On 5 March 2019, at 19:00, Ikuma Dan’s Yūzuru (“Crane’s Return of a Favor”) will be performed for the first time in Vladivostok at the Great Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre. The semi-staged performance of the opera will be presented by artists from Japan: opera soloists, the Suginami Children’s Choir and the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ken Takaseki.
The plot of Yūzuru is based on an ancient folklore story of the girl crane Tsū. The simple-minded peasant Yohyō saves the life and nurses a wounded crane. Fascinated by his kindness, the crane assumes human form to become his wife. The couple lives happily and in prosperity, as the beautiful Tsū has a magical talent: she can weave a gorgeous cloth from her own feathers. But no one should see her at work. The young people manage to meet this condition, until Yohyō lets himself to be tempted by the greedy Sōdo and Unzu.
Yūzuru opera was written in 1952 by Ikuma Dan, top Japanese composer of the second half of the twentieth century (1924-2001). In his work, he used to turn to Japanese national legends more than once, having created several operas. Yūzuru became not only the composer’s “calling card”, but also the most famous and popular national Japanese opera which received international recognition.
At the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the main parts in Yūzuru will be performed by Miwako Handa (Tsū), Keiro Ohara (Yohyō), Tomohiro Tani (Unzu), Shigeki Mine (Sōdo). The Stage Director and Production Designer of the semi-staged performance is Shigetaka Matsumoto. After the premiere on the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Yūzuru opera will be performed at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (on 8 and 9 March 2019). The tour is dedicated to the Year of Japan in Russia.
