This weekend, Un Ballo in Maschera, directed by Hugo de Ana, is another visual and aural feast with elegant stage design and deft use of multimedia elements to create luxurious backdrops of a crimson sky and an Italian palace.
Shanghai is also brimming with Verdi shows. Shanghai Grand Theatre has a long relationship with the works of Verdi. Its first opera performance in 1998 was Aida with a cast from Florence, Italy.
A series of upcoming performances at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in November will start off with Italian singer Giacomo Prestia performing Attila. Israeli conductor Daniel Oren will hold the baton for Attila this time.
Mind versus heart
From September 16 to October 6, the China National Symphony Orchestra will be commemorating the 200th anniversary of German composer Wagner's birth every night at the NCPA.
In the past few months there was also Wagner's opera Der Fliegende Holländer during the NCPA Opera Festival 2013 and the more than 16-hour-long performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen in Shanghai.
Thus, it is hard to avoid comparisons between Wagner and Verdi in the year when music by both composers is filling opera houses around the world.
"Singing for Wagner's opera requires singing from the mind, while for Verdi, the music is from the heart," Zhang Qiulin, a contralto singer who is famous for performing Wagner's operas but plays Ulrica in the NCPA production of Un Ballo in Maschera, told the Global Times.
Wagner is an intellectual scriptwriter and philosopher who transfers his thoughts into melody, creating tasks for both performers and audience, Zhang said. A beautiful voice is never enough for Wagner since vocals are only a part of his musical constructs.
Verdi's operas, on the other hand, provide singers with a bigger stage, and the orchestra and chorus play supporting roles.
More to learn
Giving Verdi a year in the spotlight allows the Chinese audience to experience some works outside of his most popular operas. For example, Attila, which will be performed at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, is not very familiar to Chinese audiences.
Music critic Wang Jiyan said in an interview with the Beijing Times that bringing a variety of shows and excerpts from different Verdi operas can lead to new understanding of his music.
He finds that since Verdi has so many interesting compositions, it is impossible for the audience to fully grasp his style through one show alone. Therefore a collection of his works in the form of a gala - complete with full stage design, props and costumes that are similar to those used in full-fledged opera productions - is a great way to present Verdi's life achievements.
The NCPA production of Un Ballo in Maschera is also slightly different from how it was produced last year because performers are separated into two teams: the national team includes Liao Changyong, Dai Yuqiang and Zhang Qiulin, whereas the international team consists of sopranos He Hui and Guo Sen, tenor Roberto Aronica and baritone Roberto Frontali.
The two versions provide Verdi fans the chance to make nuanced comparisons.
Overall, this autumn may prove the right time to change the single-faced impressions of Verdi for many Chinese audiences.
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