On July 1st, the NCPA Chinese epic opera commission The Long March was restaged to celebrate the 104th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPC. Under the baton of LÜ Jia, the China NCPA Orchestra played the magnificent overture, taking the audience back to those eventful years.
From the lofty mountains in Guizhou to the snowy plateau of Tibet, the regional features are cleverly integrated into the melody by the composer YIN Qing. The director TIAN Qinxin has endowed the characters with delicate feelings to eulogise the bright side of human nature.
In a splendid musical context, the geographical landscape and cultural customs of different regions along the Long March are presented on the stage through a freehand technique unique to the Chinese art. The cruel war and perilous natural environment is depicted by multimedia technology, further revealing how fearless the Red Army soldiers are in the face of any danger.
YAN Weiwen and WANG Zhe respectively portrayed Commissar PENG and Doctor HONG, fully revealing the love and affection between the husband and wife, as well as the lofty sentiments of the revolutionaries. WAN Xia played by GONG Shuang sang an aria Oh Snow while crossing the snow mountains, extolling the Red Army soldiers for their strong will to fight against hunger and cold. When Commissar PENG, whose shoulder was struck by a bullet, asked a solider to pluck out the bullet with a knife, Commissar ZENG, performed by WANG Haitao, sang That’s the Worst Pain, showing how firm and indomitable the Red Army soldiers are. Boy Ping, portrayed by WANG Hongwei, got poisoned when tasting wild vegetables in the grassland, falling into a swamp, whose last song before dying touched the audience. Doctor HONG by WANG Zhe, brought a bold singing before giving up her life heroically, proclaiming her to be a revolutionary with a noble spirit who defies death. GUAN Zhijing acted the role of Army Commander, LI Yang played the role of LI Wenhua, and MA Xiaoming portrayed LIU Pingquan.
Artists from the Song and Dance Troupe of the Datong Song and Dance Theatre gave a breathtaking portrayal of the Red Army soldiers who attack and capture the Luding Bridge. China NCPA Chorus sang and danced on a grand scale, burnishing the group image of the soldiers and civilians on the Long March.
The Long March is an opera commissioned by the NCPA to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. From the preparatory work began in February 2012, to the 13th round in this July, the opera has gone through a 14-year “long march” and has been staged for nearly 70 sessions.
Tomorrow night, another group of vocalists, including WANG Kai, WANG Hexiang, LIANG Yufeng, LI Xintong, CHENG Wenhui, GUAN Zhijing, HANN Junyu and JIN Zhengjian, will take the stage. The performance will last until July 6th.
