Tan Dun's The First Emperor returns to Metropolitan Opera
11/5/2008 11:51
Composer Tan Dun's epic opera The First Emperor, which had its world
premiere at New York's Metropolitan Opera last season, returns to the stage
yesterday for the first of three performances.
Inspired by the musical
languages of both East and West, The First Emperor weaves a tale of friendship,
love and betrayal around the visionary but brutal historical leader who unified
ancient China and began construction of the Great Wall in the third century BC,
according to a press release.
Tenor Placido Domingo reprises his
acclaimed portrayal of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor.
Tan Dun,
who co-wrote the English-language libretto with award-winning Chinese novelist
Ha Jin, returns to conduct.
The production is by film director Zhang
Yimou. Wang Chaoge co-directed the original staging and Dou Dou Huang is the
choreographer as well as the solo dancer. Peter McClintock is stage director for
the revival.
Tan Dun has made revisions to the work since its premiere
last season.
"I had three essential aims in mind when making changes to
The First Emperor," he said, adding that he wanted to enlarge the traditional
Chinese elements: the Peking Opera-style scenes and the character of the Shaman.
The title character of The First Emperor was Placido Domingo's first
world premiere role at the Met, a major presenter of all types of opera in New
York.
The First Emperor is based on Historical Records by Sima Qian (145
BC-85 BC) and on The Legend of the Bloody Zheng, a screenplay by Lu Wei. In 221
BC, the ruler of Qin, a western province, united the warring states of China for
the first time and proclaimed himself emperor, taking the name Shi Huangdi, or
"first emperor." As founder of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), this
controversial figure established the basis for the Chinese empire that would
survive for 2,000 years.
The Met has a series of bold initiatives
underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company's
repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces
alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring
the greatest opera stars in the world.
Xinhua
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