Categories
Performances Productions

“Le toréador” by Aldophe Adam to premiere at the French May 2023

Le toréador (1849) is a opéra-comique by Adolphe Adam, a French composer best known for the ballet Giselle. The story is of a ménage–a–trois between an erstwhile soprano, her oft–absent and unfaithful husband, and a previous lover. The work features famous variations on the folk–song Ah! vous dirai–je, maman (better known as Twinkle, twinkle, little star in the English–speaking world). This semi–staged performance resets the story in contemporary Hong Kong as The Triad, or Three in Accord (retaining the musical pun in the original French title Le toréador, ou L’accord parfait).

The premiere takes place on 6 June 2024 at the Asia Society as part of the French May and will feature Etta Fung as Coraline, Chen Yong as Tracolin and Isaac Droscha as Don Belflor, with Hsu Wei-en on piano. This will be Hong Kong (and likely Greater China) premiere.

Categories
Productions

“Pomme d’Api” wins Guangdong Provincial Awards

The Guangzhou Opera House’s production of “Pomme d’Api” by Jacques Offenbach has been named as “Best Work of Theatre” and “Most Innovative Production” for 2023 in the most recent Guangdong provincial awards.

The population of Guangdong is 126 million, roughly similar to Japan, or that of Italy and France combined.

Categories
Artist activities

Chen Yong sings Tybalt with Opera Hong Kong

Chen Yong sang Tybalt, alongside Aurélie Jarjaye and Kevin Amiel in Opera Hong Kong’s reprise of their 2016 production of Roméo et Juliette, part of this year’s French May. Chen Yong appears in OperaLab’s The Triad (Aldolphe Adam’s Le toréador), also for the French May, in June.

Categories
Productions

“La bohème” on Hong Kong’s iconic Star Ferry

OperaLab’s new “La bohème”, produced for the Dante Alighieri Society and Peninsula Hong Kong in commemoration of the Puccini centenary, opened on 27 and 28 April 2024 on Hong Kong’s iconic “Star Ferry”. Reduced to the four principals in a new arrangement by Marco Iannelli, and reset in contemporary Hong Kong, these performances take place against the dramatic backdrop of the world-famous Hong Kong skyline.

“La bohème” features Etta Fung as Mimì, Ashley Chui as Musetta, Chen Yong as Rodolfo and Isaaac Droscha as Marcello, with Hsu Wei-en on piano.

Categories
Uncategorized

“Pomme d’Api” at the Peninsula Shanghai

The Guangzhou Opera House traveled to Shanghai for two gala performances of “Pomme d’Api” at the Peninsula Hotel on 8-9 March 2024. The performances starred soprano Xing Xinyuan as Catherine, tenor Lin Junliang as Gustave, and baritone Song Luoyan as Rabastens. Chen Yiyan was the piano soloist while Jiang Yang conducted an chamber ensemble of musicians from Shanghai and Suchow orchestras.

Pomme d’Api at the Peninsula Shanghai
Pomme d’Api at the Peninsula Shanghai
Pomme d’Api at the Peninsula Shanghai
Pomme d’Api at the Peninsula Shanghai
Pomme d’Api at the Peninsula Shanghai
Categories
Performances

“Pomme d’Api” on the Bund in March

The Guangzhou Opera House’s production of Pomme d’Api travels to Shanghai for performances at the Peninsula Hotel 8-9 March 2024 as part of the “Mois de la Francophonie” festival and in association with the French Consulate-General and Alliance Française in Shanghai.

Categories
Performances

“Rita” Clocks Up 20 Performances at the Guanzghou Opera House

The 20th performance of the Guangzhou Opera House’s Rita took place on 5 October 2023 with Italian Consul-General Valerio de Parolis in attendance. Marco Iannelli composed a medley of highlights that was performed as an encore. Xing Xingyuan starred as Rita, tenor Lin Junliang as Beppe and baritone Zhong Haodong as Gasparo. The production premiered in June 2022.

Categories
Performances

“Pomme d’Api” returns to the Guangzhou Opera House

The performance featured soprano Wang Xiaoqing as Catherine (Pomme d’Api), baritone Zhai Xiaohan as Rabastens and tenor Lu Yafei as Gustave, with Chen Yiyan as the pianist.

Categories
Performances

“Rita” & “Pomme d’Api” to be reprised at Guangzhou Opera House

Pomme d’Api, which had a sold-out run from 30 June to 2 July 2023, returns to the Guangzhou Opera stage for six performances starting 29 September. These will be followed by two more performances of Rita, the hit opera that debuted in 2022. The performance on 5 October marks the 20th performance of this production.

Categories
Performances

Opera selections in the Botanical Gardens in Guangzhou

On Sunday, 17 September 2023, the Guangzhou Opera House in cooperation with the Kirine cultural complex presented arias, duets and trios from their critically-acclaimed productions of Gaetano Donizetti’s Rita and Jacques Offenbach’s Pomme d’Api in a lakeside venue in Guangzhou’s South China National Botanical Garden. Performing were sopranos Wang Xiaoqing and Xing Xinyuan, baritones Zhai Xiaohan and Zhong Haodong and tenor Lu Yafei and Lin Junliang as Gustave.