2003 » Singapore » National Exhibition

Singapore

The great Czech composer Bedřich Smetana's The Bartered Bride is one of the best known operas in the world. Though first porformod about 140 yoars ago, it still remains an extremely popular repertoire for people today including audiences in Asia. Tho Singaporean vorsion of the opera keeps Smetana's brilliant music but moves the story from 19th century's Bohemian vil-lage into the Malay-Singaporean region where various ethnic groups of people live together. Largely inspired by the local ethnic people's custom, tradition and all kinds of their colorful celebrations and festivals, it tells a new story of a marriage between the local Chines© and Malay, under the so-called Peranakan Culture. The hilarious wedding, joined by the new couple, their family members local villagers, and the comic character of the go-between (now a female, instead of the original Kezal, according to tho local custom) forms tho most exciting scono in this version. The concept of the stage design is to emphasize the unique southost Asian characteristics with tho special shape, color, the way of decoration, folk arts and all other visual image, while using a modern touch to present all this in order to create a modern opera with the original music for today's audience. The extensive and intricate costumes of wedding garments are an exuberant assortment of batik, embroidery, beadwork, silks, satins and organdlo that truly rofloct tho rich culture of the Peranakans.

Kurátoři/Curators: Sebastian Chum, Charlotte Ong Pang Ling