Chinese-Italian co-directed opera debuts in Shanghai

SHANGHAI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Co-directed by Chinese and Italian directors, Shanghai Opera House's new production of the opera La Bohème premiered on Saturday night at the Shanghai Grand Theater.

The Shanghai version of the famous opera features the novel setting of "a future world with rapid climate change."

The stage setting shows a cold world and a Paris shrouded in ice. Artists wear fancy down jackets, the stage blending the luster of ice with bright and cheerful colors.

Xu Zhong, renowned conductor and president of the Shanghai Opera House, said that the new opera production demonstrates the exchange and cooperation between Chinese and foreign artists.

"Our pace of international exchange and cooperation has never stopped," Xu said.

Italian opera director Marco Carniti said, "The Shanghai production is something that we have never tried before. It has combined the theme of Puccini's opera on love with innovation in many fields."

Carniti has been a lover of Shanghai since his first cooperation with the Shanghai Opera House in 2015, presenting the opera "La Traviata".