Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

The Great Wave

 
Mark Harding Review by Mark Harding 3 Published: 15 Feb 2026 Multiple Venues Show Dates: 12 Feb 2026-21 Feb 2026

Everyone knows the print of The Great Wave. This opera tells the story of Hokusai, the artist who made it, one of 30,000 artworks he produced in his lifetime. The production opens with a silent homage; the equivalent of “curtain up” is a surprising and spectacular tribute to the art and artist (video design by Sho Yamaguchi), followed by people in modern dress placing flowers on Hokusai’s grave. Then we go back in time to Hokusai’s daughter Ōi at his funeral, and the start of the opera proper.

Scenes range from the extreme – thunderstorms, impending violence, and The Wave itself

The opera consists of scenes from Hokusai’s life, presented non-chronologically but with the ever-present themes of his talent and dedication, his fame, the affectionate working relationship with his daughter, and his wish for another 10 years of life to improve his art. The scenes range from the extreme, thunderstorms, impending violence and The Wave itself, through the comedic, to the calmly domestic: Hokusai and Ōi taking tea together. The director Satoshi Miyagi and scenographer Junpei Kiz combine movement and visuals effectively, and sometimes with memorable vividness.

Dai Fujikura’s music spans from dramatic to comic. He synthesises different elements into a cohesive musical effect, incorporating the shakuhachi flute and soft mallet vibraphone, and the orchestra is gorgeously arranged as both a support and partner for the singers. Conducted by Stuart Stratford, the playing is lusciously expressive, ranging from contemplative to intense.

The singers are strong throughout, with restrained emotion from Julieth Lozano Rolong as Ōi, a huge range of performance from Daisuke Ohyama as Hokusai, and Shengzhi Ren notable in the parts of the sweetshop owner and publisher.

There are minor issues, such as image projections that, depending on where you sit in the audience, are pointless distractions.

The serious issue lies with “the book”. The librettist Harry Ross has said the story is told in a non-linear “eastern” manner as opposed to “western teleology”.

The opera illustrates that the blues of The Great Wave were only possible because of the Prussian Blue ink illegally obtained from the west: the combination of cultures leads to richness. I’m no Japanologist, but I’m certain Japanese audiences are very familiar with western storytelling. Unfortunately, the opera is a series of episodes with no unifying development. Hokusai dies of old age, hardly the stuff of drama. I can’t see the benefit in excluding one of the key tools and expectations of modern opera.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Join us for the world premiere of Dai Fujikura and Harry Ross's The Great Wave: an extravagant story about artist Katsushika Hokusai and his famous woodblock print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

This groundbreaking opera directed by Satoshi Miyagi explores Hokusai’s creative triumphs and struggles, and his bond with his daughter Ōi. This relationship redefined Japanese painting and printmaking – and changed the global art world and popular iconography forever.

Japanese composer Dai Fujikura and Scottish librettist Harry Ross create a mesmerising musical drama that showcases the series of events that ignites The Great Wave off Kanagawa phenomena, influencing pop art culture today.

This large-scale, dynamic, international collaboration between Scottish Opera and KAJIMOTO builds on centuries of cultural exchange between Scotland and Japan. Baritone Daisuke Ohyama brings Katsushika Hokusai to life, along with Julieth Lozano Rolong as Ōi. Stuart Stratford conducts The Orchestra of Scottish Opera – with the unique addition of the rich historic sounds of a Japanese shakuhachi-flute. The Chorus of The Great Wave vividly represents the collaborative nature of Edo-era printmaking.