Resource Center: Opera 24/7
A FLOWERING TREE
Readings
- Thomas May (editor). The John Adams Reader: Essential Writings on an American Composer (Amadeus Press: 2006) – Thomas May puts together a wonderful book that both introduces one to the works of John Adams, and also gives one a comprehensive understanding of the composer, his works and his collaborators.
- Original A Flowering Tree folktale – Poet, folklorist and scholar, A.K. Ramanujan was on the faculty at University of Chicago for 30 years. Ramanujan collected and translated this story, along with many others, from Kannada into English. John Adams and Peter Sellars used Ramanujan’s translation of this story along with other Tamil and bhakti poetry as the basis for their libretto. This links to an online version of the folktale.
- Vocabulary for A Flowering Tree – As part of our Opera for All program we’ve put together a list of definitions for unfamiliar vocabulary in A Flowering Tree.
- A. K. Ramanujan. A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales from India (University of California Press, 1997) – Here is a more comprehensive look at the work of A.K. Ramanujan. This book also includes analysis of these tales and South Indian culture.
- A. K. Ramanujan, Vinay Dharwadker (editor). The Collected Essays of A. K. Ramanujan (Oxford University Press: USA, 2000) – Collected essays of Ramanujan compiled after his death by friends, colleagues and his son. Wendy Doniger, who will be speaking as part of COT’s A Flowering Tree: India Blooms in Chicago festival, is one of the contributors to this book.
- A. K. Ramanujan, Molly Daniels-Ramanujan (editor). The Oxford India Ramanujan. (Oxford University Press: New Delhi, 2004) – A comprehensive look at the world’s most profound scholar of South Asian language and culture.
- Pankaj Mishra. India in Mind (Vantage 2005) – An excellent anthology of fiction, nonfiction and poetry written about India over the past two centuries. Includes 25 selections from Paul Bowles, Allen Ginsburg, Herman Hesse, Mark Twain, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Rudyard Kipling, Claude Levi-Strauss, and others.
Recordings
- A Flowering Tree premiered in November 2006 and no recording is yet available. Excerpts may be heard on John Adams’ website: www.earbox.com
- Listen to recordings of John Adams’s other works
Resources
- Discover other opera by John Adams thru Opera America’s online course on Nixon in China
- Interview with John Adams on his inspirations, including the central place of poetry
- Interview with John Adams, including discussion of early years and decision to become composer
- Video interview with John Adams on opera in general (See the final question of the interview)
- Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Language & Cultural Education has publications devoted to both India and South Asia
- Kid-friendly website that explores five places in India, including the city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka, the area of India where the folk tale A Flowering Tree originated.
- Another good website for kids that includes an interactive map, a ‘day in the life’ section, and recordings of different common phrases in Hindi, the national language of India.
- Tons of lesson plans and projects for folktales, storytelling, and the arts
- Game where the player climbs the Himalayas by answering questions about India’s animals.
- Handful of short Indian folktales and proverbs
