373:. The older drama tells of the evil General Tuan-Ku, who causes his servant Chao and his wife to commit suicide by forging a seemingly official letter from the Emperor instructing Chao to take his own life. Their young son is left behind as an orphan. Unwittingly, the General later adopts and raises the child as his own son. Twenty years later, there is a conspiracy to overthrow the emperor. The orphan gradually learns his true birth identity and the fate of his parents, and joins the plot for revenge. An earthquake, however, interrupts the conspiracy and the actors are arrested.
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gave the US premiere of the opera in July 1989. The second
British production was at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 26 February 1999 as a semi-staged concert. A third British production was by the
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The outer acts are fully scored for the chamber orchestra in 'closed-forms' such as aria, sextet, seven-part motet but the Yuan play is mostly scored for flute, lower strings and percussion.
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Chao Lin's work on the canal is praised. At one point, when he is surveying the canal, Chao meets an old woman who tells him of what happened to his father. In parallel to the
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story, Chao Lin plans vengeance on his father's enemies. However, Chao Lin is captured and executed for his conspiracy. The actors who were performing
105:, who also wrote the libretto. Aside from an earlier opera for children, this was Weir's first full-scale opera, written on commission from the
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subsequently took the opera on tour to
Dartford, Canterbury, Plymouth, Southsea and Eastbourne during their 1987–88 season.
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366:. His son Chao Lin becomes the supervisor of the building of a canal. His workers include a group of actors.
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then return to complete the play, where the son does succeed in avenging his father against
General Tuan-Ku.
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magazine critic noted that "few new operas have recently made so diverting a first impression as
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The Kent Opera production was recorded for television by the BBC in 1988, directed by
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Chao Sun is an explorer and mapmaker who is exiled from the city of
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One evening, the actors/workers perform the old
Chinese opera
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David Conway, blog posting from The Social
Affairs Unit on
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Loveland, Kenneth, "Reports: Cheltenham" (September 1987).
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in March 2006. The first staged production in
Scotland, at
545:(the composer writes about several of her own works).]
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The work received its premiere on 8 July 1987 at the
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113:. Weir incorporated an early Chinese play of the
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627:, Performance announcement in York Theatre
405:Judith Weir, "A Note on a Chinese Opera".
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339:performed it during September 2012.
692:Chester Novello publisher page on
674:, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
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595:Andrew Clements (14 April 2008).
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654:database, accessed 22 July 2015.
508:"Old China's Simple Intricacies"
771:The Consolations of Scholarship
486:"A 'Chinese' Work, in England"
476:. September 1987, pp. 1082–84.
424:David Wright, "Weir to Now?".
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242:Old P'eng / Mountain Dweller
779:A Night at the Chinese Opera
702:A Night at the Chinese Opera
694:A Night at the Chinese Opera
639:A Night at the Chinese Opera
599:A Night at the Chinese Opera
577:"What a civil civil servant"
557:A Night at the Chinese Opera
138:A Night at the Chinese Opera
94:A Night at the Chinese Opera
24:A Night at the Chinese Opera
969:Fiction about Chinese opera
841:The welcome arrival of rain
672:The New Penguin Opera Guide
529:"Eulogies" by Judith Weir,
255:Nightwatchman / Marco Polo
130:, Cheltenham, England. The
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874:Requiem of Reconciliation
601:(Theatre Royal, Glasgow)"
543:10.1080/07494469400641231
531:Contemporary Music Review
165:Cheltenham Music Festival
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787:The Vanishing Bridegroom
949:English-language operas
652:British Film Institute
470:. Report on premiere.
382:The Chao Family Orphan
371:The Chao Family Orphan
329:Royal Academy of Music
944:Operas by Judith Weir
877:(1995; collaboration)
335:, was in April 2008.
191:Mrs Chin / Old Crone
72:8 July 1987
646:24 July 2015 at the
561:by Andrew Clements,
453:(1735): pp. 507–509.
178:Little Moon / Actor
16:Opera by Judith Weir
964:Operas set in China
337:British Youth Opera
316:Performance history
292:Chao Sun / Fireman
109:for performance by
755:King Harald's Saga
517:The New York Times
498:, 15 October 1987.
495:The New York Times
378:Chao Family Orphan
358:Time: 13th-century
303:Mongolian Soldier
227:Military Governor
217:Chao Lin as a boy
120:The Orphan of Zhao
61:The Orphan of Zhao
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537:, 297–299 (1994)
446:The Musical Times
434:, 432–437 (1993).
427:The Musical Times
415:, 373–375 (1987).
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101:in three acts by
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559:(RAM, London)"
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610:. Retrieved
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355:Place: China
344:Barrie Gavin
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261:Tomos Ellis
231:countertenor
169:(Conductor:
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115:Yuan dynasty
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959:1987 operas
740:Judith Weir
200:Enid Hartle
103:Judith Weir
34:Judith Weir
938:Categories
827:Orchestral
815:Achterbahn
388:References
321:Kent Opera
158:Voice type
111:Kent Opera
83:Kent Opera
76:1987-07-08
40:Librettist
432:134(1806)
413:128(1733)
306:baritone
295:baritone
282:baritone
279:An Actor
266:Chao Lin
206:An Actor
900:Category
884:" (2022)
644:Archived
612:16 April
350:Synopsis
286:Alan Oke
270:baritone
209:soprano
68:Premiere
56:Based on
48:Language
670:(Ed.),
662:Sources
182:soprano
74: (
51:English
954:Operas
912:Portal
866:Choral
858:(2022)
850:(2018)
844:(2002)
836:(1997)
819:(2011)
806:(2005)
803:Armida
798:(1994)
790:(1990)
782:(1987)
774:(1985)
766:(1985)
758:(1979)
678:
641:(1988)
258:tenor
97:is an
926:Opera
747:Opera
535:11(1)
473:Opera
393:Notes
364:Loyan
246:tenor
154:Role
147:Roles
133:Opera
99:opera
30:Opera
676:ISBN
614:2008
43:Weir
539:doi
510:by
488:by
451:128
107:BBC
32:by
940::
650:,
603:.
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458:^
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430:,
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813:(
732:e
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718:v
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78:)
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