The Stone God opera brings Chongqing to London in retelling of Hong Ying’s book.
Telling the story of life in the old city of Chongqing, ‘The Stone God’ opera based on the book by Hong Ying will be performed at Bloomsbury Theatre in London from 1st – 3rd November.
Titled new opera’s full title is ‘The Stone God & The Girl From the French Fort’. It is set in Chongqing on the shores of the mighty Yangtze river in China. There, a young boy of unwavering virtue engages with a colourful collection of characters: a wrathful warrior spirit imprisoned within a statue, a local sorceress with ancient powers, and a charming girl of his own age caught up in a primevil quarrel.
It is billed as an opera for all ages, with organisers stating that “Children, young adults and seasoned opera-goers will be enchanted by this fast-moving tale.”
The performances will feature Arcadian Opera’s co-founder, and musical director Justin Lavender as conductor, and co-founder Ali Marshall will be the stage director. The Girl From the French Fort will be narrated by Tim Bentinck, known for his long-time role as David Archer on the BBC’s ‘The Archers’. Composer Nicholas Michael Smith is an ‘Old China Hand’ well versed in Chinese culture and history.
The opera is based on two of the works by acclaimed author and film director Hong Ying, The Girl From The French Fort and New Moon Rising. Both stories take place in 1970s Chongqing, a river port on the Yangtze once part of the Kingdom of Ba. In them the magic of old China meets 20th-century realism, exploring inevitable conflicts between old and new, supernatural and scientific.
The opera will be performed at Bloomsbury Theatre in London, from the 1st – 3rd of November.
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