On November 4 and 5 at 17:00 the Chamber Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will be hosting performances by artists of the China National Peking Opera Company. During their first tour to Vladivostok, the legendary Company will appear at the Primorsky Stage twice with the masterpiece of national art - the famous Legend of the White Snake.
Peking opera (Jīngjù) is a unique genre of traditional Chinese art, which has been included into the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Having emerged several centuries ago, by the end of the 19th century, Peking opera had become the most popular theatrical form in China. Over the years, this genre has developed into a complex amalgam of various musical and theatrical techniques. Peking opera combines a special manner of singing to national music with declamation and mime. Accompaniment is provided by a small ensemble of Chinese stringed and percussion (cymbals, gongs, drums) folk instruments.
The genre was brought to international acclaim by Mai Lanfang — grand master of Peking opera, who introduced it to the outside world by taking the troupe on its first tour to Japan and the USA in the 1920-30th. After its resounding success, Peking opera began to be performed around the world and became one of the symbols of cultural collaboration between West and East.
In January 1955, Mai Lanfang founded the China National Peking Opera Company which later became one of the principal centres for preservation and development of this national genre. The Theatre’s troupe has received international recognition and has toured in more than 50 countries on five continents. In 2914, the Company’s performances dedicated to the 120th anniversary since Mai Lanfang’s birth were a grandiose success at the Historic Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.
At the Primorsky Stage in Vladivostok the Company will present one of the most famed performances in the genre of Peking opera — The Legend of the White Snake based on ancient Chinese folk tales. It is a story about love that transcends the boundaries between the world of people and the world of gods, filled with melodic singing and refined dances. The authenticity of the performance is intensified by elaborate bright makeup, dances, extraordinary acrobatic movements and colourfully embroidered consumes.
After the performances in Vladivostok, the China National Theatre of Peking Opera will set off to St Petersburg where it’ll appear twice at the Historic Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre with the Women Generals of the Yang Family.
