Ready to hit every high note

From the stirring chords of Ode to the Red Flag to landmark productions by the world's most revered opera institutions, the newly completed Shanghai Grand Opera House announced its inaugural season on July 6 — an ambitious slate of 47 productions across 82 performances, running from Oct 17 to Feb 20.

The new opera house on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River will officially open on Oct 17, coinciding with the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The Grand Opera House was an important cultural project in the municipality's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), with construction taking six years.

A contemporary architectural wonder, it features a monumental spiral staircase in the shape of an unfolding Chinese fan that spans 30 meters at its widest.

"As the Chinese fan gradually unfurls and shines with dazzling brilliance, it attracts wide public attention, as well as awe from the worldwide theater community," said Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, at the season's opening conference on July 6. She went on to announce the new theater's guiding principles as "for public good, for artistic excellence, and for global resonance".

Built to world-class standards and equipped with Asia-leading stage technology, the opera house has three theater spaces: the 2,000-seat Harmony Hall, the 1,200-seat Soar Theatre, and the versatile Open Stage, which features a 13-meterhigh glass curtain wall that lets in greenery and natural light.

Colleagues from around the world extended their wishes for the new rising star in the opera constellation. "The inauguration of the Shanghai Grand Opera House is an inspiring and exciting moment," said Alexander Neef, general director of the Paris Opera, in a video message. "It is far more than the opening of a building. It is the beginning of a new artistic adventure, a place where artists, audiences and communities come together through music."

Elisabeth Sobotka, artistic director of the Berlin State Opera, wished the SGOH "a brilliant future as a place of artistic excellence, cultural exchange and international friendship."

The season highlights the Asian debut of a series of opera productions from across the world. First to come will be the Teatro La Fenice's 2025 production of Tosca, which will be performed in the 2,000-seat Harmony Hall on Oct 22 and 24.

Teatro La Fenice of Venice opened its doors in 1792 and is ranked among the leading opera houses in Italy and Europe. The new production relocates the story from its original 1800s Rome setting to the 1950s and abandons the traditional stage setting in favor of open spaces, reinforcing the core theme of freedom.

It will be followed by the Asian premiere of the Mariinsky Theatre's 2025 production of Verdi's Aida at Harmony Hall from Oct 30 to Nov 1. One of Russia's oldest theaters, the Mariinsky traces its roots back to 1783. Its ballet company, opera company, chorus, and symphony orchestra form a treasure in the world's artistic landscape.

Led by its artistic director, Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Theatre will send a team of nearly 300 people to perform at the SGOH. The Mariinsky Orchestra will present Shostakovich Symphonies Cycle in the 1,200-seat Soar Theatre from Oct 23 to 28. Following last year's complete Mahler symphonies in Shanghai, the Shostakovich Symphonies Cycle marks another important feat achieved by the Mariinsky Orchestra and Gergiev for Shanghai's classical music scene.

The third opera, making its first Asian performance at the SGOH, will be Der Rosenkavalier from the Berlin State Opera in Germany. Conducted by the company's music director Christian Thielemann, the opera will be performed in Harmony Hall on Nov 8-12.

Richard Strauss's classic comedy-opera, Der Rosenkavalier, blends romantic melody with witty comedy, using a rose motif to depict the many facets of Viennese aristocratic life. It is the most anticipated opera by conductor Xu Zhong, who enjoys the production for its innovative approach to storytelling, which highlights the connection between the main characters rather than a dramatic ending.

Shi Yijie, president of the Shanghai Opera House, the city's premier opera performance company, also speaks excitedly about the opera."Der Rosenkavalier belongs to the most authentic repertoire of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera)," he tells the media. Seeing the show in Shanghai, "on your own doorstep, is perhaps the only opportunity in five, or even 10, years", he says.

A few weeks ago, Shi, an international award-winning tenor, visited the SGOH before its completion. Intrigued by the outstanding acoustic environment in Harmony Hall, he sang the renowned aria Nessun Dorma from Turandot. "As a singer, when you hear the echo of your own singing coming back beautifully mellow to your ears, you immediately know you are in a great opera hall," he says.

Aside from the Shostakovich Symphonies Cycle, German pianist Rudolf Buchbinder and one of the oldest orchestras in the world, Staatskapelle Berlin, will present the Beethoven Piano Concertos Cycle in the Soar Theatre on Nov 7 and 9. Throughout his 60-plus-year career, Buchbinder has built his repertoire centered on Beethoven. He has performed the complete piano sonata cycle over 60 times.

Pianist Yuja Wang, one of the most beloved Chinese musicians today, will also play in the SGOH's new season. She will present two concerts with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra on Nov 13-14 in Harmony Hall.

Zhu Jiejing, a renowned dancer and vice-chairman of the China Dancers Association, is particularly excited for the Eifman Ballet resident program from St. Petersburg, Russia, taking place at the Soar Theatre from Dec 11 to 20.

"All of Eifman Ballet's productions, in whatever Chinese city, sold out like hot cakes," she says. "Being audience members in Shanghai, we are so lucky to have the company here for the opening season of the SGOH. You can see all the shows without fighting for a ticket."

The Eifman Ballet will perform three acclaimed literary adaptations: Eugene Onegin, Anna Karenina, and the Shanghai debut of Crime and Punishment, based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel.

Zhu will lead the performance of the dance drama The Eternal Wave on Jan 15-16. "I hope we can bring more original productions to the SGOH and engage in artistic dialogues with artists worldwide."

Ode to the Red Flag, a symphonic chorus composed by Lyu Qiming about love for the country, the Party, and a celebration of the great Chinese Revolution, will be the first piece in the opening concert of the SGOH on Oct 17. The opera gala Shanghai Grand Opera House and Friends will bring together leading opera artists from home and abroad, featuring three conductors: Zhang Guoyong, former president of the Shanghai Opera House; Yu Long, music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and Xu, artistic director of the Shanghai Opera House.