Best bets

Anhui Huangmei Opera Theater Poems of the Tang Dynasty and Verses of the Song Dynasty Vocal Concert

Date: Feb 25 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-480 yuan

Poetry of the Tang and Song Dynasties is a treasure of Chinese culture. Running in the lifeblood of the nation, it tells the world in unparalleled beauty of language that our dignity has never been away. It is noble for its freedom of voice to face and embrace the nature, for its understanding and observation of the whole universe, and for its cultural character to life and the world. It is full of understanding and emotion. It chants, recites, or even calls and cries with its own language rhythm. It brightens the beauty of language and solemnly passes the attitude of life.

NCPA Opera Commission The Ballad of Canal

Date: March 3-6 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-880 yuan

Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal with the history of over 2500 years is an artificial miracle on par with the Great Wall created by ancient Chinese. The original opera The Ballad of Canal is the first national opera presented by NCPA, in the style of folk singing. It describes the ups and downs of the characters on the canal and their vicissitudes including joys and sorrows, good and evil, life and death, as well as righteousness witnessed by the canal. The show integrates the cream of Chinese cultural essence like opera, folk songs and folk customs, showing the unique artistic texture and charisma of folk operas.

China NCPA Chorus Concert

Date: Feb 25 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-200 yuan

NCPA Chorus was established on December 8th, 2009, whose members were carefully selected from famous music schools in and out of China. Now the Chorus invites WU Lingfen as the conductor, with many artists well-known in China and abroad giving instructions. Affiliated to NCPA, the highest palace of performing arts in China, the Chorus adheres to NCPA's guiding principles of "for the people, for the arts, and for the world". The Chorus mainly stages operas and concerts, and also takes part in kinds of cultural communication and arts outreach events.

NCPA Drama Hamlet

Date: Feb 25-26 - 7 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 80-500 yuan

"To be or not to be, that is a question." For more than 400 years, Hamlet, the protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, has enthralled countless dramatists and scholars. The play tells a tale about how Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, revenged his dead father, thus unfolding a real-life picture of England and Europe. It truly is a profound tragedy teeming with vivid characters through superb artistry as the highest achievement of Renaissance literature. Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello form the so-called "Four Tragedies of Shakespeare." On the 400th anniversary of his death, NCPA drama A Midsummer Night's Dream and opera Macbeth have been put on show. To explore the quintessence of this drama maestro, NCPA would bring us his other plays as well, especially much-expected Hamlet.

Chen Xinyi's Historical Drama Shang Yang

Date: March 15-18 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-500 yuan

Large-scale historical drama Shang Yang is authored by the national-class level-A playwright Yao Yuan and directed by the stage director Chen Xinyi. This drama is adapted on the basis of historical figure Shang Yang. It not only tells the story of an ancient struggle for reform, but also conveys the masculine courage and uprightness at the cost of life in the pursuit of grand ideal and indomitable fighting spirit of breaking through the encirclement of obsolete culture.

Huangmei Opera The Drunken Poet Li Bai

Date: Feb 28-March 1 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-480 yuan

The young poet Li Bai went to Dangtu in Anhui province to hold a memorial ceremony for the poet Xie Tiao. He made the acquaintance with local restaurant owner Mr. Ji and the reclusive Princess Yuzhen, and forged a deep friendship with them. To realize the ideal of serving his country, Li Bai resolutely headed for Chang'an. Years later, he felt frustrated and came back to Dangtu, but he was shocked by the people's suffering from the war. Ignoring Princess Yuzhen's detainment, he left again, went to the front to fight against the enemy and served under the prince Li Lin. After the rebellion of Li Lin, Li Bai was implicated, incriminated and in extreme danger. With the sacrifice of Princess Yuzhen, he was absolved. At his old age, Li Bai once again returned to Dangtu and intended to drink and recite poems with friends for the rest of his life. However, out of the blue, both Princess Yuzhen and Mr Ji died. Li Bai cried to the moon along the Caishiji, mourned his friends, demanded answers from the gods, reflected on his whole life and finally drowned himself in the river.