Reception of Traditional Chinese Opera Performances in Bulgaria

The new monograph by Assoc. Prof. Miglena Tsenova, PhD, edition of the Institute of Art Studies – BAS, is a large-scale and up-to-date musicological study dedicated to the reception of the performances of traditional Chinese opera in Bulgaria. The contributions of the research are numerous, and it enters various fields of science, such as literary studies, linguistics, theatrical studies, musicology, and others. The author’s innovative approaches are in terms of exploring the question of reception both within the theories of postmodernism and the transfer of ideas from ancient texts of European and Asian culture to modernity; understanding the interaction between the Indian and Chinese traditions in traditional Chinese opera; the introduction of musical interpretations from Chinese treatises from the 5^th–4^th centuries BC – 6^th century AD in terms of criteria for evaluating musical, poetic, and other works. The book is a serious survey of the modern reception of performances of traditional Chinese opera in Bulgaria, performed between 1952 and 2023, focusing on their chronology, the cooperation between Bulgarian and Chinese pedagogues and scientists, the study of traditional Chinese opera in the system of Bulgarian higher education; the interpretation problems in the creative efforts of many Bulgarian directors, composers, scenographers, choreographers, performers, etc.