Beijing will usher in Spring Festival with Peking Opera classics in a show titled Golden Age, Dragonfly at the Forbidden City Concert Hall next Monday and Tuesday. The opera offers fans the chance to enjoy classic arias by performers from the Beijing Peking Opera Theater troupe.
Golden Age, Dragonfly presents a feast for Peking Opera lovers, with the combined show featuring an amalgamation of some 20 classics including Borrowing the East Wind, Yang Silang Visits His Mother and Tale of the White Snake.
The Beijing Peking Opera Theater boasts nine of the biggest stars of the craft, including Tan Xiaozeng, Zhao Baoxiu, and Wang Rongrong. Each will perform a selection of arias.
One of the key roles within Peking Opera performances is the laosheng, an elderly male figure. For Tan Xiaozeng, playing the laosheng is a family tradition that dates back seven generations.
Tan was taught by his father and grandfather, both of whom were also famed Peking Opera stars.
Tan's great, great grandfather, Tan Xinpei, was one of the four renowned Peking Opera performers at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Next Tuesday, Tan will perform with his wife, Yan Guixiang, and their son, Tan Zhengyan, keeping the family's proud performing heritage alive.
The show will open with traditional music piece Welcome the Spring, in which celebrated performer Yan Shouping will play the huqin, a traditional bowed, two-stringed instrument.
When: January 23, 24
Where: Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, Chang'an West Avenue, Xicheng district
Tickets: 80-1,280 yuan
Contact: 6559-8285
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