Programme Note
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THE FIRST EMPEROROpera in two actsMusic by Tan Dun
Libretto by Ha Jin and Tan Dun
Cast List:
EMPEROR CHIN:Tenor
PRINCESS YUE-YANG, Emperor's daughter: Soprano
GAO JIAN LI, musician: Lyric Tenor
GENERAL WANG: Bass
SHAMAN: Mezzo-soprano
CHIEF MINISTER: Baritone
YIN-YANG MASTER, official geomancer: Peking Opera Singer
MOTHER OF YUE-YANG: Mezzo-soprano
CHORUS: soldiers, slaves, guards, etc.
DANCERS
ANCIENT RITUAL INSTRUMENTS: ceramics, stones, zheng, giant bell, and drums (on stage)
ORCHESTRA (in orchestra pit)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDMore than 2,300 years ago, China was divided into seven warring states. Among them the state of Chin was the strongest and eventually conquered its six rivals. After Chin Shi Huang unified the country, he established the first central government, calling himself the First Emperor. To strengthen central rule, he standardized the written word, currency, measurements, and roads. He also initiated many building projects, among which were the Great Wall and his tomb guarded by the terra-cotta soldiers. But behind those imperial achievements, there was a tragic story of love, hate, and betrayal
Based on Historical Records, by Sima Qian (c.145 BC — c.85 BC)
and on the screenplay, The Legend of the Bloody Zheng, by Lu WeiSynopsis:
Act One: ShadowStanding in front of the closed curtain, the Yin-Yang master invites the audience to witness a two-thousand-year old story of love, betrayal and madness.
Act I, Scene 1
The Emperor and his entourage are watching the Shaman lead a ritual performance. His daughter, Yue-yang, is in a sedan, her legs paralyzed from a riding accident. She is betrothed to General Wang. The Emperor interrupts the ritual as he finds the music empty. The Emperor wants an Anthem to unify the land and orders Wang to change the war plans so that he can find the musician Gao Jian Li. The Emperor tells about Jian Li, his childhood friend and master musician.
Act I, Scene 2
In the Chin PalaceThe Emperor and his Chief Minister are discussing ways to unify the empire. Wang enters and delivers the captured Jian Li. The Emperor welcomes Jian Li as his brother but Jian Li despises him for his brutality. The Emperor orders him to write the Anthem but Jian Li refuses, preferring to die.
Act I, Scene 3
Yue-yang is attending Jian Li who is fasting to death. When left alone she seduces him. The startled Jian Li responds and they make love. She then realizes that she has regained the use of her paralyzed limbs. The Emperor enters with his retinue. He is at first ecstatic but then they all realize how the miracle happened.
Act Two: AnthemAct II, Scene 1
At a construction site of the Great Wall, slaves are laboring under threat of whips. In the foreground, Jian Li, now healthy and happily in love, is giving a music lesson to Yue-yang. Jian Li stops to listen to the Shaman's singing and then to the slaves' chorus and is clearly touched by their songs. The Emperor arrives to force Yue-yang to marry the General and she storms away. The Emperor convinces Jian Li to wait for Wang to die in battle. In the mean time Jian Li must compose the Anthem.
Act II, Scene 2
The throne is at the top of a pyramid of steps. Jian Li, the newly-appointed Chief Minister, announces the beginning of the ceremony. The Anthem is to be played only when the Emperor reaches the throne. The Emperor begins to climb the steps and stops, the ghost of Yue-yang tells of her suicide. After climbing further he is stopped again, Wang's ghost tells him that Jian Li poisoned him, and still seeks vengeance. As the Emperor climbs higher, Jian Li lunges at him, grief-stricken and crazed. The Emperor asks Jian Li to call him Elder Brother. Jian Li does so then bites off his tongue. Realizing his death will be slow and painful, the Emperor stabs Jian Li. When the Emperor reaches the throne he asks that the Anthem begin. It is the slaves' song and the Emperor realizes this is the Jian Li’s revenge..