Tokaido Road

A Journey after Hiroshige

Tokaido Road, a chamber opera, came to the Gulbenkian Theatre as part of the University’s 50th anniversary, part of which was a celebration of the work of members of the University community. The chamber opera premiered at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival, and received a four-star review from The Times’ Hilary Finch.

Based on the award-winning cycle of poems by Nancy Gaffield, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University, Tokaido Road was a new multi-media chamber opera, with music by Nicola LeFanu. This fifty-minute work, with a libretto also by Nancy, was set in the rich, hedonistic ‘Floating World’ of Japan’s Edo period. A composite of music, poetry, mime, dance and visual imagery, Tokaido Road drew inspiration from the ravishing mix of art forms enjoyed by the wealthy members of Edo society.

Taking its name from the series of vivid woodblock prints by Japanese artist Hiroshige, the opera brought Hiro – the figure present in every picture – to life. Journeying from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto against a backdrop of old and new images, Hiro told of his encounters – humorous, amorous, tragic – through mime, dance, speech and song.

Okeanos Ensemble mixed traditional Japanese instruments, such as koto, sho and shamisen, with western ones. The first half of the performance presented traditional Japanese music.

More information about Tokaido Road can be found here: http://tokaidoroad.wordpress.com