Customer Reviews

Tan Dun: The First Emperor (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Critics have been very harsh on this new opera. This has happened before; composers have been misunderstood or not-understood at all by critics, while the public loved them. Seems too early to dismiss "The First Emperor". I have seen it many times and every time I discover something new. The DVD is much better than the live broadcast I saw in the theater, the image is much brighter.

The opera is full of symbols. I am sure I don't even understand them all yet. Although the obvious theme is about the anthem, seems that the suffering of the builders of the Great Wall is a much more profound one. The wall is built to protect against the barbarians, while behaving in a barbaric way. Is this opera a critic to Mao (and/or others)?

The music is different, interesting and enjoyable. The singers are first quality and the Chinese performers very interesting. This production is the first one. May be it is not perfect, or it could have been done differently. I will leave that judgment for the future, when new performances are produced. Seems to me that a film production could be interesting, (like Chaudet's film of Stravinsky's "Le Rossignol").

I strongly recommend this DVD to those interested in the new world, not only of Opera, but the global village and China's cultural integration with the world in particular.

Tan Dun's "The First Emperor" is an incredible opera that expertly fuses Western and Eastern music in a way that is extremely interesting to my ears. Fans of Tan Dun's film scores to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero" will likely enjoy this opera, which retains Tan Dun's style while going far beyond the restrictions of having to serve a film. The performances are excellent and the orchestra, conducted by Tan Dun himself, has a raw energy that is captivating to my eyes. The production quality of "The First Emperor" is top-notch as well, as to be expected from the Metropolitan Opera and is captured very well on this DVD, which has excellent video quality (1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen), excellent sound, and subtitles in a number of languages including English. I hope that this opera will someday be released on Blu-Ray as well given that the source was recorded in high-definition video.

There has been a large amount of harsh criticism of "The First Emperor" and while I concede that I do not have the opera experience or musical knowledge that I assume these experts have, I have to say that I would have been more open to these criticisms if it did not feel like the vast majority of the complaints were either based in ignorance or a blind reverence of past operas. For example, many have described the music as being "unlistenable," but to me it feels like this majority of these criticism comes from critics who are completely ignorant to and unfamiliar with non-Western musical styles rather than any constructive criticism. Accusations that the plot of the opera is silly and ridiculous also strike me as ignorant given the equally ludicrous plots and twists that seem to occur in just about every single opera I have heard or watched.

I will concede the point that the libretto for "The First Emperor" is problematic. The music is excellent and the libretto, while somewhat stilted, works. However, the fusion of the two simply does not work. That being said, I cannot say that I personally expected the modern lyrical-equivalent of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" from a composer and librettist that are not native speakers of English. When I see that even John Adams and Philip Glass are often criticized for poor setting of the English language to music, I feel that perhaps due to our familiarity with English as well as the fact that popular music and even Broadway musicals set words to music in a very different way than opera, we have been conditioned in a way that makes English in opera sound awkward to us. As such, perhaps we ought to accept the "awkwardness" of English in opera and move on instead of fixating on this. After all, critics and audiences all seem to enjoy a great number of operas in foreign languages that they do not understand and so for me, the libretto of "The First Emperor" and its setting to music is not a deal-breaker for me.

For what it's worth, I would have liked to see the libretto to "The First Emperor" in Mandarin Chinese, especially since I imagine that Tan Dun and Ha Jin would have been able to better set their native language into music. However, I wonder whether or not the Metropolitan Opera (who commissioned the opera) would have been interested in a non-English "The First Emperor" or if Placido Domingo would have been willing to memorize an entire role in Chinese.

In summary, if you are interested in a fusion of Western and Eastern musical styles or are a fan of Tan Dun's film work, I would recommend "The First Emperor," which is well-captured on this DVD. I am especially glad that this DVD exists because it captures the original production of the opera, which was revised (for the worse in my opinion) a year later.

To listen to this from a purely instrumental standpoint... this composition was nothing short of phenomenal. It is the apotheosis of a mixture of eastern and western instruments. The music may confuse many people as most people... and apparently many of them include the critics... do not know or understand theory and meaning in Chinese music. It is important to remember in Chinese music: the emphasis is not the tone but rather the meaning behind the tones and what they represent. Though in the western world we have a high emphasis on dissonances resolving which is our own tradition, but in this when hearing a dissonance we must listen to it as if it in itself were a tone and has its own meaning.

Tan Dun's innovative percussion writing was also spectacular. Dun is actually already quite well known for his percussion skills - you can search for his Youtube Symphony with the London Symphony orchestra and you'll see car rims and hubcaps incorperated into the score. It may look or seem ridiculous, but when you hear it you'll be amazed at how well it works.

The instrumentation in The First Emperor is very balanced between the classical European instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. Equally so there is also an amazing balance between European style singing and Chinese style - a narrator introduces the opera who he himself is a traditional Chinese Opera singer (the very talented Wu Hsing-Kuo). This introduction will give the audience quite a start and a lot to expect - this is as traditional Chinese as you can get. If it sounds odd - then I'm afraid you're SOL - as this is very accurate to tradition including his elegant costume, bright face paint, contorting dance moves, spoken text, and what many would consider strange and awkward sounds and shouts. If this cannot be taken seriously, then I think the listener should get to study Chinese music a bit before listening to this opera.

The story itself may seem a bit overly romantic or old-fashioned to many but there is actually a lot of truth to this. The actions taken by the emperor were all true - not only the burning of books, the ruthless conquering, but also the idea of wanting unity and having a beautiful anthem. Though of course historical accuracy can be called into question as the text was written long after these events and very open to bias as they were written by the Han. Also: though Emperor Qin did indeed want an Anthem - he most likely didn't desperately spend night and day to find the theme he wanted. Of course - most characters in operas don't exactly do many things that we'd consider mentally stable, but that's opera anyway!

These elements are what makes this opera so beautiful and also very intelligent. It is a blend of not only the east and the west, but also the past and the future. This is such an innovative yet traditional piece at the same time. It's as though the four subjects came together from around the compass to meet at a center and create this incredible work of art.

There's a criticism that many have and a piece of me also has which is only a personal bias of mine: the text is not fluidly put together in the music. Stresses are on unimportant syllables; sentences are not stated as they normally would be. Less-important words such as "the," "and," "of," "or," ,"with" etc are elegantly ornamented with melisma while the words which actually tell the story (the nouns and verbs etc) are too-often written syllabic or quietly. But this criticism can also be looked at the other way: This is also an old style of setting text to music. The masters of the past including Brahms and Bach also did this. Of course, German-speaking critics would sometimes make fun of them for this style as well, so this is where one must keep in mind that it is a different vocal writing than what's normally done. Personally though, I did not think it worked. Even so, the music was beautiful enough for me to not dislike it. I would suggest putting subtitles on though since with this vocal style it's extremely hard to understand them.

Though understanding them is another issue when it comes to certain singers. Domingo's acting as always was spot-on. He clearly demonstrates a three-dimensional Emperor Qin.. even in his eyes there are thousands of emotions, thoughts, and memories. His tone was crisp and brave. His diction, at least in this performance, was definitely not his best. Consonants are just as important as the sung tones. Diction was definitely lacking in this particular performance, but all else was spot-on.

Elizabeth Futral's performance as Princess Yueyang disappointed me in her tone. Her vibrato was far too wide especially in the first act.I did not enjoy her singing until the second scene of act two (the last part of the show). Acting and diction were all there, but tone not as much.

There is though a lot to be impressed with. Paul groves not only nails tenor high Cs, he sustains them with confidence. Michelle DeYoung is essentially called to sing every note within the mezzo soprano range and beyond; not only does she hit the C above the staff but also the alto's low F (successfully sustaining them too).

The choreography and art is also a visual spectacle - You'll still be impressed if you put it on mute! The second act features an incredible dancer by the name of Dou Dou Huang - his contortions and fluid dancing made me pause and rewind just to see it again.... something I avoid doing since I tend to be a purist when it even comes to watching DVDs... but I just HAD to see it again!

Above all... I think this is one of the most intelligent compositions ever put forth. Some will find certain aspects disappointing - most of all some of the singing mishaps of tone/diction or the style of vocal writing. Opera though is much more than singing - it is every aspect of theatre combined into one: it is art, stage design and direction, a script, music, singing, and most of all: teamwork. I don't think we could've gotten a better team to have created this show.

I highly recommend this DVD to all - but I also highly recommend doing a bit of research on traditional Chinese Music and opera before watching it, or you could find yourself very confused.

This work is superb, it is the best new work written in many years. Domingo sings and acts the role of the Emperor beautifully, his voice has deepened and darkened and the role is perfect for him. The staging is imaginative and very effective. The costumes are wonderful. It has been a long time since I have seen a new work I have enjoyed as much as this one.

Now I want to quote my husband who played flute for 25 years in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.

"The performance is wonderful, great singers, marvelous costumes, wonderful musicians, and stage presentation is really amazing! After all this, I can remember playing so many 'first performances' and lamenting that I didn't study (flute) to play this garbage, or semi-OK pieces. The performance combines Chinese and Western music. One of the leads is actually from the Chinese Opera and sings in Chinese, although the rest of the work is done in English.

The idiom is unfamiliar to me, but strangely haunting, the overall effect is stunning! The soundtrack for movie, Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon might be familiar. Well, this is much deeper and well worth the trouble to find a chance to know the work!

Modern music is worth listening to, if you are careful selecting it!!"

We feel Tan Dun is truly one of the great composers of our day!

Those who dislike this opera must hate Turandot. This is indeed a grand opera, filled with beautiful music, underscored by incredibly subtle whispers from violins, cellos, the harp(which I play), and small additions from the brass in quiet sections to indicate all sorts of variation of the mood of the scene. The singing is tremendous, and naturally so, with Placido Domingo heading a very able, lovely cast. Drama and dance, high lying arias of incredible scope, nothing is missing.

Glorious, buy this set and rejoice!

Viewing the First Emperor is like going to a lavish restaurant where the food does not live up to the decor and service. The costumes and lighting are stunning and on a wide screen TV may be worth the price of entry. In this respect there is a similarity to the MET's production of Turandot -- large crowds opulently dressed. Sets are minimal with much of the action taking place on wide steps/bleachers that span the stage. In some ways the opera reminds me of Boris G. both in theme(ruthless royal)and style (a series of scenes or tableaux). The strongest were the opening scene (with more Chinese music than Western) and the closing scene in which the emperor attains the material ends he has sought while being psychologically tortured by the means used to achieve his empire. Unfortunately, the space between the opening and final scenes is not filled with comparable inspiration. Once Tan Dun moves into Western, conventional opera mode, the music goes "flat" for me. There is little moving or memorable music; stage action is minimal; indeed, the opera could be performed as an oratorio. Words and music often don't mesh well, so that even though the opera is sung in English, performers often sound tongue tied, making subtitles essential. Principals, chorus, and dancers (especially the latter) did a fine job with the material available to them. For many, I suspect, a principle draw will be Domingo in the title role. His voice, understandably, is showing signs of his age and general wear and tear (husky and baritone in timbre), but he does what he can with the largely continuous recitative style of the composer. Overall: 5 stars for the costumes, lighting, and filming. 4 stars for the cast. 2 stars for the opera as a whole (but 5 for the opening and closing scenes).

This is an amazing stage and costume spectacle with highly unusual music that is sometimes pleasing and other times jarring. It is certainly different. Tan Dun even gave the orchestra vocal parts!

The overly simplistic story line and lyrics of the opera, however, were no match for the luscious spectacle enveloping the music and singing. Elizabeth Futral, for example, did a wonderful acting job as the princess with Eastern mannerisms but the English vocal lines she expressed were often just plain bizarre. Paul Groves' part as the protagonist Fianli was just as strange. At times I wondered how he could keep a straight face. It was all just too simple...for the setting...or even to be an opera! (This is another example of the disappointment of hearing the Latin mass sung in English!)

So, it seems kind of unfair to criticize anyone's part in it. A great singer like Placido Domingo cannot give more than the composer writes. It's hardly his fault if it doesn't fly! Same for the rest of the cast.

I'm glad I saw this production, but I have no desire to ever watch it again.

The last time I heard Placido Domingo, it was live in Handel's 'Tamerlano' in Washington DC, just a few months ago. Domingo was singing a baroque role well outside his comfort zone of technique, but his voice and his stage presence were so commanding that I loved him anyway. The last time I saw Domingo in a Chinese robe, it was in the DVD of the Met's 'Turandot.' He was superb, both vocally and dramatically. In this performance, alas, his voice is harsh and strained, and he stumbles about like a sick old man, not at all the persona of the great Qin Emperor. Even at his greatest, however, Domingo couldn't have made sense of this role. The character is implausibly foolish and the music assigned to the role has no gamut of expressiveness.

I expected good things from Placido and also from composer Tan Dun, whose less grandiose opera "Tea" impressed me a lot. That older work synthesized Chinese traditions of 'natural' noise as musical material with European concepts of horizontal structure in time -- impression with memory, you might say. This First Emperor is just a mish-mash of symphonic bombast with orientalizing sound effects. Tan Dun could write better movie music! in fact he has -- the music for Hero, among other things, also portraying the Qin Emperor. If you ever have a choice between this opera and that film, take the film!

As one is accustomed to expect, the Met production is lavish. The costumes are stunning, though the robes of the two leading male singers are far from flattering to their physiques. The singer borrowed from real Chinese opera - Wu Hsing-Kuo, the Yin-Yang Master - is easily the most energizing presence on stage. Elizabeth Futral sings the role assigned her, as Princess Yueyang, with consummate art, but the music she's singing is just pointless meandering up and down her vocal range. The whole score ranges from trite to embarrassing.

Hard to believe, but the libretto is even more embarrassing, full of earnest declamations like "Do you hear the snow fluttering" and "green leaves are breaking the crusted ice." I've lived in some snowy places - Minnesota, Sweden, Massachusetts - but I've never heard snow "flutter." The story line is silly and the drama is static. Yes, hard to believe.

This opera will inevitably be compared to another brand new opera with a Chinese theme, The Bonesetter's Daughter, based on the novel by Amy Tan, premiered in September '08 in San Francisco. Tan's libretto also limps through some turgid and sententious linguistic imagery, but the drama as such is far more moving and amusing, and the music by Stewart Wallace has real substance, enough to be worth recording on a CD just for listening. If you ever have a choice between hearing Bonesetter's Daughter and watching Hero, this time go with the opera.

This is a great way to introduce Opera to the fearful. Watch it and see for yourself...East meets West.

At the start of the show, actress ZHANG Ziyi, attired in a curious 'aerodrome look', said that she is 'proud of this production of The First Emperor'.
I regret to say that I cannot quite agree with her.
Despite the decade of hard work spent on the musical script by TAN Dun, I regret to say that Mr. Tan has chosen the wrong libretto for the opera: the story plot based on an earlier lakclustre Chinese film 'Qin Song' starring the sublime JIANG Wen as the First Emperor and XU Qing as Princess Yueyang. The story isn't original, nor historical. Much more drama could be gained into the plot if TAN had resorted to the historical 'assassin' Jingke, reputedly the 'father of the Kamikazes' of Japan. Historically GAO Jianli composed the famous 'air' called 'The River Yi Shudders' for the great assassin Jingke before he embarked on his heroic act in attempting to kill the First Emperor (unsuccessfully, with Jingke himself dying as a result). What beauty and dramatic impact could there be if this was staged in operatic format?
TAN embarked instead on the colourless film story for his libretto. Worse still, the lyrics were to every singer's and listener's horror. If opera is an art embodying music, singing, poetry and drama, at least there is scarcity in the last two. The lyrics are horrific in that they are prosaic and verbose. There simply is no connection between the words and the musical line. What more could be more lacklustre than a phrase like 'your horses tramppled my mother...to death'? What rhythm, what nuance is this?
I would not say more of this glaring adversity, which permeates the entire work.
What I would also like to mention is that the staging is at times not following the libretto - when the First Emperor says 'bring him (GAO) hither', the staging instead resorts to a scene in the prison where GAO is being detained. Furthermore, the 'brand' made on the forehead of Paul Groves as GAO says 'convict', not 'slave', as Domingo as the Emperor claimed him to be.
It is sad to see TAN Dun's music being wholly wasted in such titers and taters, adding up to a big torrent of fiasco.
Sad, sad, sad.