Philip Israel Witrio… on Project Sau.Artists perform 'Borrowing a Fan,' a classic Peking Opera program, for international expats living in Beijing at the Fenglei Peking Opera House on April 8, 2017. Quarantine Project |… on Project Sau.te – Quarant… Philip Israel Witrio… on Project Sau.te – Quarant… Michael9murray on The Secret Theatre – Sco… Michael9murray on Nureyev: Legend & Legacy:…

Dancing Nation: Episode 3 – Sadler’s Wells & BBC: BBC iPlayer & Sadler’s Wells website, from 28 January 2021.

Hans van Manen Variations – Dutch National Ballet: Live streaming, 5 March 2021.

Spring Special – Dutch National Ballet: Livestream, 10 April 2021.

Don Quixote – Birmingham Royal Ballet: Sadler’s Wells, 6 July 2022.

Nureyev: Legend & Legacy: Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, 5 September 2022.

As always, the acrobatics proved a highlight of the show but in the end the happy/sad reunion of Li and the Emperor in heaven was the standout moment Chinese opera at its most divine. However, technical ability is a universal appreciation and the long-held notes are remarkable, as was Li’s ability to express herself with barely any movement of her mouth. Without any apparent relation to western notions of melody or musical structure, the singing is undeniably an acquired taste. The other roles are fairly small although Chen Guosen made a great deal of Gao Lishi, the Emperor’s advisor, through whose eyes we see much of the story. Yu Kuizhi played him as a fairly happy-go-lucky fellow, with plenty of hahaha-ing, all of which contributed to the humanising of his role which in turned led to a convincing sense of a genuine love for Yang. Throughout, her every movement was poised and deftly controlled – the way she slowly lowered herself into a bath, for example, was exquisite, and her unexpected ritual suicide at the start of the second half was startlingly beautiful.Īs is often the case, the Emperor himself is something of a ditzy character, impetuous and prone to rash decisions. There’s a tremendous scene where she decides to cut off a piece of her hair to show her love for the Emperor I’m not quite sure of the cultural significance of this action but she demonstrated her absolute terror of doing it through the simple trembling of her fingers. Li Shengsu is fabulous as Yang Yuhuan (the concubine). Not a happy lot for either of them and one that’s sadly based on historical fact. An Emperor falls in love with a woman and takes her for his concubine unfortunately political events soon take over and the concubine has to kill herself in order to save her lover and his empire.

The Emperor and the Concubine seems to hold a narrative typical for Chinese opera. It is however, this very formality that tautens heartstrings as it slowly disintegrates under the story’s circumstances. Characters don’t visibly emote much, they rarely touch each other and the formality of interaction is extreme in its politeness. With the edge-of-range singing and thunder-crashing percussion, the only understated thing about the art-form is the acting. The costumes and staging dazzle with the stuff, and that’s not to mention the sparkle of the women’s remarkable headdresses. You have to love bright, bright colours to enjoy Chinese opera.

Li Shengsu and Yu Kuizhi in China National Peking Opera Company’s The Emperor and the Concubine I can’t quite put my finger on why I love Chinese opera so much.

China national peking opera