What's on in Beijing (Feb 11-17)

[Photo/National Center for the Performing Arts]

NCPA opera Turandot

Turandot is the first Western opera the NCPA has launched since its inauguration.

Turandot depicts a love mystery. Turandot is a most beautiful, but cold-hearted Chinese princess. She stipulates that any prince seeking to marry her must answer three riddles - and if he fails, he will be sentenced to death. Three poor princes have unfortunately lost their lives. Calaf, the prince of Tartary who is in exile in China, smitten with the princess's beauty, determines to win her as his bride and answers all the questions correctly. However, Princess Turandot refuses to accept defeat. Calaf generously offers Turandot a riddle of his own: if she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit his life. Princess Turandot captures the father of the prince and his maid Liu and extorts a confession from them by torture. Liu kills herself to keep the secret. Liu's death gives coldhearted Turandot a great shock. At dawn, Turandot still has no idea of the prince's name. Calaf forces Turandot to kiss him and melts her icy heart and finally tells her his real name. Yet Princess Turandot does not announce the prince's real name, on the contrary, she announces to the public that she will marry the prince and his name is Love.

If you go:

Time: 7:30 pm, Feb 15-19

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district.

Ticket: 160-880 yuan

Contact: 010-6655-0000