Sino-foreign Cooperative Opera Tea July 29, 2008

Time: 2008/7/30-2008/7/31
Venue: NCPA-Opera House
Price: 180/380/580/880/1080
Tel: 86-10-64177845
Web: www.piao.com.cn

TanDun's opera Tea, co-created by a international team, is regarded asPuccini in 21st century. It composes of three acts with the motifs ofsoil, wood, water and fire. The ancient Chinese elements, like paper,water, and pottery are used in the opera as percussion instruments, andfigures in Beijing Opera can also be found in it. It brings fragranceof pure and fresh tea to famous theaters in the world and also offersthe audience a chance to appreciate China’s 5,000-year old history andculture.

Tan Dun’s Tea: A Mirror of Soul was first staged at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall in 2002 and has since triumphed in Germany, France, and New Zealand.Based on the story of a doomed love affair between a Japanese monk anda Chinese princess, Tea combines the lyricism of Italian opera, lushWestern orchestration, a male “Greek chorus,” gamelan-like percussion,and the organic sounds of nature — water, paper, and stones — allcoming together in a powerful work of musical drama. Tan Dun sees Teaas a 21st-century opera, a challenge to Western ideas of classicalmusic-theater.

Synopsis:

Act I
Kyoto, Japan.Ancient times. Japanese tea ceremony inside a temple tea garden. Highmonk Seikyo raises an empty teapot, passes an empty bowl, and savorsempty tea ritualistically. Chanting monks ask why he savors the teafrom emptiness. Seikyo, a Prince by birth, relates that ten years agohe became a monk because of his bitter love...

Tenyears earlier. ChangAn, ancient Chinese capital. Family bliss insidethe palace. Beautiful Princess Lan and her brother the Prince performfor their father. Seikyo enters and the Emperor receives him withsurprise. They speak of fond memories. Seikyo expresses his wish tomarry Lan. The Emperor hesitates, and asks Seikyo to recite a tea poem.The Prince angrily expresses his disapproval. Seikyo's excellence atreciting leads the Emperor to consent.

Amidsta Chinese tea ceremony, a Persian arrives, offering a thousand horsesin exchange for one book: The Book of Tea. Treasured secrets fill thisbook of wisdom. The Prince, who possesses this book, reluctantlyretrieves it from his sleeve. Seikyo expresses doubt that this is thetrue book shown him by its author, his teacher the Tea Sage Luyu. Angryand jealous, the Prince challenges Seikyo; vowing to sacrifice his ownlife if Seikyo can show him the "real" Book of Tea. Seikyo promises toend his life if proven wrong.

Act II
Seikyoand Lan travel south in search of the true Book of Tea. Lan acquaintsSeikyo with the legend of how tea was invented thousands of years ago.On the journey their love blossoms.

Act III
Inthe South, Seikyo and Lan arrive during a ritual tea ceremony, offeredby Lu, daughter of Tea Sage Luyu. Lu announces Luyu's death. Sheconsents to give Seikyo and Lan the Book of Tea on the condition thatthey vow to spread its wisdom throughout the world. As they read, thePrince bursts in and grabs it. A fight erupts between Seikyo and thePrince. Attempting to stop the duel, Lan is mortally wounded. Coveredin blood, Lan drinks the tea of emptiness. The Prince kneels beforeSeikyo, presenting his sword. Instead of killing the Prince, Seikyoslices off his own hair...

Thechanting of monks returns... In a Japanese tea garden, high monk Seikyoraises the empty teapot, passes the empty tea bowls, and savors theempty tea.

Official Website: http://www.piao.com.cn