The NCPA celebrates its 14th anniversary with on-site and online programs, Chen Nan reports.

Performers from the NCPA Drama Ensemble present A Doll's House, based on Henrik Ibsen's play of the same title, which runs until Thursday. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing is celebrating its 14th anniversary with a series of shows this month. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCPA is marking the event with performances both at the venue and online.

According to Gong Jicheng, vice-president of the NCPA, every year on Dec 22, public programs were traditionally staged at the venue for free. However, this year, such programs have been canceled in line with pandemic prevention restrictions in China.

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra will present two concerts under the baton of conductor Li Biao that include Dvorak's Carnival Overture, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 10, Adagio and Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919 version) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the NCPA's opera film, Visitors on the Snow Mountain, will be screened at the opera house.

Premiered in 2014, the Chinese opera, directed by Chen Xinyi and featuring soprano Dilber Yunus, is based on a 1963 Chinese movie of the same name. Set in the early 1950s on the borders of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the movie is about a 16-year-old girl and a young man, both from the region, and how they help soldiers of the People's Liberation Army root out spies.

Conductor Li Biao will wield the baton for two concerts by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday and Wednesday at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

On Wednesday night, audiences will enjoy online performances by the China NCPA orchestra and chorus.

A drama, based on the play A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, is showing from Dec 17 to Thursday. Directed by Ren Ming, a director of Beijing People's Art Theater, the NCPA production is performed by actors and actresses of the NCPA Drama Ensemble.

A new dance drama, commissioned by the NCPA and coproduced by Ningbo Performance and Arts Group, is also being staged until Thursday, as part of the NCPA anniversary celebrations. Directed by Xiao Xiangrong and written by scriptwriter Xu Rui, the dance drama tells the life story of composer Xian Xinghai (1905-45), who is known for his patriotic music works, such as Yellow River Cantata, which premiered in 1939 in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, a revolutionary base. The music piece has been performed for decades by Chinese musicians and is still an audience favorite.

This year, the venue staged over 570 performances, attracting more than 460,000 people. It also held 580 public events, including workshops and art education programs, as well as 33 exhibitions.

The NCPA was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. It has been the focus of the world's performing arts industry in China since it opened in December 2007, attracting top international artists and symphony orchestras.

"Last year, we started to present online programs, which have been viewed over 2.9 billion times so far," Gong says.

Performers stage a new dance drama about the life story of composer Xian Xinghai, which runs until Thursday, at the National Center for the Performing Arts as part of the venue's 14th anniversary celebrations. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

On Dec 11, the 100th online program－themed Beijing in paintings and melodies－took the audience on a visit to the studio of artist Jiang Guofang. Musicians from the NCPA orchestra, China National Traditional Orchestra and the Central Conservatory of Music performed pieces while oil paintings by Jiang were displayed.

"The NCPA's slogan is 'art changes life'. Though the pandemic has changed our lives and made it harder to enjoy live performances, we still want to take art closer to the audience through online programs," Gong says.

Conductor Li recalls that he joined the NCPA orchestra's first European tour in 2012 and has performed at the NCPA many times.

"For a young orchestra, it was very exciting then. Now, the musicians of the orchestra have grown up from their early 20s to their mid-30s. I'm glad to witness their progress," says Li.

He also notes that in July last year, he gave a live concert at the NCPA, which was his first live performance since the pandemic hit.

"There were just some staff members in the concert hall and we performed in front of cameras. It felt odd without an audience and everyone wore face masks," recalls Li. "I was touched. Despite all the difficulties, we made that concert happen and I will never forget it."

This year, Li's 15-year-old son performed at the NCPA for the first time as a student of the middle school affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music. The venue offers young musicians a platform to display their talent, Li says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn