New opera, The Stone God, to premiere in London on 1st November 2024
This coming year, I’m thrilled to announce the premiere of my new opera, The Stone God, at London’s Bloomsbury Theater, a work based on the magical children’s stories of my friend and celebrated author Hong Ying. I will be working with the wonderful Arcadian Opera and its music director Justin Lavender, as well as the incredible ensemble of musicians that make up the New Music Players, with whom I have previously performed and recorded.
The Stone God is an opera based on the story New Moon Rising, the third story in Hong Ying’s Sangsang series. I had already used the first story in this series ‘The Girl from the French Fort’ to create a work for children à la Peter and the Wolf, which has been performed across China since its premiere in Beijing in 2016. This new story is a continuation of Sangsang’s fantastical adventures, and contains a statue that comes to life and a case of mistaken identity, both of which seemed to me to cry out for operatic treatment. At its core, this is a touching story of a young boy’s selflessness.
In writing this opera, I wanted to give some idea of what it feels like to live in China, and I have made much use, not of folk material (though there is a little of that), but of the rhythms and sensations of Chinese life: sounds and rhythms that I have encountered in my three decades of living in China. I also wanted to create an opera that will appeal to children and young adults as well as to hardened opera goers. Two of the main characters in the story are children (though these roles are to be performed by adults), and the cast includes a very active children’s chorus, so I hope that there is much in the characters as well as the story with which children can identify. I have deliberately written in a tonal, melodic style which I hope will make this wonderful story accessible to all audiences.
You can book your tickets here.
In the meantime, watch the video below for a brief preview chat with Hong Ying about the story and our collaboration.
