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If Platée was an ancient opera in a new guise, Tea, a Mirror of the Soul, the contemporary work by Chinese born composer Tan Dun, was both new and experimental. The set by Rumi Matsui and the costumes by Masatomo Ota were beautiful in a traditional manner and director Amon Miyamoto told the story in a straightforward manner.

The performance on Thursday 23 August 2007, was part of the run following the opera's American première and it was sung in English. Soprano Kelly Kaduce was an ethereal Princess Lan who seemed to step right out of a fairy tale. Her voice soared over the orchestra as she interpreted the long and intricate part. As Seikyo, her one time lover who had become a monk, Haijing Fu commanded the stage both vocally and physically.

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