CHINA EXPERIENCE
The final days of the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will bring an exceptional lineup to the audience: world-renowned pianists, leading opera houses and ballet companies as well as Chinese classics.
From Beethoven’s piano concertos to Swan Lake, from Kunqu Opera to experimental dance, this guide highlights the performances worth catching, grouped into four themes to help you plan your cultural itinerary.
Before you book
Official information and tickets
Festival program and updates: artsbird.com, under Activity Calendar.
Tickets: Venue box offices and official WeChat accounts or booking platforms, including those of Shanghai Grand Opera House, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Shanghai International Dance Center, Tianchan Yifu Theatre, Wanping Theatre and Majestic Theatre.
Cloud's Memoir II: Free admission, but advance reservation is required via WYSH. Book early as capacity is limited.
1. The masters take the stage
Four internationally acclaimed pianists headline the festival's final stretch, each bringing a distinctive musical voice to Shanghai.
Beethoven Piano Concertos
Nov 7 & 9, 7:30 pm
Shanghai Grand Opera House, Soar Theatre
Rudolf Buchbinder will perform and conduct from the keyboard alongside Staatskapelle Berlin, presenting all five Beethoven piano concertos — the complete cycle on this Asian tour.
Yuja Wang & Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Nov 13-14, 7:30 pm
Shanghai Grand Opera House, Harmony Hall
Performing without a conductor, Yuja Wang and the orchestra offer two contrasting programs.
Nov 13 features both Brahms piano concertos. On Nov 14, the program moves from Mozart's Symphony No 29 and Prokofiev's Classical Symphony to Kapustin's Fourth Piano Concerto and Tsfasman's Jazz Suite.
Khatia Buniatishvili (Piano Recital)
Nov 15, 7:30 pm
Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Concert Hall
The festival's final concert features Schumann's Fantasie in C, Liszt transcriptions, Satie, Chopin and Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No 1, alongside the Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody.
2. The world's great companies in Shanghai
Four major international companies bring opera, theater, ballet and flamenco to the festival.
Der Rosenkavalier
Asian premiere | The company's only stop in China
Nov 10 & 12, 6:30 pm
Shanghai Grand Opera House, Harmony Hall
Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatsoper Unter den Linden orchestra and chorus in André Heller's 2020 production, featuring a cast of around 300.
Amadeus
Nov 11-12, 7:15 pm
Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Opera Hall
The Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre brings Anatoly Shuliev's production to Shanghai, starring Aleksei Guskov as Salieri and Viktor Dobronravov as Mozart.
Swan Lake
Festival closing performances
Nov 12-15
Shanghai Grand Opera House, Soar Theatre
American Ballet Theatre presents Kevin McKenzie's production after Petipa and Ivanov, accompanied by a live orchestra.
Vuela
Nov 10, 7:30 pm
Majestic Theatre
Presented by Sara Baras Ballet Flamenco and created to mark the company's 25th anniversary, Vuela unfolds in four movements — wood, sea, death and flight — as a tribute to legendary guitarist Paco de Lucía.
3. Reimagining Tradition
A contemporary interpretation of history and heritage, bringing traditional Chinese opera into dialogue with new perspectives.
Fu Hao — New Yuju Opera
Nov 11–12 , 7:30 pm
Wanping Theatre, Grand Theatre
Revisiting the life of Fu Hao, the Shang-Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) queen and military commander, the production draws on oracle-bone inscriptions and archaeological discoveries at Yinxu.