This performance of Turandot, recorded at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in baecelona, can deservedly be described as a production of superlatives.
The Spanish artist and director Franc Aleu, himself a member of the Catalan theater group La Fura dels Baus, sets new benchmarks in every respect and once again demonstrates the creative and artistic talent of the ensemble.
The group has built up a strong reputation in the field of musical theater, especially opera.
This is largely due to the spectacular concepts. which have been impressively highlighted in various award-winning productions. With the skilful application and clever use of new technologies such as projection mapping and 3D technology, Aleu's production transports Puccini's Turandot into the future.
Turandot's China is a science-fiction inspired dystopia which draws on myriad cultural references from every sci-fi movie you've seen over the years, from the design aesthetic of Metropolis to the planet-sized diaphanous body form in 2001, to the light sabres of Star Wars and the virtual reality headsets of countless movies today.
As the curtain rises, chorus, lights, soloists and the stage set which merges with the video projections behind a gauze curtain.
To make Beijing into a fairly-tale cyberworld, La Fura dels Baus have perfected the technique of combining a stage set with superimposed video projection, transforming the set and merging the two layers together.
The use of modern technologies unlocks new dimensions, which also cast the protagonists on stage in a different light.
Turandot can soon be seen as a larger-than-life figure due to video projection.
Wow!... It looks quite different from the same opera produced in Beijing.
Yes, it does...The Spanish Turandot appears futuristic... As described above, the stage reminds me of Metropolis.
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The light sabres used in the Spanish Turandot remind me of Star Wars.
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In the story, the beautiful Princess Turandot will marry only a suitor who can answer three riddles, which reminds me of one of the Greek myths.
What is that?
It's Oedipus and the Sphinx...Kato, you know the myth, don't you?
Yes, I do.
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In the best-known version of the myth, Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes.
Laius wished to thwart the prophecy, so he sent a shepherd-servant to leave Oedipus to die on a mountainside.
However, the shepherd took pity on the baby and passed him to another shepherd who gave Oedipus to King Polybus and Queen Merope to raise as their own.
Oedipus learned from the oracle at Delphi of the prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother but, unaware of his true parentage, believed he was fated to murder Polybus and marry Merope, and so he left for Thebes.
On his way, he met an older man, who was (unbeknown to him) his father, and killed him in a quarrel.
Continuing his journey to Thebes, Oedipus encountered a Sphinx, who would stop all travelers to Thebes and ask them a riddle.
If the travelers were unable to answer her correctly, they would be killed and eaten; if they were successful, they would be free to continue on their journey.
The riddle was: "What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?".
Oedipus answered: "Man: as an infant, he crawls on all fours; as an adult, he walks on two legs and; in old age, he uses a 'walking' stick".
Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly; the Sphinx was so embarrassed that someone had solved her riddle that she killed herself by jumping off of a cliff; in some versions, however, Oedipus kills her.
In the Turandot story, the Prince of Persia has failed to answer the three riddles, and he is to be beheaded at the next rising moon.
That sounds terrible, doesn't it? Actually, in Japan, there is a tale of the same kind.
Is there? What is it called?
It's called "The tale of the bamboo cutter."
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
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The story details the life of Kaguya-hime, a princess from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.
After she grows, her beauty attracts five suitors seeking her hand in marriage, whom she turns away by challenging them each with an impossible task.
She later attracts the affection of the Emperor of Japan.
At the tale's end, Kaguya-hime reveals her celestial origins and returns to the Moon.
The story is also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari), after its protagonist.
Background
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest surviving monogatari, though its exact date of composition is unknown.
The oldest surviving manuscript is dated to 1592.
A poem in the Yamato Monogatari, a 10th-century work that describes life in the imperial court, invokes the tale in slight reference to a Moon-viewing party held at the palace in 909.
A mention of smoke rising from Mount Fuji in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter suggests that the volcano was still active at the time of its composition.
The Kokin Wakashū indicates that the mountain had stopped emitting smoke by 905.
Other sources suggest the tale was written between 871 and 881.
The author of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is also unknown, and scholars have variously attributed the work to Minamoto no Shitagō (911–983), to the Abbot Henjō, to a member of the Inbe clan, to a member of a political faction opposed to Emperor Tenmu, and to the kanshi poet Ki no Haseo (842–912).
It is also debated whether the tale was written by one person or a group of people, and whether it was written in kanbun, Japanese kana, or even Chinese.
Narrative
One day in the bamboo forest, an old bamboo cutter called Taketori no Okina ("old bamboo harvester") comes across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo.
Upon cutting it open, he is surprised to find an infant the size of his thumb inside.
The old man and his wife, having no children of their own, decide to raise the infant as their own daughter, and name her Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime ("Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo").
From that moment on, every time the man cuts a stalk of bamboo, he finds a small nugget of gold inside.
The family soon grows rich, and within just three months, Kaguya-hime grows from an infant into a woman of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty.
At first, the old man tries to keep news of Kaguya-hime away from outsiders, but as word of her beauty spreads, she attracts many suitors who seek her hand in marriage.
Among the suitors are five nobles: Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi, the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari.
They eventually persuade the old man to have Kaguya-hime choose from among them.
Uninterested, Kaguya-hime devises five impossible tasks, agreeing to marry the noble who can bring her the item specified for him: the stone begging bowl of the Buddha, a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hōrai, a robe of fire rat skins, a colored jewel from a dragon's neck, and a cowry shell born from a swallow.
Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presents a fake stone bowl made from a blackened pot, but is exposed when Kaguya-hime notices that the bowl does not glow with holy light.
The second noble presents a branch created by the country's finest jewelers, but is revealed when a messenger of the craftsmen arrives at Kaguya-hime's house to collect payment.
The third noble is deceived by a merchant from China, who sells him a robe that burns when it is tested with fire.
The fourth noble sets out to find a dragon at sea, but abandons his plans after encountering a storm.
The fifth noble falls from a great height while reaching into a swallow's nest.
After this, the Emperor of Japan comes to visit Kaguya-hime and, after falling in love, asks her hand in marriage.
Although he is not subjected to an impossible trial, Kaguya-hime rejects his request for marriage as well, telling him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace with him.
She remains in contact with the Emperor, but continues to rebuff his proposals.
Three years pass as they continue to communicate by letter.
That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime views the full moon, her eyes fill with tears.
Though her adoptive parents grow very worried and question her, she refuses to tell them what is wrong.
Her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic until she reveals that she is not of the Earth and that she must return to her people on the Moon.
It is said that she was sent to the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment, as a punishment for some crime without further description.
The gold was a stipend from the people of the Moon, sent to pay for Kaguya-hime's upkeep.
As the day of her return approaches, the Emperor sends his guards to protect her from the Moon's people, but when an embassy of heavenly beings descends upon the bamboo cutter's house, the guards are blinded by a strange light.
Kaguya-hime announces that, though she loves her many friends on Earth, she must return with the beings to her true home on the Moon.
She writes sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gives her parents her own robe as a memento.
She then takes a little of the elixir of immortality, attaches it to her letter to the Emperor, and gives it to the guard officer.
As she hands it to him, a feather robe is placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth are apparently forgotten.
The entourage ascends into the sky, taking Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki no Miyako ("the Capital of the Moon") and leaving her earthly foster parents in tears.
The old couple become very sad and are soon put to bed sick.
The officer returns to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime gave him as her last mortal act, and reports what happened.
The Emperor reads her letter and is overcome with sadness, and asks his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?"
In response, one suggests the Great Mountain of Suruga Province.
The Emperor then orders his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess.
They are also ordered to burn the elixir of immortality, as the Emperor does not wish to live for eternity without being able to see her.
Legend has it that the word for immortality (fushi), became the name of the mountain, Mount Fuji.
It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, which translate literally to "mountain abounding with warriors", are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes to carry out his order.
It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was a much more active volcano and therefore produced more smoke.)
SOURCE: "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Amazing, isn't it? It seems to me that there are Turandot-like stories all over the world.
Yes, there are.
I wonder when the original Turandot story came out.
A certain scholar says that the beginnings of Turandot can likely be found in Haft Peykar, a twelfth-century epic by the Persian poet Nizami. One of the stories in Haft Peykar features a Russian princess. In 1722, François Pétis de la Croix published his Les Mille et un jours (The Thousand and One Days), a collection of stories which were purportedly taken from Middle Eastern folklore and mythologies.
So, it began in the Middle East, didn't it?
Yes, it did...One of these stories, believed to be inspired by Nizami, features a cold princess named Turandokht.
I see... Turandokht turned into Turandot, didn't it?
Yes, it did...The Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi adapted the story into a play called "Turandot" in 1762, which was then adapted by Friedrich Schiller into another play in 1801. It was Schiller's version that inspired Puccini to write the above opera.
【Himiko's Monologue】
"Madame Butterfly" is another opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco.
Puccini also based it on the novel Madame Chrysanthème (1887) by Pierre Loti.
According to one scholar, the opera was based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s.
The original version of the opera, in two acts, had its premiere on February 17, 1904, at La Scala in Milan.
It was very poorly received despite the presence of such notable singers as soprano Rosina Storchio, tenor Giovanni Zenatello and baritone Giuseppe De Luca in the lead roles.
This was due in large part to the late completion and inadequate time for rehearsals.
Puccini revised the opera, splitting the second act into two acts and making other changes.
On May 28, 1904, this version was performed in Brescia and was a huge success.
Between 1915 and 1920, Japan's best-known opera singer Tamaki Miura won international fame for her performances as Cio-Cio San.
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Her statue, along with that of Puccini, can be found in the Glover Garden in Nagasaki, the city where the opera is set.
In any case, I'd like to meet my "Romeo"---a decent man in my future life.
How come I'm always a loner?
I wish I could meet a nice gentleman at the library in my town as Diane met Kato.
Well, they say, there is a way where there is a will.
I hope Kato will write another interesting article.
So please come back to see me.
The Royal Opera House, often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", was constructed as the "Theatre Royal" in 1732 to a design by Edward Shepherd.
During the first hundred years or so of its history, the theatre was primarily a playhouse, with the Letters Patent granted by Charles II giving Covent Garden and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane exclusive rights to present spoken drama in London.
In 1734, the first ballet was presented.
A year later Handel's first season of operas began.
Many of his operas and oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premières here.
It has been the home of The Royal Opera since 1945, and the Royal Ballet since 1946.
The current building is the third theatre on the site following destructive fires in 1808 and 1857.
The façade, foyer and auditorium were designed by Edward Barry, and date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive £178 million reconstruction in the 1990s.
The Royal Opera House seats 2,268 people and consists of four tiers of boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery.
When you have a chance to stay in London, why don't you visit the opera house?
