Top 10 shows in 2008

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-31 07:53

Runner-up: Celine Dion's concert

The Canadian chanteuse played Macao and Shanghai early in the year, canceling her Beijing leg unexpectedly.

Turandot

The Grand National Theater production

Puccini's swan song, as seen at the brand-new egg-shaped venue, was grand yet innovative. It took a giant step out of boundaries of historical constraints and created a world of fantasy. It had grandness, but was not overwhelmed by grandiosity. It made clever use of state-of-the-art stagecraft, but was not carried away by endless set changes.

The production will be remembered for its last 18 minutes, which Chinese composer Hao Weiya wrote to replace the original version by Franco Alfano (Puccini died before he could complete the last part).

While Alfano's finishing touch relentlessly builds up to a crescendo, Hao's work goes in the other direction, lapsing into a mood of quiet meditation, which is dramatically convincing.

In terms of casting, the slave girl Liu usually comes out strongest no matter who the singer happens to be. Not only was the character realistically drawn but the singer invariably gave an empathetic rendition. The aria before her suicide was so full of emotion it almost brought the performance to a standstill.

This was a Turandot that China's opera community can proudly call its own, and this was a Turandot that fit the venue and the location. After all, the story supposedly took place in the Chinese capital.

Runner-up: Der Rosenkavalier by Deutsche Oper Berlin

This touring production as part of the Beijing International Music Festival opened up the eyes of opera aficionados to a masterpiece by Richard Strauss and an iconic treatment by the renowned Gotz Friedrich. It was a night to remember at Beijing's Poly Theater.

Splendid

Produced by China National Acrobatic Troupe

Top 10 shows in 2008

This is virtually a must-see for foreign visitors, but domestic audiences will love it too.

Billed as "the artistic conception acrobatics", it has come a long way since the old days when Chinese acrobatics was all stunts and no art. The current show is polished like a dance drama, with as much production values (sound, lighting, etc) as a lavish extravaganza, and still keeps it well paced.

The Chinese art of juxtaposing movements and quietude is accentuated. The yin of plate spinning, umbrella and diabolo juggling compliments nicely with the yang of pole and hoop jumping.

The stage setting is abstractly Chinese, with a few traditional objects in the foreground. The opening is very folksy, with lantern-like ornaments floating among the audience. The show had moments of spontaneity and dramatic tension. The best number in terms of audience reaction was tumbling through hoops.

"What is a human body capable of?" I asked myself after watching this stunt-filled artfully produced festivity. Call it the "Splendid human body".

Runner-up: Colorful Guizhou

The third edition of this perennial favorite with tourists had a touch of modern dance, which took on a special quality of singularity and haunting beauty. The show is based in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, but occasionally tours around the country.

The Riddle of Tibet

By Yang Liping and company

This revival of a variety show-cum-dance drama has so much to offer that anyone who loves Tibetan culture, Buddhism or the "Princess of Peacock" should not miss it. It was Yang Liping's follow-up to her wildly successfully Dynamic Yunnan show.

Yang is arguably China's most important dancer today, and she is not content with making quick money from appearing in television song-and-dance routines. She wants to showcase China's ethnic minorities in their authentic glory. She has done that for her own people from Yunnan, and this time she had done it again for Tibetan culture.

The show tells the story of an old Tibetan lady who takes her sheep on a pilgrimage to a sacred place. The audience follows her journey, which exposes her to the customs and practices of different tribes. The mostly Tibetan performers are full of energy and yet exude soulful and haunting qualities. Yang plays a Tibetan goddess in a solo number, and leads another dance dressed as a man.

"I have been fascinated by Tibetan dance for a long time. Every time I see Tibetans get down on their hands and knees to crawl slowly on a pilgrimage, I feel their every movement is a dance," Yang says.

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