SACRIFICE
Sacrifice is one of the world’s great love stories, conceived as a musical and set to open in London’s West End in 2011. It is currently being made into a motion picture with an all star cast, due for release end of 2010.
Set in the opulent Tang Dynasty, Sacrifice celebrates one of the great Chinese historical stories, involving, as it does,
- the greatest Tang Emperor (Xuanzong)
- its most beautiful and captivating woman (Yang Guifei)
- its greatest villain (An Lushan)
- a bloodthirsty rebellion (the An Shi rebellion)
- profound political intrigue at the Chinese court
- China’s greatest poet, Li Bai, as satirical commentator
The true story of Yang Guifei is universal in its appeal. It is the ultimate story of love and sacrifice, of duty to one’s country and one’s destiny; of greed and betrayal.
Writer Kenneth Clarke
Composer Richard Daniels
Co-composer/arranger Mark Troop
In 745 China has enjoyed over 30 years of peace and prosperity since the accession of Illustrious August (Xuanzong). The greatest emperor of the Tang dynasty is a model ruler having banished the threats from without and from within. Seemingly at peace with the world he is smitten by the sight of his son’s wife, the beautiful Yang Yuhuan, and steals her.
“Let us share their empty journey through the milky river of stars”, implores the poet immortal Li Bai. So begins China’s greatest tragic love story; that of an ageing Emperor recklessly infatuated with his beautiful concubine. A poisonous mixture of deceit and corruption permeates the perfumed vapours of the Huaqing Hot Springs, where Xuanzong indulges his passion for Yang Guifei. When she adopts the barbarian general An Lushan in a bizarre ceremony, a series of catastrophic events is unleashed.
An Lushan uses his favour with the Emperor to gain control of China’s north eastern border, and the seeds of rebellion are irrevocably sown. The eastern capital Luoyang falls and An Lushan’s mighty army march on the imperial palace at Chang An.
The Emperor has one final agonising decision to make: save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to preserve his crumbling dynasty
The musical score is set very much in the idiom of western music theatre but calls for several indigenous Chinese instruments to create an authentic Chinese colour and intensity.
Romantic and evocative music reflects the ethnic melting pot of the story – Yang Guifei’s famous Rainbow and Feather Dance inspired by Indian-Chinese melodies, the Sogdian An Lushan’s Whirling Dance with overtones of Xinjiang, the brooding atmosphere of violence about to erupt evoked by Chinese percussion.
In marrying the emotion of western music drama with the exoticism of the Chinese music tradition Yang Guifei is a perfect synthesis of west and east.
The score is equally suited to full orchestra with strings or pit band of some 20 players using keyboards and computers to supplement the string body.
