Theatre
Саран хөхөөний намтар
Not translated into English
Dulduityn Danzanravjaa · 1832
Synopsis
A prince loved by all, promised to a beautiful bride, befriends, at the insistence of a jealous counsellor, the counsellor's son; the two learn to transfer their souls into other bodies. In the forest, they decide to take the form of cuckoos: the companion takes the opportunity to enter the prince's body and returns to rule in his place, while the real prince, now a bird, teaches the Buddhist doctrine to the beasts of the forest. The kingdom declines, and the bride sets out to find the cause.
Context
The author conceived the work in 1831, during a stay at the temple of Baruun Khiid, in Alashan, where the opera in Tibetan style was being performed, and adapted it from a Tibetan religious tale of 1737, translated into Mongolian in 1770. He wrote and endlessly reworked the libretto, composed the music, designed the costumes and trained the troupe, in a wooden theatre built at Khamar; the premiere dates from 1832 or 1833 depending on the sources. The complete performance lasts a month. Banned for a time after its author's death, the work remained in performance until the thirties.
Who it is for
A booklet in Mongolian, with no French translation; it is better to know the Buddhist notion of rebirth and of the passage of the soul.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as the first Mongolian musical spectacle and the first public, professional theatrical performance in the country.