Latest news with #Ruo
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
EIF: Book of Mountains and Seas is arguably not 'opera'
Composer Huang Ruo's collaborations with writer David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly and the soon-to-open The Monkey King) are full-scale contemporary operas, but this piece is not just of a different size and style but arguably not 'opera' at all, as the Festival has categorised it. Perhaps 'staged oratorio' would be nearer the mark, as it teams chamber choir Ars Nova Copenhagen with two superb percussionists – Michael Murphy and John Ostrowski – on tuned and untuned instruments, and six puppeteers under the direction of Basil Twist. Ruo is his own librettist on four ancient Chinese myths from the collection of the title, stories of the origin of the planet and mankind, and of the responsibility of humans for the environment. Although they are distinct, the four parts flow into one another, culminating in a puppet giant Kua Fu chasing the single sun that the God of Archery, Hou Yi, has spared of the ten that originally lit the planet Earth. Read More: The 12-strong choir, directed by Theatre of Voices counter-tenor Miles Lallemant, sings in Mandarin and a vocabulary of sounds that Ruo has invented, and there are some magnificent solo voices among them as well as immaculate ensemble singing. The puppeteers, identically costumed in black velvet smocks, manipulate lanterns and the elements of the giant with flowing skill, and create seas and rivers with reams of white silk. Beautifully lit by Ayumu 'Poe' Saegusa, the theatre of the piece is organic and elemental and every bit as mesmeric as the music, the ingredients of which are more complex. Ruo's distinctive style blends his own heritage as a Chinese-born, U.S.-resident musician, using Eastern scales but also strikingly jazzy chords and rhythms. Mostly the music is very spacious, but there are sections of density as well as propulsive excitement, dialogues between the men and women's voices and between soloist and chorus. The two instrumentalists put in a power of work with long sequences on singing bowls and very fine six-mallet marimba playing at the work's climax. For festival tickets see here
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh International Festival opera Book of Mountains and Seas
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Book of Mountains and Seas ★★ The Lyceum, until 16 August The big question behind composer Huang Ruo's patience-testing, woefully ill-conceived Book of Mountains and Seas was: why? When there are so many composers doing pioneering, challenging, witty, provocative things with opera, what box did this particular work tick, or what thematic slot did it fill, to allow it to become the International Festival's second and final staged opera for 2025? There was, frankly, little about it that was convincing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Book of Mountains and Seas | Andrew Perry Scoring the work for chamber choir and two percussionists is unusual but intriguing – it's less persuasive, though, when the singers of Ars Nova Copenhagen give a disappointingly approximate account, blurring over Ruo's intricate vocal decorations and sliding apart from each other in tuning. When Ruo's sparse, austere choral textures needed confident, committed delivery, what they got sounded unconvincing and unconvinced. Likewise, director Basil Twist's puppetry amounted to little more than rippling sheets for the sea and Chinese lanterns (what else?) on poles representing the ten suns of the work's ancient Chinese creation myths. Even the gigantic human figure that coalesced towards the work's conclusion felt ungainly in its limited movements. The subject matter behind the work offers fascinating insights into a little-known culture and history, though few of the contemporary environmental parallels suggested in the programme book. But what this overlong, poorly executed work is doing as part of the curated International Festival is anyone's guess. David Kettle
The Independent
04-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Huang Ruo's `The Monkey King' to get world premiere at San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14
Huang Ruo watched his kids on Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic his son dressed as Spider-Man and Batman, his daughter as Elsa from 'Frozen.' 'I was just thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a superhero figure from Asia so all these kids could have something from that part of the world to wear, to look up to?' the composer said. He decided to write "The Monkey King,' based on an episode from the 16th century Chinese novel 'Journey to the West' in which a primate born from stone acquires supernatural powers and seeks immortality. The work, with singing in English and Mandarin, will be given its world premiere by the San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14, the company announced Tuesday. San Francisco Opera general director Matthew Shilvock issued the commission following the success of Bright Sheng's 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which the company premiered in 2016. Librettos of both were written by David Henry Hwang, whose 'M Butterfly' won the 1988 Tony Award for best play. 'We were looking at how do we continue building this repertoire of pieces that really resonate with an Asian American audience here in San Francisco but have the potential to cross the Pacific and find resonance in Asia, as well,' Shilvock said. Ruo's compositions include 'Bound,' which premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 2014, and 'An American Soldier,' first seen at the Washington National Opera later that year. He is composing 'The Wedding Banquet,' based on Ang Lee's 1993 movie, to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2027-28 following its premiere at the Seattle Opera. Ruo wrote 'The Monkey Key' in part as a response to discrimination during the pandemic. 'That was during the time that Asians and Asian Americans were being harassed,' he said. 'I thought it would be good to have some positive energy.' There will be eight performances through Nov. 30, including a livestream on Nov. 18. Diane Paulus directs a production with scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist. The title character is presented in three ways: by a singer, a dancer and a puppet. Tenor Kang Wang makes his company debut in the title role. San Francisco's season opens Sept. 5 with a revival of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' in a production originally by Mark Lamos from 1997, led by music director Eun Sun Kim and starring Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Adela Zaharia and Giovanni Sala. Jake Heggie's 'Dead Man Walking' opens Sept. 14 in new-to-San Francisco Leonard Foglia staging from 2002 to mark the 25th anniversary of its world premiere in San Francisco. Jamie Barton is featured as Sister Helen, and Susan Graham, who sang Helen in the premiere, is Mrs. Patrick De Rocher. A new production of Wagner's 'Parsifal' directed by Matthew Ozawa opens Oct. 25 with a cast that includes Brandon Jovanovich, Kwangchul Youn and Brian Mulligan. Rossini's 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)' starts the spring season on May 28, 2025, in an Emilio Sagi production from 2013 and will be followed by Strauss' 'Elektra' starting June 7 in a Keith Warner production originally seen at the Prague National Theatre in 2016 and San Francisco the following year. The six productions match 2024-25 and are down from eight in 2023-24. Shilvock anticipates a $15 million structural imbalance in this season's budget that projects $87 million in expenses, a difference that will be covered by a greater reliance on endowment. San Francisco sold 79% of tickets for its fall season, 3% above goal, and its average audience age has dropped. 'I do take a huge amount of optimism and encouragement,' Shilvock said. 'The core relationship of audiences to the artistic product is the strongest I've ever seen it.'
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Huang Ruo's `The Monkey King' to get world premiere at San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14
Huang Ruo watched his kids on Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic his son dressed as Spider-Man and Batman, his daughter as Elsa from 'Frozen.' 'I was just thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a superhero figure from Asia so all these kids could have something from that part of the world to wear, to look up to?' the composer said. He decided to write "The Monkey King,' based on an episode from the 16th century Chinese novel 'Journey to the West' in which a primate born from stone acquires supernatural powers and seeks immortality. The work, with singing in English and Mandarin, will be given its world premiere by the San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14, the company announced Tuesday. San Francisco Opera general director Matthew Shilvock issued the commission following the success of Bright Sheng's 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which the company premiered in 2016. Librettos of both were written by David Henry Hwang, whose 'M Butterfly' won the 1988 Tony Award for best play. 'We were looking at how do we continue building this repertoire of pieces that really resonate with an Asian American audience here in San Francisco but have the potential to cross the Pacific and find resonance in Asia, as well,' Shilvock said. Ruo's compositions include 'Bound,' which premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 2014, and 'An American Soldier,' first seen at the Washington National Opera later that year. He is composing 'The Wedding Banquet,' based on Ang Lee's 1993 movie, to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2027-28 following its premiere at the Seattle Opera. Ruo wrote 'The Monkey Key' in part as a response to discrimination during the pandemic. 'That was during the time that Asians and Asian Americans were being harassed,' he said. 'I thought it would be good to have some positive energy.' There will be eight performances through Nov. 30, including a livestream on Nov. 18. Diane Paulus directs a production with scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist. The title character is presented in three ways: by a singer, a dancer and a puppet. Tenor Kang Wang makes his company debut in the title role. San Francisco's season opens Sept. 5 with a revival of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' in a production originally by Mark Lamos from 1997, led by music director Eun Sun Kim and starring Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Adela Zaharia and Giovanni Sala. Jake Heggie's 'Dead Man Walking' opens Sept. 14 in new-to-San Francisco Leonard Foglia staging from 2002 to mark the 25th anniversary of its world premiere in San Francisco. Jamie Barton is featured as Sister Helen, and Susan Graham, who sang Helen in the premiere, is Mrs. Patrick De Rocher. A new production of Wagner's 'Parsifal' directed by Matthew Ozawa opens Oct. 25 with a cast that includes Brandon Jovanovich, Kwangchul Youn and Brian Mulligan. Rossini's 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)' starts the spring season on May 28, 2025, in an Emilio Sagi production from 2013 and will be followed by Strauss' 'Elektra' starting June 7 in a Keith Warner production originally seen at the Prague National Theatre in 2016 and San Francisco the following year. The six productions match 2024-25 and are down from eight in 2023-24. Shilvock anticipates a $15 million structural imbalance in this season's budget that projects $87 million in expenses, a difference that will be covered by a greater reliance on endowment. San Francisco sold 79% of tickets for its fall season, 3% above goal, and its average audience age has dropped. 'I do take a huge amount of optimism and encouragement,' Shilvock said. 'The core relationship of audiences to the artistic product is the strongest I've ever seen it.'
Associated Press
04-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Huang Ruo's `The Monkey King' to get world premiere at San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14
Huang Ruo watched his kids on Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic his son dressed as Spider-Man and Batman, his daughter as Elsa from 'Frozen.' 'I was just thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have a superhero figure from Asia so all these kids could have something from that part of the world to wear, to look up to?' the composer said. He decided to write 'The Monkey King,' based on an episode from the 16th century Chinese novel 'Journey to the West' in which a primate born from stone acquires supernatural powers and seeks immortality. The work, with singing in English and Mandarin, will be given its world premiere by the San Francisco Opera on Nov. 14, the company announced Tuesday. San Francisco Opera general director Matthew Shilvock issued the commission following the success of Bright Sheng's 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which the company premiered in 2016. Librettos of both were written by David Henry Hwang, whose 'M Butterfly' won the 1988 Tony Award for best play. 'We were looking at how do we continue building this repertoire of pieces that really resonate with an Asian American audience here in San Francisco but have the potential to cross the Pacific and find resonance in Asia, as well,' Shilvock said. Ruo's compositions include 'Bound,' which premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 2014, and 'An American Soldier,' first seen at the Washington National Opera later that year. He is composing 'The Wedding Banquet,' based on Ang Lee's 1993 movie, to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2027-28 following its premiere at the Seattle Opera. Ruo wrote 'The Monkey Key' in part as a response to discrimination during the pandemic. 'That was during the time that Asians and Asian Americans were being harassed,' he said. 'I thought it would be good to have some positive energy.' There will be eight performances through Nov. 30, including a livestream on Nov. 18. Diane Paulus directs a production with scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist. The title character is presented in three ways: by a singer, a dancer and a puppet. Tenor Kang Wang makes his company debut in the title role. San Francisco's season opens Sept. 5 with a revival of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' in a production originally by Mark Lamos from 1997, led by music director Eun Sun Kim and starring Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Adela Zaharia and Giovanni Sala. Jake Heggie's 'Dead Man Walking' opens Sept. 14 in new-to-San Francisco Leonard Foglia staging from 2002 to mark the 25th anniversary of its world premiere in San Francisco. Jamie Barton is featured as Sister Helen, and Susan Graham, who sang Helen in the premiere, is Mrs. Patrick De Rocher. A new production of Wagner's 'Parsifal' directed by Matthew Ozawa opens Oct. 25 with a cast that includes Brandon Jovanovich, Kwangchul Youn and Brian Mulligan. Rossini's 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)' starts the spring season on May 28, 2025, in an Emilio Sagi production from 2013 and will be followed by Strauss' 'Elektra' starting June 7 in a Keith Warner production originally seen at the Prague National Theatre in 2016 and San Francisco the following year. The six productions match 2024-25 and are down from eight in 2023-24. Shilvock anticipates a $15 million structural imbalance in this season's budget that projects $87 million in expenses, a difference that will be covered by a greater reliance on endowment. San Francisco sold 79% of tickets for its fall season, 3% above goal, and its average audience age has dropped. 'I do take a huge amount of optimism and encouragement,' Shilvock said. 'The core relationship of audiences to the artistic product is the strongest I've ever seen it.'
