Chinese students performed national opera as exam

On June, 5 Chinese students took their final opera class exam at the Theater Hall of Saratov conservatoire. Their task was to perform a role in the opera. For the first time 1st and 2nd parts of Chinese opera of Yin Qing «Ballade about the Channel» were performed as exam composition. The performance was prepared by professors and students of Chamber singing and Opera Department of the Conservatoire with support of National center of performing arts (National Great Theater of China) in Beijing and Moscow Public organization of experts in Confucianism.

The world premiere of the opera immersing the listener into the atmosphere of ancient China was held in Beijing on 21 of June, 2012 on the stage of the National Center of Performing Arts. The Great Channel, where the play is set, is man-made structure created more than 2500 years ago. Its significance is comparable to that of the Great Wall of China. The Channel stretches for 1747 meters from the North to the South, connecting two ancient Chinese capitals, Beijing and Hangzhou, and unites the water systems of five rivers.

The opera is set in China, at the time of Wang Li Min dynasty (1368-1421), and the characters reflect life ideals of the era. Musical language of the opera is permeated with traditional Chinese rhythms and melointonation. Traditional Chinese props were used in the scenery. Folk costumes, fans and one the symbols of Chinese culture — the dragon — were specially ordered in China. An impressive, spectacular performance was created by the joint forces of professors, orchestra players and students.

The Saratov Conservatoire expresses its deep gratitude to the National Center for Performing Arts of the People's Republic of China in Beijing and the Moscow Public Organization of Experts in Confucianism for the right to use the opera score for educational purposes.