Harbin Grand Theatre Festival Brings Italian Opera to Town

The Second Harbin Grand Theatre Festival is to hit Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, from Nov 25, 2017 to Feb 5, 2018. Harbin, the City of Ice, is expected to be a new capital for culture and art during the festival, as a total of 17 productions from various countries will be staged at Harbin Grand Theatre over the next three months.

Italian operas
Six Italian operas will be performed by three notable Italian theaters on the stage of Harbin Grand Theatre. The three Italian theaters are Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. The six operas are Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Artist's Life, Un Ballo in Maschera, The Lady of the Camellias and Don Juan, and will be performed from Dec 8 to Dec 16.

The Lady of the Camellias is performed at Teatro dell' Opera di Roma. As one of the great Italian opera composers, Verdi has created 26 dramas, more than 10 of which are regularly performed. The Lady of the Camellias and Un Ballo in Maschera are two of the most important of his productions.

Un Ballo in Maschera is performed at Teatro Regio di Parma.

The Barber of Seville is performed at Teatro Comunale Luciano.Pavarotti. As one of the three masters during the Golden Age of Bel Canto, Rossini has composed over 30 dramas. The Barber of Seville is recognized as his most representative work.

A performance of Artist's Life takes place at Teatro Regio di Parma. Puccini, also one of the three master drama composers in Italy, created popular productions including Turandot, Madame Butterfly and Artist's Life.

Carmen performed at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Composed by French writer Georges Bizt, Carmen achieved great success after he died. It is regarded as one of the best operas in the world.

Don Juan performed at Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti. Da Ponte’s trilogy marks the highest level of Italian opera, and Don Juan is part of the trilogy. Some critics claim that Don Juan is one of the best operas ever written.


Russian ballet
A ballet dancer from the Kremlin Ballet Theatre in Russia performs at Harbin Grand Theatre.

Founded in 1990, the Kremlin Ballet Theatre has many talented ballet dancers, most of whom have won international ballet competitions.

They will perform three ballet shows: Ruslan and Ludmilla, Esmeralda and Swan Lake for Harbin residents.


Polish dancing
Two performances featuring modern dance will be performed in Harbin by dancers from the Polish Dancer Theatre, at Harbin Grand Theatre, from Jan 25 to 26, 2018. Founded in 1973, the Polish Dancer Theatre is adept at various styles of dancing and is well-received around the world.

Dancers from the Polish Dancer Theatre take part in a performance.

Apart from dances and operas, three concerts will be held at Harbin Grand Theatre during the festival.

The venue is making great strides towards its goal of becoming a world-class theater. Last year, nearly 300 performances were staged at the theater. The epic drama War and Peace, involving 600 performers, made its debut at the theatre causing a sensation among audiences.

A production of War and Peace takes place at Harbin Grand Theatre.

Besides staging foreign plays, Harbin Grand Theatre is also striving to produce original plays through cooperation with foreign artists. In December 2016, the drama Forging the Sword, adapted from a Chinese novel by Lu Xun, was staged at the theater. The drama was directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna, a famous director from Poland, representing a milestone for the theater in terms of in-house production.

During the second Harbin Grand Theatre Festival, tickets will be available at a discounted price.