Opera "Marco Polo" witnesses the profound friendship between China and Italy

21世纪经济报道记者胡慧茵 广州报道

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Italy. At the same time, in order to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of the legendary Italian traveler Marco Polo, the Guangzhou Grand Theater recently re-staged the original opera "Marco Polo". The play is performed on May 3rd and 4th.

Marco Polo is one of the figures with the most profound influence on cultural exchanges and trade between China and the West in history. More than 2000 years ago, the Silk Road across Eurasia connected the East and the West. Since then, China-Italy economic and trade as well ascultural exchanges have continued, and two sides’ people have also forged a long-standing and profound friendship.

The opera "Marco Polo" is a three-act opera sung in Chinese. It is the result of the cooperation between the East and the West and the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. In May 2018, the opera "Marco Polo" premiered at the Guangzhou Grand Theater, attracting great attention from all over the world. The play returns to the Guangzhou Grand Theater after six years and will once again present a brand-new visual feast to the audience. It is understood that the opera combines Chinese folk music with Western music, and the music is more compact to heighten the dramatic tension.

Marco Polo’s director Shi Jingfu told reporter that in addition to the music, the story including the characters, all costumes and background as well as the projections on the scrolls all have Eastern elements of Western aesthetics, which are very interesting to the audience. "So all these elements make westerners feel that this drama not only conforms to their aesthetics, but also opens up their imagination of the East."

Marco Polo’sscreenwriter Wei Jin told reporter that through character creation, theopera makes Marco Polo a participant in Eastern and Western civilizations, not just a traveler.