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Turandot by Zhang Yimou debuts at Bird's Nest
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Zhang Yimou said, "Despite the gigantic size, the stage design is simple and powerful. The blocks, lines and dots have comprised a simple and modern setting. The Chinese palace is reduced to a silhouette, one that provides the basic backdrop to the story of love and hate."
The story of "Turandot" originates from a collection of 17th-century Persian stories called "The Book of One Thousand and One Days." It was then adapted into a play by Carlo Gozzi.
Around 1910, Giacomo Puccini heard the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower". The tune inspired him to create an opera containing Chinese elements. "Turandot" was the result based on Gozzi's play about a Chinese princess and a Tartary prince.
The Bird's Nest version has toppled down many of its predecessors, replacing the blue and grey hues permeating the western versions with flamboyant, fiery and bright colors.
Zhang Yimou said, "We often joked about the color of the show, saying that it is the color of a seventeen-year-old. The colors of young people's clothes. Fashionable people also call it mix and match. That's what makes it intriguing."
The Bird's Nest version of "Turandot" will embark on a world tour shortly after its Beijing premiere. Shanghai is at the top of itinerary, for the upcoming 2010 World Expo. The production will then be performed in Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United States, and other countries before it moves to London.
