Giacomo Puccini's most melodious work, the opera Turandot, will be presented in Malta on two separate occasions.

In an interesting collaboration between the Mediterranean Conference Centre and the China Cultural Centre in Malta, the opera whose composer had not lived to complete, let alone see, may be seen twice on the boards of the Republic Hall at the Mediterranean Conference Centre this year.

Turandot will initially be seen in a lavish new production by the China National Opera on the big screen on Sunday, 7 February. This will be a private performance for an invited audience with the seating adhering to strict Covid restrictions as dictated by the health authorities. The opera will be available to stream on the Mediterranean Conference Centre's website.

An agreement has also been reached between Valletta and Beijing, ensuring that once the dangers from of the pandemic have been eliminated and safety restrictions lifted, this same performance by the China National Opera will be presented live on the MCC stage.

Established in 1952, the China National Opera operates directly under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It comprises a number of soloists, a choir, a symphony orchestra and a number of workshops for the creation of scenery and props and of course, a wardrobe, where costumes are designed, manufactured and stored.

Admittance into the singing and orchestral ranks of the company is via the various music and singing conservatories in China. Naturally, the company is home to a vast team of prominent composers, conductors, playwrights and artistic designers. The current president of the company is the world-renowned violinist, Liu Yunzhi.

The China National Opera's repertoire includes a large selection of the world's best operas that are regularly presented along with the traditional Chinese classical repertoire that includes world-renowned works like Farewell my concubine, Dream forest and The white haired girl, among many others.

The China National Opera regularly participates in various international exchanges and has presented a huge number of spectacles in most of the world's famous opera houses.

The local opera aficionados are bound to be enthralled by this extraordinary production direct from Beijing which stars the world-renowned soprano Yao Hong and the tenor Li Shuang. The orchestra is conducted by the famous Yuan Ding.