An operatic version of the classic 1,000-year-old Japanese court novel "The Tale of Genji" will open in Tokyo next week staged by an American artistic director and a Japanese composer.
"The Tale of Genji" premiered in summer 2000 at the Opera Theater of St. Louis. It was staged by artistic director Colin Graham, who collaborated with composer Minoru Miki to write the libretto. OTSL will stage the Tokyo premiere at the Nissei Theater in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, starting Sunday.
The libretto is based on the first three books of Lady Murasaki Shikibu's six-volume novel "The Tale of Genji" ("Genji Monogatari"), often regarded the supreme masterpiece of Japanese prose literature.