Series of productions set to light up city's performing arts scene, Zhang Kun reports.

The Shanghai Opera House kicks off its 2022 season with the new production of Turandot at the Shanghai Grand Theater on Feb 18. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Shanghai's performing arts scene is all set for the spring and summer seasons, with new productions to be introduced and acclaimed repertoires revived.

The Shanghai Opera House kicked off its 2022 spring and summer performing season with two new opera productions, Turandot over Feb 18-19 at the Shanghai Grand Theater, and Das Land des Lachelns on Friday and Saturday at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

"Premiering two full-length opera productions in a month proved quite the challenge, but I believe that a world-class opera house should be able to make at least five opera productions a year," Xu Zhong, director of the Shanghai Opera House, told local media on Feb 16.

"We have to first build up the quantity of our production before working on the quality in order to become an internationally recognized company."

The opera house is an "aircraft carrier of a performing art institution" with a more than 100-piece orchestra, a large chorus and a dance troupe.

"We need to train our team and strive for excellence, in order to serve bigger and finer theater spaces," he adds.

A brand new grand opera house is under construction in Pudong New Area and is expected to be completed next year. As the leading opera house in the city, the Shanghai Opera House shoulders the responsibility of promoting opera art to the public, Xu says.

A scene from the Shanghai Opera House's new production, Das Land des Lachelns, to be presented on Friday and Saturday at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The new spring-summer season consists of six opera productions, alongside a series of concerts of opera galas, orchestra music and dance shows.

Apart from the opening productions, the Shanghai Opera House will present La Boheme at Shangyin Opera House in April, Der Fliegende Hollander at the Shanghai Grand Theater in May, followed by three Chinese opera productions with revolutionary themes: Jiang Jie, Long March Song Cycle, which will be performed in Shanghai in July and August, and Morning Bell, which will go on tour in the Yangtze River Delta region in March.

The two opening operas tell stories about China and the new Chinese productions "show the Chinese people's participation and understanding of globally renowned operas", Xu says.

The Shanghai Opera House made its first production of Turandot, starring soprano He Hui in 2019.She again took up the role of the Chinese princess in the new production, which featured new costumes and spectacular stage designs.

Das Land des Lachelns by Franz Lehar was created in 1929 as one of the first Western theater works to depict a protagonist from China.

"The music has a lot in common with the pentatonic scale in traditional Chinese music," says Shi Yijie, the tenor who will play the leading role. "More importantly, it makes a positive impression of a Chinese intellectual as most Chinese characters depicted previously in Western arts were derogatory."

A series of acclaimed productions from Chinese theater and music will be revived and highlighted at the upcoming spring season at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. The theater announced on Feb 15 the plan for its 2021/22 performance season, which consists of 73 performances of 49 productions. The Royal Consort of Tang, a Peking Opera production created in 2001, will be presented on March 11 and 12 to mark the opening of the new season.

Tenor Shi Yijie portrays the leading male character in Das Land des Lachelns. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The Royal Consort of Tang was based on a Peking Opera repertoire by maestro Mei Lanfang in the 1920s. It was co-created by seven theater companies from different parts of China and featured leading Peking Opera artists of the time, with Mei Baojiu, the son of Mei Lanfang, playing the main character. The production of more than 300 performers has achieved massive success across China since its premiere.

"The original production was too expensive and had many heavy props that were difficult to manage on tour shows," says Li Jun, one of the leading actors of the 2001 production.

Li will again take up the leading male character in the new edition, which will focus on storytelling while highlighting some of the best known scenes and arias.

The Royal Consort of Tang is also part of the classical Chinese opera series at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. The theater has been presenting traditional Chinese opera art during its spring season for 12 consecutive years.

Another production for the upcoming 13th installment of the classical Chinese opera series is Peach Blossom Fan. The play, created by Kong Shangren (1648-1718) in 1699, tells the story about the fall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the confrontations between loyalist scholars and followers of the new Manchurian regime, as well as a love story between a righteous scholar and a courtesan. The play will be staged by Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Theater on March 18 and 19.

Tian Qinxin, a dramatist and director of the National Theater Company of China, created a production of the opera 15 years ago.

"Her setting of a play within a play ingeniously put Kunqu performers in a bigger historical context, and gave the opera more depth," recalls Shan Wen, who played the heroine in the original production.

Soprano He Hui plays the role of the Chinese princess in Turandot. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Shan will reprise her role in the new production.

Also revived for the new season at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center is a dance theater production Along the Silk Road by the Song and Dance Troupe of Gansu province. The production was created in 1982 and is based on the music and dance scenes depicted in the frescos of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. An updated version will be presented on May 14 and 15.

While foreign musicians and productions have difficulty visiting China due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center has managed to bring together some of China's best musicians and theater artists for its new season, such as soprano Huang Ying, pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Lyu Siqing.

"The Shanghai Oriental Art Center has been recognized as a leading theater, presenting classical concerts since our opening 17 years ago," says Luo Xueqin, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center's deputy manager.

Sun Yu, head of the culture, sports and tourism administrations of Pudong, says the east wings of the Shanghai Library and the Shanghai Museum will be completed later this year. The two new venues, together with the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, will form an important cultural hub in the district.

"We hope the Shanghai Oriental Art Center will be deeply involved in the development of a new cultural ecology in the area," he says.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn