China News Service, Guangzhou, May 4 (Reporter Cheng Jingwei) 2024 is the 700th anniversary of the death of Italian traveler Marco Polo. From May 3rd to 4th, the opera "Marco Polo" will return to the stage of the Guangzhou Grand Theater.
"Marco Polo" is a three-act opera sung in Chinese. The whole opera takes Marco Polo's legendary journey to the East as the main line, expressing praise and prayer for human peace and world harmony. In May 2018, the play premiered at the Guangzhou Grand Theater. In 2019, the play was staged in Italy, and the local people responded enthusiastically.
Stills from the opera "Marco Polo". Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Grand Theater
This revival performance of "Marco Polo" has invited popular and capable singers such as Wang Kai, Zhou Fan, and Wang Yunpeng to perform, and is led by the rising international conductor Qian Junping. A huge performance team of 200 people recreates this epic production.
The revival director Shi Jingfu is the director of the Central Opera House. She believes that the opera "Marco Polo" reflects the fusion of Chinese and Western cultural elements in many aspects. "This play is about the foreigner Marco Polo. Travel in China is a very attractive subject for Western audiences. From the story, music to costumes and stage design, this drama not only meets the aesthetics of foreign audiences, but also opens up their imagination of the East.”
Regarding the 2024 revival version, Shi Jingfu said: "The revival has adjusted some details while ensuring the original flavor to make it more in line with the emotional expression of the Chinese people. In terms of music, national musical instruments with Chinese characteristics have been added. and special arias. "
"Marco Polo" is an opera in three acts sung in Chinese. Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Grand Theater
Qian Junping said that the music of this opera is very rich. You can hear both Chinese melodies and Western music styles, and the coordination of Chinese and Western instruments is also very harmonious. He believes, "This play will become more and more enjoyable the more you listen to it. To me, the most important thing about an opera is not necessarily the so-called good arias, but the most important thing is to express the dramatic tension through music."
The stage set of "Marco Polo" consists of a large turntable with a diameter of 14 meters and nearly 20 projection reels. On the large turntable is a stepped stage, with the highest point being 6 meters high. As the plot develops, the turntable rotates, various props appear, the scrolls rise and fall, and different scenes are projected. The rotating stage expresses the transformation of space and the change of dynasties, and expresses the changes in the fate of different characters driven by the wheel of history.
"Marco Polo" embodies the fusion of Chinese and Western cultural elements. Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Grand Theater
Costumes are also a highlight of the opera "Marco Polo". British costume designer Emma Riott designed more than 360 costumes for "Marco Polo", using 1,800 pieces of various fabrics and accessories. (End)
