OUGD603 - Left Bank Opera Festival - Research

As the festival is concerned with opera’s long and often contentious relationship with Asia. With three works which each look at different facets of this relationship being shown during the festival. It is clear that they want the focus of the visuals to be this. Additionally in the brief they highlighted that maybe Raymond Yiu's 'The Original Chinese Conjour' might be the most visually stimulate option as it involves magic. Nevertheless, I took it upon myself to look into each individual production to seek inspiration.

 Raymond Yiu's 'The Original Chinese Conjour'
From looking into this production I discovered it's all about deception, magic, illusion and delusion. It tells the story of the William Ellsworth Robinson who stole the identity of Chung Ling Soo, a famous magician. Robinson deceived his audience into believing he was Chinese, and enthralling his audience with Chung Ling Soo trademark tricks, including the Chinese Ring trick and several breathtaking feats of disappearance. Robinson eventually died on stage as a bullet trick went terribly wrong, with his secret being unveiled upon his death also as he shouted in clear English "I've been shot - bring down the curtain"

I found some really interesting posters from the victorian era when Robinson was deceiving his audiences. I really like the application of type on each example, with some type condensed while some is stretched, yet they all have a hand rendered aesthetic. I believe this can be a characteristic to represent Chinese opera for Left Bank Opera Festival.

Gustav Holst’s ‘Savitri’
This production is based on the episode of Savitri and Satyavan from the Mahābhārata, which was also included in Specimens of Old Indian Poetry (Ralph Griffiths) and Idylls from the Sanskrit. The opera features three solo singers, a wordless female chorus, and a chamber orchestra of 12 musicians (consisting of 2 Flutes, a Cor Anglais, 2 String Quartets and a Double Bass). Holst had made at least six earlier attempts at composing opera before arriving at Sāvitri.


The synopsis is as follows. Sāvitri, wife of the woodman Satyavān, hears the voice of Death calling to her. He has come to claim her husband. Satyavān arrives to find his wife in distress, but assures Sāvitri that her fears are but Māyā (illusion): "All is unreal, all is Māyā." Even so, at the arrival of Death, all strength leaves him and he falls to the ground. Sāvitri, now alone and desolate, welcomes Death. The latter, moved to compassion by her greeting, offers her a boon of anything but the return of Satyavān. Sāvitri asks for life in all its fullness. After Death grants her request, she informs him that life is impossible without Satyavān. Death, defeated, leaves her. Satyavān awakens. Even "Death is Māyā".

Camille Saint-Saens’ ‘The Yellow Princess’
Composer Camille Saint-Saëns like many French artists at this time, was influenced by the Japonism movement in Paris. He appealed to this public taste by choosing a story about a Japanese princess, although it is set in the Netherlands. The music is characterised by a "light and brisk" quality that uses pentatonic harmony to evoke an "oriental" sound. The story follows Kornélis, a student who is fascinated by all things Japanese, and his cousin Léna, who is in love with Kornélis. Kornélis, however, is too obsessed with his portrait of Ming, a Japanese girl, to notice his cousin's affections for him. In a fantastical dream caused by a potion, Kornélis is transported to Japan. At first enthralled, he eventually becomes disillusioned as he comes to the realization that he is in love with Léna.