Culture

Under the baton

By Chen Jie ( China Daily ) Updated: 2014-09-29 07:09:29

Under the baton

Leipzig Opera House will perform Strass' opera Ariadne auf Naxos (above and below) at the festival. [Photo/China Daily]

Under the baton

Audience appreciate the language of music 

Under the baton

Preserving Mongolian throat singing

In the past 16 years, the festival has presented operas that were rarely staged in China, with many even debuting here. Alban Berg's controversial opera Lulu in 2002, Wagner's full-length Ring Cycle in 2006 and Richard Strauss' The Knight of the Rose in 2008 are among those.

In 2010, the festival and Boston Symphony co-commissioned Chinese composer Zhou Long to create the opera Madame White Snake, which earned him a Pulitzer in 2011. Last year, the festival presented five operas, including Wagner's Parsifal, co-produced with Salzburg Easter Festival.

This year, the festival brings Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and Elektra to China.

Yu says his dream is to someday produce The Woman without a Shadow, because "musically, it is one of the composer's most complicated and beautiful scores, but a big challenge to stage to any major opera house. It needs some 13 top soloists, a large orchestra and elaborate sets, which requires a really big sum of money."

This year, the festival will also celebrate the life of Chinese musician Huang Zi (1904-38). Huang is the grandfather of Tu Song, program director of the BMF.

"My grandfather created a lot of choir works. Two to three generations of Chinese people grew up with his songs. It's a shame that I was born after his death, but his songs will be passed on," says Tu.

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