A celebration of innocence

Donezetti's opera L'elisir D'amore, with its riotous choruses and charming duets, challenges the stereotype that operas are meant for elite, straight-backed audiences.

The opera is set in the Italian countryside and follows a peasant boy Nemorino, played by Italian singer Francesco Meli, in his attempts to gain the attention of the object of his desire - the landowner's daughter Adina, played by Dilber Yunus.

Faced with a rival for her love, Sergeant Belcore, desperate Nemorino buys a magic potion from a traveling quack, Dulcamara, with unexpected consequences.

The opera is a celebration of innocence, says artistic director Lu Jia, explaining its lighthearted, playful touch.

Traditional Italian costumes, intricate set designs - including a handcrafted hot air balloon - have been brought to the NCPA, to capture the romance of the 19th century Italian countryside.

"Operas such as Carmen, La Traviata, and Rigoletto have been performed many times in China," Lu Jia tells China Daily. "So we wanted to bring something new, a comedic, traditional Bel Canto opera to the Chinese stage."

Lu, now residing in Italy, is music director and chief conductor of the Verona Opera House and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife symphony orchestra in Spain. He will be co-directing the play with Franco Ripa Di Meana, whose works have featured in opera houses worldwide.

Lu says the opera scene in Italy is very different from that in China. "The Chinese audience is significantly younger, with a number of 30 to 40 year olds, as opposed to a white-haired European audience," Lu says.

"Performance-wise, Italy has an opera history of 200 to 300 years, whereas in China, opera is relatively new," Lu says, "so of course, in Italy, during rehearsal, everyone is more prepared, all the nuances of a strong opera are in place."

But what China lacks in experience it more than makes up for in enthusiasm and raw talent. "I find that all the young people here work fantastically and eagerly. They leave the offices at midnight" says Lu.

There are also a number of promising young talents, he adds. Dilber, for example, who plays Adina, is known as "the Chinese Nightingale." She began her career in her native Xinjiang and is now a world famous soprano singer and tenured soloist at the Finnish National Opera House.

"The opera scene has really matured since I left in the 1980s," says Lu, "and it will definitely progress. The NCPA offers fantastic opportunities for the younger generation."

China Daily

(China Daily 06/25/2010 page20)