Shanghai Opera House To Host 50th Hong Kong Arts Festival Finale Online
Due to developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, the online concert Roméo et Juliette by Shanghai Opera House will not take place as scheduled. In its place, it is semi-staging operas double bill Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci as the Festival Finale performance.
Due to developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, the online concert Roméo et Juliette by Shanghai Opera House will not take place as scheduled. In its place, it is semi-staging operas double bill Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci as the Festival Finale performance.
For another two more weeks (until 23 April), you can join a global audience to celebrate the Festival Finale with this opera double bill.
“Verismo”, which replaced high-flown heroes and ancient myths with stories of ordinary people experiencing life-changing emotions, took 19th-century Europe by storm, producing work that still sweeps audiences off their feet today with its raw passion, colourful characters and unforgettable music.
The free for global viewing performance is a semi-staged act by the Shanghai Opera House. Performing two classic verismo operas ––Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci –– the orchestra is led by Maestro Xu Zhong.
Together with He Hui — described by Opera World as “one of the most important dramatic singers of her generation”; Xue Haoyin, Grand Prize winner of the Rimsky-Korsakov International Vocal Competition, and Han Peng, winner of the gold medal in the Turandot International Opera Competition held in Verona also feature in the cast.
The two operas are united by the theme of passion: Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana tells the story of a village love affair that spirals out of control. In Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci a troupe of traveling players comes to town—and the emotions behind their performance turn out to be unexpectedly real.
Conductor: Xu Zhong
Director: Martin Constantine
Executive Director: Zhang Qingxin
Chorus Master: Lorenzo Fratini
Chorus Mentor: Zhang Chengjie
Vocal Coach: Alessandro Amoretti, Siro Battaglin
Vocal Mentor: Shen Ye
Language Coach: Nicole Dorigo
Costume Advisor for Cavalleria Rusticana: Lyu Yan
Cavalleria Rusticana
Composer: Pietro Mascagni
Librettists: Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Guido Menasci
Cast
He Hui as Santuzza
Xue Haoyin as Turiddu
Dou Qianming as Alfio
Wang Xiaoxi as Lucia
Dong Fang as Lola
Pagliacci
Composer and Librettist: Ruggero Leoncavallo
Watch here for the brief interview with HKAF Festival Director, Lawrence Lock.
Related News: Xu Zhong Appointed by Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Cast
He Hui as Nedda
Han Peng as Canio
Sun Li as Tonio
He Chao as Silvio
Yu Haolei as Beppe
With Shanghai Huangpu Youngster’s Art activity Center Spring Children’s Choir
Approx. 2 hrs 40 mins
Performed in Italian with Chinese and English subtitles.
Online Viewing Period: 26 Mar 8:00pm – 23 Apr 8:00pm
*The performance will be available to view globally from the Hong Kong time listed above. Register your email at Hong Kong Arts Festival 2022 official website to watch.
The Festival Finale on 26 March is sponsored by ICBC (Asia).
Click here to watch Hong Kong Arts Festival 2022 programs.
