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With thrillingly accessible music by Nicholas Michael Smith, The Stone God captures the rhythms and flavours of riverside life in the old city of Chongqing. Children, young adults and seasoned opera-goers will be enchanted by this fast-moving tale.

The performances will feature Arcadian Opera’s co-founder, musical director Justin Lavender as conductor, and co-founder Ali Marshall will be the stage director. The Girl From the French Fort will be narrated by Tim Bentinck, known for his long-time role as David Archer on the BBC’s ‘The Archers’.

The Stone God is set on the shores of the mighty Yangtze. With courage and resourcefulness to match the sweeping currents of the huge river, a young boy of unwavering virtue engages with a colourful collection of characters: a wrathful warrior spirit imprisoned within a statue, a local sorceress with ancient powers, and a charming girl of his own age caught up in a primeval quarrel. Can redemption and kindness win through?

The opera is based on the story New Moon Rising by acclaimed author and film director Hong Ying. The Girl From The French Fort, for narrator and orchestra, is from another of Hong Ying’s books in the same sequence, and sets the stage for the events of the opera. Both stories take place in 1970s Chongqing, a river port on the Yangtze once part of the Kingdom of Ba. In them the magic of old China meets 20th century realism, exploring inevitable conflicts between old and new, supernatural and scientific; and inviting us to enter a shimmering realm of miracles.

Composer Nicholas Michael Smith, an ‘Old China Hand’ well versed in Chinese culture and history, has created a remarkable fusion of fairytale, myth, and the luminous, pure emotions of children. Discover The Stone God!

This opera will be performed in English.