Lam Bun-Ching
Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute - Chamber Opera

3, 4/5 (Sunday, Monday)
8pm     Dom Pedro V Theatre     Tickets: MOP 60

Composer, Conductor and Music Director: Lam Bun-Ching
Libretto: Xu Ying
Director: Tian Mansha
Scenery Design: Shen Li
Costume Design: Zhao Zhizhen
Lighting Design: A Fundição, Oficina de Espectáculos, Portugal

 

Characters and Cast:  
Cai Wenji Qian Hong, Soprano
King Zuoxian Yang Xiaoyong, Baritone
Storyteller/ Han Ambassador/  
Cai Yong/ Han General Lan Tian, Beijing Opera performer

A co-production of the Asia Society and Hong Kong Arts Festival in association with the New England Foundation for the Arts

Macao-born composer Lam Bun-Ching’s contemporary opera Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute is based on the true story of poet/musician Cai Wenji from China’s Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 210 CE). The story follows a scholar's daughter who becomes a prize of war, torn between two worlds. The tale is pulled from the magical suitcase of a poor storyteller, filling the stage with light and colour as the characters come to life. With a libretto sung in English and Chinese, Wenji incorporates influences ranging from Chinese Beijing opera to contemporary Western music.

"...[a] beautifully crafted piece that's conveyed in clear gestures, spare but not elliptical." The New York Times, February 7, 2002

With surtitles in Chinese, Portuguese and English