The Mariinsky Theatre and the National Centre for the Performing Arts of China presented a joint production of *Tosca* in Beijing – conducted by Valery Gergiev, featuring the Mariinsky Orchestra and a Russian-Chinese cast.
On 6 November, Puccini’s Tosca was performed on the stage of the Beijing Arts Centre in Tongzhou District – the second major collaborative opera project between the Mariinsky Theatre and China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, following last year’s production of Othello at the same venue.
The title «Puccini in Two Languages» is more of a metaphor here: the opera remains Italian, but its stage language is shaped by two performance traditions. Conducting is Valery Gergiev, the orchestra is the Mariinsky Theatre, and the stage brings together artists from the Mariinsky and NCPA.
The stage production of the performance is already well-known to Chinese audiences. This version of «Tosca» was created by the National Centre for the Performing Arts in collaboration with the Shanghai Opera and the Shaanxi Opera House. Its online premiere took place in December 2022 and, according to NCPA, garnered over 20 million views. Following this, the production embarked on a tour across three Chinese cities.
The key new element in the current version is the meeting of ensembles. The Chinese production school and the local cast are brought together with the Mariinsky orchestral tradition and Gergiev’s distinctive style. Before the performance, the conductor remarked that he views this «Tosca» as the next stage in the collaboration between the two theatres and as an opportunity for several generations of Russian and Chinese musicians to work together.
The Beijing performances are part of the extensive Chinese tour by the Mariinsky Theatre, running from 23 October to 16 November and covering Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu. In addition to «Tosca,» the programme features «Aida,» the ballets «Sleeping Beauty» and «Don Quixote,» as well as the complete cycle of Shostakovich’s fifteen symphonies.
It is perhaps in «Tosca» that the concept of cultural exchange is most vividly apparent. Here, a ready-made Russian production is not simply brought over, nor is an individual foreign star invited to join a Chinese performance. Instead, a single score becomes shared ground, within which artists from the two theatres are compelled to truly listen to one another.
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