The original opera The Diaries of John Rabe wrapped up its European performance tour at the Ronacher Theater of Vienna, Austria on Wednesday evening.
The opera is supervised by the Publicity Department of Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, produced by Jiangsu Cultural Investment Group and Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, and performed by Jiangsu Center of the Performing Arts and Jiangsu Performing Arts Troupe.
Wang Yanwen, standing member of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and director of the Publicity Department, was joined by the local audience for the show.
The opera was performed at the State Opera House in Berlin, Germany and the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg, Germany before its debut in Austria.
The performance of the opera has set a number of historic records in the cultural exchanges between China and Europe. It is the first time for the State Opera House in Berlin and the Ronacher Theater of Vienna to witness the performance of a Chinese original opera staged by a Chinese art troupe in their history of 277 years and 100 years.
It is also the first time for the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg, Germany, to witness the performance of the first Chinese opera concert by a Chinese art troupe since its operation in January 2017.
During the five performances, the opera enthralled the European audience totaling 8400.
Wu Jiatong, Chairman of Wu's Planning Company
It is important for the Diaries of John Rabe to be performed in Europe, in particularly in the mainstream opera house. It is also a rare thing to be applauded by mainstream audience and mainstream media.
Wu Ken, Chinese Ambassador to Germany
The opera tells of an inspiring story of the Chinese and a German, which will enable the people of the two countries to deepen their understanding.
Liu Chang, Counselor of the Chinese Ambassador to Austria
The enthusiastic response of the audience tonight proved the artistic level of our Chinese artists, and it also proves that music is indeed a bridge to communicate the human mind.
From the Grand Canal to the Monk Jianzhen’s Journey to Japan and the Diaries of John Rabe, original music operas staged by artists from Jiangsu has created one sensational effect after another in the promotion of the Chinese culture on the world stage.
Zheng Zeyun, Chairman of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group
This time, the European tour has made us more determined to give full play to the role of art troupes in the overseas promotion of the Chinese culture so that we can better tell Chinese stories and Jiangsu stories through Western art forms.
Sheng Lei, Chairman of Jiangsu Cultural Investment Group
Through this tour, we have come to be aware of the importance of the two-way artistic exchange. We should rely on more similar projects to better create the highland of original art forms for Jiangsu’s culture and art circle.
The original opera is adapted from The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe, a collection of the personal journals of John Rabe, a German businessman who lived in Nanjing at the time of the Nanking Massacre from 1937 to 1938.
From the two dimensions of the national disaster and the stories of the human nature, the drama makes an artistic reappearance and reflection on the Holocaust in human civilization.
