A night to remember at the Peking Opera

A highlight of the English summer is a trip to Glyndebourne, an opera theater set in the beautiful grounds of a large country house 90 km from London.

Glyndebourne is known for its stylish audiences, lavish picnics and top-class opera performances.

The picnics are elaborate affairs. Tables and chairs are set up in advance in the gardens or in a meadow overlooked by a field of cows. Only the finest linen, tableware and glasses will do.

Bottles of Chablis are placed in a river that flows through the grounds before the show begins so they will be perfectly chilled when the lengthy picnic interval arrives. Smoked salmon, quail eggs, oysters and other treats are served.

However, the world-class performances staged at Glyndebourne are the best treat of all.

As an opera fan, I was eager to experience opera Chinese-style when I moved to Beijing. So I went along to a performance of the Peking Opera classic Female Generals of the Yang Family at Tsinghua University to check it out.

It was difficult for me, as a newcomer, to assess the standard of the China National Peking Opera Company production. However, a couple of Chinese members of the audience I chatted to during the interval assured me I was watching a high-quality show.

Of course, there are differences between European and Chinese opera. The instruments, the structure of the music and the vocal style were all new to me.

However, I was more struck by the similarities between the two forms.

The basic idea is the same - both combine music, drama, fabulous singing and visual splendor to create something that is greater and grander than the sum of its parts.

Glyndebourne is noted for its striking stage sets, in some cases designed by acclaimed artists such as David Hockney. In the Chinese production, the visual dazzle was provided by colorful costumes and dynamic choreography. Both approaches are great to see.

There are other similarities between the two forms - both have dramatic set-piece scenes, comic interludes and spoken sections between the songs. In addition, one or two members of the audience at the university theater fell asleep during the second act, a well-established tradition at Western opera houses.

I have to admit, though, that there were more acrobats in Female Generals of the Yang Family than are generally found in productions of Mozart or Puccini.

It seems remarkable that two cultures as distinct and different as Western Europe and China both came up with grand forms of art that have so much in common.

I'll definitely be going back to see more Chinese opera. It's just a pity you can't take a picnic ...

Contact the writer at colin@chinadaily.com.cn