New Stage Series: Heart of Coral

A chamber opera after the life of Xiao Hong

Xiao Hong (1911–1942) was a contemporary of Eileen Chang and perhaps the most celebrated Chinese woman writer in the 1930s. She lived her short life with love, with freedom, and the land and its people always in her heart. Her first novel The Field of Life and Death, written at 24, was an instant hit and won the admiration of Lu Xun, literary doyen of the day.

Based on her life story, this new chamber opera is a reflection on Xiao’s tumultuous life, from her early life in Harbin to her solitary death in Hong Kong, where she completed her most renowned novel Tales of Hulan River.

With librettist Yan Yu’s poetic verse, Helen Lai’s staging, and Chan Hing-yan’s original score employing both Chinese and Western instruments, Heart of Coral is a lyrical testament to Xiao’s unfailing aspiration to love and liberty. Award-winning singers and musicians, including Louise Kwong, the first Hong Kong winner at the Ferruccio Tagliavini International Competition for Opera Singers in Austria, perform under the baton of Lio Kuokman.
 

Commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival with support from CASH Music Fund