In the west, there have been childrens picture book adaptations of the legend, written by western. Madame white snake, by zhou long oxford university press. For vocal soloists, satb choir, childrens chorus and orchestra with chinese flute and erhu chinese fl, fl picc, ob, 2 cl ii bcl, 2 bn ii cbn, 2 hn, 2 tpt, btbn, timp, 2 perc, hp, erhu, str. Zhou long wins music pulitzer for fairy tale opera.
Production of madame white snake marks first opera by umkc composer by laura spencer feb 25, 2010 the thousandyearold chinese folk tale, madame white snake, is the story of a white snake. Zhou long, madame white snake s renowned chineseamerican composer, was recently cited by the new york times as one of the leading chinese composers, charged with injecting a new vitality into. Zhous score is often quite inventive in its fusing of eastern and western. Opera news zhou longs madame white snake awarded 2011. East meets west in an english retelling of the legend of. Madame white snake composed by zhou long is the story of a demon who longs to become human to experience love.
Zhou s score for madame white snake saw him become the first chinese laureate in the prizes long history. Madame white snake by zhou long study score sheet music for. The english libretto by cerise lim jacobs sensitively adapts the story for modern audiences, and zhou longs music uses both western and. Zhou long wins music pulitzer for fairy tale opera wbur news. A story of a mythical snake that transforms into a woman, the work was produced last year at the. In 2010, an opera based on the legend, madame white snake, with music by zhou long and a libretto by cerise lim jacobs. Zhou had won the 2011 pulitzer prize for his first opera, madame white snake, and later he received the american academy of arts and letters award and the 201220 elise stoeger prize from lincoln center chamber music society. Zhou long was the first chinese pulitzer prize winner for music. Soprano ying huang in the title role of zhou longs pulitzer prizewinning opera madame white snake. Opera boston presents madame white snake 226, 228, 32. The story has been sensitively adapted for modern audiences and zhou longs music draws on memories and music from china to create a pioneering crosscultural opera.
Zhou studied piano as a child and later studied composition with wu zuqiang at the central conservatory of music in beijing from 197783. And white snake was a major music story in the west last february when opera boston gave the world premiere of madame white snake, by chinese composer zhou long and. Zhou long s madame white snake awarded 2011 pulitzer prize for music madame white snake, an opera by chineseborn american composer zhou long and librettist cerise lim jacobs, which received its world premiere at opera boston on february 26, 2010, has been awarded the 2011 pu. Composer zhou long wins pulitzer prize for madame white. Among zhous most famous compositions was the music he created for madame white snake zhou long, chinese american composer known for his works that brought together the music of the east and the west, thus helping to establish a common ground between different musical traditions and cultures. One of these, madame white snake, composed by zhou long to an englishlanguage libretto by cerise lim jacobs, has just been given its hong kong premiere. The story is now counted as one of chinas four great folktales, the others being lady meng. Lavish japanesechinese coproduction based on an ancient chinese legend about a man who falls in love with a snake goddess in human form. Stephen feigenbaums home is sung from the perspective of a young child who imagines herself to be the sun in even the darkest seasons of her mothers life. Awarded the 2011 pulitzer prize for music, it was premiered on feb.
Without question, long s greatest success here is his ability to manipulate tensionboth harmonically and rhythmicallyto stimulate undeniable emotional pulls in the listener. Madame white snake was described by the pulitzer prize judges as a deeply expressive opera that draws on a chinese folk tale to blend the musical traditions of the east and the west. Review madame white snake hong kong arts festival hkeld. It has been many years since a major new opera was mounted here. The thousandyearold chinese folk tale, madame white snake, is the story of a white snake demon who longs for love. Peter tantsits as xu xian and ying huang as madame white snake photo. Zhou longs madame white snake wins pulitzer prize rhinegold. Steve paul, the kansas city stars arts editor, wrote this about zhou a few days before madame white snake had its premiere. Madame white snake, a classical transformation myth, is the story of a powerful white snake demon who transforms into a beautiful woman so as to experience. It has since been presented in a number of major chinese operas, films, and television series. Madame white snake by zhou long study score sheet music. The format of this sheet music is study score and its published by oxford university press. One of these, madame white snake, composed by zhou long to an.
This opera in four acts is based on an ancient chinese myth about a snakeshaped spirit that attains human form to experience love. And gilgamesh composed by paola prestini finds the halfdemon son of madame white snake realizing his true power and being pushed into a position where he must choose between his family and happiness. Zhou long s madame white snakehonoured for its crosscultural take on ancient legend. Madame white snake, which will be staged at the 47 edition of the hong kong arts festival, is one of these retellings. The cycle can be started at any point but must go in the same direction. The conductor and composer julian wachner, who leads the musical affairs of trinity wall street and its famous choir, and cerise jacobs, who wrote the libretto for zhou long s pulitzer prize. The story of madame white snake a traditional transformation myth, not unlike the western little mermaid is something that zhou says every chinese would know. The english libretto by cerise lim jacobs sensitively adapts the story for modern audiences, and zhou longs music uses both western and chinese sounds to create a pioneering crosscultural opera. The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story in printed form appears to be the white maiden locked for eternity in the leifeng pagoda in feng menglongs stories to caution the world, which was written during the ming dynasty.
The operas four acts run through the seasons, bookended by an. She meets her true love, xu xian, at the broken bridge on the west lake in hangzhou and marries him. Conservatorys zhou long wins pulitzer prize for opera. Madame white snake tells a story drawn from ancient chinese mythology. One of the first composers to graduate from the beijing conservatory upon its reopening after the cultural revolution and the winner of the 2011 pulitzer prize for his opera madame white snake, zhou long creates thoughtful, spirituallyinfused music that has resonated with audiences across the globe. Umkc professor zhou long wins 2011 pulitzer prize for. In this special companion talk to the performance, madam white snake s composer zhou long, creator and librettist cerise.
Ying huang ken noda long madame white snake awakening. Highlights from the 2016 production of madame white snake. Opera boston now has to its credit bostons first operatic world premiere in two decades, zhou longs attractively scored madame white snake, a coproduction with the beijing music festival that will be seen with the same staging and cast in china in the fall. Madame white snake at the 2019 hong kong arts festival.
Permadeath, an opera about playing a video game, reveals. Conservatorys zhou long wins pulitzer prize for opera published on april 18, 2011 zhou long, umkc conservatory of music and dance research professor of music composition, just received a pulitzer prize for madame white snake, which premiered on feb. Zhou long s first opera, madame white snakeis not only an eastmeetswest triumph stylistically. Madame white snake goes from boston to beijing the. Production of madame white snake marks first opera by. When his chords are dissonant, they are voiced in a way that allows them to breathe while still feeling the palpable. Ying huang soprano, metropolitan opera and ken noda piano, metropolitan opera perform awakening aria from zhou long s madame white snake. Zhou spent his early life in beijing and received instruction on the piano at a young age. A beijingborn composer who worked in the fields during the cultural revolution has become the first chinese winner of a pulitzer for music, the prize board announced yesterday. The selections for childrens chorus from zhou long s pulitzer prizewinning opera madame white snake feature delicate and at times playful musings on the seasons in china. Madame white snake, composed by zhou long to an englishlanguage libretto by cerise lim jacobs and one of the few western operas directly informed by china and with direct chinese creative input, has just been given its hong kong premiere at the 2019 hong kong arts festival. Zhou long, the composer of the modern adaptation, chose to blend a western orchestra with traditional chinese musical instruments such as the twostringed erhu, bamboo flute and xun ocarina. The legend of the white snake, also known as madame white snake, is a chinese legend.
White snake folk material many chinese narratives have been created over the centuries. Madame white snake is an opera with music by zhou long and libretto by cerise lim jacobs, published by oxford university press. Zhou long wins 2011 pulitzer prize for opera, madame. In zhou long the music he created for madame white snake 2010, a vivid opera based on a chinese folk tale, for which zhou earned the 2011 pulitzer prize for music. Madame white snake, by zhou long oxford university press the. But opera boston has done just that with its recent world premiere of madame white snake at the cutler majestic theatre. Zhou long, a composer who blends traditional chinese and contemporary western styles, has won the 2011 pulitzer prize for composition for his opera, madame white snake. Zhou longs madame white snake to be staged again dr. American composer, born in china, of mostly orchestral, chamber and vocal works that have been performed throughout the world. She meets her true love, xu xian, at the broken bridge. By zhou long madame white snake, a classical transformation myth, is the story of a powerful white snake demon who transforms into a beautiful woman so as to experience love. Chineseamerica composer zhou long has won the pulitzer prize for music with his opera madame white snake. The texts for this work were selected from the book of songs, chinas earliest anthology of poetry. Madame white snake zhou long oxford university press.
The next year, it won the pulitzer prize for music. Madame white snake, a classical transformation myth, is the story of a powerful white snake demon who transforms into a beautiful woman so as to experience love. Zhou long s pulitzer prizewinning madame white snake, which premiered here in 2010, was performed second on saturday. Zhou long the rhyme of taigu singapore symphony orchestra, lan shui. Zhou long simultaneously embraces and transcends our notions of traditional chinese classical and contemporary western classical music.
Enchanted ouroboros trilogy explores eternal mysteries. Public enemy bomb squad producer studies music at umkc. Unfortunately, as first presented at the cutler majestic theatre, madame white snake falls far short of its potential. Review madame white snake hong kong arts festival 14319. Madame white snake worthwhile effort from opera boston. The opera madame white snake, by composer zhou long, has won the 2011 pulitzer prize for music. Zhou long, madame white snakes renowned chineseamerican composer, was recently cited by the new york times as one of the leading chinese composers, charged with injecting a new vitality into the.
Among zhous most famous compositions was the music he created for madame white snake 2010, a vivid opera based on a chinese folk tale, for which zhou earned the 2011 pulitzer prize for music. Description one of chinas four great folktales, the legend of the white snake has been adapted into countless operas, films and television dramas. Composer zhou longs madame white snake performed in hong. Zhou long, the umkc conservatorys bonfils distinguished research professor of composition, won the pulitzer prize in music in 2011 for his opera madame white snake. The umkc conservatory is pleased to announce that bonfils distinguished research professor of composition zhou long s powerful opera madame white snake will be staged march 89, 2019 at the hong kong arts festival zhou long won the 2011 pulitzer prize for music for madame white snake, with libretto from cerise lim jacobs. Its the latest in the annual series of productions by the company, which began with madame white snake in 2010 an opera that won a pulitzer prize for zhou long s score.
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