Performance and Discussion Dialogues Across Time and Space: Contemporary Resonances of Kunqu Opera

How does a concept like Heimat translate into musical practice in China? 

Organized in cooperation with the Center for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS), the Collaborative Research Center Heimat(en)/Home(s): Phenomena, Practices, Representations, subproject B01 “In Search for Home— Musical Practice in East Asia" and the Confucius Insitute at Heidelberg University, two events featuring the Peking University’s Kunqu Center ensemble will offer possible answers to this question, exploring the art of Kunqu Opera as a holistic musical experience, illuminating and resonating with different dimensions of home(s) in both the historical and contemporary contexts of China.

The performance will feature scenes from renowned Kunqu operas such as The Massacre of a Thousand Loyalists, The Palace of Eternal Life, and The Peony Pavilion. A dialogue between Chen Jun, Professor at Peking University, and Barbara Mittler, Professor at Heidelberg University, will illuminate various meanings of the search for home in this works. Within the universe of Kunqu opera, this search manifests in the tension between the imperial household and the state, the conflict between loyalty to the emperor and the fatherland on the one hand and love for one’s own family on the other, as well as in the tireless pursuit of love – emotional experiences accompanied by the sounds of very particular instruments that themselves come to stand for homing practices.