'The First Emperor,' and a flutter of Chinese fans —in New York
NEW YORK -- One of Beijing's most anticipated events in this busy winter performing arts season did not even take place in China: the world premiere of Tan Dun's "The First Emperor" at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
The opera was conceived, composed and conducted by Tan. It featured a creative team that was largely Chinese, including the renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou as director and the National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin as co-librettist with Tan. It had a Chinese story line — an imagined incident in the life of China's historic first emperor, Qin Shi Huang — and a star-studded cast, with the tenor Plácido Domingo in the title role. Indeed the opera, a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, contained so many Chinese elements that People's Daily proudly proclaimed it "the first China-made opera to be presented at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House."
Eager to experience what many viewed as a symbol of their nation's cultural arrival, Beijing's better-heeled music lovers flew to New York for opening night Dec. 21, sending back word of a stunning production, a capacity house and multiple ovations. Chinese newspapers were splashed with photos of Domingo dressed in imperial robes. And then, like rain on a parade, came news of the reviews from New York's make-it-or-break-it critical establishment.
Read entire article at International Herald Tribune
The opera was conceived, composed and conducted by Tan. It featured a creative team that was largely Chinese, including the renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou as director and the National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin as co-librettist with Tan. It had a Chinese story line — an imagined incident in the life of China's historic first emperor, Qin Shi Huang — and a star-studded cast, with the tenor Plácido Domingo in the title role. Indeed the opera, a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, contained so many Chinese elements that People's Daily proudly proclaimed it "the first China-made opera to be presented at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House."
Eager to experience what many viewed as a symbol of their nation's cultural arrival, Beijing's better-heeled music lovers flew to New York for opening night Dec. 21, sending back word of a stunning production, a capacity house and multiple ovations. Chinese newspapers were splashed with photos of Domingo dressed in imperial robes. And then, like rain on a parade, came news of the reviews from New York's make-it-or-break-it critical establishment.