Shows

Australian Comedy - COSI 5th Round (Chinese Version)

Date: April 12-16 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Poly Theatre

Price: 80-1,500 yuan

Cosi is a 1996 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Mark Joffe. Louis Nowra wrote both the screenplay and the play it is based on. Lewis Riley, an unemployed young man who applies for a job as a director/drama teacher at a mental hospital. He lands the job and finds himself directing a production of the Mozart opera Cosi fan tutte, an elaborate, demanding piece of theater, an opera in Italian. And it is going to be performed by a cast that he must select from among the patients, who only speak English. One of the patients, Roy, sweeps everything along before him, organizing auditions, selecting cast members, and criticizing the director. The cast chosen include three women: Julie, Ruth and Cherry; and two men: Henry and Doug. The musical director is Zac. The enthusiasm of Roy infects the group, and they charge headlong into a memorable production. Alongside the story of Lewis, the theme of Cos?? fan tutte is explored as it relates to his personal life. Lewis's relationship with his girlfriend Lucy, already under pressure, is not helped by a friend called Nick, who seems more interested in testing Lucy's faithfulness than anything else.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Twelfth Night by TNT Theatre Britain

Date: April 13-15 - 7:30 pm

Venue: 9 Theatre Beijing

Price: 60-380 yuan

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601-02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as a boy) falls in love with Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man. The play expanded on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of the occasion, with plot elements drawn from the short story "Of Apollonius and Silla" by Barnabe Rich, based on a story by Matteo Bandello. TNT Theatre Britain was founded in 1980 by Paul Stebbings, who has won awards at the Munich Biennale, the Edinburgh Festival, Teheran Festival and from the government of Singapore. Spanning the disciplines of theater, music and dance, its productions always include a specially commissioned score by a leading composer. As one of the most popular touring theater companies in the world, TNT gives over 500 performances each year across Britain, Europe, America and Asia.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Blue Note Beijing Mark Turner Quartet

Date: April 14-15 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Blue Note Beijing

Price: 300-8,000 yuan

Mark Turner, a New York Times profile of Turner titled "The Best Jazz Player You've Never Heard" called him "possibly jazz's premier player," noting his reputation among his peers and his influential stature in the jazz world. In 2013 Turner entered an exciting new creative phase, with his varied talents showcased on a variety of notable new recording projects. He released his sixth album as a leader - his first under his own name in a dozen years. He also continued his work as a member of Fly, a collaborative trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. Those projects add to an already expansive body of work that encompasses Turner's own widely acclaimed albums and an assortment of collaborations, along with his prolific work as an in-demand sideman.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

Classical Ballet Giselle

Date: April 14-15 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai International Dance Center

Price: 80-680 yuan

Giselle is a romantic ballet in two acts. It was first performed by the Ballet du Th??atre de l'Acad??mie Royale de Musique at the Salle Le Peletier in Paris, France on Monday, 28 June 1841, with Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi as Giselle. The ballet was an unqualified triumph. Giselle became hugely popular and was staged at once across Europe, Russia, and the United States. The traditional choreography that has been passed down to the present day derives primarily from the revivals staged by Marius Petipa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg. The ballet is about a peasant girl named Giselle, who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another. The Wilis, a group of supernatural women who dance men to death, summon Giselle from her grave. They target her lover for death, but Giselle's great love frees him from their grasp. Librettists Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Theophile Gautier took their inspiration for the plot from a prose passage about the Wilis in De l'Allemagne, by Heinrich Heine, and from a poem called "Fantomes" in Les Orientales by Victor Hugo. The prolific opera and ballet composer Adolphe Adam composed the music. Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot created the choreography. The role of Giselle was intended for Carlotta Grisi as her debut piece for the Paris public. She became the first to dance the role and was the only ballerina to dance it at the Opera for many years.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Swan Lake by Russian State Ballet

Date: May 5 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Century Theater

Price: 180-880 yuan

Tchaikovsky's instantly recognizable music set against the wonderfully dark story of good against evil; Swan Lake is one of the most famous and loved of all ballets. This production by Evgeny Amosov, Artistic Director of The Russian National Ballet Theatre, is heralded around the world. Swan Lake's glamorous set is evocative of the Russian Imperial world in which the ballet was created, while the haunting moonlit lakeside is perfect for the tragic conflict of the human and spirit worlds and allows the audience to be swept away in the vulnerability of Odette/Odile.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

Jazz Weekend - Thomas Enhco Piano Recital

Date: May 6 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Concert Hall

Price: 80-599 yuan

Thomas Enhco, born in Paris, starts playing the violin and piano at an early age, and studies classical music and jazz in both instruments. At 12, Thomas enters the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood, where he is spotted by the drummer Peter Erskine who offers to participate in Thomas Enhco's first CD. He is then accepted at the Paris Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et Danse. In 2004-2005, Thomas composes and records his first album, Esquisse, which is released in 2006 (label Ames, distrib. Harmonia Mundi). He reaches the finals in the Defense National Jazz Competition in 2005 and receives the Young Talent Price at the Montauban Jazz Festival in 2006.

Contact: 400-610-3721

American Boychoir 2017 China Tour

Date: April 20 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Concert Hall

Price: 180-580 yuan

The American Boychoir has long been recognized as one of the finest musical ensembles in the country. Under the leadership of Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Litton-Lodal Music Director, the American Boychoir has dazzled audiences with its unique blend of musical sophistication, spirited presentation, and ensemble virtuosity. The Boychoir performs regularly with world-class orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and is often featured with such illustrious conductors as James Levine, Charles Dutoit, and Alan Gilbert. The American Boychoir is frequently invited to join internationally-renowned artists on stage, and the list of collaborators reflects the extraordinary range of the ensemble: from great classical artists such as Jessye Norman and Frederica von Stade to jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and pop icons Beyonce and Sir Paul McCartney.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Violin Recital by Sarah Chang

Date: April 28 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Price: 80-580 yuan

Sarah Chang is recognized as one of the world's great violinists. Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 8 she has performed with the greatest orchestras, conductors and accompanists internationally in a career spanning more than two decades. Highlights from Ms. Chang's recent and upcoming seasons, have included performances with such North American orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, and Cleveland Symphony. She has also performed at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Aspen Music Festivals, among others. With a career that has blossomed internationally, her European engagements have included performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and all the principal London Orchestras.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

Activities & nightlife

The Paper Tigers album and tour launch party in Beijing

Date: April 15 - 9 pm

Venue: Jianghu Bar, Beijing

Price: 50 yuan

Beijing's "hottest indie rock band" The Paper Tigers kick off their national tour at venerable local venue Jianghu Bar. The band - fresh off the release of their music video for "Hutong Hipster", which has been streamed 8,000 times on QQ Video - will unveil their self-recorded, self-released and self-titled debut EP in a celebratory concert that also features The Harridans (in their first performance after a prolonged hiatus) and Joker's Belief (who will perform a special acoustic set). After that, the Tigers hit the road, with shows at Dalian's Hertz Bar (April 20), Changchun's Soundwave Livehouse (April 21), and Shenyang's Meidiqi Music Space (April 22).

Contact: WeChat official account: bj-jianghubar

Blue Note Beijing Kurt Rosenwinkel

Date: April 20 - 6 pm

Venue: Blue Note Beijing

Price: 260-6,600 yuan

Kurt Rosenwinkel is an American jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader, producer, educator and record label owner. He is recognized worldwide as one of the most influential guitarists and composers of the turn of the century. Kurt's music is deeply melodic and accessible while simultaneously working on the highest musical levels. The first song came 10 years ago and Kurt was shocked at this new stream of music emerging from within him. As the years went by every once in a whilea new song would come and he would recognize it belonging to this new stream, which he began to call "Caipi", as a shorthand for these songs that had something to do with Brazilian music and of course Caipiriias. Its deeply personal music with some Brazilian influences, rock influences as well as jazz. He has been working for these ten years on this album, recording the songs at home and doing everything he can to make this music live.

Contact: 400-610-3721

04/27 Zomboy in SOS Club

Date: April 27 - 11 am

Venue: SOS Club, Hangzhou

Price: 120-220 yuan

Joshua Mellody, better known by his stage name Zomboy, is an English electronic music producer and DJ. Zomboy debuted in 2011 with the track "Organ Donor", which was released on Never Say Die Records' "Game Time EP". His debut EP was in top 5 of the Beatport dubstep charts for over 8 weeks. At the end of the year, his music and remixes were licensed to compilations on labels like Warner and Ministry of Sound.

In 2012, he released his second EP, "The Dead Symphonic EP". In March 2013, he released the single "Here to Stay" featuring Lady Chann on No Tomorrow Records. In September 2013, his "Reanimated EP" was released in two parts, of which Pt. 1 was released on Never Say Die Records & Pt. 2 on No Tomorrow Recordings. His debut album entitled 'The Outbreak' on Never Say Die Records was released in August 2014.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Sports

2017 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping - China League

Date: April 29-May 7 - 9 am

Venue: Weat Gate 3, Chaoyang Park

Price: 280-2,760 yuan

The FEI World Cup Show Jumping is held by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Created in 1978, it is an annual international competition among the world's best show jumping horses and riders. Today this series has been played for 35 sessions and has comprised 16 leagues on all continents. The FEI World Cup circles begin and end in April or May every year. Each league has its qualifying and finals. The top riders of each league are eligible to participate in the final of the global season. 2014-2015 season, the FEI World Cup Jumping Finals will be held in Las Vegas, America, in April 15th to 19th, 2015. In 2011, the FEI World Cup Jumping came into China, and then became the most important official equestrian event in China. The FEI World Cup Jumping China League is organized by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the Cycling Equestrian Fencing Sports Management Center of China National Sports Administration, the China Equestrian Association, the Beijing Sports Bureau and the Beijing Sports Council.

Contact: 400-610-3721

(China Daily 04/15/2017 page20)