Ulaanbaatar
Classic national opera to be staged this weekend
Art & CultureUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ As this October has beed announced the Month of Historic Operas, the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet is staging the opera adaptation of the classical short story “A Venerable Monk’s Tears” by D.Natsagdorj, on October 24 and 25. The monk Lodon will be played by E.Amartuvshin, the audience prize winner of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2015.
The main music conductor is the State Honored Figure of Arts J.Burenbekh, the directors are L.Erdenebulgan, a State Honored Figure of Arts, and B.Tserendavaa. Tickets are being sold at the cashier of the Academic Theatre and monda.mn website.
The opera was first staged on May 10 of 1986. The must-read classical short story about an unfortunate love story of a Buddhist monk has been written by Dashdorjiin Natsagdorj, one of the founders of the comtemporary Mongolian literature.
The translation of this story by scholar Simon Wickham-Smith can be found in his “Stories from the Steppe” book.
… When Geshe Lodon, who meditated on the world as being empty, who kept the monastic vows and who had preserved with his robes of yellow and red, came down the eastern terrace at Gandan, it happened that a young woman called Zi Bai-hua, or Tserenlkham, whose determined study of song was an education in the sharp heat of passion, was coming in the opposite direction, in a shimmer of white and black, down a muddy street out of the Western Traders’ quarter of Urga. Zi Bai-hua’s supply of opium was used up, and so she was going to sell a golden ring for some money. By chance, she saw Geshe Lodon, and the plan came like lightning to her that this must surely be one of the sangha and, knowing already that such people were lighthearted and easily lead, she went straight up to him and anxiously said, “Please, venerable monk, please, my old mother is sick and on the verge of death. Please come to our house and pray for her.” And the monk said, “I am going to attend a ritual in the eastern monastery. I don’t have time now. Ask another monk.” But he saw how panicked she was when she asked him and, thinking that she would give a large offering, he set off with her in the direction of her home to say some prayers…
