NCPA opera commission The Dawns Here Are Quiet premieres
Photo by Gao Shang / chncpa.org 

To mark the 70^th anniversary of the victory of the Counter-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War, on November 5, NCPA opera commission The Dawns Here Are Quiet premiered.  

In the quiet birth forest, the little girl playing accordion presents an authentic Russian-style melody
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

The curtain rose, the stage just like a Russian oil painting appeared. In the quiet birch forest, the little girl playing button accordion presented an authentic Russian-style melody. Senior Sergeant Vaskov came on stage exclaiming over the young lives destroyed by flames of war. Then, the orchestra gave a tense and rapid rhythm, just like the active alert, which brought the audience to the age of war.  

The Dawns Here Are Quiet pays a tribute to heroes sacrificed themselves to their motherland
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

Senior Sergeant Vaskov goes back to the birch forest where the five female soldiers died
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

Composer Tang Jianping wrote powerful and emotional music for this opera, which deeply touched the audience. Moreover, underneath the Russian-style, his music shows the sense of a Chinese composer and his aesthetic pursuit of opera. In particular, music throughout the opera showed strong dramatic tension while depicting the figures vividly. On the stage, singers including Liu Songhu, Xu Xiaoying, Wang Hongyao, Zhang Xin, Zhang Zhuo and Liu Lian gave splendid performance and incisively beauty of the roles and their awe-inspiring righteousness in face of war.  

NCPA Chorus plays the birch forest, swamp and night in the opera
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

Besides arias and ensembles, the composer also wrote 17 splendid choral songs. NCPA Chorus played the birch forest, swamp and dark night in the opera. Moreover, NCPA Orchestra presented grand and exquisite music according to the storyline, demonstrating beauty against cruelty perfectly.  

Scene of the female soldiers’ dormitory
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

 
"Female soldiers" show their love for life before they die
Photo by Wang Xiaojing / chncpa.org 

Ballet Dancer Qiu Siting expressed the scene of “taking a bath” with beautiful dancing. Photo by Wang Xiaojing/chncpa.org 

The stage was poetic and romantic. The scenes of tall birches, vast land, Russian church and the female soldiers’ dormitory put the roles in oil paintings. The artists expressed their love for life and yearn for peace in them. Organic glasses on both sides of the stage created a fantastic scene. Opening and closing of the glass doors showed the female soldiers’ pursuit for happiness and further highlighted the cruelty of war. Director Wang Xiaoying said, “There is no direct description of fights against German soldiers and the opera mainly depicts the female soldiers’ yearn for happiness, romance and peaceful life. It highlights the great conflict between war and humanity.” At the end of the opera, the Senior Sergeant Vaskov wearing many medals and children presented their wish for peace in a song, which carried profound meaning.   

In the evening of November 6, the other crew composed of Zhang Yang, Song Yuanming, Liu Ying, Song Qian, Hao Miao and Zhao Lili will present the opera. This opera will be on stage until November 8.