Chinese Kunqu Opera artists stage classic pieces in Vienna

A troupe of Chinese Kunqu Opera presented Austrians with classic pieces of one of China's finest art genres from Tuesday to Thursday in Vienna.A part of activities celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Austria and China, the event was jointly organized by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Confucius Institute of the University of Vienna and the Vienna Municipal Bureau of Culture.The Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre was invited to give a comprehensive view of Kunqu Opera to the Austrian lovers of the drama, through seminars and stage shows.In a congratulatory message, Austrian President Heinz Fischer called the troupe' Austrian tour "a further step to actively promote the cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the Republic of Austria and the People's Republic of China."Two plays in complete edition were on staged in Vienna and about 30 artists from the troupe visited the Musical University of Vienna to communicate with teachers and students there.Rudolf Brandl, an expert on Kunqu Opera and ethnomusicologist professor from the Austrian Academy of Science, told Xinhua that in addition to rich forms of artistic performance, the long history and the vitality of the Kunqu Opera are also reasons the was interested in Kunqu research.After years of diligent efforts, Brandl's Kunqu research team has become so far the largest collector of video materials on Kunqu Opera in the Western community.With a history of 600 years, Kunqu Opera was named a UNESCO oral and intangible heritage in 2001.A unique synthesis of singing, dancing and acting, the art form has profound influence on hundreds of musical theaters in China, including Peking Opera.