Red Chamber goes to the opera

Peking Opera, a quintessential element of Chinese culture, is something with which audience members will be able to develop an affinity, he says.

Even though the 12 pieces are delivered in the form of a concert, they will not be presented as separate programs, he says. The concert will include the central character Jia Baoyu, who will serve as a link between the songs and allude to the original plot.

For some pieces, the team uses dance and chorus to depict scenes from the original book.

"I think this concert is going to be very comprehensive and entertaining," Zhu says.

"Personally I think it's very refreshing and that the audience will like this innovative format."

Wang says he is totally at ease with handing over his work to the team working on the concert.