Art beat (July 19-August 31)
ASEAN artists
Seven young artists from ASEAN member countries, together with three Chinese young painters, are holding a joint exhibition of their paintings drew during their half-month trip in China. The artists have visited picturesque places in Beijing and Henan province, including the Yuntai Mountain, Shaolin Temple, Great Wall and the Forbidden City. They finished 40 paintings for the show at Songzhuang village, a place known for its gathering of young artists. All the works on display focus either on the landscapes or the people they met during their trip. The young painters are from Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar.
10 am-4 pm, Monday to Friday, until July 31. ASEAN-China Center, No 43 Liangmaoqiao Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6532-1660.
Angelic voices
The German choir Tolzer Knabenchor will make its China debut in Beijing. Knabenchor, known as one of the best three children's choirs in the world, was founded by Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden in 1959. The choir has worked with famous conductors like Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, and also performed with top-class choirs such as Berlin Philharmonic. In addition to the conventional classical and baroque works, such as the Magic Flute of Mozart's Die Zauberflote, the choir will also try a cross-over performance, presenting ABBA's Money, Money, Money, Queen's We Are the Champions, and Michael Jackson's Heal the World, as well as some Chinese songs.
7:30 pm, Aug 16. Forbidden City Concert Hall, Inside Zhongshan Park, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6559-8285.
Brit classical music
You don't have to go to Britain to enjoy BBC Proms. BBC Concert Orchestra will give two concerts at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, under the baton of Barry Wordsworth (pictured) and feature the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. A regular at the BBC Proms, the BBC Concert Orchestra is one of the UK's most versatile ensembles. It has been the house orchestra for BBC Radio 2's Friday Night Is Music Night since 1952. And every year, they perform outdoors in the park on the last night of Proms. Conductor Wordsworth has served as its principal conductor since 1989 and became conductor laureate of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2006.
7:30 pm July 23 and 24. National Center for the Performing Arts, West of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.
Gorilla plays baseball
The biggest star in 3-D sports comedy Mr. Go is a computer-generated gorilla. Visual artists from China and South Korea created the character with motion-capture technology, which is used for the first time in an Asian 3-D film. Convincing and vivid, the gorilla is a baseball superstar, who starts his adventure on the field with his teen trainer, played by young star Xu Jiao. Those who love baseball should not miss the film, in which the live action and CG parts are well intertwined into a warm and funny tale. The film premiered on July 18.
Donated artworks
A donation of 117 Western artworks from German collectors Irene and Peter Ludwig in 1996 is one of the most important contributions that the National Art Museum of China has received. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the museum displays a selection of 50 modern art pieces from the donation, which includes paintings, sculptures and installation of such artists as Roy Lichtenstein, Gerhard Richter and David Hockney. "When Ludwig visited China to discuss a donation, he was at first not very sure. I assured him that one-quarter of the world's population will support and remember him for his generosity," says Yang Lizhou, then the museum's deputy director.
9 am-5 pm, no entrance after 4 pm, until Aug 4. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010- 6400-1476.
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