Chinatown; music by Alice Ho, words by Madeleine Thien and Paul Yee, is a multilingual opera about the Chinese immigrant experience in British Columbia.  It ws commissioned by Vancouver City Opera where it played in 2022.  It’s now been recorded for CD by the original cast.

Like some of Alice Ho’s previous work (The Monkiest King, The Lesson of Da JI) Chinatown is cross cultural in many ways.  It combines Western and Chinese instruments, musical styles and vocal styles and in this case it uses three languages; Hoisan dialect, Cantonese and English.  Unlike the previous two operas though this one isn’t based in myth and legend.  Rather, it’s a gritty and moving story that doesn’t shy away from confronting the brutal institutional racism that Chinese people faced in BC well into the 20th century.

It’s in two acts.  The first spans the period 1895 to the 1920s with a jump to 1948 in the final scene.  It tells the story of Saihin and Xon Pon; two men trying to scrape together enough money to bring over their families; a near impossible task which becomes completely impossible with the passing of the Exclusion Act in the 1920s.  In the years that pass Saihin’s daughter dies during the Japanese invasion of China leaving two daughters.  By the time (1948) that it’s feasible to bring them from Hong Kong Saihin is too ill to travel (and dies soon afterwards) so Xon Pon impersonates him and makes the trip.

In Act 2 the girls are almost grown and have ambitions of an education and a real life in Canada.  But it’s a time (1961) when both the Federal Government and the City of Vancouver are doing their damnedest to break up the Chinese community; immigration raids, “redevelopment” of Chinatown etc.  The eldest girl Anna decides that to protect her undocumented immigrant boyfriend Eugene she must leave Vancouver, splitting up the household she shares with her sister and the by now very elderly Xon Pon.

All this is told in a mixture of singing; largely Western style (regardless of language) for the characters and in traditional Hoisan style for the “Hoisan singer” who functions as a narratrix.  This is interspersed with spoken word; some of it by the principals, some of it radio recording of, for example, the Premier of BC demanding the Exclusion Act, some of it live action including police going door to door demanding to see papers (and yes this is Vancouver’s Chinatown not the Warsaw Ghetto).  And backing it up is some really evocative instrumental music from a chamber ensemble of Western and Chinese instruments and a chorus who also take on some of the minor roles.  Mary Chun conducts.

It’s really well done too.  All the soloists are excellent.  Bass Matthew Li as Xon Pon has most to do as he features extensively in both acts and he’s excellent in all the languages.  He’s well supported by tenor Spencer Britten as Saihin.  After the break we meet the sisters who are a really nicely matched pair; Vania Chan’s very youthful sounding soprano suits the younger daughter Wenli and contrasts nicely with the richer mezzo of Emma Parkinson as Anna.  Tenor Derek Kwan sings Eugene and has a particularly lovely aria in Act 2 Scene 2.  Then there’s Erica Iris Huang as the Hoisan singer.  I’ve heard her sing opera often enough and I know she’s a very decent singer but she excels here with what appears to be complete mastery of the style she’s working in.

All in all, I found this piece deeply moving even without being able to see the staging.  There are places where it’s pretty tough to listen to but it’s dramatically compelling and some of the music is really very beautiful.  I’d love to see it in the theatre.

It’s a digital only release available as MP3, CD quality and 48kHz/24bit FLAC as well as assorted streaming services..  I listened to the hi-res version and it’s excellent.  It’s very clear and well balanced and the English is perfectly comprehensible.  (maybe the other languages are too!).  The digital booklet has a decent scene by scene synopsis but no text or translations.  I was lucky enough to have access to a piano/vocal score which made life easier but I think one could manage without it.

Catalogue number: Leaf Music LM281