The annual opera festival held by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will kick off in Beijing on April 9 and last until July 12, the NCPA announced at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. Taking the theme "Opera Connects the World," the festival will present 13 productions over 35 shows, including both new productions of Western operas and original mainland operas.
NCPA's production of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of Rose) will open the festival from April 9-12. After a series of concerts celebrating Strauss' 150th anniversary last year, NCPA selected this representative opera to become the first German language opera it will perform.
Following on the heels of its world premiere in London in January, Giordano Umberto's Andrea Chenier, a co-production between NCPA, The Royal Opera House in London and the San Francisco Opera, will have its Chinese debut from May 28-31.
One of the highlights of this year, the NCPA will perform an opera adaptation of legendary Chinese playwright Cao Yu's work Sunrise in June. The script for the opera version is being worked on by none other than Cao's daughter Wan Fang herself.
Having previously adapted the play into both a film and a TV drama, Wan pointed out at the conference that out of all of her father's work Sunrise is the one she understands the most. She also explained that she will make some changes to the main male character for the opera version while trying maintaining the core of the original work.
Original operas will also make appearances at the festival. Yongle, directed by Lin Zhaohua and composed by Ye Xiaogang, focuses on the story of the Ming Dynasty (1369-1644) Emperor Yongle.
Dahan Su Wu, presented by the Shaanxi Song and Dance Troupe, tells the life and romance of Su Wu, a diplomat in the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220).
The Hubei Provincial Opera and Dance Drama Theatre will present Bayue Guihua Biandi Kai, an opera written in a classic red song style that the troupe hopes will become as widely popular as their representative opera Red Guards on Honghu Lake became 50 years ago.
In addition to opera, the festival is also bringing the music from operas Don Giovanni and Tosca to concert halls so audiences may enjoy just the music from these popular classical operas.
