Confucius, The Opera: Hong Kong Composer Gustav Mak Mixes Western and Chinese Elements In A 3hr Tribute To Sage

Gustav Mak Ka-lok, a Hong Kong conductor and composer has created an opera he hopes will combine his Western training and expertise with his Chinese roots.

His subject is Confucius, the philosopher, and politician whose teachings have endured for more than 2,000 years and made a profound impact across East Asia.

“I’m Chinese. I believe Chinese culture is worth being proud of,” said Mak, 65. “It is my wish to let more people know about Chinese culture through music.”

The Legend of Confucius will be staged at the Hong Kong City Hall on November 2 as part of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule.

A view of the Confucius Temple in Wenchang, Hainan province. Photo: Simon Song

“As a hub for cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world, Hong Kong is a window for expressing Chinese culture to the world.”

Mak, who studied and worked abroad for 35 years before he returned to Hong Kong in 2011, combined elements of Chinese and Western music for the first time in his composition.

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He said he never forgot that his teacher Alfred Uhl, an Austrian composer, and conductor, once told him that his compositions were brilliant but lacked Chinese elements.

Mak came up with the idea for an opera based on Confucius in 2018. And spent months researching the life and teachings of the sage who was born in 551BC and lived through China’s Spring and Autumn period.

“When it comes to Chinese culture, almost every foreigner knows about Confucius, just like Beethoven is to Western classical music,” he said.

“Starting with Confucius to tell people about Chinese culture will be more acceptable to foreigners.”

Confucianism emphasizes personal and governmental morality, the correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. The five acts of Mak’s opera focus on different themes from the sage’s life and teachings.

Conductor and composer Gustav Mak Ka-lok. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The first act depicts Confucius’ interactions with his students, starting with the story of Zhong You, one of his most famous and faithful disciples.

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The second act focuses on the political career of Confucius in his native state of Lu, where he rose to be a minister of crime, and the third features philosophical conversations between Confucius and fellow sage Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism.

The fourth act highlights significant incidents during the years when Confucius, disappointed with the Duke of Lu’s debauchery, left the state and journeyed far and wide, expounding his political beliefs.

The final act examines the life of the homebound philosopher in old age. The opera concludes with his death and a final song praising his lifelong effort to make the world a better place.

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Mak said he combined elements of Western and Chinese music in his composition, including folk music from eastern Shandong province, where Confucius was born.

“I used the foundation of Western classical music but added Chinese elements to make it a bridge of communication,” he said.

The opera is performed in Mandarin, with all the lyrics drawn from original texts including The Records of the Grand Historian, The School Sayings of Confucius, The Analects, and The Zhuangzi.

The performance of about three hours will feature a soprano as Nanzi – the Duchess of Wei who met Confucius during his journey – a tenor as Lao Tzu, and two basses as Zhong You and Confucius.

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Confucius will be played by Hong Kong singer Michael Lam Chun-ting for the Hong Kong premiere.

The opera will be accompanied by the Global Symphony Orchestra led by Mak, and feature the choir of the Opera Society of Hong Kong.

The performance of the opera was planned for December 2020 at the Guangzhou Opera House. But was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mak and his team recorded a 1½-hour online concert in March last year instead.

Mak will be in Austria on Sunday to conduct excerpts of the opera at the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV.

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Mak, who made an intensive study of Confucius, said he was moved by the philosopher’s spirit of perseverance, and that resonated with his own experience.

“It has never been easy to be a musician in today’s world,” he said.

He added that in Hong Kong where utilitarianism was dominant, the arts were easily dismissed as non-essential.

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The opera will be held at City Hall. Photo: Dickson Lee

Mak started as a violinist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1975. Before spending more than 30 years studying and conducting music abroad. Mostly in Russia, Austria, and other European countries.

He set up the non-profit Global Symphony Orchestra in 2013, now made up of 60 Hong Kong musicians, after he returned to Hong Kong.

He has received several awards over the years, including the Austrian Music Theatre Prize in 2018.

“Confucius is still relevant today. He is a role model for us to overcome hardships in difficult times,” Mak said.

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The Legend of Confucius is part of a series of arts and cultural events organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Hong Kong Member Association to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handover.

Eddy Li Sau-hung, the association’s executive chairman, said: With Hong Kong earmarked for development into a hub for arts and cultural exchanges. Between China and the rest of the world, under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The city could establish its unique identity by combining Western and Chinese elements.

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He said it was significant that an accomplished musician like Mak wanted to promote Chinese culture through art. Especially in a world where Western culture dominated.

“Confucianism has been passed down over the millennia and shaped Chinese culture. It is broad, profound, and more advanced than many Western cultures,” he said.

“It is a good approach to promote our culture.”

scmp.com