Culture
20:45, 02-Oct-2017
Opera unfolds story of rural romance to holidaymakers
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The opera “Lan Huahua” Sunday was staged on the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing transforming a ballad of tragic love to a full-scale play.
The eponymous heroine Zhao Lili, a rising operatic vocalist in China, said, "Lan Huahua is a woman with a rich character. Her beauty goes beyond mere good looks.”
“What's truly impressive about her is her inner strength. I think her aria in the moonlight is an embodiment of her beautiful character," she added.
A scene of the opera. /CGTN photo
A scene of the opera. /CGTN photo
Developed out of the plot of a folk ballad, one of the most popular melodies from northwest China's Shaanxi province, the Opera displayed an unexpected richness in its story-line.
The cast of characters presented a panorama of China's rural landscape in the early 20th century when the traditional values were being challenged by new ideas.
The scores blend China's folk music and indigenous opera. The music played a major role in driving the story forward.
A scene of the opera /CGTN photo
A scene of the opera /CGTN photo
The tragic romance is about the doomed love between a peasant girl and a shepherd. It portrays the rural community in a time of transformation. Besides love, it also explores the ideas of dignity, morality, desire and aspiration.
The Opera was produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing which has created a series of high-quality and accessible shows for China's opera buffs in recent years. The premiere runs until Thursday.
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