An operatic dream of the red chamber berkeley news. On september 10th, 2016, the san francisco opera will present the world premiere of a new opera which it commissioned based on dream of the red chamber, the most popular novel in. The opera premiered in san francisco in 2016 to public and critical acclaim. The san francisco operas seasonopening weekend continued with saturdays world premiere of dream of the red chamber, by bright sheng and david henry hwang. Based on the book dream of the red chamber also known as the story of the stone by 18thcentury qing. As he did in silver river, bright sheng selected the well known playwright david henry hwang as his colibrettist for his full length opera, the dream of the red chamber. But its also one of the most ambitious projects sfo has undertaken. Dream of the red chamber, the opera uschina institute. Oct 12, 2016 dream of the red chamber brings together renowned librettists sheng, who also wrote the music, and hwang with director stan lai, one of the most recognized and influential chinese playwrights and directors. Bright sheng is one of the foremost composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber, and vocal works are performed regularly throughout north america, europe, and asia.
The latest, and one of the most ambitious, is bright sheng s dream of the red chamber, which was given its world premiere saturday night by san francisco opera. Pureum jo as dai yu in san francisco operas production of dream of the red chamber photo. Dream of the red chamber director stan lai and composer bright sheng at the war memorial opera house. Dream of the red chamber music by bright sheng libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by cao xuequin commissioned by san francisco opera g. As bao yu, tenor yijie shi is at the center of the operas love triangle. Hung lou meng, book i or, the dream of the red chamber, a. Many of sheng s works bear strong chinese and asian influences, a result of his diligent study of. Dream of the red chamber awakens at san francisco opera san. Epic chinese novel retooled as opera by sheng, hwang. Mar 17, 2016 on september 10th, 2016, the san francisco opera will present the world premiere of a new opera which it commissioned based on dream of the red chamber, the most popular novel in the history. The novel circulated in manuscript copies with various titles until its print publication, in 1791.
Dream of the red chamber bright sheng composer, conductor. Dream of the red chamber one of chinas greatest classical novelsas famous in china as romeo and juliet is in the westrecounts the love triangle between a young nobleman and two very different women. How dream of the red chamber became an opera sfgate. Music by bright sheng libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by cao xueqin commissioned by san francisco opera sung in english with english and chinese supertitles. San francisco operas dream of the red chamber is a story of cosmic creation, of marriage choice, and of family decline, both financial and moral. Dream of the red chamber opera dream of the red chamber is an englishlanguage opera in two acts composed by chinese american composer bright sheng, with libretto by sheng and david henry hwang. By janos gereben san francisco composer bright sheng and. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Chinese opera dream of the red chamber opens in san. Writer ken smith interviews composer bright sheng, colibrettist david henry hwang, and director stan lai.
The latest, and one of the most ambitious, is bright shengs dream of the red chamber, which was given its world premiere saturday night by san francisco opera. Dream of the red chamber is considered to be chinas greatest novel an 18thcentury epic by cao xueqin that runs to 2,500 pages in translation so much so. Its been out of print for several years and im delighted its been reissued. With dream of the red chamber, composer bright sheng and colibrettist. Dream of the red chamber, hong kong arts festival and san.
Dream of the red chamber how to transform a classic, sprawling chinese novel into an opera an illustrious creative team has distilled the 2,500page work into three hours of aria books, arts and. Opera to premiere work based on chinese classic san. Dream of the red chamber a word premiere by bright sheng with libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng. Sep 08, 2016 dream of the red chamber is considered to be chinas greatest novel an 18thcentury epic by cao xueqin that runs to 2,500 pages in translation so much so that an entire field of literary. Bright sheng s and david henry hwangs dream of the red chamber is centered on bao yu and dai yu. These 40 chapters are problematic because their origin is unknownthey dont belong to cao xueqin but also cant fully belong to anyone else. A scene is performed from bright sheng and david henry hwangs dream of the red chamber. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. Why is chinas greatest novel virtually unknown in the west. The eighteenthcentury novel is a true classic of chinese literature, one of the most treasured stories ever written, and it is full of plot devices that have long beguiled composers and audiences alike. David henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by cao.
An american opera company adapts chinas war and peace. Dream of the red chamber is considered to be chinas greatest novel an 18thcentury epic by cao xueqin that runs to 2,500 pages in translation so much so that an entire field of literary study. San francisco opera presents the world premiere of chineseamerican composer bright sheng s dream of the red chamber, with a libretto by the composer and david henry hwang, in six performances. Sep 11, 2016 bright shengs and david henry hwangs dream of the red chamber is centered on bao yu and dai yu. Dream of the red chamber is an 18thcentury novel written by cao zhan that is generally considered to be the greatest novel of chinese literature.
Reflecting on those days, when the commission of bright sheng s dream of the red chamber was announced last year at the press conference a company administrator mused offcamera if support from the chinese american community may not be in its dna. Video of how two chinese americans, composer bright sheng and librettist david henry hwang, distilled from the classic 18thcentury chinese novel dream of the red chamber a 2016 englishlanguage opera. Buy this photo dream of the red chamber director stan lai and composer bright. To me the idea of authorship often seems associated with the concept of ownership, as is the case with the controversy over the last 40 chapters of dream of the red chamber. Sheng s score for dream of the red chamber drips with musical immoderation and deploys about double the high notes of most contemporary operas.
It details the decline of the jia family as it blends realism and romance, psychological motivation and fate, and daily life and supernatural occurrences. Sheng s panning five volumes and nearly 3,000 pages, dream of the red. Hung lou meng, or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese. Touching dream receives radiant debut production classical. The story centers on a love triangle consisting of the main character, bao yu, his. Hung lou meng, or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese novel, book i by cao free ebook project gutenberg. San francisco opera today announced additional details for the companys world premiere commission dream of the red chamber by renowned chineseamerican composer bright sheng, opening at the war memorial opera house on september 10, 2016. Music by bright sheng libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by cao xueqin commissioned by san francisco opera. N ew operas are not perhaps as rare as sometimes made out to be, but it is nevertheless hard to underestimate the significance of bright sheng s dream of the red chamber appearing at the hong kong arts festival so soon after its premiere at the san francisco opera last autumn. San francisco opera to present dream of the red chamber. The composer fully employs every instrument in the orchestra, understanding the dramatic punch each possesses. A contemporary opera based on the classic chinese novel, dream of the red chamber, and developed for western audiences, could be a riveting success at san francisco opera this fall.
Pureum jo portrays dai yu in bright sheng and david henry hwangs dream of the red chamber. Opera premiered bright shengs dream of the red chamber, based on a beloved chinese novel, in 2016. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The dream of the red chamber, a masterpiece of chinese fiction, is a detailed, episodic record of the lives of the members of the jia clan, whose good fortune is assured when one of its daughters becomes an imperial concubine, and then declines after her death. Bright sheng and david henry hwang have adapted cao xue qins epic 18th century qing dynasty novel with a focus on eight central characters to tell the tale. Jan 26, 2016 composer bright sheng and playwright david henry hwang discuss their new opera dream of the red chamber with ann waltner, prof. Dream of the red chamber as he did in silver river, bright sheng selected the well known playwright david henry hwang as his colibrettist for his full length opera, the dream of the red chamber. The new work is based on the book dream of the red chamber by 18thcentury qing dynasty writer cao xuequin, and is considered one of the four great classical novels of historic chinese literature. Imbued with intricate observations of the life and times of chinese life and custom during the qing dynasty 16441911, red chamber is also what li calls a bonfire of drama. San francisco opera celebrates dream of the red chamber. Aug 24, 2016 dream of the red chamber director stan lai and composer bright sheng at the war memorial opera house. Feb 12, 2016 a performance of dream of the red chamber at the cairo opera house in 2010. San francisco opera premieres bright sheng and david henry.
A dream doesnt quite come true at san francisco opera by. An example, he said, of operas power to tell a great story is the subject of the press conference. Dream of the red chamber is an englishlanguage opera in two acts composed by chinese american composer bright sheng, with libretto by sheng and david henry hwang. In 1791, almost 30 years after his death, the novel was published in a complete version of 120 chapters prepared by cheng weiyuan and gao e. Dream of the red chamber s textual history is involved and complex, and has long been a subject of critical scrutiny, debate, and conjecture. Hung lou meng, or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese novel, book i cao, xueqin, cao, xueqin on. Cao xueqin, a member of an eminent family that had served the qing dynasty emperors but whose fortunes had begun to decline, began composing dream of the red chamber during the 1740s. San francisco opera today announced additional details for the companys world premiere commission dream of the red chamber by renowned chineseamerican composer bright sheng, opening at the war memorial opera house on september 10. Dream of the red chamber is an englishlanguage opera in two acts composed by chinese american composer bright sheng, with libretto by sheng and david. Aug 26, 2016 a contemporary opera based on the classic chinese novel, dream of the red chamber, and developed for western audiences, could be a riveting success at san francisco opera this fall.
Truth becomes fiction when fiction is true by ann waltner. Dream of the red chamber is considered to be chinas greatest. Dream of the red chamber, hong kong arts festival and. In its world premiere, composer bright sheng s dream of the red chamber, with a libretto by sheng and tony awardwinning americanborn playwright david henry hwang, distinguished itself with the universality of its music and profundity of its tale. Music by bright sheng libretto in english by david henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by cao xueqin. Redology is the field of study devoted exclusively to this work. I have read several versions of the dream of the red chamber, including the fivevolume edition published by penguin classics the story of the stone, and this version is by far the best. Since the publication of the second book, he has concentrated more on.
Originally a stone and a flower, they took human form so dai yu the flower could pay back bao yu the stone, who had long sheltered and watered her with human love and tears. Hung lou meng, or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese novel, book i. Bright shengs dream of the red chamber highlights san. Dream of the red chamber to be produced as english opera. Cory weaver this weeks broadcast features bright sheng s 2016 opera dream of the red chamber, based on the 18th century chinese novel of the same name. Sep 12, 2016 san francisco it was a week before the premiere, and bright sheng, the composer and colibrettist of the new opera dream of the red chamber, was already bracing for the backlash.
Bright sheng, composer and colibrettist bright she ng 1955 is respected as one of the leading composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber, and vocal works are performed regularly by the greatest performing arts institutions throughout north america, europe, and asia. Red chamber reflections from the very beginning, dream of the red chamber was a novel that asked to be tampered with. Dream of the red chamber bright sheng opera musica. A dream doesnt quite come true at san francisco opera. Dream of the red chamber by cao xueqin is the quintessential chinese novel. Often considered as a semiautobiographical novel, sheng and hwang. Music by bright sheng libretto in english by david henry hwang and bright sheng based on the book by. Mar 06, 2016 hung lou meng, or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese novel, book i cao, xueqin, cao, xueqin on. Dream of the red chamber awakens at san francisco opera. Sep, 2016 in its world premiere, composer bright shengs dream of the red chamber, with a libretto by sheng and tony awardwinning americanborn playwright david henry hwang, distinguished itself with the universality of its music and profundity of its tale.
Amanda li in dream of the red chamber the theatre times. To create his version of cao xueqin s sprawling 18thcentury classic about the decline of an aristocratic family in imperial china, mr. Dream of the red chamber how to transform a classic. Opera sets steal show at dream of the red chamber world. Sfopera dream of the red chamber san francisco opera. On september 10th, 2016, the san francisco opera will present the world premiere of a new opera which it commissioned based on dream of the red chamber, the most popular novel in the history of chinese literature, with music by bright sheng, and libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng. Dream of the red chamber bright sheng wise music classical. Hung lou meng, book i or, the dream of the red chamber, a chinese novel in two books cao, xueqin on. It is a meditation on the nature of reality and illusion, of the interconnectedness of the dream state and the waking world. The title has also been translated as red chamber dream and a dream of red mansions.
Sep 10, 2016 san francisco it was a week before the premiere, and bright sheng, the composer and colibrettist of the new opera dream of the red chamber, was already bracing for the backlash. Transforming dream of the red chamber into an opera seems at once impossible and necessary. There is more music and merriment with the annual free san francisco chronicle opera in the park sunday at 1. This page provides resources for educators and students to study the opera dream of the red chamber. Read the sfgate on the intermittently exquisite opera with a lush and varied score by composer bright sheng.
Taming an epic bright sheng s dream of the red chamber arrives at san francisco opera. Afterlives is both a collection of exhibits and a course, inspired by the san francisco operas production of the dream of the red chamber. Music by bright sheng libretto by david henry hwang and bright sheng. Bright sheng s dream of the red chamber, a world premiere coming to the war memorial, sept. Published on jan 26, 2016 composer bright sheng and playwright david henry hwang discuss their new opera dream of the red chamber with. It could be an awkward animal a stilted redo of a centuriesold tale. The english libretto adapting the qing dynasty epic is by sheng and david henry hwang, the prominent playwright. San francisco opera to premiere of bright sheng and david. Cory weaversan francisco opera a lot was riding on the recent world premiere of the new opera dream of the red chamber in san francisco. Opera premiered bright sheng s dream of the red chamber, based on a beloved chinese novel, in 2016. Sfopera delving deeper into dream of the red chamber. Based on the classic 18thcentury chinese novel of the same name by cao xueqin, the threehour englishlanguage opera had its world premiere on september 10, 2016, by the san francisco opera.
Mar 27, 2017 n ew operas are not perhaps as rare as sometimes made out to be, but it is nevertheless hard to underestimate the significance of bright shengs dream of the red chamber appearing at the hong kong arts festival so soon after its premiere at the san francisco opera last autumn. The work, published in english as dream of the red chamber 1929, first appeared in manuscript form in beijing during cao zhans lifetime. The dream of the red chamber tells the semiautobiographical story of a noble familys fall from grace and was written in the 1750s by the writer cao xueqin. The book is chinas equivalent of war and peace, and now its been turned into an opera. Bright sheng is respected as one of the leading composers of our time. San francisco it was a week before the premiere, and bright sheng, the composer and colibrettist of the new opera dream of the red chamber, was already bracing for the backlash.
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