1999

Le Jardin des Délices

Premiere Venue
Manufacture des Oeillets ,Paris 

Premiere Date     
1999/9/11

Le Jardin des Délices

Taiwan & France Classical Opera 

....... < An Encounter >             by  Mireille Larroche
....... < Preface to a Dream >   by Chen Mei-o

Synopsis

[Overture]

The two daughters of French aristocrat Maître Guillet, Louise and Marie, as well as the talented Elénore and the castrati Tonio greet Guillet on his return from a trip to the East with gifts, games, music, dance, sword play and poetry. Employing astronomical instruments, they look at a map of the world and search for the location of a mysterious place in the East known as the “Middle Kingdom.”

Guillet reads from a book in the hands of his attendant Hector, detailing the ancient Chinese myth of Cow Herd and Weaving Girl. All sigh in wonder at this tender, moving love story.

[Pear Garden Dream]

On a bright night, lit by the stars and a full moon, the three girls and Tonio sit together sleepily and gaze at the night sky. Louise opens a Book of China and reads from it in a voice filled with longing. And so a magical night quietly begins to unfold.

[Fragrant Damsels]

Amidst the flickering light of candles, the sound of strings and flutes arises. Aristocratic ladies and musicians dressed in T’ang dynasty clothing appear in slow rhythmic movements. Three beautiful Chinese maidens, like figures in a painting, at the sound of the music begin to dance.

[When East Meets West]

The Chinese and French characters meet. They express their mutual admiration through body language, gesture and facial expression. They dance alone and together, play music alone and together. They present each other with gifts as tokens of friendship.

[The Tale of the Lychee Mirror]

 In the silence that follows the commotion, Louise reads from the Book of China the Chinese folk-tale “Story of the Lychee Mirror.” The male lead Ch’en San enters the stage with a flourish and falls in love with the charming female lead Huang Wu-niang. Beneath a brilliant moon and its shifting shadows, Wu-niang and I-ch’un display their charms with gestures, smiles and glances. They toss aside a lychee kerchief which Hector picks up while gazing at the slow graceful dancing of Wu-niang and I-ch’un. Full of emotion he begins to sing and sigh under his breath.

[The Garden of Delight]

Tonio, I-c’hun and the three maidens surround love-stricken Hector and dance a sprightly dance. Then they all gather in the grassy patch in the garden where Maître Guillet offers them fruit and wine. Lady E lights incense, boils water and makes tea, and Lady Hsin serves the tea and waits upon the guests. Maître Guillet and his family sing and dance joyfully.

[To Whom do the Flower Petals Fall]

In this glorious atmosphere of gay poetry, Louise continues to narrate the story and with hand gestures explains the obstacles that the lovers Ch’en San and Wu-niang encounter. Lady E and Lady Hsin sing of Wu-niang’s longing for Ch’en San and of her heart-felt anxieties. I-ch’un offers flowers to Wu-niang while Hector and Maître Guillet sing of the sweetness and sorrow of love.

[Song of Love]

Louise continues the Story of the Lychee Mirror where the love-sick Ch’en San who has waited and pined for so long decides to abandon his tumultuous love and go home. I-ch’un hastily restrains him and encourages him to cherish true love.

[Map of Love]

With a smile on her face Louise closes her book and opens the map of the kingdom of love. Maître Guillet’s family dance and sing of enduring and everlasting love, and of their hope that sweetness will follow sorrow and that happiness will be theirs.

[Ongoing song]

 Lady Hsin plays the lute and sings while Wu-niang is lost in contemplation. I-ch’un dances alone and relates the tragic love story of Chen San and Wu-niang and the vicissitudes of fate.

[Waking up from the Dream]

 As the hour grows late and morning approaches, all has become still and silent. Amidst the mournful sound of Hector’s lute, all realize that it is time to part. Guillet, Tonio,  Marie, Elénore, Louise and Hector bid farewell to Lady E, Lady Hsin, Ch’en San and Wu-niang and I-ch’un. The Chinese figures of the Pear Garden dream vanish.

[When Will You Return]

Marie, Elénore and Louise embrace their lovers and sigh wistfully, regretting that friends cannot be together forever. Guillet cites as examples the love stories of the myth of Herd-boy and Weaver-girl and of Ch’en San and Wu-niang, and says if your heart is resolute you can change sorrow into hope and make the impossible come to pass. Whether lovers in heaven or on earth, East or West, one day hearts will unite, and they will come together from a thousand miles away to continue this subtle dream.

Production Staff 

‾ The Feast of Han Xizai
‾ Le Jardin des Delices  
‾ Lirenxing ( Beauties at Stroll )   
‾ Yangexing ( Summptous Feasting Song )