The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art Object

A Conversation with Tan Dun: A New "Peony Pavilion" in an Old Context

Composer Tan Dun and Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Curator in Charge of Asian Art, discuss Tan Dun's new version of Peony Pavilion which was staged in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Astor Court. Inspired by Chinese gardens and previous versions of the Chinese opera, Tan Dun's restaged the classic kunqu opera by condensing it into four acts and presenting it within the confines of the Astor Court, a replica of a Chinese Garden.

This program is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Chinese Garden: Pavilions, Studios, Retreats, on view August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013.