Pianist Li Yundi will play in Chopin. Photo: CFP

By Xing Daiqi

With a unique combination of music, piano and theater, new stage production Chopin is preparing to open at Beijing's Poly Theater from June 11-20 to mark the maestro's 200th birthday, performers now busy putting the final touches on the work before its premiere.

"Maybe I can't alter the destiny of Poland by myself, but I would rather die for her. I want the whole Europe to hear the sound of Poland from my music, to feel her strength through my fingertips. Poland can be defeated, but never be conquered. Outside the territory of Poland, I'm the image of her!"

As Polish composer and pianist Frederic Chopin's (1810-1849) passionate Grande Polonaise echoed from the stage, actors in Chopin were busy rehearsing.

"I feel very lucky to be able to approach Chopin through the form of theater," exclaimed playwright Feng Daqing. "In the past, I was used to listening to Chopin through notes and the piano keyboard. The aim of theater is not to imitate, but to express Chopin through a recreated 'reality' that helps people better understand this great musician."

Teaming up with a strong alternating cast from the National Theater of China and pianists Li Yundi and Nikodem Wojciechowski, Chopin's signature works, Mazurka, Nocturne and Grande Polonaise are all part of the production.

The first Chinese pianist to win the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, Li was recently awarded the Glory Artist Medal from the Ministry of Culture of Poland, for his "brilliant performances and poetic interpretation of Chopin."

"I'm very happy to be part of this play, to observe the performance of stage actors so closely," Li said. "I will just be myself playing piano on the stage because I don't have any training in theater and performance. However, I think that different art genres are all related in a way. This stage experience is an interesting experiment and will certainly have a positive effect on my interpretation of Chopin in the future."

Based on the 1945 film production A Song to Remember and Chopin, a biography by Arthur Hedley (1943), Feng's Chopin follows the musician's life, living in exile in France and the evolution of his music.

"The stage play focuses more on the crucial episodes that mark the turning points of Chopin's music career and personal growth," Chopin director Wang Xiaoying told the Global Times.

Chopin begins in October 1849 in France, where the terminally-ill musician requests his sister remove his heart and return it to his homeland and commences a special farewell of music.

A flashback takes him to the picturesque fields of Poland where he created the beautiful Mazurka. His musical dreams are soon crushed as Russian troops invade. With a handful of soil, Chopin was forced to leave Poland, never to return.

Far away from home in Paris, with the help of his music teacher Jozef Elsner, his friend Franz List and his lover George Sand, Chopin garnered universal admiration with his music genius. His love affair with French author and feminist Sand is also said to have inspired his creativity and passion.

"Based on her deep appreciation and profound understanding of Chopin, George Sand created a peaceful environment for his artistic path in France that lead to the creation of some of Chopin's most beautiful productions at the late stage of his life," Wang said. "The emotional entanglement, the hurt Sand brought to Chopin as she finally decided to break up with him, also resulted in the leap of Chopin's musicality and personality in a way."

Sand introduced Chopin to Parisian high society and The Grande Polonaise Chopin played in a saloon in Paris reveals his deep affection for Poland and his grief for the national subjugation.

"In fact, Chopin's Poland complex, which is represented by his teacher Elsner and his musical pursuit, inspired and guided by his lover Sand, these two elements working together, accomplished the greatness of Chopin." Wang added.

"The exploration of a human being, the depth of humanity and spiritualism has a strong appeal for me," Wang added. "Chopin's patriotism and his clinging and passionate pursuit of art bear significance to modern-day Chinese society which is materialistic and restless. People today consume art with instant success and quick profits."

After playing in Beijing, Chopin is scheduled to tour Hong Kong, Taiwan and major cites in China before heading to Poland as part of the worldwide celebration of Chopin Year. The play will be subtitled in English.