The 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival opens simultaneously with the Shanghai Grand Opera House

China News Service, Shanghai, October 17 (Reporter Wang Ji) As the opening ceremony of the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, the concert "Shanghai Grand Opera House and Her Friends" was performed on the evening of the 17th at the Shanghai Grand Opera House on the bank of the Huangpu River.

This concert brings together famous Chinese and foreign artists to present an opera feast that spans classical and contemporary operas. Classical pieces by Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini shared the stage with Chinese works such as "Ode to the Red Flag" and "China Under the Lights". Conductors Yu Long, Zhang Guoyong, and Xu Zhong took over the baton. Domestic and foreign singers such as Liao Changyong, Shi Yijie, Juan Diego Florez, and Siobhan Stagg jointly appeared on the stage. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera House Chorus, and others participated in the performance to compose a colorful movement for dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations.

Director Ma Junfeng told reporters from China News Service that the stage design of the concert closely follows the iconic "Chinese Fan" image of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, welcoming artists and audiences from all over the world with an open attitude, and also contains the spirit of climbing up the stairs to encourage young artists to rush to this art palace. "The whole performance not only has the magnificent Eastern charm, but also reflects the elegance of Western classics in the 'Chinese Fan'. The connection between Eastern and Western works is very harmonious."

Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg, who came to China for the first time, said that the creative team tried to select the most beautiful passages and combinations from the opera repertoire to celebrate the birth of one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world today. "I also visited it during my break, and it was very inspiring to see so much thought and creativity put into the design of this building. Artists from all over the world will be excited to perform here."

On the opening day, an opera pop-up allowed art to unexpectedly meet the audience in the open space of the theater. Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, said that the Shanghai Grand Opera House will assume an important stage performance function in the Shanghai performing arts market and looks forward to more excellent domestic and foreign stage works being produced here.

As one of the most influential art events in the Asia-Pacific region, this China Shanghai International Arts Festival will present nearly 400 performances and exhibitions of various types, with a total of nearly 1,100 performances, bringing together the two complete works of Shostakovich and Beethoven, and the three operas "Aida", "Tosca" and "Der Rosenkavalier". Among them, nearly 90% of the performances in the "Global Arts" stage performance section premiered in Shanghai. There are 13 "Shanghai Exclusive, China Only" performances.