Heavenly voice and other culture events
The Children and Women's Chorus affiliated to the China
National Symphony Orchestra will sing Christmas carols for the
peaceful, holy holiday. Yang Hongnian will conduct.
Programme: "Jingle Bells", "Peaceful Night", "Happy New
Year" and others.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 24
Location: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan
Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square
Tel: 6559-8285
Suffocation
The drama "Suffocation" will be staged in Beijing. It
will highlight the cruel side of human nature. The drama explores
the dark side of human nature amid vanity and wealth. Six college
students attend a quiz show, in the hopes of winning the game to
capture the cash prize. They play well and are poised to win, but
then make two crucial mistakes. After the game, two of the students
die mysterious deaths.
Tickets: 80-180 yuan (US$10-22)
Time/date: 7:15 pm, December 24-28
Location: Bei Theatre, Beibingmasi Lane, 67 Jiaodaokou
Nandajie, Dongcheng District
Tel: 6404-8021, 6406-0175
Red lantern
The Central Ballet of China will perform the Chinese
ballet "Raise the Red Lantern" adapted from film director Zhang
Yimou's film of the same name.
Tickets: 180-1,000 yuan (US$22-120)
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 24-26
Location: Poly Theatre, Dongsi Shitiao
Tel: 6506-5343, 6506-5345
From Austria
Musicians from the Austrian Festival Orchestra will tour
Beijing and celebrate New Year with Beijingers.
Founded 76 years ago, the troupe, regarded as being
amongst the world's most brilliant orchestras, will add to the
season's festive spirit.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 28, 29
Location: China National Library Concert Hall,
Zhongguancun Nandajie
Tel: 8854-5501
Patriotic songs
Cheng Zhi, Dong Wenhua and Wang Xiufen, among 200 other
vocal artists, who belong to Zongzheng Song and the Dance Ensemble
affiliated with the General Politics Department of the People's
Liberation Army will perform a concert entitled "Long Live China".
Zheng Jian, a first-grade national conductor, will
conduct the orchestra.
Programme: "Beautiful Grassland", "My Hometown", "The
Spring Story" "Song of Yangtze River" and "The Place Far Away" and
others.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, January 2
Location: The Great Hall of the People, west of
Tian'anmen Square
Tel: 8589-5049, 8589-5149
Solid folk songs
Original folk singers, who are actually villagers and
shepherds rather than performing artists, will display the beauty of
real folk songs from over 20 ethnic groups in China.
There are over a dozen types of folk song genres, which
include those from Tibet, Inner Mongolia, or songs by Zhuang, Yao
and Yi minority nationalities. This is an effort to call for the
awareness from the public to help preserve the Chinese folk songs,
which come from the daily activities of peoples.
Tickets: 100-180 yuan (US$12-22)
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 29-January 8, 2005
Location: Bei Theatre, Beibingmasi Lane, Jiaodaokou,
Dongcheng District
The New Munich Philharmonic Orchestra will make its
Beijing debut to celebrate the New Year.
The troupe has performed at the Berlin International
Music Festival and the Vienna and London music festivals. It has
been conducted by some of the greats, including Charles Dutoit,
Seiji Ozawa and Zubin Mehta.
The troupe is composed of 80-plus musicians, and has
toured the world.
Programme: "Die Fledermaus (the Bat)", "Kaiser-Walzer"
and "Blauen Donau-Waltz" by Johann Strauss, "Cello Concerto" by
Dvorak, "Symphony No 6" and "Violin Concerto in D Major" by
Beethoven, and "Symphony No 41 Jupiter" by Mozart.
Tickets: 180-1,080 yuan (US$22-130)
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 28, 29
Location: Beizhan Theatre, Xizhimenwai Dajie
Tel: 6835-4455
Pipe organ
American pipe organ player Ronald Ebrecht will perform
in China, accompanied by the China Youth Symphony Orchestra, under
the conducting of Zhu Yibing.
In China, there are few musicians who are specialized in
playing the pipe organ. There are only four such giant instruments
in China, one in the Forbidden City Concert Hall, one in the Beijing
Concert Hall, which has not been reopened due to maintenance, one in
the Central People's Broadcasting Station which is not open to the
public, and another in Guangzhou.
It is a true, rare opportunity to enjoy pipe organ
during the New Year celebration.
Programme: "Fantasia and Fugue" by Bach, several
European Christmas selections, "Pipe Organ Concerto" by Poulenc, and
others.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, December 31
Location: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan
Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square
Tel: 6559-8285
New Year gathering
Under the baton of Tan Lihua, the Beijing Symphony
Orchestra will hold a New Year concert, inviting Fan Cong, a
promising Chinese pianist who is now based in America, to appear as
the show's soloist.
Tan has been artistic director of the Beijing Symphony
Orchestra, and an active conductor in China. Pianist Fan is an
international figure, who has performed in many famous concert halls
worldwide.
Programme: "Blue River Danube", "Voice of Spring",
"Hungarian Dance No 5", "Swan Lake" and "Piano Concerto No 5
(Emperor)" by Beethoven and more.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, January 1
Location: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan
Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square
Tel: 6559-8285
American pianist
David Deveau, an American pianist who has enjoyed a
smooth music career since he made his debut in 1982 New York's
Lincoln Centre. He has appeared with many famous orchestras
worldwide.
Programme: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven, "Nocturne"
by Chopin, "Carnival" by Schumann.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, January 3
Location: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan
Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square
Tel: 6559-8285
Love in dreams
Cao Xueqin's classic novel "A Dream of Red Mansions"
will be performed as a dance drama choreographed by Zhao Ming.
The dancers come from the Zhanyou Song and Dance
Ensemble, Beijing, and the Shanghai City Dance Company.
The age-old novel, written during the late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911), will be presented in a modern way - with versatile body
language and a brilliant staging and props.
The show will be staged this month at the Poly Theatre.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, January 7-9
Tickets: 180-1,000 yuan (US$22-120)
Location: Dongsi Shitiao
Tel: 6506-5345
Mao and Marx
Clay sculptor Wang Wenhai presents his latest creations
at 798 art zone as a commemoration to celebrate the 111th birth
anniversary of late chairman Mao Zedong.
Entitled "Mao Zedong and Marx", the exhibition displays
the latest sculptures of Mao Zedong and Karl Marx in Wang's bold and
unique style, which has won him the title of "master clay sculptor".
As a child, Wang showed a great interest in folk art
like clay sculpture, grotto sculpture, Chinese New Year paintings
and opera figure painting. The inspiration and enlightenment he
received from teachers and students at Xi'an Institute of Fine Arts
helped him to focus on the creation and research of clay sculpture
Wang has spent many years making his clay sculptures of various
prominent historical figures , among which late chairman Mao Zedong
has been the centre of his creations. Time/date: 9 am-6 pm until
December 31
Location: 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu
Tel: 6438-7107
Watch the world
A total of six avant-garde artists jointly present an
exhibition at the New Millennium Gallery to reveal their angles of
viewing world.
On show are the latest works created by artists who
employ unique painting elements to visualize their original
imagination, representing the non-traditional spirit and nature that
modern art possesses.
Time/date: 9 am-6 pm until December 30
Location: Diyang Building, 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu
Tel: 8453-6193
Empty feeling
A collection of He Sen's oil paintings is on display at
Art Now Gallery.
He's works mostly depict fashionable young people
sitting in empty rooms, which are dimly lit to reflect the empty
feeling of the new generation.
Time/date: 11 am-7 pm until January 23
Location: opposite gate 12 at Workers' Stadium
Tel: 6551-1632
New wave
The Art Seasons Gallery is hosting a modern art
exhibition that highlights the bold artworks of artists who are
blazing their own trails.
Time/date: 10:30 am-6:30 pm until February 5
Location: 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu
Tel: 6431-1900
Dream factory
Artist Zhang Xiaotao's personal art exhibition is on at
Beijing Tokyo Art Projects. The exhibition presents bold works made
by the artist between 1998 and 2004 as a record of the changing
reality that contains different meanings to different people.
Time/date: 10:30 am-5 pm until February 5, 2005
Location: 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu
Tel: 8457-3245
Group show
A group exhibition will take place at the Red Gate
Gallery in January. The exhibition will feature paintings, prints
and sculptures made by artists Zhou Jirong, Tan Ping, Wang Yuping,
Shen Ling, Su Xinping, Lv Peng and Yang Mian who have touched on
different aspects of life with their works representing the feelings
of people in modern society.
Time/date: 10 am-5 pm, January 1-February 28, 2005
Location: Dongbianmen Watchtower Chongwenmen
Tel: 6512-2561
Western soul
Artist Jiang Zhixin's personal painting exhibition is
underway at the Treasure Art Museum.
Born in Gansu Province in Northwest China, Jiang has
distinguished himself as a rugged painter specialized in depicting
landscapes and abstract paintings characterized with western traces
such as straight lines, open scenes and wilderness. The exhibits are
latest works Jiang has created in succession to the dedicated
pursuit of portraits of his western home.
Time/date: 10 am-5 pm until January 5
Location: Wangfu Apartment Club, Beiqijiazhen, Changping
District
Tel: 8178-4081
Winter oils
The Qin Gallery is presenting a modern oil painting
exhibition throughout the month.
The works of a dozen artists, who reveal their feelings
about life and society, are on display.
Time/date: 9:30 am-7 pm until December 31
Location: 1-1E Huaweili, north of Beijing Curio City
Tel: 8779-0461
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