The Musical Image And Characteristics Of Zhao Jia In The Chinese Opera "Sandalwood Punishment"

?Sandalwood Death?is an original Chinese national opera co-created by professor Li Yuntao from Shandong University of Arts and Mr.Mo Yan,a winner of Nobel Prize in Literature.This opera was based on Mo Yan's novel of the same name,?Sandalwood Death?.Mr.Mo himself worked as the scriptwriter,and Professor Li as the composer.After six years of creation,it successfully premiered in Shandong Provincial Capital Culture and Art Center Grand Theatre on the evening of June 23^rd,2017.In this opera,there is an unforgettable executioner-Zhao Jia,who invented this cruel torture.It can be said that there would be no sandalwood death without Zhaojia.He contributed to sandalwood death,and sandalwood death contributed to this character.It is this horrible and cruel torture that gives Sandalwood Death its core soul,whether as a novel or as an opera.In the opera Sandalwood Death,?I am the Chief Executioner?is an arioso Zhao Jia sings at his first appearance on the stage,and it's also the only solo singing of him in the whole opera.The lyrics of this arioso was extracted from the original novel,expressing the storms inside the heart of Zhao Jia the executioner in a unique way of singing.This paper uses the arioso?I am the Chief Executioner?as an example,and aims to analyze the music image and traits of character of Zhao Jia through discussing about the creation background of?Sandalwood Death?,and the lyrics,musical structure and singing style of the arioso.