Opera adaptation hits high note at London premiere

"I've been an artist in many media — a poet, photographer, director, and it's all interconnected. For me, they have always been more than just words on a page. It's a lovely surprise that someone wanted to put them to music."

The Girl from the French Fort is a time-travel fantasy about a boy who meets a mysterious girl in an old barracks building on the banks of the Yangtze River.

"I used to walk past it when I was younger. When I was older, I went inside and wanted to turn it into a tale," Hong Ying explains.

The piece proved so popular that it was performed at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center's 2019 Children's Day Concert by the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra.

"The Stone God comes from my childhood memory of strange figures, monsters and folktales that I heard about," says Hong Ying. "It's about the human condition, with themes of loss, forgiveness, and kindness. I hope anyone at any age can embrace it and that it will reach a wide audience."

Composer Smith's relationship with China dates back more than three decades. He studied music at Cambridge University before going to a country about which he knew nothing to teach English. He soon became part of its music scene, but his involvement with The Stone God came via an indirect route.