Art beat ... finger on the pulse

Beijing

Old and new cross-talk

The Cultural Palace of Nationalities, which was built in 1959 along Chang'an Avenue, will celebrate its reopening after a year's renovation with two cross-talk shows. Famous baldheaded cross-talk performer Fang Qingping, performing with his trademark Beijing dialect, will talk about the lives of ordinary people in the city. Comedian Gao Xiaopan, one of the most promising cross-talk performers, will lead his 5-year-old Hip-Hop Cross-Talk Club to bring laughter to the audience.

7:30 pm, March 8 and 9. Cultural Palace of Nationalities, No 49 Fuxingmennei Dajie, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6602-4433.

Shanghai

Rigoletto in Shanghai

Shanghai Opera House presents a concert production of Verdi's opera Rigoletto. The show will feature baritone Yuan Chenye, soprano Huang Ying, conductor Zhang Jiemin and director Li Wei.

7:30 pm, Feb 24. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. 021-6854-1234.

Brit poet arrives

British poet Simon Armitage will share his poems including Hitcher, Kids and Zoom! with readers in China. The event will be moderated by acclaimed radio host Xiaolin. You can e-mail lecture@minshengart.com, or contact the museum via Sina Weibo for reservation.

7 pm, March 2. Minsheng Art Museum Shanghai, Building F, 570 Huaihai Road W Shanghai. 021-6282-8729.

Unique art

Ten artists present their own visions of the absurd - taking reality and twisting it ever so slightly to create something familiar enough to remind us of ourselves, but strange enough to provoke contemplation.

10 am-6 pm, Feb 23-April 4. OV Gallery, Rm 207, Building 4A, 50 Moganshan Road, Shanghai. 0139-1637-3474.

Guangzhou

Classic and contemporary

Russian violinist Kirill Troussov will work with Switzerland's Julius Baer Verbier Festival Chamber to present the interesting contrast between classical European Baroque and contemporary South American tango at their concert in Guangzhou on March 2. Mozart's Divertimenti K138 will give the concert an entertaining start, followed by Vivaldi's violin concerto The Four Seasons and Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Bueno Aires. Troussov is Menuhin's student and Julius Baer Verbier Festival is where familiar names including Lang Lang started their music careers. The seldom used harpsichord of Xinghai Concert Hall will also play its part at March 2's concert, amazing the audience with its mysterious, ancient tones.

8 pm, March 2. Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Lu, Ersha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-2222.

Showbiz stylist

Tina Lau, one of the most famous stylists in China, is going to Guangzhou to give a public lecture on fashion and life on Feb 23. Lau has more than 30 years of experience in image design for movies, TV series and music stars. She is behind the applauded looks of Leslie Cheung as Concubine Yu in movie director Chen Kaige's 1993 classic Farewell My Concubine. The Original Tina contains a large amount of photographs and newspaper snapshots displaying her excellent designs. Thirty-five friends, colleagues and families also talk about Tina in their eyes.

3 pm-5 pm, Feb 23. Fangsuo Commune, TaiKoo Hui Shopping Mall, 383 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe district, Guangzhou. 020-3868-2327.

Quick pick

Lady White Snake sings Kunqu

Northern Kunqu Opera Theater will present the evergreen Kunqu performance, Lady White Snake, on Lantern Festival Day (Feb 24), which marks the end of the Spring Festival. Over the centuries, the ancient story of Lady White Snake has been performed in various art forms, including film, Peking Opera and TV series. According to Yang Fengyi, director of Northern Kunqu Opera Theater, the Kunqu version of Lady White Snake focuses on the actors' skills and the inner world of Lady White Snake. Kunqu actresses, Shao Tianshuai and Ha Dongxue, will play the leading role of Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit turned mortal woman. Young Kunqu actor Shao Zheng will play the scholar Xu Xian, the love of Bai Suzhen.

7:30 pm, Feb 24. Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6551-3348/3349.

- Chen Nan

China Daily

(China Daily 02/22/2013 page20)