As part of the Australian Highlights Concert to launch Imagine Australia, two excerpts from the opera Passion – an Australian-Chinese collaboration blending Western and Peking traditions were performed. The first, ‘Love at First Sight’ and the second ‘Gossip’ which both form part of a longer piece to be premiered in Beijing in early 2011.

Passion is the result of more than 18 months of Chinese and Australian creative collaboration and is a fresh interpretation of the story of China’s anti-heroine, Pan Jinlian, from the Ming Dynasty classic Outlaws of the Marsh. It is a tale of love, lust, seduction, betrayal, murder and revenge.

The bilingual libretto was written by Australian author and China scholar Linda Jaivin who worked under the guidance of renowned Peking Opera librettist and former President of the China National Peking Opera Company, Mr Wu Jiang. Passion stars Chinese Australian soprano Yu Shu-Cheen in her role as Pan Jinlian. The score has been composed by Peking Opera composer Zhu Shaoyu and is directed by John Wregg.

In the late 1970s Linda Jaivin lived and studied in Taiwan before moving to Hong Kong where she worked as a journalist covering Hong Kong, China and Taiwan until finally moving to Beijing in the mid-’80s. Linda is an author and renowned China scholar. Here, she explains how the idea for Passion came about.

Linda Jaivin
Libbrettist, Passion

The wonderful soprano Yu Shu-Cheen, who was born in China, came up with the idea of a new, operatic version of Pan Jinlian’s story. She told director John Wregg, who asked me if I was interested in writing the libretto.

As I’ve long been fascinated by Pan’s story, which first appears in Outlaws of the Marsh and more notoriously, in Jinpingmei, I was more than interested!

Soon after my initial conversation with John and Shu-Cheen, I applied for and got a Breaking New Ground grant from the Australia Council to write the libretto. I was still researching it when I met Mr Wu Jiang, then president of the China National Peking Opera Company. Mr Wu proposed that I write it in a mix of English and Chinese and for a fusion of Peking and Western opera. This really got things moving. Since then, there have been some changes, including a recent switch to a different co-production partner, but it was that conversation with Mr Wu, and his subsequent guidance on the libretto and introduction to our wonderful composer Zhu Shaoyu that really got things moving.

There are many challenges when working across and between cultures, including linguistic (I’m the only member of the Australian team who speaks fluent Chinese). Occasionally, artistic and other differences have arisen, requiring discussion and compromise. Opera is also a very expensive art form and we must rely to an extent on sponsorship. But we are confident that Passion will be a great success – there are no challenges that can’t be overcome.

From a personal standpoint, seeing my words translated to the stage to such wonderful effect by our Australian/Chinese team, but also, as a long-time fan of Peking Opera, collaboration with Peking Opera artists of such high calibre as Xu Mengke and Wei Jijun, not to mention martial arts choreographer Gao Chen, has been enormously rewarding and thrilling – as has been the response of the audience, both foreign and Chinese. 

For me personally, working with the brilliant composer Zhu Shaoyu has been a particular privilege and a highlight. Another highlight has been having Wu Jiang give me close guidance on the libretto. Yu Shu-Cheen is divine: I feel very honoured by her commitment, on stage and behind the scenes, to this project. But the whole team has been terrific, Australian as well as Chinese. And it was great to see the fruits of our hard work over the past few years receive such a great reception at the Gala – the first time any of Passion has been performed for any audience. That was the highlight of all highlights so far. ■

Picture: Chinese Australian soprano Yu Shu-Cheen in her role as Pan Jinlian in Passion with Xu Mengke (centre) and Wei Jijun (left). (Olli Geibel)

* Imagine Australia – Year of Australian Culture in China runs until June 2011. To read more about the opening night in June, click here.
For a full listing of events and programmes throughout China and Australia visit:
www.imagineaustralia.net

** Linda has a website and blogs regularly. www.lindajaivin.com.au