Puccini operas to open Shanghai Opera House's new season
International artists and singers will take part in the Shanghai Opera House's presentation of its 2023 performance season, which will include opera, choral music, symphonic music, dance and a residency performance series.
Two Puccini operas, "La Bohème" and "Tosca," which will be performed at Shanghai Grand Theater this month, will open Shanghai Opera House's new season, which has the theme of "Renewal."
"La Bohème" will be staged on February 10-12 and is co-directed by Yang Jingze of China and Marco Carniti of Italy. "Tosca" opens on February 24-26 and features one of China's best-known opera singers, He Hui.
Shanghai Opera House and Germany's Theater Erfurt will co-produce Wagner's masterwork "Der Fliegende Holländer" in May.
Wagner's "Der Fliegende Holländer" (top) and "Lohengrin" (above) will be staged in Shanghai in May and September.
Another new production, Wagner's "Lohengrin," will hit the stage in September. It is the first joint collaboration between the Shanghai Opera House, the Shanghai Grand Theater and the Bavarian State Opera.
The well-known Wagnerian dramatic tenor Klaus Florian Vogt, dramatic soprano Johannes van Oostrum and bass-baritone Andreas Bauer Kanabas will perform along with Shanghai Opera House artists.
The choral symphony of the opera house, "The Land of Rejuvenation," will be performed on March 18 at the Shangyin Opera House. The piece is a mix of symphonic music, singing and chorus, highlighting Shanghai's march in tune with the country's rejuvenation and modernization.
In June, Shanghai Opera House director and conductor Xu Zhong will conduct Mahler's "Symphony No. 3" with the Shanghai Opera House Chorus and the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.
The "Classics and Romance: From Beethoven to Brahms" by the Shanghai Opera House Orchestra will have pianist Zee Zee performing under the baton of Lu Jia in July.
From left: Wagnerian dramatic tenor Klaus Florian Vogt, dramatic soprano Johannes van Oostrum, bass-baritone Andreas Bauer Kanabas and Todd Thomas, will be performing with Shanghai Opera House artists in "Lohengrin."
The opera house's dance drama, "The Ninth Year of Yonghe," will be staged in the later part of the year.
It explores the rich Chinese calligraphy culture and presents its aestheticism and romanticism, drawing inspiration from Lanting Ji Xu (Preface to the Collection of Poetry at Lan Pavilion), which was written by Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303-361) in a stage of drunkenness 1,670 years ago.
Another dance drama, "Chang E," based on the historical narrative "Chang E Flying to the Moon," will begin a nationwide tour in Shanghai.
In terms of the residency series, Shanghai Opera House will collaborate with Shanghai Library's east branch to host music, literature and art salons. The opera house's dance ensemble will also enjoy a long run at Theater Young.
