A performance of the opera "Yuzuru" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan will take place at the Hanoi Opera House on March 29 and 30.
The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the International exchange of Japan (Japan Foundation).
The opera includes two famous Japanese artists, namely soprano Ieda Noriko (as Tsu, a crane in human form who is the wife of Yohyo) and tenor Mochiki Hiroshi (as Yohyo, a poor farmer who dreams of becoming rich).
The opera will feature a Vietnamese stage manager, People's Artist Le Hung, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra being directed by Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the Hanoi Children's Cultural Palace choir, and dancers from Youth Theater in Hanoi.
The Yuzuru opera was composed in 1951 by Ikuma Dan, based on the play of the same name written in 1949 by Junji Kinoshita.
The opera tells the story of a poor peasant farmer Yohyo who is lured by the prospects of wealth. His beautiful and gentle wife Tsu is the incarnation of a crane bird that he had saved.
Wishing to make life easier for Yohyo, she secretly weaves a gorgeous cloth from her own feathers. In his desire to be rich, Yohyo urges the reluctant Tsu to weave more of the valuable fabric and finally the wife dies of a broken heart. Tsu is transformed back into a crane and flaps her way into the snowy twilight night on her final journey.
The story has a sad ending, but is a great tale of the culture, spiritual life and love of Japan's ancient past.