Dr Sun Yat-sen
Opera Hong Kong
Grand Theatre, HK Cultural Centre
Thursday
Dr Sun Yat-sen - four years in the making - was intended to premiere in September, at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts. But after a diktat undid the much anticipated curtain-up of the opera, commissioned by Opera Hong Kong and the city's Leisure and Cultural Services Department, it fell back to the performances scheduled for Hong Kong: Thursday's opening became the world premiere by default.
The Hong Kong opening was in any case to be the first airing of the version using an orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments; the Beijing debut was scored for Western instruments. You may well ask why.
Producer Warren Mok sang the title role of Sun Yat-sen, who spearheaded the 1911 revolution that brought the Qing imperial dynasty to a close. It is known to the Chinese as the Xinhai revolution, after the year according to the traditional 60-year Chinese calendrical cycle.
Mok had a solid cast of lead singers, notably Gong Dongjian (playing Charlie Soong, Sun's friend turned foe), Yang Guang (Soong's wife), Yuki Ip (a substantial presence in the cameo role of Lu Muzhen, Sun's first wife) and Yao Hong, who was commanding as Soong Chingling, Charlie's daughter, who creates her own revolution in family mores by marrying Sun, her much older idol.
The creative team were solid. Stage direction was fluent and natural, the costumes by Blanc de Chine were spot on and the sets bold.