Performers take part in the acrobatic theater production that will open the 21st China Shanghai International Arts Festival on Friday.[Photo provided to China Daily]
High-wire act set to enthrall Shanghai audiences, Zhang Kun reports.
An original acrobatic theater production titled Battle of Shanghai will premiere at the Shanghai Grand Theatre tonight as part of celebrations for the opening of the 21st China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
This is the first time an acrobatic show is being presented during the grand opening of the CSIAF, says Wang Jun, president of the organizing committee of the festival.
Jointly created by the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe and the Shanghai Circus School, the production-which tells the story of young revolutionaries on the eve of Shanghai's liberation in May, 1949-will feature a combination of acrobatic stunts, video projections and novel stage designs. Shanghai-based news portal The Paper lauded the production as "a big step forward for Shanghai-style acrobatics".
According to the organizers, the festival will feature 97 theater performances, eight of which will be shown for the first time to the world.
A scene from Shanghai Huju Opera Theater's production,
Highly Confidential.[Photo provided to China Daily]
One of the most anticipated performances is the Shanghai Huju Opera Theater's Highly Confidential, which will premiere on Wednesday. This revolution-themed play tells the story of a revolutionary who spent years protecting secret documents for the Communist Party of China.
Huju is a local opera form in Shanghai and many of the repertoires are about China's revolutionary history, says Mao Shanyu, head of the company and a famous Huju Opera actress. Supported by the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation, Highly Confidential was commissioned by the CSIAF.
"We are a festival as well as a creative platform for the performing arts," says Wang. "We believe it is our mission to present the outstanding culture and heritage of Shanghai."
Highly Confidential is based on a true story that happened in the city, and Mao believes that "by presenting the historical tale in the local Huju Opera, we can touch the audiences' hearts, especially those of the young generation".
An important part of the CSIAF is the Art Space project, which aims to make high-quality art productions more accessible to people through affordable ticket prices and public performances.
For example, Angela Georgiou, an internationally renowned soprano, will be performing Puccini, Bizet, Rossini, Glinka, Massenet and Mozart arias alongside the Budapest Symphony Orchestra at Gongqing Forest Park tonight. On Sunday afternoon, the Hungarian orchestra will present a concert at the Shanghai City Lawn Music Plaza.
The Budapest Symphony Orchestra will present a concert at the Shanghai City Lawn Music Plaza on Sunday.[Photo provided to China Daily]
According to Maestro Andras Keller, conductor of the show, Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra is central to the symphony's tour of Asia. "The wonder of Bartok is that, through folk music, he discovered those energies of the Earth that allowed him to address that ancient, elementary side of humanity," Keller says.
The festival will conclude on Nov 17 with a concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre by the NDR Radiophilharmonie conducted by Andrew Manze. The performance will also feature Chinese violinist Huang Mengla.
The festival will also include 12 exhibitions, including Retrospectrum, the first showcase in China of Nobel Literature Prize-winning songwriter Bob Dylan's creations. The exhibition will take place through Jan 5 at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai.
A festival that has been well-received by international counterparts and institutions over the years, the CSIAF will host nine symposiums during a trade fair at the festival, one of the regular fixtures of the event every year. During the fair, industry insiders will share their experiences of introducing Chinese productions to overseas markets and vice versa.
