion, is a romantic and poetic love story about a couple. Cui hua rie miyazawa, 47 ronin is a famous songstress courtesan, marrying into the noble house. May 22, 20 the chinese kunqu musical opera a walk in the garden is an excerpt of the peony pavilion.
Peony pavilion a short film written and directed by sido yao lu. The cal performances presentation of the peony pavilion seen on two of the three days, friday and. Tang xianzu was part of which period and what are the characteristics of this period. It is about the beloved daughter liniang, sixteen years old, the only daughter of du bao, the pearl on his palm.
Passion is its currency, and when expressed through kuna sophisticated art form that fuses poetry, dance, and refined woodwind ensemble, not to mention. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. She develops a dubious relationship with a female cousin of the family and also being admired secretly by her butler. The peony pavilion is a 1998 production by peter sellars, in a mix of chinese and english translation, of the ming dynasty play the peony pavilion part one is an avantgarde staging of the traditional kunqu form of chinese operas staging of the play, which is how the play is usually performed in china. Peony pavilion, a chinese and japanese, byo, restaurant with a lush, exotic, romantic decor and a starstudded culinary team, is an exciting addition to princetons vibrant dining scene. Learn the beauty of kunqu opera from the chinese university of hong kong.
Nonetheless, the employment of digital technology can result in a new and better theatrical interpretation. She is sent up from the underworld as a spirit in order. It is a play written by tang xianzu in the ming dynasty and first performed in 1598 at the pavilion of prince teng. Peony pavilion 2001 12072001 hk drama, romance 2h 3m user score. If you see some peony wallpapers free download youd like to use, just click on the image to download to your desktop or mobile devices. In an utterly refined and languidly poetic style, the play reveals romantic yearnings and afflictions of love endured by the young in the feudalistic society of china. Part two is a speciallycomposed twohour opera by tan dun, mixing chinese and western. We are regularly updating the page with various sounds, such as old and new rington. Peony pavilion to revitalize kunqu opera in shanghai.
The peony pavilion by xianzu tang overdrive rakuten. It depictes a love story between du liniang and liu mengmei, overcomes all difficulties, transcending. The peony pavilion is perhaps the most famous opera in china, a timeless love story written in the 16th century, set in and staged in a peony and rosefilled garden. The title was borrowed from a kunjua form of chinese operatitle which.
But this twohour distillation with narration by robert powell that bridges the gaps necessitated by such abridgment is more than. It emphasized proper outward displays of behavior and rituals. Returning to his home area, tang found a ramshackle old house and restored it, and then turned his energies to playwriting. Hello there, this is the official account of the artists formerly know as nokia design team, now part of microsoft. The celebrated english translation of this classic work of chinese literature is now available in an updated paperback edition. Peony pavilion 15 farber rd, princeton, new jersey 08540 rated 4. But instead of the full operatic performance, zhang brushed up the tune with a new age beat. In 2001, joey wong, was called peony pavilion in english. For those seeking a second dose of ballet to follow up on the superb giselle look no further. This summer though, shanghais peony pavilion is hoping to convince visitors that theres something left to see in one of the most wellknown shanghai water towns. The peony pavilion, or the return of the soul at the peony pavilion in full written by tang xianzu. The peony pavilion by microsoft phones design free. Difficult to find from the main street which is unfortunate. Peony pavilion, mu dan ting, short film, sido yao lu, emma shan wang, bartosz nalazek, filip kapseraszek, shanghai, kunqu opera, columbia university, mfa, thesis film.
Early modern period new forms of drama, rising wealth of merchants, economic growth, new currents of intellectual thoughts. It tells the mystical story of du liniang dying for her love, and of her coming back to life. Because she is the only daughter, her upbringing is very strict. Peony pavilion you yuan jing meng 2001 rotten tomatoes. Peony pavilion represents one of the great epic masterpieces of this genre. Tang achieved the degree of jin shi in 1583 and assumed several posts, but he was demoted as a consequence of a memorial he wrote. Realizing that, attempting a new version may seem an especially absurd endeavor. The 37yearold artist sang a chorus from peony pavilion, one of chinas most popular kunqu titles. Tan dun has been experiementing with peony pavilion since 1998.
Lan, the cousin, is a modern woman who wants to be independent and serves her country, but when she meets the charismatic shing, an official. It is the story of du liniang, who falls asleep in her family garden dreaming of falling in love with liu mengmei, a handsome young scholar. She develops a dubious relationship with a female cousin of. Peony pavilion is a 2001 hong kong drama film directed by yonfan. The chinese kunqu musical opera a walk in the garden is an excerpt of the peony pavilion. The food was very good, though the service could use some refinement. Check our best peony wallpapers free download collection. Two young women find themselves unable to deal with the realities of their contemporary existence and so retreat into the colorful world of a classical chinese opera from the ming dynasty, the peony pavilion to find solace in this taiwanese drama. Tang xianzu s the peony pavilion from the ming dynasty is an epitome of chinese opera. The heroine, du liniang, falls asleep in her family garden and has. In 2001, kun opera was selected by the united nations as a human oral cultural treasure.