Songs of solace

"The sound of the violin is like streaming rivers running through history," says Tang. "Personally, this opera means a lot to me as a musician. Art can bring people together and it can also reflect history. Those people who continue to denying history, including the Nanjing Massacre, they are worse than beasts."

Apart from Rabe, played by Chinese tenors Xue Haoyin and Han Peng, other Westerners who stayed in Nanjing to shelter Chinese civilians by setting up an international safety zone, have been portrayed in the opera. American missionary Minnie Vautrin is played by Chinese soprano Xu Xiaoying and American priest John Magee by Chinese bass-baritone Li Shi.

"I maintain my career on a freelance basis. That means every production I work on has to be good enough so that the opera house asks me back to do it again. Throughout my career, I have maintained my interest in theater without seeking fame or trying make a big noise about it. I only direct productions that I feel morally connected with. This is an opera I am excited about," says Moshinsky, who has directed more than 20 opera productions with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London and the Sydney Opera House.