Lake Honghu Opera in Concert by Various, sø. 04 nov. 2018, Fra (2018/2018), Dirigent Vanessa Scammell, Sydney Opera House, Sydney City, Australia

With over 60 years of experience and 3000 performances under their belt, the Hubei Symphony Orchestra of the Hubei Provincial Opera & Dance Drama Theatre performed outside of China for the very first time as they made their outstanding debut in Australia’s theatres showcasing a modern production of the classic Chinese opera Lake Honghu. Australian conductor Vanessa Scammell (My Fair Lady, The Merry Widow, South Pacific) led a team of seven vocalists accompanied by a chorus of forty in their spectacular performance of “The Red Guards on Lake Honghu” at Sydney Opera House on Nov 4th 2018. A second showing of the concert led by resident conductor Luo Yilin also took place at the Melbourne Recital Centre on the 7th and 8th of November. Based on a true story, “The Red Guards on Lake Honghu” tells the tale of Han Ying and Liu Chuang who led a team of guardians to defend their homeland in the scenic region of Lake Honghu during the summer of 1930. Honghu City is well known for its rich aquatic life consisting of more than forty kinds of fish and an abundance of plants, such as lotus, reed, and algae. The original opera (composed by Zhu Benhe, Zhang Jing’an and Ouyang Qianshu) was first performed in 1958 in Wuhan, and was later staged in Beijing in October 1959. Blending western-styled opera with traditional Chinese music, Hubei folk songs, and lyrical ballads, this entrancing concert featured a collection of cheerful and passionate melodies that demonstrated a revolutionary pioneer’s love for his hometown and his hopes for a happier future. Showcasing structures found in both Chinese traditional opera and English Opera, this particular piece focused on embodying the poignancy of each character’s emotional state of mind. After its successful debut in Beijing, the opera has since earned its title as a national treasure and one of China’s Classic Opera’s of the 20th Century. The production was even adapted into a popular film version in 1961. Famous scores from the show such as “The Honghu Lake, Waves Upon Waves”, “No Tears, No Sorrow”, and “Wait and See the Liberation of All Suffering People” have since ingrained themselves deep into the collective memory of Chinese citizens. In order to ensure each piece continues to resonate with a contemporary audience, subtle modifications were made to the original arrangements featured in Lake Honghu Opera in Concert, an artistic feat that ultimately produced a show celebrating and reviving a number of China’s underrated classic compositions while preserving the spiritual significance of their original works.