Weiwuying to stage nearly 50 different shows by year-end

Kaohsiung, June 2 (CNA) The National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, commonly known as Weiwuying, will present nearly 50 programs by the end of the year, starting July 24, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the "2024 Jazz at Weiwuying."

In its last-half-year schedule published on May 28, the arts center said the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will make its return after six years on Dec. 5, alongside renowned conductor Sir Simon Rattle, and will perform Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 7 in E Minor."

The 2024 Jazz at Weiwuying, to be staged in August, will feature 86-year-old jazz musician Charles Lloyd's "Charles Lloyd Sky Quartet: The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow," and the "Rich Huang Jazz Quintet: Rich in the Jazz Age" played by 74-year-old Rich Huang (黃瑞豐), who is dubbed as the "Drum King of Taiwan."

Weiwuying said it will also present operas including Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" in September, which highlights the lifestyles of aristocratic heirs in France during Louis XV's reign, to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of Puccini.

The opera is Weiwuying's annual flagship program produced with the Slovene National Theatre Maribor from Slovenia and the Teatro Colón Buenos Aires from Argentina.

According to Weiwuying's General and Artistic Director Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), the arts center will open the doors of its Opera House, Concert Hall, Playhouse, and Recital Hall on Oct. 10 National Day to members of the public.

During the annual Oct. 10 open house event this year, Camille Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of The Animal" will be featured in the Concert Hall, the home of the largest pipe organ in Asia with 9,085 pipes, Chien said.

As for dance performances, Weiwuying will stage "The Ballet Concert: Into the Fantasy of Nutcracker II" in December, which draws on the themes of dreams and courage from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Christmas classic "The Nutcracker," weaving them into a story of a little Taiwanese girl who faces various challenges growing up.

Ticket sales for the shows are set to begin at noon on June 12 for Weiwuying members, while the general public will be able to purchase tickets from June 19-26, the Kaohsiung arts center said.