Paradise Interrupted - Macau Premiere
Paradise Interrupted
An Installation Opera in One Act
by Jennifer Wen Ma
MGM COTAI – MGM Theater
August 29 and August 31 2019
This arresting installation opera tells the story of a woman searching for an unattainable ideal in a world that comes to life through her singing, as she attempts to return to the Garden. Co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center Festival, Singapore International Festival of Arts and National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, it weaves the myths of the Garden of Eden and Peony Pavilion, with a mesmerizing composition that merges a 600-year-old Kun opera with contemporary Western opera. The creative use of interactive technology enables a host of digital characters to interact with the heroine within a magical garden to create an enchanting story.
The director and designer of this exquisite opera is visual artist, Jennifer Wen Ma. The composition, which is both a celebration of tradition and an entirely new masterpiece, is by Huang Ruo. The quest-seeking heroine is Qian Yi, who has been lauded by The New York Times as "China's reigning opera princess."
Director, concept and visual designer ｜ Jennifer Wen Ma
Composer ｜ Huang Ruo
Libretto ｜ Ji Chao, Jennifer Wen Ma, Huang Ruo, and Qian Yi Inspired by Tang Xian Zu’s text
Conductor ｜ Chien Wen-pin
Kun performer ｜ Qian Yi
Countertenor ｜ John Holiday
Tenor ｜ Joshua Dennis
Bariton ｜ Joo Won Kang
Bass-Bariton ｜ Ao Li
Orchestra ｜ Hong Kong New Music Ensemble
Stage design ｜ Mathew Hilyard
Lighting design ｜ Lihe Xiao
Interactive video design ｜ Guillermo Acevedo
Projection design ｜ Austin Swister
Costume design ｜ Melissa Kirgan, Xing-Zhen Chung Hilyard
Choreography ｜ Gwen Welliver
English libretto interpretation and translation ｜ H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang