Widely known Chinese opera singer presents Puccini's 'Tosca'

He Hui, one of China's most recognized opera singers, will join hands with the Shanghai Opera House to present Puccini's "Tosca" at the Shanghai Grand Theater at the end of year.

It will be the first time He has performed the full edition of "Tosca" on the Chinese mainland. This brand-new version is jointly produced by the National Center For the Performing Arts, the Shanghai Opera House and the Shaanxi Opera House.

"Tosca" has been He's most frequently performed opera classic. In 2002, the soprano made her international debut, singing the title role in "Tosca" at the Teatro Regio di Parma in Italy.

Ti Gong

He rates Tosca as one of the three most important opera roles she's ever played throughout her 25-year career. The other two are Madame Butterfly and Aida. She remains the only Chinese artist who has ever performed the three roles at La Scala in Milan.

"I've performed Tosca 102 times. It's a role that suits my voice well," said He. "But Tosca is very demanding, as it requires not only strong vocal techniques, but also acting ability from a singer. Puccini valued theater effects. So his work is very much like a stage play."

She added, "Despite my familiarity with the role, my voice has been changing over the years. So I've been making adjustment in my singing methods, hoping to present my best for Shanghai audiences."

Ti Gong

Shanghai Opera House director Xu Zhong will be the conductor of the performance. Tenor Han Peng will take the role of Mario Cavaradossi.

"This will be my first 'Tosca' performance," said Han. "It's every tenor's dream to perform this classic opera. But one is ready only when he has collected adequate stage experience, as 'Tosca' is demanding regarding acting skills. There are a lot of facial expressions and other stage details."

Performance info

Dates: December 30-January 2, 7:30pm

Tickets: 180-880 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater

Address: 300 People's Ave