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Debra Li
Debra_lidan@163.com
TO draw more audience members to its theaters and concert halls, Shenzhen Performance Company has lowered the starting price of their show tickets to 80 yuan (US$13) per seat for the 2015 season. As usual, the heavyweight show planner in town has offered a rich variety of performances between April and December — 17 in total — covering chamber music, children’s choir, drama, ballet, modern dance and shows for children.
Opening the season will be Club for Five, a contemporary a cappella group founded in Helsinki, Finland in 2001. Known for their unique singing style, the band consists of soprano Maija Sariola, alto Susanna Hietala, tenor Jouni Kannisto, baritone Juha Viitala and bass Tuukka Haapaniemi. Their repertoire, both in Finnish and English, is mainly music they have arranged or composed and tends to operate in the pop spectrum, though it is influenced by a wide variety of genres.
Pop music fans may enjoy The Carpenters Tribute Story, presented by Shaun Martin and Laurena Flaxman from northern England. The show tells the story of the rise and downfall of The Carpenters with visuals, voiceovers and live singing by Flaxman, accompanied by keyboard/vocalist Martin. Fans will hear songs like “Yesterday Once More” and “Top of the World,” which bring back memories of their younger days.
In June, Italian chamber music group I Musici will stage a concert. Consisting of six violins, two violas, two cellos, one double bass and one harpsichord, the orchestra is best known for their interpretations of Baroque classics and other works, particularly of Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni.
Familiar to some local audience members will be Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc (the Little Singers of Saint Marc in English), a children’s choir founded in 1986 by Nicolas Porte in Lyon. It is a mixed unit composed of 75 to 80 school-aged children from 10 to 15 years old. The choir’s repertoire varies widely, from spiritual hymns to classical and contemporary music. They shot to fame with the 2004 film “Les Choristes,” for which they provided vocals for the soundtrack.
Also worth mentioning is the Vienna Boys Choir. One of the best-known children’s choirs in the world, the group will stage a show in November.
Lovers of singing shouldn’t miss the solo concert by French singer/actress Hélène Rollès. Her career peaked in 1993, when she published her most popular album, “Je m’appelle Hélène,” which sold 900,000 copies and went triple platinum.
New to Shenzhen audiences will be Brussels Philharmonic. Founded in 1935, the orchestra is known for their rich repertoire consisting mainly of the great symphonic pieces, but also including other genres. The orchestra plays contemporary classical music and movie soundtracks. It is best known for recording the scores to the award-winning movies “The Aviator,” composed by Howard Shore, and “The Artist,” composed by Ludovic Bource.
A concert featuring the works of Joe Hisaishi, composed for the films of Japanese animator Miyazaki Hayao, has been welcomed among children and adults alike. The show will return to Shenzhen Concert Hall this summer.
For drama fans, there will be Taiwanese director Stan Lai’s latest show “Winterreise.” Addressing the themes of betrayal, hatred, atonement and forgiveness, the show tells the story of two friends turning against each other during the tough times of the Cultural Revolution and seeking inner peace afterwards. Lai’s other show, “Ménage à 13,” dealing with love and marriage, will return to Shenzhen, too.
An all-star version of “The Death of a Famous Actor,” based on the original by late Chinese author Tian Han, will feature TV star Zhang Tielin and Beijing opera star Guan Dongtian.
Korean pop fans will love the dance show “Sachoom,” which has taken young audiences in Asia by whirlwind and left them humming and moving their bodies along with the performers.
In December, the prestigious Russian National Ballet Theater will return for a tour of full-length classical performances of “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.”
Schedule
April 23
Club of Five concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
May 24
The Carpenters Tribute Story
Shenzhen Concert Hall
June 3
I Musici concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
June 7
The Little Singers of Saint Marc concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
June 26, 27
Drama: Winterreise
Shenzhen Poly Theater
July (date undecided yet)
Humorous show: The Whispering Wall
Shenzhen Children’s Palace
July 11
Miyazaki Hayao’s movie music concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
August (date undecided yet)
3-D ballet: Swan Lake
Shenzhen Gymnasium
Sept. 19, 20
Drama: Ménage à 13
Shenzhen Poly Theater
Nov. 20, 21
Korean dance show: Sachoom
Shenzhen Children’s Palace
November (date undecided yet)
Vienna Boys Choir concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
December (date undecided yet)
All-star drama: The Death of a Famous Actor
Shenzhen Poly Theater
Dec. 5
Hélène Rollès’ vocal concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
Dec. 18, 19
Bohemian ballet gala
Shenzhen Children’s Palace
Dec. 26
Nuremberg Youth Symphony Orchestra concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
Dec. 29
Brussels Philharmonic concert
Shenzhen Concert Hall
December (date undecided yet)
Russian National Ballet Theater week
Shenzhen Poly Theater
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