Tan Dun - The First Emperor (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
by Zhang Yimou, Brian Large
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Elizabeth Futral, Hao Jiang Tian, Michelle DeYoung, Paul Groves, Placido DomingoDirector: Brian Large, Zhang Yimou
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), DTS 5.1; English (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 176 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: EMI Classics
Movie Reviews of Tan Dun - The First Emperor (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
Movie Review: Gorgeous music, wonderful libretto... but what about their mix?
Summary: 5 Stars
To listen to this from a purely instrumental standpoint... this composition was nothing short of phenomenal. It is the apotheosis of a mixture of eastern and western instruments. The music may confuse many people as most people... and apparently many of them include the critics... do not know or understand theory and meaning in Chinese music. It is important to remember in Chinese music: the emphasis is not the tone but rather the meaning behind the tones and what they represent. Though in the western world we have a high emphasis on dissonances resolving which is our own tradition, but in this when hearing a dissonance we must listen to it as if it in itself were a tone and has its own meaning.
Tan Dun's innovative percussion writing was also spectacular. Dun is actually already quite well known for his percussion skills - you can search for his Youtube Symphony with the London Symphony orchestra and you'll see car rims and hubcaps incorperated into the score. It may look or seem ridiculous, but when you hear it you'll be amazed at how well it works.
The instrumentation in The First Emperor is very balanced between the classical European instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. Equally so there is also an amazing balance between European style singing and Chinese style - a narrator introduces the opera who he himself is a traditional Chinese Opera singer (the very talented Wu Hsing-Kuo). This introduction will give the audience quite a start and a lot to expect - this is as traditional Chinese as you can get. If it sounds odd - then I'm afraid you're SOL - as this is very accurate to tradition including his elegant costume, bright face paint, contorting dance moves, spoken text, and what many would consider strange and awkward sounds and shouts. If this cannot be taken seriously, then I think the listener should get to study Chinese music a bit before listening to this opera.
The story itself may seem a bit overly romantic or old-fashioned to many but there is actually a lot of truth to this. The actions taken by the emperor were all true - not only the burning of books, the ruthless conquering, but also the idea of wanting unity and having a beautiful anthem. Though of course historical accuracy can be called into question as the text was written long after these events and very open to bias as they were written by the Han. Also: though Emperor Qin did indeed want an Anthem - he most likely didn't desperately spend night and day to find the theme he wanted. Of course - most characters in operas don't exactly do many things that we'd consider mentally stable, but that's opera anyway!
These elements are what makes this opera so beautiful and also very intelligent. It is a blend of not only the east and the west, but also the past and the future. This is such an innovative yet traditional piece at the same time. It's as though the four subjects came together from around the compass to meet at a center and create this incredible work of art.
There's a criticism that many have and a piece of me also has which is only a personal bias of mine: the text is not fluidly put together in the music. Stresses are on unimportant syllables; sentences are not stated as they normally would be. Less-important words such as "the," "and," "of," "or," ,"with" etc are elegantly ornamented with melisma while the words which actually tell the story (the nouns and verbs etc) are too-often written syllabic or quietly. But this criticism can also be looked at the other way: This is also an old style of setting text to music. The masters of the past including Brahms and Bach also did this. Of course, German-speaking critics would sometimes make fun of them for this style as well, so this is where one must keep in mind that it is a different vocal writing than what's normally done. Personally though, I did not think it worked. Even so, the music was beautiful enough for me to not dislike it. I would suggest putting subtitles on though since with this vocal style it's extremely hard to understand them.
Though understanding them is another issue when it comes to certain singers. Domingo's acting as always was spot-on. He clearly demonstrates a three-dimensional Emperor Qin.. even in his eyes there are thousands of emotions, thoughts, and memories. His tone was crisp and brave. His diction, at least in this performance, was definitely not his best. Consonants are just as important as the sung tones. Diction was definitely lacking in this particular performance, but all else was spot-on.
Elizabeth Futral's performance as Princess Yueyang disappointed me in her tone. Her vibrato was far too wide especially in the first act.I did not enjoy her singing until the second scene of act two (the last part of the show). Acting and diction were all there, but tone not as much.
There is though a lot to be impressed with. Paul groves not only nails tenor high Cs, he sustains them with confidence. Michelle DeYoung is essentially called to sing every note within the mezzo soprano range and beyond; not only does she hit the C above the staff but also the alto's low F (successfully sustaining them too).
The choreography and art is also a visual spectacle - You'll still be impressed if you put it on mute! The second act features an incredible dancer by the name of Dou Dou Huang - his contortions and fluid dancing made me pause and rewind just to see it again.... something I avoid doing since I tend to be a purist when it even comes to watching DVDs... but I just HAD to see it again!
Above all... I think this is one of the most intelligent compositions ever put forth. Some will find certain aspects disappointing - most of all some of the singing mishaps of tone/diction or the style of vocal writing. Opera though is much more than singing - it is every aspect of theatre combined into one: it is art, stage design and direction, a script, music, singing, and most of all: teamwork. I don't think we could've gotten a better team to have created this show.
I highly recommend this DVD to all - but I also highly recommend doing a bit of research on traditional Chinese Music and opera before watching it, or you could find yourself very confused.
Summary of Tan Dun - The First Emperor (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
The Metropolitan Opera's acclaimed Live in High-Definition series, which projects live performances into theaters across the globe, has met with unprecedented critical and commercial success and has made opera convenient and affordable to millions of viewers worldwide. Now, EMI Classics is proud to collaborate with The Met to release 6 new DVDs made from these broadcast performances.Legendary tenor Pl?cido Domingo leads an all-star cast in this visually stunning opera by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). Commissioned by The Met in the mid-1990s, this spectacular new production was one of the most highly-anticipated cultural events of the 2006-07 Metropolitan Opera season, combining the expressive power of traditional ancient Chinese singing with the long musical lines of Italian Opera. Conducted by Tan Dun himself, with revered Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise the Red Lantern) directing and Oscar-winner Emi Wada designing the costumes. A remarkable performance!
The First Emperor is one of those spectacular MET stagings, bursting with colorful costumes and striking sets in noted film director Zhang Yimou's production. It's been billed as a "global opera" in its mixture of traditional Chinese and Western music written by Tan Dun, who has successfully bridged the two in his compositions, perhaps most effectively in his film music. The opera's based on supposed incidents in the life of Qin Shi Huang, whose military conquests unified China in 221 BC. He's credited with building a centralized state, constructing the Great Wall, codifying the laws, and standardizing weights and measures. His efficiency also extended to ruthlessly suppressing dissent and murdering scholars, which could indicate a subtext that makes him a stand-in for Mao Zedong. The libretto, by the composer and Ha Jin, largely conforms to Western epic opera traditions, revolving around the tribulations of an ambitious power-seeker, his daughter's love for the composer Jianli, and the Emperor's desire for her to marry a general for political reasons. The bloody ending involves the death of the three members of the love triangle and the Emperor's ascension to the throne where he hears the anthem composed for the occasion by Jianli, which turns out to be the song of the slaves building the Great Wall.
The opera opens with a promising scene based on traditional Chinese music and employing traditional instruments to great effect. A narrator, the Yin-Yang Master, sensationally done by the Peking Opera performer Wu Hsing-Kuo, outlines the story we are about to see in a striking mixture of singing, dancing, and acrobatics against a backdrop of Chinese drummers and a chorus. After that, the principals enter and the music becomes predominately western with the Chinese instruments relegated to marginal exotica. The singers are forced to struggle with a libretto that seems unsingable, words resisting the melodies to which they're set. Set piece arias are predominately slow, accentuating the static effect of the staging in most of the scenes. As the Emperor, Placido Domingo, more baritonal than usual, often sounds strained but retains his stage presence. As his daughter, soprano Elizbeth Futral sings very well indeed, especially given the ungrateful material she's given. Tenor Paul Graves sings her lover, the composer Jianli. He's perhaps the most effective cast member, singing with color and firm tone. His rival for the princess, General Wang, is well sung by Hao Jiang Tian, and the excellent mezzo, Michelle DeYoung is a suitably scary Shaman, costumed like a Halloween witch, super-long fingernails to the fore. Tan Dun conducts the MET orchestra, whose music is fairly tepid when the assisting Chinese instruments fall silent. The enthusiastic reception of the audience at the end of this 2007 performance suggests that the opera, or at least the production, is a crowd pleaser. Home theatre audiences will welcome the blaze of colors and innovative production details, in a contemporary opera featuring some fine singers. --Dan Davis
The First Emperor is an all-regions disc in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in English, subtitles include English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Extras include a brief introduction by Zhang Ziyi, a Beverly Sills interview of Placido Domingo, and a 20-minute rehearsal film.
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