Nixon in China

snowspring

I went to see Nixon in China last night at Four Seasons Centre performed by the COC.  I really really enjoyed it.  Full of historical symbolisim.  The music was excellent by John Adams particularly if you like minimalism.  The last show will happen this Saturday night at 7 30pm.

Phoenixtear

尼克松在中国（Nixon in China）是美国作曲家约翰·亚当斯作曲，艾丽斯·古德曼作台词的一部歌剧，共三幕，1987年在休斯敦首演。

歌剧取材于著名的历史事件1972 年尼克松访华，主要角色包括尼克松、毛泽东、周恩来、江青、基辛格等。这部歌剧由于取材新颖，音乐动听，且有19世纪浪漫主义歌剧的宏大庄严特性，首演之后广受欢迎，是20世纪下半叶最重要的歌剧作品之一。

IceBeauty

看到人多么？要是今晚有空试试演出前门口能不能买到票。
还是在downtown上班好啊！

snowspring

回复 Phoenixtear 的帖子

Good research.  In fact it is the most performed 20th century opera.  Each character is well done. And I really like the minimalist music.  It is very lyrical.   The ballent scene on (the Red Detachment of army) was gripping.

snowspring

回复 IceBeauty 的帖子

HOpe you get to see it.  Perhpas being the last show there will be some rush seats and it is cheaper and you can get really good seats too.

IceBeauty

看成了。谢谢Snowspring！ 要不是看到你的贴，就不知道周六还有最后这场演出。多伦多不比NYC, 这样的机会不能不珍惜。2件事出乎我的意料，早上打电话过去票居然已经全部sold out了；晚上在剧院里遇到的华裔或亚裔面孔极少。

感觉是文化冲突、文化鸿沟无法逾越！
总的来说，整个事件及主要人物和我的印象加想像差不多。只是，毛泽东演得……让我怎么说呢，简直就是我想像中的赫鲁晓夫。也许在西方人眼里，社会主义国家的领袖都是这样吧！

那《红色娘子军》 （The red Detachment of Women）让我看了半天才确认不是《白毛女》：）

我以为剧中也会演一段江青看Nixon随行乐队临时把准备好的《田园》改成《英雄》演奏呢。

一直没看懂那个头带斗笠的人物象征什么啊？

snowspring

I am very glad that you were able to catch that last performance and that it was a full house. It is interesting to see your comments as well and I can understand.  This is very true - there is a cultural gap - probably as wide as the Pacific Ocean.  While the age of technology has opened up communication and led to events in Egypt and Tunisia, the understanding of cultural values will take a life time, if not more.   It also depends on whether people from different cultures will be able to adjust and live together.
The old person as I understand represents the old civilization of China.  While it is symbolicly by the wayside in the opera, its presence is constant.   Maybe because I did not live throught the mao's era in China, I feel the Opera depicts very well the period and the 1972 that I understood and remember, from the media - even as an ethnic  Chinese living in North America.   The opera represents the "Western" view so to speak.