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East meets West and contemporary art meets classical music at a bold new production of Handel’s Semele. We talk to Lady Linda Wong Davies, founder of the KT Wong Foundation, who commissioned the contemporary Chinese artist Zhang Huan to design and direct this extraordinary opera.
A bold new production of Handel’s Semele at Belgium’s leading opera house Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie has traditionalists scratching their heads. Woven within the story based on Greek mythology are elements of Chinese folklore; punctuated throughout the classical score are pieces of Chinese music; and on stage sits a 450-year-old Ming temple that forms the basis of the set. How does the audience react to such a contemporary interpretation of opera? “Rapturously!” declares Lady Linda Wong Davies, founder of the KT Wong Foundation that co-produced the opera. “They are hit by a visual feast.”
As part of its mission to build bridges between China and the West through innovative cross-cultural collaboration, the KT Wong Foundation commissioned contemporary Chinese artist Zhang Huan – known for his performance pieces for which he puts himself through painful experiences – to reinterpret Handel’s Semele.
“Semele is the original material girl,” says Lady Davies. “She has great ambition for herself and it is a story about desire, jealousy, vengeance, and her ultimate comeuppance. In a sense, it’s a metaphor for where China is today.”
A dream team of opera stars was assembled to execute Zhang Huan’s vision. These include Christophe Rousset, the celebrated baroque conductor; Han Feng, the renowned costume designer; Su Jie, one of China’s leading choreographers and Wolfgang Gobbel, the acclaimed stage and opera director. It is difficult to disagree with Lady Davies when she comments, “The combination of these people is quite spellbinding.”
When the opera moves to Beijing in 2010 it will be the first full-length baroque opera ever to be performed in China. “It’s a great way to introduce baroque music to China at the highest level and hopefully that will spark greater interest,” says Lady Davies. But it is the desire to showcase the best of contemporary Chinese culture in Europe that drives this particular leg of the project. “China’s greatest resource is its people,” she explains. “This is the talent and energy that the foundation is keen to tap into.”
As we showcase scenes from this remarkable reimagination of Handel, we talk to Lady Davies about promoting cultural understanding and the best of contemporary Chinese art.
Tell us about the work of the KT Wong Foundation?
The foundation was set up by me in memory of my father, KT Wong, who was an amazing Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He always wanted his children to do more work with China and that is why I set it up. The whole point of the foundation is to build a dialogue and build bridges between China and globalized communities, especially now that China is taking its position as a major power, not just economically but in every sense. China’s greatest resource is its people, and this is the talent and energy that the foundation is keen to tap into, mostly on the cultural platform. We do other things as well, in horticulture, landscape, the environment and education, that will in a sense help China go forward as a fully-fledged member of the globalized community. China is in flux right now, it’s in a hurry, and is developing at such a rate that it is bewildering to people in the West as well as to itself. I think this is a fascinating time to be doing this in China.
Why did Handel’s Semele lend itself to the unique mission of the KT Wong Foundation to promote cultural understanding between China and the West?
The reason why I selected this oratorio called Semele by Handel is, number one, because I knew that in 2009 we would be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the death of Handel and, being a big Handelian myself, I wanted to do something quite special. I also heard Handel’s Messiah being performed in Shanghai three years ago. It was the first time it had ever been performed there and I was quite taken by the audience’s reaction. I found out later that baroque opera is hardly ever performed in China even though there is a great love of Western music. I was thinking about what would be an ideal vehicle to appeal both to the West and the East and to harness the best creative energy from China and the West, when I fell upon the idea of using an oratorio called Semele. Semele is the original material girl; she has great ambition for herself and it is a story about desire, jealousy, vengeance, and her ultimate comeuppance. In a sense it’s a metaphor for where China is today. That’s a cautionary tale if you want to read it that way. The other way to read it is on a less mythical level and that’s as a wonderful vehicle to showcase the vocal and musical talents of people in China.
There are many contemporary Chinese artists making a name for themselves internationally. How did you come to select Zhang Huan?
The reason I chose him was because if you know his art you know he is certainly not afraid of a challenge. What is it that would make me think of making a connection between a sublime dramatic oratorical opera with an artist who inflicts all this pain on himself? Just by researching the artist and by getting to know him a little bit, I felt that there was something within his work where he is searching for something, a deeper meaning of life. What he has put himself through – painful experiences in the name of art – is like a journey. He also has a series of works called Gods and Demons, which made me think this man has something interesting to offer to the story of Semele, which is taken from the Greek myths.
How did the audience react in Brussels?
Rapturously! They are hit by a visual feast. We worked with a number of other artists on this production: Han Feng, the wonderful costume designer who worked on Anthony Minghella’s Madame Butterfly; Wolfgang Gobbel, who is one of the world’s best stage lighting designers; and Christophe Rousset, one of the top leading Baroque conductors. The combination of these people is quite spellbinding! You have to see it.
What are the differences between promoting Chinese culture in Europe and European culture in China?
The aims are the same. We will be choosing projects that appeal to both sides. The challenge is to find the right vehicles and make them interesting to audiences outside of China. For example, Chinese opera is wonderful and is very old but, quite frankly, it is not really understood in the West and is something that is totally exotic. We want to make whatever projects we undertake to be understood by people outside of China. They should provoke more thought and a better understanding of each other’s culture.
What other projects have the KT Wong Foundation undertaken?
In 2008, the year of the Chinese festival in Britain, I was asked to join the festival’s board and help create a project that would let the British public understand Chinese culture more. Originally, I was asked to do something with music but I thought that to really reach the British we should find something closer to their heart, and I thought that would be gardens. I wanted to commission a wonderful artist – not a landscape artist or garden designer – but the artist Shao Fan to give his interpretation of a modern day art scholar’s garden. This was to help change people’s misconceptions of what a Chinese garden is. Usually they think it is like a Japanese garden. In this case, Shao Fan really came up with the goods. He is the embodiement of a true Chinese artist, which is someone who is adept in all the arts including prose. In the West, artists are more specialized. The public loved it and was completely intrigued by it, and we won a gold medal. Last year, we also co-commissioned a new composition by one of China’s top modern conductors. It was co-commissioned with the BBC, which was a nice link.
So far you have introduced the West to leading contemporary Chinese artists. Is there a project you dream of where you bring a Western artist to China?
I’m a big fan of Benjamin Britten and would absolutely love to stage one of his operas in China and to introduce the Chinese public to one of the greats.
Is culture and entertainment still regarded as a luxury in China?
A lot of people still have that idea but as China develops, there is a great interest in it. Art and music has been a great part of our culture for over 5,000 years. Communism and the Cultural Revolution, which obliterated a lot of our art, is really just a blip in our history. Culture comes naturally to people in China. It’s about life and the Chinese are such magical people that they embrace everything about life.
Why did you decide to combine contemporary art with classical music?
My father always loved classical music and I grew up with it as a child, so it’s been a very natural thing to continue. Art is everywhere around you and is an expression of a generation. It’s about participating and tapping into the zeitgeist about what is happening in China.
Who are your favorite contemporary Chinese artists?
Zhang Huan, Yue Minjun and Wen Fang are the three that spring to mind immediately. There are so many that are emerging at the moment, that’s the most exciting thing. I think the perception within the Chinese community is that the West seem to focus on just a few artists and those are not necessarily the ones that are popular in China. Chinese art is still at a very interesting stage of development and it’s wonderful to be able to watch the growth and development.
Is your own collection of art purely contemporary Chinese or is it a mix of Chinese and Western contemporary art?
It’s a mixture. I’m afraid I collect in a very different way to how collectors should. I collect more on a theme or something that speaks to me about the quality of a piece within the body of work of an artist. I watch their progression as an artist and buy at a particular point when they are they producing something that alters my desire to want to have it. I wouldn’t say that it’s more of a spiritual level but certainly there needs to be evidence in the art.
You have set a very high standard for future projects of the KT Wong Foundation. What do you have planned next?
The foundation chooses very carefully what it involves itself with because it has to meet its aim of creating a wonderful platform for different talents to engage in a dialogue. We will initiate China’s first baroque program when this opera travels there next year. There’s a big Shanghai Expo coming up too that we will be participating in and also the Beijing music festival. The foundation wants to leave a lasting legacy to help China through all sorts of projects. So watch this space.
What is your definition of luxury?
Time – something you can’t have enough of and is not easily attained.
A moment?
Listening to a Handel opera 24 hours a day. It’s berserk I know, but I could listen to it constantly.
Place?
My home in South Africa.
Person?
My three endless pleasures, my children.
Object?
This production of Semele!
More info:
Semele at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels.
http://www.lamonnaie.be/demunt-1.0/programma/productie.jsp?id=10756
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