Art beat in November

Photos provided to China Daily

Love conquers all

Are we still moved by the romantics? According to young Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg, the answer is yes. His interpretation of the romantic repertoire Giselle takes place in a contemporary setting and demonstrates that the fragility of existence is one of the permanent features of everyday life, across all ages. Lidberg believes that despite the fragility of myth, love is a force to reckon with in our society and proposes to illustrate this with a narrative that ranges from the realistic to the fantastic. The Grand Theater of Geneve Ballet Company performs the production, featuring the amazing Thai ballerina Sarawanee Tanatanit as the title role.

7:30 pm, Nov 8 and 9. National Center for the Performing Arts, west of Tian'anmen Square, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Telepopmusic debuts in China

French group Telepopmusic will give its debut concert in China. Telepopmusic is a French electronic music trio founded in 1997. Fabrice Dumont takes responsibility of the overall musical arrangements, structure and bass playing, whereas Stephan Haeri takes charge of all kinds of audio processing and mixing, and Chirstophe Hetier works as a popular Anti-pop DJ. Breathe from the band's album Genetic World won a Grammy award nomination and in 2013 the group released a new EP named Try Me Anyway/Fever.

9 pm, Nov 8. Shanghai QSW (Shallow Water Bay) Culture Center - Grand Theater, 179 Yichang Road, Shanghai. 021-6266-1110.

Jazz prodigy returns

When American jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea performed in Shanghai in June, he invited A Bu (pictured below), a 14-year-old Chinese boy, to share the stage. After the concert, A Bu composed a song Meet Mr Chick Corea. His talent so impressed Corea that he invited the teenager to study with him in New York. This weekend, A Bu and his jazz friends, bass player Ma Kai and drummer Shao Haha, will perform a concert featuring Corea's works, such as Calentando Men, Crystal Silence and Spectacle. A Bu studied classical piano from age 4 and started to play jazz at 9. Close your eyes and it is difficult to believe the music is being played by a 14-year-old. The teen remains humble, however, saying: "I'm not prodigy, it takes time to practice. I'm just a young jazz player".

7:30 pm, Nov 10. Forbidden City Concert Hall inside Zhongshan Park, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6551-3348/400-860-0605.

Face painting

For the past 15 years, Tong Yanrunan has been painting people's faces. His oil works mostly measure 41 cm by 33 cm. The portraits feature either blurry eyes or an unclear nose or mouth, by which he pursues the freedom and perfection embodied in the ink paintings of mountains and water. The treatment also reflects his concerns on the direction of Chinese contemporary art. "The so-called 'Chinese elements' in the context of contemporary art struggle to survive under the strong influence of Western culture," he says. "The real spirit of Chinese art is to discover the origin of art in people's hearts and then to attain a state of release." Tong lives and works in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, where he also teaches at the China Academy of Art.

10 am-6 pm, until Nov 11. Today Art Museum, 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5876-0600.

Art depicts ideal world

Jewish-American oil painting artist Noah Lubin invites people to visit his Little Prince planet at his solo exhibition in Guangzhou which opens on Nov 13. The eye-catching vibrant colors and childlike strokes, the main characteristics of his paintings, portray the 34-year-old artist's positive view of life. The exhibited paintings depict interpersonal relationships in Lubin's imaginative world where there are no rules, fears, divorces or wars. Lubin will be present at the opening ceremony.

7:30 pm, Nov 13 for the opening ceremony. For the exhibition, 10 am-10 pm daily until Dec 18. Kui Yuan Gallery, Xuguyuan Road, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8765-9746.

All about Verdi

The Invention of the Truth is an exhibition where visitors not only get to see but also listen to the achievements of Guiseppe Verdi. The exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth provides an all-round experience to help visitors understand the maestro's philosophy of music, displaying opera posters, costumes, documentaries and audio of arias from Verdi's well-known works. For instance, a large screen shows Verdi's several images applying the same treatment of Andy Warhol's famous diptych of Marilyn Monroe, and videos of Verdi's operas are juxtaposed with footage of former US president John Kennedy's visit to Dallas before his death. "Truth and sentiment mean a lot to Verdi in his art creation," says Alberto Melloni (pictured), the exhibition's curator. "He expressed all the range of human emotions, from comedy to tragedy, from cruelty to revenge, which connects his world of music with what's happened today."

9 am-5 pm, closed on Monday, until Nov 15. National Museum of China, east of Tian'anmen Square, 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010- 6511-6400.