Summer 2022

Dream of the Red Chamber

By Bright Sheng

Overview

Dates

June 14–July 3, 2022

Composer

Bright Sheng

Price

Starting at $31

Run Time

Running time is approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes including one intermission

Libretto

David Henry Hwang and Bright Sheng

Language

Sung in English and Chinese supertitles

A Love That Tears A Dynasty Apart

The noble Jia family may have finally found the solution to its age-old debt: She’s young, she’s beautiful, and, most importantly, she’s wealthy. There’s only one problem. She’s not the woman of Bao Yu’s dreams.

Adapted from a classic of world literature, Dream of the Red Chamber is an opulent exploration of love, lust, and political intrigue in imperial China by composer Bright Sheng and Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang.

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Pre-Opera Talk with Byron Au Yong

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Why See It

It’s a landmark literary work put to music, complete with a steamy love triangle, court intrigue, and sumptuous period costumes ripped from your favorite wuxia film.

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The Buzz

"Konu Kim flaunts a high-flying tenor... His personality and charm combine with remarkable vocal gifts to suggest a star career in the making." – The Stage (UK)

“Yet the evening’s true star, at least from where I sat, was soprano Meigui Zhang, who brought both tonal bloom and alert precision.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“[Hongni] Wu’s adroit, sparkling phrasing and neat, fluid movements make any stage seem like her comfort zone.”
–Opera News

Synopsis

To settle an age-old debt to the emperor, one Chinese nobleman is forced to make a devastating choice: between his true love and an heiress who could make his family’s money troubles disappear.

Read Complete Synopsis 故事大綱故事大纲

Beggars drift through the ruins of a once-great home, as a monk appears. He needs to tell the world an extraordinary story: a stone, left behind from the construction of Heaven, nurtured a crimson pearl flower with its dew for 3,000 years. Together, Stone and Flower seek to fulfill their love by living as mortals on earth. The Monk tries to dissuade them from such a course. But Stone and Flower disobey, traveling through a magic mirror to earth.
Flower becomes Dai Yu, a brilliant but sickly young woman, whose mother has just died. She arrives in the home of one of the Dynasty’s most prestigious old families, the Jia clan. Granny Jia, Dai Yu’s grandmother, loved Dai Yu’s late mother. But Lady Wang, Granny Jia’s daughter-in-law, takes an immediate dislike to the newcomer.

The Stone becomes the Jias’ sole male heir, Bao Yu, Lady Wang’s son, a spoiled youth, born with a piece of jade in his mouth. When introduced, Bao Yu and Dai Yu feel they’ve met before. Envoys from the Emperor announce the promotion of Bao Yu’s elder sister to the coveted rank of Princess. For generations, the Jias have owed a huge debt to the Imperial Court, but Princess Jia’s promotion suggests that the Emperor might be willing to make peace with his long-time rivals.

Later that night, Bao Yu hears Dai Yu playing the qin (a stringed instrument). They begin to write poems together, and her skill is superior. They resolve to transform the world with music.

To counter Dai Yu’s influence, Lady Wang brings the beautiful Bao Chai, from the wealthy Xue Clan, into their home. Her mother, Aunt Xue, seeks entrée to high society, while Lady Wang, her sister, seeks the Xues’ money to repay the Imperial debt, and they hope to make a match. Though Bao Chai is the perfect woman of her time, Bao Yu is disgusted by her practicality. Granny, on the other hand, hopes her grandson will marry Dai Yu. Bao Yu has an erotic dream in which both women appear. Though attracted to Bao Chai, he feels Dai Yu is his soulmate.

Princess Jia arrives home for a visit. She tells Lady Wang that the Palace is filled with enemies, and she fears she cannot keep her position. The Emperor wants Bao Yu to marry Bao Chai, and Princess gives them both the same gift to symbolize these wishes. This delights Lady Wang, upsets Granny, and throws Dai Yu fears into despair. But Bao Yu resolves their love will triumph.
Dai Yu’s health continues to decline. On the bank of her favorite lake, she buries the falling peach blossom petals. Overhearing her, Bao Yu grows profoundly moved. She teases him about the Princess’ wish for him to marry Bao Chai, and storms off. But she overhears Bao Yu declaring that he remains devoted to her.

Bao Chai encourages Bao Yu to submit his name for a high post, and he rebukes her. Saddened, Bao Chai tells Dai Yu she only wants the young man’s happiness. The two rivals bond as sisters.

Granny Jia falls ill. She declares that she wants her grandson to marry Dai Yu. A eunuch arrives, bearing a letter from the Princess: she has lost the power struggle, and will be dead by the time they read this. There’s only one way for the Jias to save themselves. Granny Jia dies, sending the clan into mourning.

Now head of the clan, Lady Wang orders her son to carry out the Emperor’s wishes and marry Bao Chai. This is the only way to pay back the Imperial debt. Lady Wang sends Dai Yu away to her favorite lake, where she burns the poems she and Bao Yu wrote. But Bao Yu makes a stand for love, and tells Lady Wang he will become a monk. Defeated, Lady Wang agrees to let Bao Yu marry Dai Yu.

Bao Yu exchanges vows with Dai Yu who is veiled. Once they are married, Bao Yu discovers he has actually married Bao Chai, tricked by Aunt Xue and Lady Wang! Suddenly, Imperial soldiers storm in to confiscate all property of the Jia and Xue clans. The Emperor only encouraged this marriage, so that when he arrested the Jias, he could also seize the Xue fortune.

We realize that the Monk is Bao Yu’s older self, writing his own life story. After the wedding, Dai Yu slowly walked into the lake and drowned herself. The Jia family became beggars, wandering through the illusion known as life.

Cast

Dai Yu

Meigui Zhang*

Lady Wang

Hyona Kim

Bao Yu

Konu Kim*

Princess Jia

Karen Chia-ling Ho

Bao Chai

Hongni Wu*

Granny Jia

Sabina Kim*

Aunt Xue

Guang Yang

Monk/Dreamer

Francis Jue

Creative Team

Conductor

Darrell Ang*

Director

Stan Lai

Production Designer

Tim Yip

Lighting Designer

Gary Marder

Revival Choreographer/Dance Master

Colm Seery

Chorus Director

John Keene

Fight Director

Dave Maier

* San Francisco Opera Debut

Performances
June 14, 17, 19, 23, 25; July 1, 3, 2022

Previous performances of Dream of the Red Chamber can be found in our Archive.

A co-production with the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Hear The Music

Audio excerpts are from the 2016 San Francisco Opera production of Dream of the Red Chamber.Featuring Yijie Shi as Bao Yu, Karen Chia-Ling as Princess Jia, and Pureum Jo as Dai Yu.

See Photos

Pureum Jo (Dai Yu) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
San Francisco Opera's production of Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Yijie Shi (Bao Yu) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Irene Roberts (Bao Chai) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
San Francisco Opera's production of Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Randall Nakano (The Monk/Dreamer) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Hyona Kim (Lady Wang) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
San Francisco Opera's production of Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Pureum Jo (Dai Yu) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Qiulin Zhang (Granny Jia) and Pureum Jo (Dai Yu) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
San Francisco Opera's production of Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Irene Roberts (Bao Chai) and Yanyu Guo (Aunt Xue) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Karen Chia-ling Ho (Princess Jia) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Karen Chia-ling Ho (Princess Jia) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.
Pureum Jo (Dai Yu) in Dream of the Red Chamber. Photo by Cory Weaver.

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Made Possible By

This production is made possible, in part, by John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn; Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Fund; and Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.

The commission of the 2016 world premiere of The Dream of the Red Chamber was initiated and funded by the Chinese Heritage Foundation Friends of Minnesota.

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