What’s on
Rita Ora: Phoenix World Tour
2019 Live in Shanghai
When: March 12, 8 pm Where: Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall
British singer, songwriter and actress Rita Ora is set to make her debut show on the Chinese mainland. The Phoenix World Tour will span Australia, Asia and Europe, including a performance at the O2 Arena in London. Ora said she is happy to be on tour again.
Since breaking through in 2012 with her album Ora, she has become a force of nature in pop music. Some of her bestknown hits include How We Do (Party), R.I.P., I Will Never Let You Down and Poison. In 2018, she made UK chart history when her latest single Let You Love Me became her 13th Top 10 on the official UK singles chart and she set a new record for the most Top 10 singles by a British female artist.
Cinderella
When: March 14-16, 7:30 pm Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo from Monaco will present the ballet by choreographer JeanChristophe Maillot. The theme of a prince who marries a peasant girl is not given a lead role here. Maillot prefers to focus on the emotional cogs that drive this timeless tale forward.
Cinderella is simplicity incarnate. She needs no accessories and even the famous glass slipper is replaced here with a bare foot. It symbolizes not only the simplicity and starkness of this young woman, but also a part of the body without which dance would not exist.
The prince is unaware of the real world and leaves his palace to seek love, and the two embark on a journey hand in hand. He abandons his palace for Cinderella and they live happily ever after.
Over the Wall
When: March 15, 7:30 pm Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing
The Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe will perform the romantic comedy, which was originally written by dramatist Bai Pu in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
The story revolves around Pei Shaojun, the son of a high-ranking official. When he goes to Luoyang city to buy seedlings of flowers and trees, he passes a garden on a horse and accidentally sees Li Qianjin, the daughter of the city’s chief supervisor.
They fall in love at first sight and meet each other in the garden at night. Li decides to marry Pei and accompanies him to go back to his home. She has hidden in the backyard for seven years and gives birth to a son and a daughter.
One day, she is discovered by Pei’s father, who forces his son to divorce her. She moves to a Taoist Temple and Pei becomes the Number One Scholar in the imperial examination. Eventually, they live happily together, with best wishes from their parents.
Giovanni Marradi 2019 Piano Concert in Suzhou
When: Feb 17, 7:30 pm Where: Suzhou Poly Grand Theater
Giovanni Marradi is a composer, pianist, recording artist, arranger, performer, inventor and cartoonist. He began learning piano at the age of 5 and studied composition and technique with Michael Cheskinoff at the Russian Conservatory.
He is one of the most successful expressionist pianists of the past century. As a young adult, he played throughout Europe and the Middle East, but his dream was to pursue a musical career in the United States. After arriving in California, he played small concerts before being invited to perform at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Giovanni made many friends in the movie business and in music circles, while many elite high rollers have been entertained by his unique, romantic style.
Kodaline: 2019 Live in Beijing
When: Feb 18, 8 pm
Where: Tango Live, Beijing Platinum-selling Irish band Kodaline will bring its show to Beijing on Monday. The band consists of singer Steve Garrigan, guitarist Mark Prendergast, bassist Jason Boland and drummer Vinny May. It released its new album, Politics of Living, on Sept 28 to rave reviews before embarking on a world tour.
Kodaline was formed in Dublin in 2012 and achieved immediate success. All I Want, from its first extended play recording, has logged more than 46 million views on social media.
Its 2013 debut album, Perfect World, established the group as a highly emotional pop/rock band with perfectly crafted songs in the vein of Coldplay, while 2015’s Coming Up for Air, gave it its second Irish No 1. The band’s continual tours confirm its status as a growing force in the music world.
Murray Perahia Piano Recital
When: Feb 27, 7:30 pm Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing
In the more than 40 years he has been performing, Murray Perahia has become one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time, performing in all the world’s major international music centers and many leading orchestras.
He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London, with which he has toured as conductor and pianist throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia. Born in New York, Perahia started playing piano at the age of 4, and later attended Mannes College, where he majored in conducting and composition.
His summers were spent at the Marlboro Festival, where he collaborated with such musicians as Rudolf Serkin, Pablo Casals and the members of the Budapest String Quartet. During this time, he also studied with Mieczysław Horszowski. In subsequent years, he developed a close friendship with Vladimir Horowitz, whose perspective and personality became an enduring inspiration.
Recently, Perahia embarked on an ambitious project to edit the complete Beethoven sonatas. He also produced and edited hours of recordings of recently discovered master classes by the legendary pianist Alfred Cortot, which resulted in the highly acclaimed Sony CD release Alfred Cortot: The Master Classes.