From The New York Times (link):
THE first fitting of "The First Emperor's" new clothes was outsourced from New York to China last month in an unusual workshop for the most expensive and complex opera the Metropolitan Opera has ever commissioned.
Workshops for new operas are typically held with singers around a piano, and there were sessions like that last week at the Met. But "The First Emperor" is not typical. It is a bold and risky venture that could have an impact on the problematic futures of the Met and opera in America, and even on relations between China and the United States.
See also "Zhang Yimou to Put on Ancient Chinese Opera in New York" by Chine Net (link); - "Zhang Yimou, Placido Domingo to Create Opera for the MET" by China Net (link)
