From January 18^th to 22^nd, NCPA’s production of the operetta Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) will debut to raise the curtain of the new year. The Merry Widow is another operetta production of NCPA following its Die Fledermaus and NCPA Production — Classic Operetta Gala. On January 5^th, the press conference was attended by NCPA Vice President ZHAO Tiechun, stage director, set designer and costume designer Hugo de Ana, and conductor Thomas Rösner.

NCPA’s production of Die lustige Witwe will be premiered on January 18^thPhoto by GAO Shang

As Vice President ZHAO Tiechun explained, “Die Fledermaus and the Operetta Gala were successively produced and launched by NCPA in 2011 and 2016, leading Chinese audiences into the operetta world. Many audience were impressed by the joyful arias and dances, and cheerful costumes and scenery of these works. In 2017, NCPA will refocus on the operetta genre and elaborately create the operetta Die lustige Witwe. The talked-about operetta encourages enthusiasts to appreciate its distinctive artistic charm and experience the musical culture from Vienna, the genuine music city, and glamours the upcoming Spring Festival simultaneously.”

Vice President ZHAO Tiechun expresses NCPA's Chinese New Year wishes
by launching this operettaPhoto by GAO Shang

To narrow the distance between this traditional Vienna operetta and Chinese audience, NCPA has invited experienced opera director Hugo de Ana with whom it has cooperated multiple times to take charge as the stage director, set designer and costume designer of this production. He has moved the setting of the story from the early 1900s to the 1920s and 30s. The aesthetic demands of Chinese audience have been taken into consideration in the stage design and even in the selection of each decorative glass pattern. “For example, the lattice window glass pattern hanging in the centre appeared in Shanghai in the 1930s, and is now widely used in Chinese architecture. This will give Chinese audience a feeling of familiarity, and that’s why I selected this decorative pattern,” he said. Not only has the stage design been well chosen, but stage director Hugo de Ana’s dramatic arrangement also presents the comedy characteristic of operettas. The leading lady Hanna becomes a modern girl and show up by helicopter, while the leading actor Danilo is also "modernized" in the director’s interpretation, and comes onto the stage slowly on a motorcycle.

Hugo de Ana sets story settings to the 1920s-30s
glamoured with Chinese traditional elementsPhoto by GAO Shang

The leading lady Hanna will become a modern girl
and show up by helicopterPhoto by GAO Shang

In the Die lustige Witwe, such dances as waltz, mazurka and galop frequently appear. Composer Franz Lehár has also added kolo dance and can-can to the drama. Conductor Thomas Rösner will lead the NCPA Orchestra to play music with abundant contents and different styles. Born in Vienna, Rösner deeply understands the music of Viennese operettas. He has performed in many world-class opera houses including the Munich Bayerische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, and Deutsche Oper Berlin, to name a few.

Thomas Rösner will take the baton of NCPA Orchestra
for the operettaPhoto by GAO Shang

Die lustige Witwe gathers a star-lit cast of domestic and foreign vocalists Photo by GAO Shang

The waltz excerpts at the press conference Photo by GAO Shang