Tokyo's Kokuritsu Gekijo will stage the operas Curlew River and Ojo Emaki. The three night run will begin Feb. 12.

This exciting two-set Operatic piece pairs Curlew River by British composer Benjamin Britten, and Ojo Emaki, based on a novel by Japan's Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Curlew River is loosley based on the Noh play Sumidagawa which Britten saw during a trip to Tokyo in 1956.

Ojo Emakiis based on Akutagawa's novel about a young man who goes to the Pure Land in the West. Akutagawa is more popularly known in the West for his novel Rashomon.

The Tokyo Chamber Opera Theater production is directed by Nobuaki Tanaka and stars Masanobu Kondo, Yoshiaki Shinozaki Hiroshi Horino, and Tsutomu Wakabayashi in Ojo Emaki. Mariko Nakayama, Miyuki Yamada and Hiroshi Yamaguchi star in Curlew River. Showtimes are 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 13, and 3 p.m. Feb. 14. at Shin Kokuritsu Gekijo, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. (03) 3431-7875.

--By Carter Witt
Japan Correspondent