PERFORMANCE OF 'MARCO POLO' OPENS ZAGREB BIENNALE

ZAGREB, April 21 (Hina) - Premiering the "Marco Polo" opera in Zagreb on Friday, the Croatian National Theatre opened the 21st Music Biennale, which Zagreb is hosting on April 19-29.#L# "Marco Polo" was composed by Tan Dun, a Chinese composer who studied in London. His best works were made in the United States. This year he won the Academy Award for the music score of the film "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon." The Zagreb performance, directed by Kresmir Dolencic, is the third world performance of Dun's opera. It was sung in English, with some scenes in Italian, Chinese and German. The audience was provided with written translations in Croatian. "Marco Polo" takes place in the 13th century and follows the eponymous hero's 17-year-long journey from Venice to China, and shows Polo's attempt to acquaint Western civilisation through his book "Million" with the rich and developed Chinese empire. Opening the Zagreb Biennale, an international festival of contemporary music, Culture Minister Antun Vujic said the event intended to make Zagreb an important meeting point for world cultures. The aim of the new millennium's first biennale is the meeting and mutual influence of diverse musical sources within one culture, namely the traditional heritage and contemporary trends. The even is held under the auspices of President Stipe Mesic, and will feature 33 concerts with performances by artists from Taiwan, China, Italy, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, France, Japan, Germany, Norway, the United States, Brazil, Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, and India. Croatian musicians will perform the works of foreign and domestic artists. (hina) ha