Chinese contemporary classical opera (Chinese: 当今古典歌剧; pinyin: dāngjīn gǔdiǎn gējù; lit. 'contemporary classical singing drama') is a musical art form drawing on western opera traditions - distinct from modern developments of traditional Chinese opera.[1][2]
One of the first western-style operas was The White Haired Girl (1940).[3][4][5] Chinese-language western-style opera is to be distinguished the Revolutionary operas of the Cultural Revolution such as Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy which were mainly an adaption of Peking opera with socialist text and subjects, with some influence from Soviet musical theatre.[6][7][8] The 1950s-70s saw several patriotic socialist operas, such as Red Guards on Honghu Lake (1956). Modern operas with a continuation of "realist" socialist elements include A Village Teacher (2009).
China has several separate geju companies under the Ministry of Culture, parallel with the traditional Chinese opera companies. The most prestigious are the Beijing-based central geju-yuan China National Opera House troupe (CNOH), and the Shanghai-based Shanghai Opera House company. In each case the term "Opera House," geju-yuan, refers to the institute or company, not to a fixed building or theatre. The street addresses of both companies are merely administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Other notable geju companies around China include the Liaoning geju yuan, based in Shenyang and others. The status of geju has been boosted by availability of new world-class venues such as the China's National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing ("The Big Egg" on Tiananmen Square East) and the new Shanghai Grand Theatre. Since its opening in 2009 CHNCPA has staged operas such as Xi Shi and A Village Teacher in 2009, The Chinese Orphan in 2011, and the folk-opera The Ballad of Canal in 2012.[9] The Shanghai Grand Theatre has similarly staged Chinese-language geju of the Shanghai Opera House company along with Italian, French and German-language operas.
^Edward Davis, Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture, 2005, p. 307: "... and to Western-style opera, including those by Chinese composers. In contrasts to Xiqu (sung drama) which groups indigenous musical dramatic traditions like Peking opera, Geju is seen as more squarely focused on singing, while the other ..."
^James R. Brandon The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre, 1997, p. 52 "Geju (song drama) - In broad usage geju can include Western operas. Usually it refers to modern opera, created under CCP influence, that combines Chinese and Western techniques. The orchestra contains mainly Western instruments, with ..."
^World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/ Pacific, p. 140 Series Rubin - 1998 "Western-style opera (also known as High Opera) exists alongside the many Beijing Opera groups. The Central ... Operas of note by Chinese composers include A Girl With White Hair written in the 1940s, Red Squad in Hong Hu and Jiang Jie."
^Zicheng Hong, A History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, 2007, p. 227: "Written in the early 1940s, for a long time The White-Haired Girl was considered a model of new western-style opera in China."
^Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women - Volume 2 - Page 145 Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles - 2003 "... of the PRC, Zheng Lücheng was active in his work as a composer; he wrote the music for the Western-style opera Cloud Gazing."
^Tim Doling -Visiting Arts regional profile: Asia Pacific arts directory - Page 25 1996 "'Song drama' or geju is a western-style opera originally developed under communist sponsorship by the CCP's ...
^Asian theatre journal Page 91 Asian Theatre Program (University and College Theatre Association) - 1984 "I found that on any given day, the newspapers would show at least twenty performances of Beijing opera, regional ... drama productions, 76 were Western-style opera productions (predominantly operas written by Chinese composers"
^Free China review - Volume 45 Page 25 1995 "October: The National Central Ballet of Beijing becomes the first internationally recognized mainland group to appear in Taiwan; the ... 1994 January: Mainland composer Zhao Jiping ... June: Musicians from Taiwan and the mainland team up for a major Western-style opera production in Taiwan, The Great Wall.
^NCPA Original Opera - The Ballad of Canal Will Debut Archived 2012-06-29 at the Wayback Machine 21 Jun 2012 "Since the opening four years ago, NCPA has been insisting on producing one or two original operas each year, Xi Shi and A Village Teacher in 2009, The Chinese Orphan in 2011, and the oncoming The Ballad of Canal in June this year, ..."
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