An opera entitled “Yuzuru” will be performed at the Hanoi Opera House on
March 29-30 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan
diplomatic relations.
The event is co-organised by the
Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Japanese Embassy
in Vietnam and the International Exchange of Japan (Japan
Foundation).
The opera will be performed by two famous Japanese
artists, namely soprano Ieda Noriko (as Tsu, a crane in human form who
is the wife of Yohyo) and tenor Mochiki Hiroshi (as Yohyo, a poor farmer
who dreams of becoming rich).
It will also draw the
participation of a Vietnamese stage manager, People’s Artist Le Hung,
the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra being directed by Japanese
conductor Honna Tetsuji, the Hanoi Children’s Cultural Palace
choir, and dancers from the Hanoi-based Youth Theater.
The Yuzuru opera was composed in 1951 by Ikuma Dan, based on the play of the same name written in 1949 by Junji Kinoshita.
The opera tells the story of a poor peasant farmer Yohyo who is lured
by the prospects of wealth. His beautiful and gentle wife Tsu is the
incarnation of a crane bird that he had saved.
Wishing to make
life easier for Yohyo, she secretly weaves a gorgeous cloth from her
own feathers. In his desire to be rich, Yohyo urges the reluctant Tsu to
weave more of the valuable fabric and finally the wife dies of a broken
heart. Tsu is transformed back into a crane and flaps her way into the
snowy twilight night on her final journey.-VNA