GUANGZHOU, China, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from
GDToday:
On May 3rd and 4th, the opera
"Marco Polo" made its return at the Guangzhou Opera House. This three-act opera,
sung in Chinese, takes the audience on a journey along the historic
Silk Road, recounting the legendary adventures of the iconic
Italian traveler Marco Polo and his companions and promoting
friendship between China and
Italy.
Marco Polo, who was born in Italy in the 13th century, traveled to
China with his father and uncle.
His travelogue, "The Travels of Marco Polo," provided a detailed
account of his experiences in China, and sparked the Western people's
interest in China.
A GDToday Salon "An Encounter with Marco Polo" series was held
in conjunction with the opera "Marco Polo," including a global
gathering with over 200 international participants and an
exhibition of Guangdong's
intangible culturing heritages.
"The opera 'Marco Polo' reminds me of the strong ties between
China and Italy. I am pleased to announce that on
May 5, the opera will air on GOLDTV
channels across Italy," said
Gianfranco Sciscione, President of
Group Sciscione, at the GDToday Salon. He also invited the "Marco
Polo" troupe to perform a series of shows in Italy. "This cultural exchange will offer
Italian audiences a chance to experience the rich theatrical arts
of China," he added.
Opera inspires audiences with harmony and diversity
By portraying the adventure that Marco Polo, his father, Niccolò
Polo, and his uncle Maffeo Polo
along the ancient Silk Road in the 13th century, this opera
recreates the rise and fall of the Song and Yuan dynasties as well
as the communication and trade between the East and the West.
The opera premiered in Guangzhou in 2018 and was directed by
Kasper Holten, winning four stars
from Financial Times' critics and ranking as one of the "Top Ten
Music Trends/Events in China,
2018" by Musical America. In 2019, it returned "home" and was
staged at Teatro dal Verme in Milan and Teatro Carlo
Felice in Genoa,
Italy.
To commemorate the 700th anniversary of the passing of the
legendary Italian traveler Marco Polo, the opera returns with a
stellar cast and conductor after its debut in 2018. The opera has
dazzled audiences with the performance of "Marco Polo," a
captivating opera commissioned by the esteemed venue.
Many lyrics in the opera are profound and impressive, such as
"One's happiness does not cause misfortune to others. One's palace
does not ruin others' roofs". "In the beginning, the characters in
the opera seems to be unable to change each other, but in fact,
civilizations have subtly blended and merged through exchanges and
collisions," said Wei Jin, the librettist of opera Marco Polo
and Distinguished Professor of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. He
hopes that this opera can promote the concepts of openness,
inclusiveness, and harmony without uniformity, and contribute to
the friendship between China and
Italy as well as the progress of
human civilization.
Following the performance, attendees expressed awe and
appreciation for the opera's artistic brilliance and thematic
depth. "Actually, I feel a connection with the show because Marco
Polo was a foreigner to China, and
then the whole love took place in China. And I'm in love with a beautiful
Chinese girl now," said Rei, an audience member from Venezuela.
Gianluca Zoppa, an Italian
playwright, producer, director, and actor who has resided in
Guangdong for a long time, said
after watching the opera that it reflected the integration of
Chinese and Western cultural elements in many aspects. "This opera
tells the story of Marco Polo's travels in China, which is a very appealing theme for
Western audiences. It not only resonates with the aesthetic
preferences of Western viewers but also stimulates their
imagination about the East through its narrative, music, costumes,
and stage design."
Hoping to invite Marco Polo to explore the GBA
The series of GDToday Salon "An Encounter with Marco Polo" was
highlighted with a global gathering, aiming to boost global
cultural exchanges with over 200 participants from consulates
general and chambers of commerce from 29 countries in Guangzhou, as well as guests from home and
abroad.
"I think it's a wonderful initiative to bring people with
different backgrounds together, recounting a legendary figure and
paying tribute to the friendly messenger, Marco Polo," Valerio De Parolis, Consul General of
Italy in Guangzhou, told GDToday that he was impressed
by the fact that Marco Polo still touches the lives of so many
people. He expected to focus on some cultural projects that can
enhance the cooperation between universities and promote student
exchanges in the future.
Alessandro Lamantia, a board
member of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, shared with GDToday
his excitement about Guangdong's
dynamic atmosphere and the potential for fostering cultural
exchange and business collaboration between the two nations.
Reflecting on his journey since 1999 in China, he expressed enthusiasm for the city's
energy and highlighted the importance of building strong ties
between local and Italian communities.
"If I had the honor to meet with Marco Polo today, I would
humbly recommend him to explore the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
with me to appreciate the ongoing changes, growth, and innovation,
and perhaps he would even be able to witness a new edition of IL
MILIONE written by artificial intelligence made in China!" Alessandro
Lamantia added.
Sandro Trotti's oil painting
series "The Reverie of Marco Polo", curated by Professor Lei, was
also exhibited during the event. Sandro
Trotti is a contemporary Italian painter, who has portrayed
Marco Polo's travels in a new era with his paintbrush, depicting
the journey from Italy to
China.
The event also included an exhibition of Guangdong's intangible culturing heritages,
part of exchanges through the ancient Silk Road that Marco Polo
traveled along. The exhibition displayed over 30 masterpieces of
Guangzhou painted porcelain
(Guangcai) and Guangzhou
embroidery (Guangxiu), two significant commodities that were
exported from the province to Europe through the ancient Silk Road.
Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2405240/video.mp4
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