Welcome to the website for the new opera Fiery Jade: Cai Yan, libretto by Zhang Er, music by Gregory Youtz.
The opera, for 10 principal singers, chorus and chamber orchestra, tells the story of the legendary Chinese woman poet Cai Yan (Cai Wenji) who was born in 177 AD at the war ridden, violent end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It captures dramatic scenes of a woman’s life, in peace and in war, as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a poet and musician. Although the heroine lived one thousand eight hundred years ago, her story speaks to the tragedies still faced by contemporary women, such as domestic violence, losing loved ones, and being abducted and raped in war, among others. Her triumph over enormous hardships blazed the trail for contemporary followers in similarly toxic circumstances.
The opera depicts the cultural and religious conflicts between Confucian Han and the nomadic XiongNu, two neighboring states constantly at war during Cai Yan’s lifetime. It foregrounds the cost of war for both men and women. With increased chance of encounters among cultures, the relevance of Cai Yan’s tale is even more significant today. This work drives home the message that all ages are contemporaneous.
Significant sections of the libretto are translations directly from Cai Yan’s surviving poetry, and all of the libretto is based upon meticulous scholarly research done in Chinese by librettist Zhang Er. The music is western, but borrows heavily from Chinese instrumental music traditions, such as the music for guqin and xiao, represented here by pizzicato cello, harp and flute. Chinese opera is also well represented, with four percussionists playing a battery of Chinese and western percussion.
The premiere performance included a cast of undergraduate singers, accompanied by a mostly professional chamber orchestra of 15 players. We also included a traditional Chinese flute player providing scene change music on traditional flutes- dizi, xiao and xun. The running time is about 2 hours. The production attracted considerable local press attention- the combination of Chinese culture and women’s empowerment seemed a strong point of interest. The Confucius Institute of Washington State (CIWA) provided substantive financial support for this production and has promised possible contribution for the future development of Fiery Jade.
Included in the attached documents is a list of links to various video and audio recordings, press articles, the cast and orchestra list, and excerpts of the libretto.
This opera is designed to be performable by exceptionally talented undergraduates, as well as fully professional companies, is musically complex but very accessible, and is appropriate for all ages and levels of audience. Indeed many of our audience members were family and friends of cast members who had never before seen an opera and who were excited to attend another in the near future.
Please explore the links to media, posted on the “About” page of this website, and contact us for more information if you are interested in considering a performance.
Sincerely,
Zhang Er, librettist Gregory Youtz, composer
Fiery Jade: Cai Yan 