Zhang Huan presents Handel’s Semele

It is the role of art to ask questions and break barriers. This was true when Handel first debuted his opera Semele back in 1744 when he infused Greek mythology to a largely Italian medium. While controversial for its time, the opera has rightly been recognized as a masterpiece.

Today, the extolled contemporary artist Zhang Huan carries on this tradition by designing and directing the redeemed opera, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death. It is a first for the artist and by bringing the production to China; it will be the first time a full-length Baroque opera will be performed in China.

Semele is an opera that revolves around the complexities in the relationships between Gods and mortals, a challenging concept that is present in both Eastern and Western mythology. The story also exposes universal truths about the human condition, exploring love, jealousy, greed, ambition, betrayal and finally redemption.

While it is a masterful reproduction of theatrical classical music, with Huan at the helm it is also an exercise in contemporary art. Boasting a rich history in performance art, Huan has never feared asking mighty questions and pushing a few buttons along the way. Often inspired by Buddhism and his Chinese heritage, Huan brings a brand new elucidation to the production.

Huan combines the traditional European art with Chinese culture by using an original ancestral Ming dynasty temple as a powerful backdrop. Huan himself discovered this object. Exorbitant Chinese costumes are showcased as well, all alongside a Baroque European soundtrack. A blend between Chinese history and a 300-year-old European opera is a completely unique phenomenon.

Commisioned by the London-based KT Wong Foundation and involving the musical gifts of Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset, costumes by fashion designer Han Feng, and choreography by Su Jie, Zhang Huan’s Semele truly becomes a groundbreaking exercise in international and post-modern culture.

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by Henry Guyer
Gloobbi Art

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