China's National Center for the Performing Arts

We’re returning to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts one more time for this week’s Sunday Opera (12/8 3:00 p.m.) and their production of “Un ballo in Maschera” (“A Masked Ball”) by Giuseppe Verdi. The 1859 opera in three acts with a libretto by Antonio Somma, was based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's 1833 five act opera, “Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué.”

Our penultimate opera from Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts for this season on the Sunday Opera (12/01 3:00 p.m.) is their new production of a very popular visiting presentation of Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" from last year.

We’re staying in Beijing for another production from the National Center for the Performing Arts on this week’s Sunday Opera (11/24 3:00 p.m.). This week, it’s an original commission combining Chinese and Western musical idioms in a story based on a popular folksong from the early 20th Century by composer Zhang Quianyi entitled “Lan Huahua” which follows the unfortunate story of a resilient young woman in feudal China from a bizarrely arranged marriage through to her tragic end.

We're staying at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts this week for Puccini's "Wild West" opera, "La Fanciulla del West." After the opera, we'll fill the afternoon with more music inspired by "the west" from composers like Meredith Willson and Antonin Dvorak.

We're back at the NCPA again this week for Gaetano Donizetti's wonderful romantic comedy "La Fille du Regiment." After the opera, we'll have more music of Donizetti including the first opera he wrote, "Il Pigmalione."

This next installment from the NCPA is the first Chinese opera written in the style of a western opera. Based on the interactions of the lives of four people traveling on China's Grand Canal including a variety of styles like bel canto, singspiel, traditional Chinese opera performances, and more.

Our final opera from the NCPA is Donizetti's wonderful comedy "The Elixer of Love" where Nemorino goes to what ever lengths he needs to in order to win the love of Adina, even using the last of his money to buy a love potion from the wily Dr. Dulcamara, who sells him nothing more than a bottle of Bordeaux, but it's enough for Nemorino to overcome his shortcomings and win the day!

Verdi's last opera, "Falstaff," is on tap this week from Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts

This week's Sunday Opera features a couple of "Dons" by Gaetano Donizetti: "Don Pasquale" from the NCPA and the world premier recording of a "lost" work, "Don Gregorio."

Gounod's much-loved opera based on Shakespeare's romantic tragedy comes to us from the NCPA. This will be followed by music of Andre Messenger adapted and conducted by John Lanchberry, Messenger's two-act ballet "The Two Pigeons."