2023/05/18
Falling into Dreams brings together the brilliant Chinese opera male Dan singer Chao Hsin and an ensemble of four musicians who move between musical traditions to tell a story of human longing in war across time. Exploring the potentials of a “text score”, the piece experiments with new ways of musical narratives while probing the sonic and rhythmic strengths of classical texts.
Based on A Young Wife’s Dream, a Chinese opera classic written in 1931—reverberating its contemporary war-torn experience while referencing Du Fu’s poem Parting of Newly Weds from the 8th century— it depicts the story of a newlywed couple separated by war because of conscription. An enduring motif throughout history. As the wife yearns for her husband’s return day after day, her fervent hope and sense of despair turn into a dream, in which their brief reunion ends with scenes from the battlefield.
Curated by music curator Lin Fang-yi, the production features director and writer Wang Jia-ming, composer Chen Le-duo, erhu player Wang Wei-gang, guzheng player Wu Yan-xuan, dizi player Lin Xiao-feng, percussionist Zhang You-xin, and renowned Jingju (Peking Opera) actress Zha Xin, collaborating together. The plot is set into dialogues with sonic structures created by the performers. Passages from The Book of Poetry (Shijing)—an anthology of folklore completed 3000 years ago—interweave throughout the performance, breathing space of resonances into the lady’s encounters in dream and reality.
【2023 Tour Information】
2023TAF: Falling into Dreams
2023/08/18（Fri.）19:30
2023/08/19 (Sat.) 14:30
2023/08/20 (Sun.) 14:30
(No. 98, Yenping S. Rd. Taipei, Taiwan, 10042, R.O.C.)