NCPA celebrates its sweet 16

On Dec 8 and 9, the China NCPA Orchestra — the NCPA's resident symphony orchestra — and violist Mei Diyang, the first Chinese musician to join the Berliner Philharmoniker as its principal viola player, will perform Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 6 in A Major and Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata in A Minor, D 821 under the baton of Lyu Jia. Pianist Yuja Wang will give a recital on Dec 17.

From Nov 22 to Dec 22, 17 dance performances will be staged, including The Little Mermaid, choreographed by John Neumeier and performed by the National Ballet of China, and Send in a Cloud, choreographed by Cheng Tsunglung and performed by the Cloud Gate dance theater, founded by internationally renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min in 1973.

An NCPA drama based on Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre, which first premiered in June 2009 under the direction of Wang Xiaoying, will be staged for the 18th time between Dec 15 and 23. Zhu Jie and Pu Cunxin will take up the leading roles. Other dramas to be staged include A Doll's House, which is based on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece and which premiered in 2014 directed by Ren Ming (1960-2022), and Memories of Matsuko, which is adapted from a book by Japanese novelist Muneki Yamada and is directed by Zhao Miao.

On Dec 22, the NCPA will open to the public for free, a tradition since 2009. A variety of shows, from classical music and dance to Chinese folk and traditional Chinese operas, will be offered free of charge. Gong says that the NCPA holds about 1,000 public activities every year and to date some 5.2 million people have participated.

Between Dec 19 and 23, a wide variety of programs, including concerts, operas, musicals and dances, will also be streamed online for free.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn