Bamboo Princess

Bamboo Princess
Opera by Numajiri Ryūsuke [ja][1]
Received back into Moon Palace (月宮迎), an 1888 print from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
LibrettistNumajiri Ryūsuke
LanguageJapanese
Based onThe Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Premiere
18 January 2014 (2014-01-18)
Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall

The Bamboo Princess (歌劇「竹取物語」, Kageki "Taketori Monogatari") is an opera in five scenes[2] or acts[3] composed by Numajiri Ryūsuke [ja] to a Japanese libretto by the composer, based on the late ninth- or early tenth-century Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. First performed in 2014, it has a running time of approximately two hours.[4] While the libretto is faithful to the original story,[5] the "beautiful"[6] score is reminiscent of popular tunes of the Shōwa era.[5][6] The orchestration includes parts for harp, celesta, and horagai.[4]

Synopsis

One day, in a bamboo forest, an old bamboo-cutter comes across a shining stalk of bamboo, inside which, when cut open, he finds a young girl.[7] Raised as their own by the old man and his wife, who name her Kaguya-hime, the girl grows into a beautiful young woman.[7] Five princes, hearing of the beauteous maiden, wish to marry her; she tells them she will marry the one who brings her the treasure she seeks.[7] Hearing of her beauty, the Emperor also wishes to marry her and for three years writes to her.[7] Kaguya-hime gazes at the Moon in tears and tells the old man that from the Moon she came and to the Moon she must return.[7] Presenting the Emperor with an elixir of immortality as a parting gift, and bidding a sad farewell, Kaguya-hime returns to the Moon.[7] Without her, the Emperor has no wish for the elixir, takes it to the highest mountain, and immolates it—Mount Fuji thus taking on the mantle of immortality.[7]

Characters

The opera has the following roles:[7]

Performance history

Following a concert performance at Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall in 2014, two performances were staged at the Hanoi Opera House with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra in 2015.[4][6] The staged Japanese première was at the Biwako Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Shiga later the same year.[6] Further performances at the Biwako Hall[6] and New National Theatre, Tokyo[2] in 2020 were cancelled on public health grounds, but a semi-staged performance went ahead at the Biwako Hall in 2022.[6] In 2024 it was performed with soprano Sunagawa Ryōko [ja] in the title role at the Biwako Hall with the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra [ja],[7] Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra,[3] and Yamagin Kenmin Hall with the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Ryusuke Numajiri". Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "[CANCELLED] Invitational Programme for Performing Arts in the Region: Biwako Hall "Princess KAGUYA"". New National Theatre, Tokyo. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Ryusuke NUMAJIRI: Bamboo Princess". Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Opera "Bamboo Princess"（2014）" (in English and Japanese). Zen-On. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c 共同制作オペラ 沼尻竜典作曲 歌劇『竹取物語』 [Co-produced Opera by Numajiri Ryūsuke: Bamboo Princess] (in Japanese). Yamagin Kenmin Hall. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f 歌劇『竹取物語』 [Bamboo Princess] (PDF) (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. p. 6. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Numajiri Ryusuke： Bamboo Princess". Biwako Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Shiga. Retrieved 23 October 2025.

See also

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