Ryukyu Opera Premieres With Tale of Kingdom’s King and Queen

A new stage production in Okinawa has brought the rich history of the Ryukyu Kingdom to life through opera, captivating audiences with a dramatic portrayal of royal love and resilience. The performance, staged in Urasoe as part of celebrations marking the city’s 55th anniversary, centers on Queen Aoriya and the young seventh king of the Ryukyu Kingdom as they face the nation’s greatest crisis in 1609 the invasion known as “Satsuma,” which threatened the kingdom’s sovereignty.

Swords and sarangis

T he first of October is marked as Music Day in many parts of the world; another day, June 21, is also observed, with a slightly different emphasis a celebration of musics many forms and its capacity to bring disparate traditions into conversational harmony. Yet if music can.