This winter, the Metropolitan Opera unveils a fascinating and exotic new project, a fusion of East and West ten years in the making, culmination of what composer Tan Dun calls "a spiritual journey" that has led to the world premiere of his opera, "The First Emperor," set for December 21, with himself as conductor and tenor Plácido Domingo in the title role of Emperor Qin.

In his effort, more than two millennia ago, to unify a China that lacked a system of roads and standardized weights, measures, currency, language and writing, Emperor Qin and his army have killed and destroyed, burned books they considered useless, claiming that, "Without sacrifice, how could we get the country in order?" As part of his quest, the Emperor, who would also put a "stop [to] loud, ritualistic music," is, according to Tan Dun, in search of an "anthem that could unify people's hearts," "a kind of music that can reach the people, [represent] the spirit of the land." And Qin wants his old friend-Gao Jianli, played by tenor Paul Groves-with whom he was imprisoned when they were boys-to compose it. But Jianli, whose village was leveled and whose mother, who considered Qin another son, was murdered as part of the Emperor's ruthless plan, rebuffs him and calls him "tyrant," until Qin's daughter, the disabled, childlike Princess Yueyang-high soprano Elizabeth Futral, who introduces herself in a burst of coloratura laughter-intervenes.

General Manager Peter Gelb, Composer Tan Dun, Director Zhang Yimou

On December 8, members of the media were invited to hear the movers and shapers, who brought "The First Emperor" into being, speak about the new opera and to attend the first stage rehearsal, in costume, with orchestra, of most of the first of the two acts of what new General Manager Peter Gelb and the opera's director, Zhang Yimou, reminded us was still a work-in-progress.

After Artistic Assistant Manager Sarah Billinghurst described the ten-year process from commission to realization, Gelb, whose decision it was to have Tan Dun conduct his own work, told us that the composer had had two ideas for the subject of the new work: either the Jewish community in Shanghai or, the one settled upon, the first Emperor. Tan Dun had considered writing the libretto in Chinese and translating it into English, but, in the end, he was paired with Ha Jin, a Chinese writer who writes in English, as collaborator on the text. Domingo, who had never sung a world premiere in his 38 years at the Met and was interested in doing so, was the first person cast and rehearsals started here at the end of October. The nine performances are virtually sold out.

It was Tan Dun's long-time "dream to write an opera for Plácido Domingo," and Zhang Yimou, known for his films "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," and speaking through an interpreter, called the veteran tenor "the best actor, best performer." "Culture is going back and forth [between East and West] and has made us much more mature," said Tan Dun. Calling opera "the most romantic art form," he added, "I want [this opera] to be very romantic, but also very challenging." Zhang Yimou, directing an opera being sung in a language he does not speak, said, " Watching it is like watching poetry."

Calling it "a privilege to work with a living composer," Domingo expressed particular pleasure about his involvement in "the world premiere by a composer I admire. [Tan Dun] has made a wonderful opera-not only the music-the libretto [too] is very moving." Of Emperor Qin, Domingo said, "Tan Dun has made the character perhaps better than he was. In order to conquer, there has to be a lot of tyranny." He continued, "You have to find the sympathy in the character," demonstrated, for instance, by "the love for his daughter." We saw some evidence of the Emperor's brutality, however, in the way he treated Yueyang and the mystical Shaman, portrayed by mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung.

On stage, before a curtain depicting the Great Wall and Chinese characters, we saw the Yin-Yang Master, played by Peking Opera performer Wu Hsing-Kuo, begin the opera in Chinese, using ritualistic choreographed movement and a kind of song-speech that includes falsetto to introduce the opera and its conflict, "the love, betrayal and madness" "more than 2,000 years ago [when] wars ravaged China." The curtain rises on the chorus, in armor, chanting, then singing on a stage-wide grand staircase, and on DeYoung, with long, pointy fingernails, as colorfully dressed as the Yin-Yang Master, joining him in invoking, in a jagged, widely-ranging line, the "spirits of awesome power." Drummers and their leather drums line the stage. On stage right are black ceramic urns, their players striking them to sound the notes, and a zheng, a 15-stringed zither, and its player.

The Emperor, his daughter, his wife (mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer), his Chief Minister (baritone Haijing Fu), and General Wang (bass Hao Jiang Tian) gather and the Emperor sings tenderly of "Gao Jianli ... the Shadow that haunts me wherever I go," who "would compose a sublime anthem for me." When Jianli is brought before him, Qin addresses him warmly, but the musician recoils, singing, "How can I call you Brother?/I'd sooner cut off my tongue" and protesting, "Why should my music serve my foe?" Yueyang asks her father to turn Jianli over to her.

After an intermezzo in which the orchestra members chant rhythmically to percussion accompaniment, Yueyang sings softly of the snow and Nature. Jianli has awakened in her the love she has never known and she convinces her father that she can get his old friend to end his hunger strike. Her zheng, she tells Jianli, "has been my legs,/no-my wings!" And that is as far as we got before management called a half-hour break for the orchestra.

Before the opera ends, the proud Emperor loses those closest to him-Yueyang, General Wang, and then Jianli, who has presented Qin with his anthem: it is the haunting song the slaves sing while laboring to build the Great Wall of China, querying, "when will our suffering end?" and declaring, "O my dream is a grave near home/where I can lie on a peaceful slope./O wide and rich is our land/nourished by blood and endless hope," not quite the sort of thing the Emperor had in mind.

Performances of "The First Emperor" take place on December 21, 26, and 29 and January 2, 5, and 9 at 8 p.m., January 13 at 1:30 p.m., and 22 and 25 at 8 p.m. At the final performance, Sarah Coburn, Ning Liang, and Mark Heller (debut) replace Futral, DeYoung, and Groves. For remaining tickets, go to www.metopera.org, call 212/362-6000, or check at the Met box office at Lincoln Center.