The tale of Orpheus played an instrumental role in exposing to us how musical prowess alone could defy norms and break rules. He did so, using song, to revive his wife Eurydice from the dead. Orpheus’ role in Western Music history turned out to be a muse for Claudio Monteveredi, the composer of the famous song ‘Le Orpheo.’ Like Orpheus, Monteverdi was known to not use the rules handed down to him from past generations, making him a pioneer of his time in improvisation of music. This led to the production of his classic, L’Orfeo in 1607, which even today is grandiosely performed and is constantly improvised upon. Directed by Zou Shuang and composed by Fay Kueen Wang, the immersive Opera, L’Orfeo, is the most recent and spoken about rendition of Monteverdi’s classic, which debuted at the Beijing Music Festival three weeks ago. In this latest rendition, the producers use different musical genres and forms of performance in their attempt to make a Renaissance classic recognized, remembered, and widely appreciated in today’s day and age.
Pioneers of the immersive opera, Shuang and Wang introduced the idea of creating an inclusive operatic experience. This called for audience engagement beyond attentively watching and listening to what is happening on stage from their seats, to actually being a part of the action. By engaging in dance beside Orpheus as he sings or singing alongside him as a member of the chorus greatly changed the way people perceived modern Opera. This was made possible by the producer’s concept of stage and set design. The stage allowed easy access into the audience and had a rather simplistic yet innovative set design. With these efforts, the producers redefined the very notion of an evening at the Opera. We may wonder why they would change the way Opera is being performed and perceived after centuries of following traditional methods. The answer is simple. They wanted to re-create the excitement moviegoers feel when a movie is released in IMAX 4D would, as compared to a 3D version of it. Irrespective of how great the plot of the 3D movie may have been, the 4D movie, even if it had a worse plot, triumphs the other in box office collections because it is a far more immersive and enthralling experience. That’s what the producers wanted, and it is the feedback that they have received with their production. As Orpheus and Monteverdi defied norms, Shuang and Wang, made alterations to other critical and characteristic components of an Opera, from introducing cameras that closely followed performers on stage like in a movie set, to changing key structural elements of the music like its score! The producers restructured Monteverdi’s classic to have elements of rock, pop, and even techno throughout its score, creating some sort of musical mash-up. How exactly did they get away with doing this?
As Artuisi did with Monteverdi, one might argue against changing the musical rubric of Opera and following a given set of defined rules around which you should craft your composition. However, Shuang and Wang, as Monteverdi did, defined their own rules of orchestration. Hence, merging in popular genres of rock, pop, and dance into their composition. This seems to be an effect of the modernization of operatic music, and the producers attempt in keeping this form of music relevant. By intertwining popular genres of music today with music from the late Renaissance era, this rendition introduces new themes, instruments, and elements that were once unthought of. Imagine the everlasting effect that an opening string quartet which quickly evolves into techno and dance music has, as compared to just a string quartet followed by one aria after another. In addition, going beyond the conventional string and brass instruments found in an Opera to involving percussion from drums to keyboards with electronic sounds, or even unconventional strings like the guitar are the spotlight of the show. It was seen to be melodic genius because it worked! Fitting in perfectly with the libretto of the Opera, capturing emotions and tension as they were meant to be captured, the producers effectively caught the essence of L’Orfeo while greatly experimenting with orchestration.
In conjunction to meddling with the melody, the other stark evolvements in this rendition were the unelaborate costumes and sets. One might argue that the very essence of an Opera might be lost by taking this glam factor away from it, making it far less different than an Oratatio! However, as with evolution in arts and design, from sculptures or paintings to fashion, there is a huge surge to minimalism and simplicity in appearance. Hence the cut back from large, intricately detailed sets of courtrooms, marketplaces and what not, to the simpler: strobe lights, smoke machines and LED screens. Technology here allows for the seamless yet dynamic evolvement of sets throughout the performance. Additionally, it very effectively complements the music in powerfully portraying the senses that the score and libretto together attempt to evoke. The costumes as well, are less elaborate, with a far softer character on the whole. They, however, remain a visual treat, as with the aid of lighting and other special effects on stage, bring the characters and scenes to life through another dimension. This exposes the multi-faceted renditioning that the producers have done, improvising upon every little element in L’Orfeo’s makeover and redefining the experience of an opera on the whole.
In the producers attempt of creating something new in the hopes of bringing back the spirit of the Renaissance, it is interesting to note the significance of the lead role Li Mei has in aiding this process. He is currently the only Chinese countertenor working internationally and plays the all-important role in popularizing the music despite being a countertenor in China. By treating us with the wonders of his voice for the role of Orpheus, that is more often than not written for a tenor or high baritone, he shows the world how anything can be achieved as long as you’re willing to experiment and try new things. Setting an example for aspiring vocal artists, he shines light on being a countertenor, in hope that it popularizes in his country. Additionally, popularizing Opera on the whole in China is another goal of his and the producers, although, the weight of this grand challenge is greatly lifted by the producers. Debuting this rendition in Beijing, a dynamic city at the center of action helps in achieving that. By giving Beijing center stage in hosting an event that is so radically different of its kind, it is bound to get people and talking and create the excitement that it is seeking. Additionally, by showcasing an immersive operatic experience with peppy dance music and tech-enabled sets, such a performance is bound to make the rounds, be spoken of and most importantly go viral, in a nation that is ever so connected technologically.
Just as Banksy has wowed the art world with his inspiring renditions of art from the past and radical methods of creation, so have Shuang and Wang in the music world. Besides all the praise and appreciation, Banksy still attracts a great deal of skepticism and criticism regarding his work just like Shuang and Wang have. And they will continue to do so as they strive to innovate and create their art on their own terms. We can safely say that Shuang and Wang in their attempt of modernizing and re-creating operatic music to appeal to the people of our generation have become the Banksys of the Music World and rightfully so.