The upcoming four performances from 31 December 2025 make bring this new adaptation of George Bizet’s first opera into its third year of lighting up the stage at the Guangzhou Opera House.
Tag: Guangzhou
The Guangzhou Opera House closed added more performances of the world-premiere production in modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. Marco Iannelli’ conducted his ‘s new scores includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs, and additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
In May, the Guangzhou Opera House celebrated its 50th performance of its series of immersive comic operas begun just three years ago in 2022 with Gaetano Donizetti’s Rita. This was followed by Jacques Offenbach’s Pomme d’Api and the current run of George Bizet’s Le docteur Miracle. According to producer Jenny Liang Lizhen, “This series of productions combines the art of Western opera with Chinese local culture, successfully exploring a new model of cross-border fusion opera.”
The Guangzhou Opera House closed out 2024 and welcomed in 2025 with four special performances of world-premiere production in modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. Marco Iannelli conducted his new score which includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs, and additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
This four performances bring the total to 10 so far in the 2024-2025 season, almost certainly the longest run of Le docteur Miracle since its debut run of 11 performances in 1857. A further 13 performances are scheduled.
In this world-premiere production, modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. It has a new world-premiere arrangement by Marco Iannelli that includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs, and additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
Iannelli will conduct four special performances on 31 December 2024 and 1 January 2025.
For the Guangzhou Opera House, operalab reset Dr Miracle as a “fairy-tale opera”. Modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. It has a new world-premiere arrangement by Marco Iannelli that includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs, and additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
According to Christophe Bagonneau, cultural attaché at the French Consulate in Guangzhou, “This year, Festival Croisements is celebrating in its own way the 60 years of diplomatic exchange between our two countries, and for this occasion it is taking the name ‘Croisements 60’. Born during the years of cross-fertilization between France and China, 2003 and 2004, what festival could, better than Croisements, commemorate these 60 years of cultural exchanges that have mutually enriched us.
“Bizet’s opérette, ‘Le Docteur miracle’, given this year by the Guangzhou Opera House, enriches the festival and is a fine example of this programming and of the cooperation between our two countries.”
According to producer Jenny Liang Lizhen: “‘Dr Miracle’ is the third immersive comic opera created by the Guangzhou Opera House. The production is supported by the French Consulate-General in Guangzhou and has been included in the culture programme celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France. The Alliance Française of Guangzhou has also provided French language coaching.
“In this third iteration of our immersive comic opera programme, we also further explored how to make the opera popular with contemporary audiences and promote the modernization, popularization and popularization of the art of opera. We aim to create an opera suitable for audiences of all ages, incorporating elements such as children’s chorus and ballet to attract family audiences to appreciate it together. However, although we use methods close to contemporary people to create a lifelike opera scene, what we always want to convey is the essence of opera, so that the audience can feel the original and classical ‘no amplification, direct sound’ nature of operatic singing.
“This time, we selected outstanding young opera singers from all over China to provide growth opportunities and a platform for up-and-coming talent interested in engaging in opera careers. 35 actors and musicians have participated in this production.”
The original domestic rom-com “Le docteur Miracle” features everything that might be found in a modern musical or TV sit-com: a pretty teenage girl with a crush, parents that don’t listen, humorous misunderstandings, disguises, plots … and a happy ending.
For this production, “Dr Miracle” has been reset as a “fairy tale opera”. Modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. It has a new world-premiere arrangement for chamber ensemble by Marco Iannelli that includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs (including “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman” — better-known as “Twinkle, twinkle little star”, “Frère Jacques”, “Au claire de la lune” and “Alouette”) for soprano and children’s chorus which, says Iannelli, “add some fairy-tale sparkle”. The new arrangement also interpolates additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
Iannelli continues: “By inserting French traditional tunes, and involving children, we open the gate to a fairy tale story that is quite far from the original ‘old’ opera. In my arrangement, I wanted to link this ‘new’ style (more magical and children-oriented) to the traditional operatic orchestral treatment. The last number, a new finale, is illustrative: starting with a magical lullaby, it melds almost naturally with themes from other arias, summing up not only the story, but the entire musical journey.”
- Silvio/Romeo/Dr Miracle (tenor): Lin Junliang & Li Haojun
- Laurette (soprano): Jiang Jiatian & Xing Xinyuan
- Podestat (baritone): Liang Kaixuan & Xie Zhiwen
- Veronique (mezzo-soprano): Su Kexin & Xiong Wenqin
- Conductor: Zhu Chengcheng
Dr Miracle tells the timeless story of Laurette, a girl in love with a boy that her overbearing father thinks unsuitable — only a doctor or lawyer will do — but, despite the attractions of a vain and flirty stepmother, love finds a way through various disguises, a possibly poisoned omelette, and a fake doctor with a miracle cure. When an opera’s main musical selection is about an omelette, it’s a sure sign that the work is a farce. Overshadowed by Bizet’s later masterpieces The Pearl Fishers and Carmen, Bizet’s first opera has never, to the best of our knowledge, been performed in China.
For this production, Dr Miracle has been reset as a “fairy-tale opera”. Modern-day Laurette travels to a French fairy-tale where all her dreams come true. It has a new world-premiere arrangement by Marco Iannelli that includes original music featuring resettings of familiar French children’s songs, and additional music by Bizet from his other operas “Don Procopio” and “Carmen”.
The new music includes resettings of such well-known songs as “Ah! vous dirai-je, maman” (better-known as “Twinkle, twinkle little star”), “Frère Jacques” and “Alouette” which add some fairy-tale sparkle.
The new production forms part of the cultural programme for the 60th anniversary of Sino-French relations.
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.
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.
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.