When Chinese Opera Artist Blows into Mozart’s Magic Flute
At the National Theatre in Taiwan, spectators are touched by the magic of Li Bao-Chun’s latest production adapted from Mozart's classic opera The Magic Flute.
Performance: The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera
Genre: Peking opera
Worth the journey: ★★★★☆
Queen Ye (originally Queen of the Night) in The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera
Courtesy of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre
TAIPEI, Taiwan — It was on Christmas eve in 2013 when I first watched The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, where this musical fairy tale has remained both a family favourite and holiday tradition. Infused with romance, comedy and mythology, this two-act opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, enchants spectators from around the world with its celebrated arias, duets and ensembles.
An unmistakably classic opera, The Magic Flute poses challenge to anyone who attempts to marry this Western classics with a foreign artistic tradition.
In 2021, Chinese opera artist, Li Bao-Chun (李寶春), who is also Director of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre (台北新劇團) staged his latest production, The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera (魔笛—魔幻新京劇). This bold move was made in the hope of rejuvenating Jinju, or Peking opera, a genre of Chinese opera with over two hundred years of history.
Peking opera, which arrived in Taiwan from China in early 20th century, remains one of the nation’s oldest surviving performing arts tradition. Over the past few years, Peking opera troupes such as GuoGuang Opera Company and Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre have sought to attract and nurture contemporary audience by incorporating technology, as well as storylines that resonate with younger generations.
The Magic Flute isn’t the first production inspired by classic opera from the West. Back in 2008, Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre premiered the first production of its kind adapted from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, and had witnessed great success. After more than a decade, the troupe returns with The Magic Flute.
According to Li Bao-Chun, The Magic Flute was selected for a couple of reasons: its story is rich in fairy tales and myths; its main characters have distinctive personality; and, most importantly, its music is highly recognisable. All of these elements make this Western classics an appropriate candidate for a crossover with Peking opera, an art form known for interweaving fiction and reality.
Dubbed as “a new expression in Peking opera”, the troupe’s greatest challenge lies in finding a good balance between tradition and innovation. Chinese operatic tradition, particularly Peking opera, is embraces “less is more”; this is best exemplified by the traditional setting of "one table, two chairs" at the centre of the stage. These three pieces of furniture—usually painted in bright red—encourage the audience to transform the rather empty stage into all sorts of ‘imaginary’ spaces, be it a bedroom, a scholar’s library, a reception hall, a court room, or others, depending on the story.
Instead of keeping the stage set to a minimum, Li’s The Magic Flute adopts a surprisingly extravagant approach to stage design. While fancy stage sets and props may be eye-catching, it walks away from the essence of an operatic tradition that’s often praised for its minimalist aesthetic, plundering the room for imagination.
Prince Xinyue’s two servants mistaken Qingfeng as the hero who defeated the serpent in The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera
Courtesy of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre
Like its original story, Li’s version of The Magic Flute is set in a mythical land between the sun and the moon. But a parallel has been drawn between the duality of sun and moon to that of yin and yang, which is believed to be two opposite but interconnected forces in Chinese cosmology.
While there’s not much change made to the narrative’s motifs, both the name and the nature of its main characters have been slightly modified so that it fits into the role types of Peking opera: Papageno the Bird Catcher, now called Qingfeng, is adapted to a chou, or comic role, who brings joy and laughter to spectators throughout the play; Queen Ye (originally Queen of the Night) is turned into a qingyi, the main female roles in Chinese opera — mostly wives or mothers — characterised by their dignified or serious characters.
Prince Longruo (originally Prince Tamino) is played by two actors. In Act I, the prince is played by sheng, a male role in Chinese opera designated for a dignified or respectable man such as scholar or noble, whose recitation and singing emphasise his civil (wen)—or cultured—qualities. This differs from the prince played by wusheng in Act II predominated by battle scenes, where he shows off martial arts and acrobatic feats. On the other hand, Li Bao-Chun plays King Sichen (originally Priest Sarastro).
In Act I of The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera, Prince Longruo is played by a sheng who encounters a monstrous serpent
Courtesy of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre
The main challenge of The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera lies in its music. How can Peking opera adopt Mozart’s music, all the while keeping its own melodic style?
The sound of “magic flute” is a recurring motif throughout the performance. When the curtain opens, the stage is barely lit. But we could hear Magic Flute Overture being played in the background; the light-hearted sound of the bamboo flute stays true to Mozart’s delightful melody, while seasoning it with a Chinese touch. Before it ends, the music’s original E minor is transposed to E to ensure that a smooth transition can be made into pi-huang, a Peking opera melodic style.
According to Chung Yiu-Kwong (鍾耀光), music director and conductor of the ensemble, “40% of Mozart’s music is kept for this opera, and his music is largely used as a transition between scenes, or as prelude to different acts.” Queen of the Night’s Aria, for instance, is played as a prelude to Act II by the flute virtuoso, Novia Wu, whose fast notes, rapid scales and arpeggio fascinate the audience.
The music ensemble, which mingles Western and Chinese music, is consisted of 11 members. Besides string quartet and percussion from Western tradition, there are Chinese sheng (wind instrument), Chinese yangqin (plucked instrument), as well as the Chinese operatic music ensemble: wen (civil) and wu (military). Though the size of a chamber music, the impact of this ensemble was no less powerful than that of an orchestra.
It’s enthralling to witness how—even when Western music is incorporated—its music could still match with Chinese operatic vocal styles. In particular, I was captivated by Queen Ye, who incorporates Xun-style geda voice (荀派疙瘩腔), carrying with it an elaborate and florid ornamentation akin to the coloratura soprano in "Der Hölle Rache", a renowned aria sung by Queen of the Night. This tweak allows the troupe to hold on to Chinese operatic traditions, while simulating the quality of bel canto.
In Act II of The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera, Prince Longruo and Princess Xinyue run into a jungle full of beasts.
Courtesy of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre
Li Bao-Chun acts as King Sicheng (originally King Sarastro) in The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera
Courtesy of Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre
When The Magic Flute was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791, it was considered an innovative genre of opera known as Singspiele (lit. “sing-play”) that combines both singing and spoken dialogue. In the same vein, Taipei Li-yuan Peking Opera Theatre calls its adaption of The Magic Flute as Muohuan Jinju (lit. “magical Peking opera”), which has undoubtedly brought an enchanting experience for audience at large, as it has for me.
As I reminisce about this magical journey during this holiday season, I also look forward to the day when The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera becomes a contemporary classic, as well a family favourite not only for audiences in Taiwan, but from around the world.
The Magic Flute — A New Expression in Peking Opera, premiered in 2021, was restaged at the National Theatre in TAIPEI (Taiwan) on November 6, 2022.