By Lee Hyo-won
Central in staging centuries-old pieces of classical music is honoring the composer’s original intentions, and opera fans can mull on that idea in an upcoming production of ``Turandot’’ by the Korea National Opera and China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, Tuesday through Friday at Seoul Arts Center.
The 1926 melodrama set in ancient China has given birth to some of the most enduring and celebrated operatic arias in history. And yet it is also a prime example of Orientalism that was pervasive in Puccini’s day, of giving flight to largely imagined ― and often prejudiced ― interpretations of the exotic East.
Unlike ``Madame Butterfly,’’ which featured faux Japanese tunes, Puccini actually made efforts to research real Chinese music for his final masterpiece.
However, it remains ``marred’’ by the fact that a Chinese princess is named Turandot, which means ``daughter of Turan’’ in Persian. Of course the Italian composer was more than aware of this, since the plot was taken from a Persian collection of tales, ``The Book of One Thousand and One Days’’ -- perhaps he hadn’t grasped the idea of Chinese singers singing his work in perfect Italian a few decades down the road, though in the 1910s, Tamaki Miura, a petite Japanese soprano, was stealing the spotlight in North America and Europe as Cio-Cio San in ``Madame Butterfly.'' When ``Turandot’’ was staged in Beijing for the first time in 1995 (after years of being banned for portraying the Chinese as violent ``barbarians’’), the setting of the opera was changed to Central Asia.
Nevertheless it seems upholding the piece’s artistic merits and remaining true to the Italian composer’s vision have won over factual errors. The classical music scene will never forget the spectacular 1998 production of ``Turandot’’ that was staged at the Forbidden City, under the baton of maestro conductor Zubin Mehta and featuring an epic Ming Dynasty setting dreamed up by filmmaker Zhang Yimou.
In this day and age where everything is fast and fluid, and where ethnicity does not necessarily authenticate artistry (an American can be hailed for his Russian pianism while a Korean singer may become a star Italian-style tenor), this idea becomes interesting to observe in contemplating the original question at hand ― scrutinizing Puccini’s intentions in completing his incomplete masterpiece.
The composer passed away of a heart attack, before penning notes for the duet and final scene of the third act. A version featuring compositions by his friend Franco Alfano was staged until 2002, when contemporary classical composer Luciano Brio premiered his version at the Salzburg Festival. Most recently in 2005, Hao Weiya, a young Chinese composer trained in Italy, offered a third interpretation, which local fans will be able to see.
``I hope for only one thing ― for the audience to watch `Turandot’ and not notice my composition and view the opera as a whole piece,’’ Hao said. Puccini was inspired by the Chinese folk song ``Jasmine Flower’’ for ``Turandot,’’ and Hao features a variation of the theme in the grand finale.
Some 80 orchestra members, 60 choristers and over 180 staff of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will take part in the Seoul production. Korean soprano Lee Hwa-yeong and Chinese diva Sun Xiuwei will share the lead role of Princess Turandot while Korean tenor Rudy Park and China’s Warren Mok will alternate portraying Prince Calaf, who tries to win the affections of the cold-hearted princess.
``This co-production marks the first of celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Korea-China relations next year in 2012. We hope that `Turandot’ will mark the beginning of opera exchanges not only between Korea and China but also throughout all of Asia,’’ said Lee So-young, director of the Korea National Opera.
Tickets cost from 10,000 to 150,000 won. Call (02) 586-5282.