New version of Bizet's opera to be staged in Beijing
- By Zhang Liying
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, May 7, 2019
A new version of "Les Pêcheurs de Perles," a three-act opera by French composer Georges Bizet, is going to be staged on May 15-19 at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing.
The opera is a coproduction by the NCPA and Staatsoper Berlin, and is directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, winner of the Honorary Golden Bear at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
Wim Wenders is widely considered to be one of the most auteur directors of modern cinema. "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" is his first stage opera and he has won acclaim for his adaption of the original French script and his characteristic use of cinematic techniques.
Speaking over video to a press conference in Beijing, Wenders, who was in Berlin packing for his trip to China, said that he couldn't wait for his first visit to the Chinese capital. He was particularly looking forward to seeing the big stage of the NCPA, getting to know the Chinese cast, and welcoming back the European cast, who have already performed the opera several times.
This version of "Les Pêcheurs de Perles" premiered in Staatsoper Berlin in June 2017. The original cast will perform on the Beijing stage, with Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko playing the role of Leila.
The production is also joined by respected Italian conductor Donato Renzetti, and three Chinese opera singers, namely soprano Guo Chengcheng, baritone Zhou Zhengzhong and bass Guan Zhijing.
Zhao Tiechun, vice president of the NCPA, said that those artists, who have put great effort into studying the music and roles, will deliver a unique aesthetic pleasure to the performance.
French opera occupies a distinguished place in the international opera community, and the NCPA has previously presented Bizet's "Carmen" and works by many other French composers including Jacques Offenbach and Charles Camille Saint-Saëns.
Zhao stated the many successes the NCPA working with top-class art institutions, but this is the first time they have collaborated with Staatsoper Berlin, one's the world's most important opera houses.
"Upholding the spirit of striving for the perfection, we will together present Chinese audiences to this Bizet classic," Zhao said.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)