Fresh Ghosts

score by Julian Yu

text by Glenn Perry after Medicine by Lu Xun

Instrumentation - vln., vla., vlc, cb., perc., erhu

The lives of two devoted women become inextricably bound as those they love are threatened by law and nature. One is the lover of a dissident who is executed for the murder of a government official, the other a mother whose son is dying of a fatal disease. In her desperation, the mother is forced to accept a macabre remedy paid in blood.

Fresh Ghosts is based on the short story Medicine, by Lu Xun, written in 1918. Lu Xun is regarded as the founder of modern Chinese literature, pioneering the use of vernacular language remarkable for its economy and effect. Julian Yu's score champions modern and classical, as well as Eastern and Western sound worlds in this striking new work. Born in Beijing and having studied at the Tokyo College of Music, Julian Yu has won over twenty major awards for composition in Japan, Italy, France, USA and Australia, his adopted home.

"…spectacular…" The Australian

World Premiere: Theatre Works, St Kilda, Melbourne, November 1997. Directed by Douglas Horton, music direction by Warwick Stengards, set & costume design by Dale Ferguson, lighting design by Efterpi Soropos.