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The First Emperor
The First Emperor is an English‑language opera in two acts with music by Tan Dun, with a libretto by Tan Dun and novelist Ha Jin. The story, which centers on Qin Shi Huang and the forging of a unifying anthem for a newly consolidated empire, draws on Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian and the screenplay The Emperor's Shadow by Lu Wei.
The world premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera on 21 December 2006, conducted by the composer, with Plácido Domingo in the title role. The staging was by filmmaker Zhang Yimou, with sets by Fan Yue and costumes by Emi Wada. The production was a Met–Los Angeles Opera co‑production. The opera was transmitted live to cinemas as part of the first season of Metropolitan Opera Live in HD on 13 January 2007 and later issued on DVD.
Critical reaction at the premiere was mixed. Reviewers praised the scale of the staging and performances, while questioning aspects of the score and dramaturgy.
The protagonist is the real-life emperor Qin Shi Huang, who unified China with force, erected part of the Great Wall, and was buried with his Terracotta Army. The story of the opera is based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian (c.145 – 90 BC) and the screenplay of The Emperor's Shadow by Lu Wei.
Tan Dun was first approached by the Met in 1996 to write an opera. After seeing the film The Emperor's Shadow, he settled on the theme of the First Emperor. Zhang Yimou, the production's stage director, had worked with Tan Dun on the movie Hero that also deals with emperor Qin, albeit at an earlier time. The world premiere production was estimated to cost in excess of US$2 million. In preparation, Met staff was instructed in Chinese, and workshops in the development of the opera were held in Shanghai, in part as a cost-saving measure. Eagerly anticipated, the opera has been described as "a high-stakes, cross-cultural gamble". Tan Dun noted in regard to working in the operatic form: "Opera will no longer be a Western form, as it is no longer an Italian form."
Scene 1
The traditional music at the court displeases the Emperor; he envisions a new anthem that glorifies his rule. He believes that his childhood friend, the composer Gao Jianli, should be the person to compose the anthem. Jianli lives in Yan, a state that the emperor has not yet conquered, and he orders his General to subjugate Yan and to get Jianli. As a reward for a victory, the Emperor promises his crippled daughter, Princess Yueyang, to the General.
Scene 2
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The First Emperor
The First Emperor is an English‑language opera in two acts with music by Tan Dun, with a libretto by Tan Dun and novelist Ha Jin. The story, which centers on Qin Shi Huang and the forging of a unifying anthem for a newly consolidated empire, draws on Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian and the screenplay The Emperor's Shadow by Lu Wei.
The world premiere took place at the Metropolitan Opera on 21 December 2006, conducted by the composer, with Plácido Domingo in the title role. The staging was by filmmaker Zhang Yimou, with sets by Fan Yue and costumes by Emi Wada. The production was a Met–Los Angeles Opera co‑production. The opera was transmitted live to cinemas as part of the first season of Metropolitan Opera Live in HD on 13 January 2007 and later issued on DVD.
Critical reaction at the premiere was mixed. Reviewers praised the scale of the staging and performances, while questioning aspects of the score and dramaturgy.
The protagonist is the real-life emperor Qin Shi Huang, who unified China with force, erected part of the Great Wall, and was buried with his Terracotta Army. The story of the opera is based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian (c.145 – 90 BC) and the screenplay of The Emperor's Shadow by Lu Wei.
Tan Dun was first approached by the Met in 1996 to write an opera. After seeing the film The Emperor's Shadow, he settled on the theme of the First Emperor. Zhang Yimou, the production's stage director, had worked with Tan Dun on the movie Hero that also deals with emperor Qin, albeit at an earlier time. The world premiere production was estimated to cost in excess of US$2 million. In preparation, Met staff was instructed in Chinese, and workshops in the development of the opera were held in Shanghai, in part as a cost-saving measure. Eagerly anticipated, the opera has been described as "a high-stakes, cross-cultural gamble". Tan Dun noted in regard to working in the operatic form: "Opera will no longer be a Western form, as it is no longer an Italian form."
Scene 1
The traditional music at the court displeases the Emperor; he envisions a new anthem that glorifies his rule. He believes that his childhood friend, the composer Gao Jianli, should be the person to compose the anthem. Jianli lives in Yan, a state that the emperor has not yet conquered, and he orders his General to subjugate Yan and to get Jianli. As a reward for a victory, the Emperor promises his crippled daughter, Princess Yueyang, to the General.
Scene 2