This opera in four acts is based on an ancient Chinese myth about a snake-shaped spirit that attains human form to experience love. The English libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs sensitively adapts the story for modern audiences, and Zhou Long's music uses both Western and Chinese sounds to create a pioneering cross-cultural opera. Long was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Madame White Snake, and the Pulitzer jury described the work as "a deeply
expressive opera that draws on a Chinese folk tale to blend the musical traditions of the East and the West."
Madame White Snake was first staged by Opera Boston on 26 February 2010 at the Culter Majestic Theatre, Boston, USA, and received its first Chinese staging at the Beijing International Festival on 10 October 2010, Beijing, China.
- ISBN13 9780193412835
- Publish Date 26 November 2015
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Oxford University Press
- Edition Vocal score
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 273
- Language English