Monday, September 17, 2018 21 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Soprano pays tribute to Verdi with album
By CHEN NAN
Chinese soprano Zhang Liping has released a new album Sempre Libera, in which she performs nine arias by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (18131901), includ ing E strano! Sempre libera from La Traviata, Caro nom from Rigo letto and Come d’aurato from Il Trovatore. The 53yearold, who has achieved international acclaim by performing with many of the world’s leading opera houses, The Simple Life Festival, a cultural event that blends music with lifestyle products, will expand to four cities on the Chinese mainland this year. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY including the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Metropolitan Opera, says she has dedicated the album to her beloved Italian composer. CELEBRATION OF CREATIVITY PICKS UP Zhang started preparing for this album five years ago, working with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and under the baton of Graeme Jenkins, hoping to get it ready for Verdi’s 200th birth anni IN CHINESE CITIES versary. But the project took longer than she expected. “And when I finally finished The Simple Life Festival will be staged in more places this year, in an indication recording this album, I realized that it’s more than a tribute to Ver of how the organizers have perfected its blend of music and culture, Chen Nan reports. di — this is a review of my career as a soprano,” says Zhang. stablished in Taipei 12 an province, has a large number of The soprano says she had to years ago, the Simple Life bars and cafes and a relaxing employ various vocal techniques to Festival, a cultural event atmosphere that is conducive for meet the challenges in Verdi’s arias. that blends music with cultivating local talent. Ecreative lifestyle products, will “I travel a lot and with each city I expand to more locations across the visit, I go to the most popular live Chinese mainland this year. music venues and places that gath The festival at each of the four er local creative products, because new cities will feature different they show the vibrancy of the local themes — Simple Heaven (Cheng young people and their tastes,” du, Sept 15 to 16), Simple Dreams Chia says. and Days (Shanghai, Oct 1 to 7), “We combine local bands with Simple Fire (Wuhan, Oct 20 to 21) creative brands in the Simple Life and Simple Island (Xiamen, Nov 3 Festival. People expect to see how to 4). the vibrant local art scene blends The music lineup for Chengdu together with the lovely spaces we The new album of Chinese soprano and Shanghai has already been choose for the festival.” Zhang Liping. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY unveiled and the headline acts Music fan Ma Le, who first include Beijingbased singersong attended the Simple Life Festival in “It takes time and patience to writer Pu Shu, Taiwan pop singer Shanghai in 2017, is already look immerse yourself in the music and Hebe Tien Fuchen and Hong Kong ing forward to this year’s event. atmosphere created by Verdi. The singer Sammi Cheng Sauman. “I am looking forward to the fes process of recording this album Other than the exciting lineup, tival in Shanghai, which runs for was honest and personal to me,” audience members can also wan seven days and has a variety of she says. der through an area filled with Besides the exciting music lineup, audience members can also wander through an area filled with stalls selling events. I also want to see how it Jenkins has lauded the effort, stalls selling creative handmade handmade and environmentfriendly products from local brands at the festival. presents the theme of ‘simple fire’ saying: “Of all the Italian compos and environmentfriendly prod in Wuhan, a new city it will visit ers of opera, in my opinion, ucts from local brands. this year,” says the 29yearold who Giuseppe Verdi was simply the “The key to the Simple Life Festi at a time when the music industry moments of that year’s festival was works in Guangzhou, Guangdong greatest. val’s success lies in the collabora was severely affected by the dawn the performance by its cofounder province. “Taking the rhythmic vitality of tion of different creative of the internet era. The market for Lee, who sang every song from his “There were both new musicians Rossini, the bel canto line of Bellini industries, all working together to physical music records was first album, The Spirit of Life. and established stars, and there is and the dramatic pulse of Doniz create magic,” says Jeff Chia Min shrinking as digital streaming Released in 1986, the album con a variety of styles of music. I was etti, he used all these melodies to shu, cofounder of the festival. grew in popularity. Record compa veys a message urging young peo also surprised to run into some old create his uniqueness. He adds that the festival is not nies struggled to survive, but ple to chase their dreams and friends there.” “The nine arias on this album about putting on a show that fea young singersongwriters still passions. Huang Jiashi, 37, has been span the whole of his composing tures some of China’s bestselling needed platforms to showcase “I have been writing songs my attending the Simple Life Festival lifetime, from the early success of singers, but rather a festival that themselves. whole life because that’s what I in Shanghai since 2015. She was Ernani (1844) to the maturity of celebrates all types of lifestyle and It was then that Chia, along with Taiwan singer and music producer love to do. I hope that the Simple first drawn to the musicians fea Otello (1887). In these notes, I want pools together skill sets so that a his colleagues Landy Chang and Jonathan Lee is chairman of the Life Festival is a place for you to tured, especially singersongwriter to tell you what was in my mind as community can grow together. Jonathan Lee from Rock Records, Simple Life Festival. encounter beautiful things, Ding Wei, who had withdrawn we recorded each aria, always ask Based in Beijing, the 53yearold one of the biggest and oldest become inspired and be creative,” from the limelight for years before ing ‘why’ he had chosen those veteran music producer is known record companies in Taiwan, says Lee. returning to the stage to perform notes, those instruments and those for working on iconic albums such decided to gather these young are young, energetic, creative and For the three new cities the Sim at the festival in Shanghai in 2017. dynamics to create the atmosphere as those of Taiwan’s rock band May musicians together and play their enthusiastic about their lives,” says ple Life Festival is heading to this “When I actually arrived at the at the heart of the drama.” Day, Hong Kong singers Karen original materials. Along the way, Chia. year, Chia has a clear idea about festival, I found out that it was more Zhang, who was born in Wuhan, Mok Manwai and Sandy Lam Yik the trio were drawn to young peo The Simple Life Festival first each location’s creative industry. than just music. I was surprised to central China’s Hubei province, lin. He was also the person who ple who had a passion for creativi came to Shanghai in 2014. That For example, he notes that Cheng see some original and creative received vocal training at the brought Beijingbased rock singer ty, and their initial project soon year, over 50,000 students and du, the capital city of Sichuan prov products. I made some new friends Wuhan Conservatory of Music and songwriters and bands, including turned into the Simple Life Festi whitecollar workers, most of ince, has a strong base for indie there,” Huang says. graduated from the opera depart Dou Wei, He Yong and Zhang Chu, val. whom were under 35 years old, music and people are educated ment of the Central Conservatory to Hong Kong in 1994. “People come to the Simple Life attended the event. about underground music. Mean Contact the writer at of Music in Beijing in 1989. The Simple Life Festival started Festival to share their lives. They One of the most memorable while, Xiamen, a costal city in Fuji [email protected] As a young student, she was cho sen to perform with Placido Domingo, a famous Spanish tenor and conductor and this inspired her to pursue opera under Canadi Beijing dance troupe stages ballet in Athens an soprano Phyllis Mailing at the Vancouver Academy of Music. ATHENS — Artists from Beijing Chinese Literature and Contempo With their fluidity of movement, selor at the Chinese embassy in In 1997, she moved to London. Dance Theater gave a performance rary Ballet Tour to Sweden, Belgium, they demonstrated their ability to Greece, said. Besides her signature role as Cio in Athens on Sept 9, introducing Spain and Greece. tell a story just by using their bodies. Lefteris Alexandris was one of the CioSan in Madame Butterfly, Chinese contemporary ballet to an A lecture on Chinese literature Afterward, Wang expressed the Greek audience members who Zhang has won acclaim for her audience of Greek and Chinese and contemporary ballet at PK The troupe’s eagerness to return to enjoyed the performance and is look This is a good way to roles as Mimi in La Boheme and expatriates who share a love of art. ater included performances of pie Greece to present more of their work ing forward to the troupe’s next visit. Gilda in Rigoletto at major opera The troupe was welcomed onto ces such as Beyond the Smoke, and collaborate with local artists. “Honestly, I was quite amazed, show the Greek houses. the stage of the PK Theater as it pre Walking Alone, December and Fare “We actually hope to have more because it was the first time I’ve Before Sempre Libera, Zhang sented, for first time in Greece, origi well Shadow. communication with local artists watched contemporary ballet. It was people a few pieces of released three albums under the nal dance work inspired by poems Wang Yinan, BDT’s associate and have another opportunity to weird at first, as I am not very famil Universal Music Group, including and novels of renowned Chinese director, talked about the theater’s work with them,” he said. iar with this type of dancing, but the (BDT’s) work ... Schubert: Night and Dreams, in writers. vision and approach to contempo “This is a good way to show the now I think I am able to get the we hope to bring a which she sings 18 romantic songs Founded in 2008 and led by artis rary ballet, the mingling of classical Greek people a few pieces of the whole picture,” he said. by Austrian composer Franz Schu tic director and choreographer Wang ballet, traditional repertoire and (BDT’s) work, but next time we hope “We are waiting for the Beijing whole production to bert. Yuanyuan, BDT is the first contempo modern dance, answering many to bring a whole production to our Dance Theater to come back so that Now, as the head of the opera rary ballet troupe in China and its art questions about the contemporary Greek friends. Our embassy will do we can see the complete perform our Greek friends.” department of the Central Conserv ists have performed across the globe. dance scene in China before giving its best to continue introducing Chi ance. It was very, very interesting,” atory of Music, she believes that In celebration of its 10th anniver the floor to the six dancers and their nese arts and culture to the local he added. Wang Qiang, political counselor at the China offers many opportunities sary this month, BDT organized a performance. people,” Wang Qiang, political coun XINHUA Chinese embassy in Greece for opera singers.