A grand comeback to celebrate

The latest piece for the concert is Ode to the Silk Road by Yu Ji, a young composer and conductor. This piece depicts the communication between different cultures of the countries involved in the BRI.

On Oct 20, representatives from more than 50 performing arts institutions will hold a round table at the Grand Halls by the Huangpu River to explore collaboration and creative ideas under the framework of the BRI.

These representatives plan to sign a new "Shanghai consensus", which aims to foster new dialogues and cooperation between cultures and build a new "Silk Road" for arts and culture, according to Gao.

One of the most anticipated productions of the festival will be Mariinsky Theatre's production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, which comprises four music dramas.

This opera tetralogy will be presented by more than 300 artists of the Mariinsky Theatre and under the baton of maestro conductor Valery Gergiev at the Shanghai Grand Theatre from Oct 16 to 22.

It was said that Wagner spent 26 years creating Der Ring des Nibelungen, eventually completing it in 1874. Now often referred to as The Ring Cycle, it is recognized as one of the most challenging works in the opera scene, as staging four interlinked operas requires a huge commitment both artistically and financially.

In 2010, the Cologne Opera House from Germany brought The Ring Cycle to the Shanghai Grand Theatre and created another milestone in Shanghai's performing arts history, according to Zhang Songhua, president of the Shanghai Grand Theatre Art Center.

"We believe the performance of Gergiev and Mariinsky Theatre's production of The Ring Cycle will again be phenomenal," he says.

The Mariinsky Theatre opened in 1860 in St. Petersburg, while the orchestra, which was formerly known as the Russian Imperial Opera Orchestra, was founded in 1783. Maestro Gergiev has served as the artistic and general director of the orchestra for more than 30 years, during which the Mariinsky Orchestra has grown into one of the leading symphony orchestras in Russia.

The Shanghai festival's performing arts fair, an integral part of the program, is the largest market for the performing art projects in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year's fair will take place from Oct 19 to 23 at the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center and more than 1,500 people from about 500 agencies and theater institutions from around the world are expected to take part.