Source: Overseas Network
From top to bottom, the pictures are: the Folk Song Chorus Concert of the Central Chinese Orchestra published on the website of the World Theatre Alliance, the joint concert of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of the United Kingdom, and the trailer of the national ballet season in Berlin, Germany.
Chen Qigang's "Walking west" that combines Chinese artistic conception and Western modern composition techniques, Piazzolla's "Mother of Pearl Concerto" for nine instrumental vocal departments and orchestras, "Free Tango" that has not been bound by traditional tango music, Mozart's "Serenade no. 10 in B major" with brilliant brilliance, and Debussy's "The Sea" - On October 30, to commemorate the first anniversary of the founding of the World Theatre Alliance, the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China carefully planned an online concert of "Voices of the Four Seas" across national borders. Artists from five theaters, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Teatro Colon in Argentina, the Kirchner Cultural Center in Argentina, the National Symphony Orchestra of Uruguay, and the Orchestra of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China, presented five musical works with different styles.
The performance has been widely praised by netizens at home and abroad. German netizens praised the Great Chinese Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra for its great talent, South Korean netizens believe that artists around the world have demonstrated their unique cultural and musical charm, and overseas Chinese netizens commented that the World Theatre Alliance has built a bridge of friendship and understanding with music.
Help multinational theater troupes to link up online performances
In order to promote the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind to take root in the field of performing arts and help the dissemination and development of performing arts around the world, on September 9, 2020, the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China initiated the establishment of the World Federation of Theatres. The alliance covers opera houses, concert halls, performance orchestras, art centers, associations and other types of art institutions, and its headquarters is permanent in Beijing.
To date, the World Theatre Alliance has 26 arts institutions from 18 countries on five continents, becoming the world's leader in the performing arts industry. Over the past year, under the framework of alliance cooperation, the World Theatre Alliance has initiated a number of joint special concerts, opening up a new form of artistic expression that combines online and offline, performance and performance, and become a new model of pragmatic cooperation of the alliance. These include a joint concert between the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China and the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, and a joint concert by the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra of China and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of the United Kingdom.
On May 3, 2021, at the joint concert between the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Bolshoi Theatre, Russian conductor Valery Borisov led the artists to present excerpts from Tchaikovsky's operas "The Maiden of Orleans" and "Mateppa", the national and infectious intermission "Battle of Poltava" and the unrestrained and enthusiastic "Tatar Dance". After the end of the main song, the classic Chinese song "Jasmine" was added. Subsequently, Lu Jia, music and artistic director of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, took over the baton and led Chinese artists to present the majestic "Ode to the Red Flag", the piano concerto "Red Aya Dance", the classic singing section of the opera "Long March" and the sonorous and powerful "Defending the Yellow River". The return repertoire is the famous Russian music work Tchaikovsky's "Round Dance of Flowers". In addition to more than 2,400 audiences watching live performances in the two countries, more than 40 domestic and foreign media broadcast online, with a total of more than 30 million hits.
On May 22, at a joint concert between the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of the United Kingdom, the two orchestras recorded their own and mutually selected tracks in China and the United Kingdom, and then digitally processed them into an online concert. After the concert was broadcast through the Network, it attracted netizens from 73 countries and regions around the world to watch and interact, with a total of more than 25 million hits.
"The successful holding of these two concerts has effectively accelerated the application of digital technology in the art field and promoted the cloud display of stage art." Under the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the breakthrough of 'art + technology' has enabled the world's theaters and art institutions to break the boundaries of time and space, carry out various forms of exchanges and cooperation, and also give more audiences the opportunity to experience a deeper, more comprehensive and three-dimensional stage art connotation and the story behind it. Gao Ruixue of the Communication Department of the National Centre for the Performing Arts said.
Facilitate the sharing of resources and experiences during the pandemic
In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the world, the world economy has struggled to recover, and the world theater and performing arts industries have experienced unprecedented difficulties and challenges such as the cancellation of performances, the closure of theaters, and the unemployment of actors. Through the platform of the Alliance and the unremitting efforts of its members, the world's theatres and art institutions work together to promote the circulation and sharing of artistic resources and experiences through various forms, and unite to overcome difficulties.
The World Federation of Theatres has opened up an "exhibition platform" through its official website, where you can not only watch more than 70 performance videos such as the online screening of ballet works of the Bolshoi Theater, the online concert of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, and the Pintig Percussion Music Festival in the Philippines, but also read the latest art information on the current situation and important progress of the operation of international performing arts institutions, so as to realize the interconnection of transnational artistic dynamics in the most convenient way.
For more than a year, the World Theatre Alliance website has become an important window to showcase members, share the results of their experiences, and enhance their influence and reputation. Margaret Moran, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, said: "I am very grateful to the Federation Secretariat for publishing the Pintig Percussion Festival feature on its website. The artists participating in the festival are extremely proud to present their work on the alliance's website! ”
For more than a year, in addition to holding the Taihu International Stage Art Forum and the World Theatre Beijing Forum, the World Theatre Alliance has also invited members of the Alliance such as the Royal Opera House in Madrid, the Teatro Colon in Argentina, the Berlin Opera Foundation in Germany, the Philippine Cultural Center and other members to jointly publicize the Alliance and its members through their respective online platforms, and to carry out publicity and interaction through overseas social media platforms such as Facebook (Facebook) and YouTube (Youtube) to jointly create cultural hotspots. Continue to improve the promotion efficiency and coverage, further optimize the allocation of global performing arts resources, and jointly cope with the cold winter of the industry by hugging the group for heating.
From November 29th to 30th, the "World Symphony Beijing Forum" under the framework of the World Federation of Theatres was held online and offline. More than 100 representatives of the symphony industry from more than 20 countries and regions and 70 international art institutions conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics such as "Sustainable Development of Symphony" and "Symphony Orchestra and Theater: Building a Cultural Landmark of the City". More than 300,000 people from 39 countries and regions watched the livestream and actively interacted.
"The epidemic has brought great impacts to various industries, especially in the field of performance, and has brought many complex and difficult problems to the development of theaters. In overcoming a series of difficulties, we have received the support of many theaters, especially the World Theatre Federation. This support includes the sharing of online performance resources and the sharing of experiences on how to overcome the epidemic, and the sharing of opinions on how to develop next. Arcas, director of the Cologne Theater in Argentina, said.
Conveying the Voice of China in Cultural Exchanges
In the field of performing arts in the world, China's continuous rise in recent years has attracted more and more international attention. The World Theatre Alliance, initiated by the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China, has always insisted on transmitting Chinese voices, releasing Chinese solutions, highlighting Chinese wisdom, striving to show the world a true, three-dimensional and comprehensive China, and helping to improve the soft power of national culture and the efficiency of international communication.
In 2021, the World Federation of Theatres promoted the "New Year Concert of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China" to appear in the digital box of the online platform of the Royal Opera House in Madrid, Spain, and broadcast on the social media of the Spanish National Television Station and the Chinese Embassy in Spain, taking another solid step forward for Chinese culture to go global. From February 12 (the first day of the first lunar month) to February 27 (the sixteenth day of the first month), the website of the World Theatre Alliance broadcast the "Chinese Literary and Art Fine Arts Spring Festival Global Exhibition and BroadcastIng Season" activity of the Central Propaganda Department, focusing on promoting the three live performances of the Central Chinese Orchestra and the China Opera and Dance Theater in 16 days, as well as 5 performance clips of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Central Chinese Orchestra, giving full play to the role of the alliance website as a digital, international and visual communication platform, publicizing the cultural connotation of the Spring Festival to the world, and widely disseminating China's excellent stage art.
In addition, the live broadcast preview column of the World Theatre Alliance website continues to preview and publicize the weekend online performances of the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China, releases 27 performances of more than 20 domestic theaters such as the China Symphony Orchestra, the Central Chinese Orchestra and the Central Opera House, and relies on the platform of the Alliance to promote performances and art forms with Chinese characteristics, such as folk music, Peking Opera, Pingtan, National Opera, Tang Poetry Symphony recitation, etc.
Ignacio García-Berenguere Raytta, Managing Director and CEO of the Royal Opera house in Madrid, Spain, said: "The World Theatre Alliance has made a significant contribution to world cultural exchange. At the same time, in this process, we also see that China's cultural influence is gradually improving, which we should learn. ”
It is understood that the World Theatre Alliance has newly recruited the Philadelphia Orchestra of the United States, the Kirchner Cultural Center in Argentina and other institutions to join the work of the alliance. In the future, the Alliance will further enrich its strength, consolidate the foundation for development, expand the scope of radiation, and draw a broader map of cultural exchanges. (Reporter Zheng Na)
People's Daily Overseas Edition ( December 13, 2021, Edition 07)