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Mais lui! But him!… Il a fait noblement ce que l’honneur conseille: He did nobly what honour dictates: Sous les drapeaux sacrés tomber pour son Roi! To fall covered by the sacred flags for his king! OPERATIC ARIAS

@ Amilcare Ponchielli: La Gioconda – Ombre di mia prosapia Verdi • Rossini • Bellini • Gounod

Alvise: Alvise: Sì! Morir ella de’! Sul nome mio Yes, she must die! Will this infamy Hao Jiang Tian, Bass Scritta l’infamia impunemente avrà? be written on my name with impunity? Chi un Badoer tradì Whoever betrays a Badoer Non può sperar pietà!… cannot hope for mercy! Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra • Alexander Rahbari Se ier non la ghermì Though the hand that seized her yesterday Nell’isola fatal questa mia man, on that fatal island was not mine, L’espiazion non fia tremenda meno! the end will be no less terrible! Ieri un pugnal le avria squarciato il seno. Yesterday a dagger would have ripped open her heart. Oggi…un ferro non è… sarà un veleno! Today…a dagger it won’t be…it will be poison! Là turbini e farnetichi Let the dancing over there La gaia baraonda, continue its boisterous frenzy, Dell’agonia col gemito let the moan of agony La festa si confonda! be drowned out by the din of the party! Ombre de mia prosapia Shadows of my forefathers, Non arrossite ancor! do not blush yet! Tutto la morte vendica, Death avenges everything, Anche il tradito onor! even betrayed honour! Là del patrizio veneto There they are giving a sumptuous party S’adempia allargo invito, for the Venetian noblemen. Quivi il feral marito Here the outraged husband Provveda al proprio onor! take care of his own honour! Fremete, o danze, o cantici!... Shake it up, oh dances, oh singing…! È un infedel che muor! It is an unfaithful wife who dies!

Translations by Diana Liao

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OPERATIC ARIAS 0 Charles Gounod: Faust – Vous qui faites l’endormie (Sérénade) sung by Hao Jiang Tian Méphistophélès: Méphistophélès: «Vous qui faites l’endormie, You who pretend to sleep, Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) N’entendez-vous pas, can you not hear 1 Nabucco: Tu sul labbro dei veggenti 5:07 O Catherine, ma mie, my voice and my steps, Ma voix et mes pas?» oh Catherine my love? 2 Les vêpres siciliennes: Et toi, Palerme 7:08 Ainsi ton gallant t’appelle, And so your young man calls 3 Jérusalem: Grâce mon Dieu! 5:08 Et ton coeur l’en croit!… and your heart believes him!… 4 Macbeth: Come dal ciel precipita 3:56 Ah, ah, ah… Ha, ha! 5 Simon Boccanegra: Il lacerato spirito 4:10 N’ouvre ta porte, ma belle, Do not open the door, my beauty, Que la bague au doigt! till the ring is on your finger! 6 Don Carlos: Ella giammai m’amò 8:24 «Catherine que j’adore Catherine whom I adore, Pourquoi refuser why refuse Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) À l’amant qui vous implore a lover who begs you for 7 Eugene Onegin: Lyubvi vse vozrasty pokorny (Gremin’s aria) 5:41 Un si doux baiser?» a sweet little kiss? Ainsi ton gallant supplie, And so your young man pleads, Et ton coeur l’en croit!… and your heart believes him!... Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) Ah, ah, ah… Ha, ha! 8 Il barbiere di Siviglia: La calunnia 4:41 Ne donne un baiser, ma mie, Do not kiss him, my love, Que la bague au doigt! till the ring is on your finger! Ah, ah, ah… Ha, ha!... Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) 9 La Sonnambula: Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni 2:57

Charles Gounod (1818-1893) ! Jules Massenet: Le Cid – Il a fait noblement ce que l’honneur conseille 0 Faust: Vous qui faites l’endormie (Sérénade) 2:46 Don Diègue: Don Diègue: Jules Massenet (1842-1912) Ainsi, mon fils est mort! So, my son is dead! ! Le Cid: Il a fait noblement ce que l’honneur conseille 5:07 Il a fait noblement ce que l’honneur conseille: He did nobly what honour dictates: Sous les drapeaux sacrés tomber enseveli! To fall covered by the sacred flags! Et c’est au premier rang que le héros sommeille A fallen hero’s place is in the forefront Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886) Dans la sérénité du devoir accompli! Peaceful with the thought of duties fulfilled! @ La Gioconda: Ombre di mia prosapia 4:33 Pour son peuple, et son Roi, comme une pure offrande, Towards his people and his king, like a pure offering, Quand il donna ses jours sans avoir hésité; He gave up his life without hesitation; Ma douleur à le perdre est encore moins grande My pain at losing him is less great Que n’est grand mon orgueil de l’avoir enfanté! Than my pride at having sired him! Hao Jiang Tian, Bass • Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra • Alexander Rahbari Vils déserteurs des nobles tâches, Vile deserters from noble duties, Faces de traîtres et de lâches, Faces of traitors and cowards, Loin de moi! Loin de moi! Away from me! Away from me! Sortez! Sortez tous! Get out! Get out all of you!

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E ti fa d’orror gelar. it freezes you in terror. Operatic Arias sung by Hao Jiang Tian Alla fin trabocca e scoppia, At the end it overflows and breaks loose, Si propaga, si raddoppia it spreads, redoubles The Beijing-born bass Hao Jiang Tian has long made a After the Cultural Revolution, Tian’s climb onto the E produce un’esplosione and produces an explosion habit of challenging expectations. First there is his operatic stage began with two fortuitous steps: first, his Come un colpo di cannone, like a cannon shot, distinctive operatic career, which he has carved not acceptance into the re-inaugural class of Beijing’s newly Un tremulto, un temporale, an earthquake, a fierce gust, merely in orientalist backdrops like Puccini’s Turandot reopened Central Conservatory, and second, his studies Un tumulto generale an all round shake-up but in the squarely Eurocentric landscapes of Verdi and with the Italian baritone Gino Bechi, the first western Che fa l’aria rimbombar. that sends the air a-buzzing. Rossini. Then there’s his upbringing during the Cultural opera star invited to teach in China. Tian, who had never E il meschino calunniato, And the wretched slandered one, Revolution, which he neither hides nor downplays but seen a western opera, auditioned with a Schubert Lied, Avvilito, calpestato humbled and trampled on partly credits for shaping his subsequent path. much to Bechi’s chagrin. ‘He said I had a nice voice, but Sotto il pubblico flagello by the public whipping, ‘Growing up, I hated music’, he admits, explaining he could only help me if I wanted to sing opera. I had no Per gran sorte va a crepar. with a bit of luck, goes off and dies. that European repertoire was inextricable from the piano idea what that meant, but I said, “Yes, Maestro, I want E il meschino, ecc. and the wretched slandered one, etc. lessons he endured at the behest of his conductor father to be an opera singer”’. and composer mother, both musicians with the People’s Now a veteran of the world’s most prominent opera Liberation Army. The sound on the street was stages, Tian has established a particularly close propaganda, not art, and when all western music became relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, 9 Vincenzo Bellini: La Sonnambula – Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni banned, the twelve-year-old Tian happily joined in the where he has appeared every season since 1991. From national efforts by destroying his parents’ prized record his Met début as Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del Rodolpho: Rodolpho: collection. West (‘I guess they thought I looked like an Indian’, he Il mulino… il fonte… il bosco! The mill…the source…the woods!… When the family was later forced to move from laughs), Tian has worked his way through the company E vicin la fattoria! and nearby the farm! Beijing for political ‘re-education’, the boy discovered a into such major rôles as Oroveso in Norma, Walter in Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni, Again I see you, oh lovely places, recording that had escaped his earlier wrath. It was Luisa Miller and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. In cui liete, in cui sereni In which happy, serene Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, the last piece his father Virtually from the start of his career, however, Tian has Sì tranquillo i dì passai And peaceful days had conducted in public. ‘He was silent for a minute’, been cast in major rôles in European companies. Della prima gioventù! of my early youth I spent! Tian recalls. ‘Then he said, “Let’s play” — very softly, ‘There are many fine singers in China, but because Cari luoghi, io vi trovai, Dear places, I found you, of course, because it was dangerous. He began to tell me it is not our culture, singing western opera is probably Ma quei dì non trovo più. but those days I find no more. for the first time what the music was all about, and little the most difficult job we could undertake’, he says. It is Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni, ecc. Again I see you, lovely places…etc. by little I saw this severe man shine with a natural a particular testament to Tian’s success that, of the beauty in his eyes. I thought, any music that could nearly fifty rôles in his repertoire, he has often been the change my father like this must be very powerful’. first Chinese performer ever to embody a particular For the next decade, however, the young convert’s character. ‘I have chosen the arias for this recording education in western culture was sporadic at best. because they are very meaningful to me personally and Although he subsequently learned to improvise on the professionally’, he says. ‘They are my life and blood’. piano (a skill that would earn him money at a Denver piano bar after moving to the United States to study in Nabucco the mid-1980s), his clandestine study of western culture Singing this aria, where Zaccaria prays for the ability to was from stolen, forbidden books. Assigned to a factory convert the Assyrians, Tian envisions not Verdi’s manufacturing heavy machinery, Tian held hushed, if palatial setting but the backstage of the Met (‘for young passionate, discussions with like-minded co-workers. ‘I singers, a luxurious setting of another kind’, he says), remember I nearly killed a man’, he says with an where he initially learned the rôle. embarrassed smile. ‘I thought the story of La Traviata was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever read, and Les vêpres siciliennes he called Violetta a whore’. Here Tian sings Procida’s patriotic Act III aria in 8.557442 14 3 8.557442 557442 bk Tian 2/13/06 12:01 PM Page 4

French, paying homage to its première at the Paris Eugene Onegin Sredi lukavykh, malodushnykh Amidst the evil, the cowardly, Opéra as well as the composer’s original melodic and Tian’s affinity for Prince Gremin traces back to Shal’nykh balovannykh detei, Amidst the playful spoilt children, dramatic conceptions. The rôle became Tian’s début at Pushkin, whose original poetic masterpiece was a Zlodeyev i smeshnykh i skushnykh, The comical and boring scoundrels, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. prized, if prohibited, possession during the Cultural Tupykh privyazchivykh sudei, The stupid picky judges, Revolution. In preparing the rôle some thirty years later, Sredi koketok bogomol’nykh, Amidst the pious coquettes, Jérusalem Tian faced a rush of memories. ‘The descriptive power Sredi kholop’yev dobrovol’nykh, Amidst the willing serfs, An earlier Paris Opera première, Jérusalem never was marvellous’, he exclaims. ‘At that time when we Sredi vsednevnykh modnykh stzen, Amidst the daily scenes of modern life, managed to channel its initial success into momentum saw only red and green – I mean the colour of revolution Uchtivykh laskovykh izmen, The courteous gentle betrayals, abroad – even in Italy, where it remains one of Verdi’s and army uniforms – Onegin opened an entirely new Sredi kholodnykh prigovorov zhestokoserdnoi suyety Amidst the icy pontifications of cruel agitated hearts, least-heard works. It did, however, serve as Tian’s world of colour’. Sredi dosadnoi pustoty raschiotov dum i razgovorov, Amidst the disturbing emptiness of calculations, Italian début at Genoa’s Teatro Carlo Felice, where the thoughts and talk, newspaper Il Secolo XIX cited the singer’s ‘rare musical Il barbiere di Sivigla Ona blistayet kak zvezda. She shines like a star. intelligence’ and ‘vocal timbre of enthralling solidity’. It is one thing to summon vocal power; it is quite Vo mrake nochi v nebe chistom, Against night’s darkness across the pure sky, another to master comic lightness. ‘Onstage I am always I mne yavlyaetsya vsegda, She appears to me as always, Macbeth old and sad, or either killing someone or being killed’, V siyan’ye angela, v siyan’ye angela, luchistom. With the glow of an angel, with the glow of an angel, In opera, basses rarely get the girl, but in Verdi they do says Tian. ‘It’s nice to sing a comic rôle for a change’. she shines. generally get fully fleshed out supporting rôles, such as Performing Don Basilio, a rôle requiring both verbal Lyubvi vse vozrasty pokorny... Men of all ages with love are smitten... Banquo, which Tian has performed in locations as far and musical deftness, was particularly gratifying for him flung as Hong Kong and Malta. This aria from Act II, in his début at Florence’s Teatro Comunale. where Banquo cautions his son, skilfully weaves a suspenseful atmosphere that mirrors the character’s own La Sonnambula 8 Gioachino Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia – La calunnia secrets. Explaining its rarity on recordings, Tian cites this aria as one of the most difficult in the repertory. Its inclusion Basilio: Basilio: Simon Boccanegra here, however, is hardly mere bravado, having studied La calunnia è un venticello, Slander is a little breeze, Tian first learned this aria, in which the patrician Fiesco the piece with both Carlo Bergonzi and Gino Bechi, Un’auretta assai gentile a very gentle zephyr grieves over the death of his daughter, with Carlo Tian includes it in their honour. Che insensibile, sottile, which imperceptibly, Bergonzi in Verdi’s hometown of Busseto after winning Leggermente, dolcemente, subtly, lightly, sweetly, the 1988 Bel Canto Foundation Voice Competition. Faust Incomincia a sussurrar. begins to whisper. This auspicious immersion in the composer’s world Gounod’s Méphistophélès, a devilish gift to bass singers Piano piano, terra terra, Softly, at ground level, presaged Tian’s own musical future. ‘We had lessons in everywhere, has become predictably generous to Tian, Sottovoce, sibilando, in an undertone, hissing, Verdi’s study, with Verdi’s own piano in the room’, he with numerous appearances including his Latin Va scorrendo, va ronzando. it goes spreading, it goes buzzing. recalls. ‘How could I not feel the composer watching American début in the rôle at Buenos Aires’s Teatro Nelle orecchie della gente Into the ears of people over my shoulder?’ Colón. ‘The character is extremely compelling’, he says. S’introduce destramente, it penetrates insidiously, ‘Not being human, he stands apart and sees the world E le teste ed i cervelli and the heads and the brains Don Carlos very clearly. Playing Méphistophélès makes me feel I Fa stordire, fa gonfiar. become bewildered and inflated. This moment from Act IV, when Filippo realizes his know human beings a little better’. Dalla bocca fuori uscendo Once it leaves the mouth young bride’s heart lies elsewhere, was the first aria that Lo schiamazzo va crescendo, the noise keeps increasing, Tian learned for Gino Bechi at the Central Le Cid Prende forza poco a poco, gathering strength little by little, Conservatory. ‘He warned me it was extremely difficult, Of Tian’s career thus far, a particular highlight has been Vola già di loco in loco; already flying from place to place; but he hoped that someday I would sing this rôle’. a nationally televised production of this Massenet rarity Sembra il tuono, la tempesta like thunder, like a storm Nearly twenty years later, in Genoa, Tian became the with the Washington National Opera, featuring the Che nel sen della foresta that rips through a forest first Asian singer to perform the rôle in Italy. company’s general director, Placido Domingo. ‘I play Va fischiando brontolando whistling and rumbling, Domingo’s father, but in real life it has been just the 8.557442 413 8.557442 557442 bk Tian 2/13/06 12:01 PM Page 12

6 Verdi: Don Carlos – Ella giammai m’amò opposite’, says Tian, whose Met début featured the aria’s rarity on recording comes as no surprise, but Tian, legendary tenor. ‘In all the productions we have sung largely inspired by Domingo’s reputation for championing Filippo: Filippo: together, he has been a most supportive colleague and neglected works, has cast his eye on the rôle of Alvise. Ella giammai m’amò!... She never loved me! mentor’. ‘When people ask me what rôles I’d like to play’, he says, No, quel cor chiuso è a me, No, that heart is closed to me, ‘I tell them I wish to bring this to the stage’. Amor per me non ha!... Love for me she never has. La Gioconda Io la rivedo ancor contemplar trista in volto I still remember how sad she looked With few live productions of Ponchielli’s opera today, this Ken Smith il mio crin bianco il dì che qui di Francia venne. When fresh from France she noticed my white hair. No, amor per me non ha… No, love for me she does not have! Ove son?...Quei doppier Where am I?...Those candles will soon finish! Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Presso a finir!... L’aurora imbianca il mio veron! Dawn whitens my balcony! Già spunta il dì! Passar veggo i miei giorni lenti! Day is already breaking! I see my days pass slowly by! The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1929 as the first professional musical ensemble fulfilling Il sonno, o Dio! Sparì dai miei occhi languenti! Sleep, oh God! has disappeared from my languishing eyes! the needs of radio broadcasting in Slovakia. The first conductors already placed particular emphasis on Dormirò sol nel manto mio regal I shall sleep alone in my royal mantle, contemporary Slovak music in their programmes, resulting in a close connection with leading Slovak composers, Quando la mia giornata è giunta a sera, When my day becomes evening. including Alexander Moyzes, Eugen SuchoÀ, Ján Cikker and others. The original ensemble was gradually enlarged Dormirò sol sotto la volta nera, I shall sleep alone under the black vault and from 1942, thanks to Alexander Moyzes, the then Director of Music at Slovak Radio, regular symphony Là, nell’avello dell’Escurïal. There in the tomb of the Escurial. concerts were given, broadcast live by Slovak Radio. From 1943 to 1946 the Yugoslavian Kre‰imír Baranoviã was Se il serto regal a me desse il poter If the royal crown gave me the power the chief conductor of the orchestra, to which he made a vital contribution. His successors were ªudovít Rajter, Di leggere nei cor, che Dio può sol veder! To read in the hearts what God alone could see! Ladislav Slovák, Václav Jiráãek, Otakar Trhlík, Bystrík ReÏucha and Ondrej Lenárd, whose successful Ah! se il serto regal, ecc. If the prince is asleep, etc. performances and recordings from 1977 to 1990 helped the orchestra to establish itself as an internationally known Se dorme il prence, veglia il traditore; The traitor is awake watching, concert ensemble. His successor Róbert Stankovsky continued this work, until his unexpected death at the age of 36. il serto perde il Re, il consorte l’onore! The King loses his crown, his consort and his honour! The orchestra has benefited from working with a number of distinguished conductors. With Charles Olivieri- Dormirò sol nel manto mio regal, ecc. I shall sleep alone in my royal mantle... etc. Munroe, who held the position of chief conductor from 2001 to 2003, and the current principal guest conductor Kirk Ella giammai m’amò, ecc. She never loved me, etc. Trevor, regular concert performances at the Slovak Radio concert hall in Bratislava have continued. Through its broadcasts and many recordings the orchestra has also become a part of concert life abroad, with successful tours to Austria, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Japan, Great Britain and Malta. 7 Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin – Alexander Rahbari Lyubvi vse vozrasty pokorny (Gremin’s aria) Alexander Rahbari, who now has Austrian nationality, was born in Iran into a musical family. After studying Gremin: Gremin: composition and conducting with Gottfried von Einem, Hans Swarowsky and Karl Österreicher at the Vienna Music Lyubvi vse vozrasty pokorny Men of all ages with love are smitten, Academy, he returned to Iran to direct the Conservatory, serving at the same time as director of the Teheran Opera Yeyio poryvy blagotvorny For love’s rages bring good and of various orchestras. Returning to Europe in 1977, he won first prize in the Besançon International Conductors I yunoshe v rastzvete let yedva uvidevshemu svet, To the blossoming youth feeling the first stirrings, Competition and the following year was awarded the Silver Medal in Geneva. In 1979 he was invited by Herbert I zakalionnomu sudboi boitzu s sedoyu golovoi. As to the white-haired soldiers hardened by life. von Karajan to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and from 1980 was the latter’s assistant at Salzburg. This Onegin, ya skryvat’nye stanu Onegin, I cannot deny marked the start of a flourishing international career with appearances in leading concert halls and opera houses Bezumno ya lyublyu Tat’yanu! How madly I love Tatiana! throughout the world. In the 1986-1987 season he was principal guest conductor of the BRTN Phlharmonic Tosklivo zhizn’ moya tekla My life was flowing sadly Orchestra, of which he became principal conductor the following year. He is principal guest conductor of the Czech Ona yavilas’ i zazhgla Till Tatiana appeared and, Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted more than ninety leading orchestras throughout the world. In 1992 he Kak solntza luch sredi nenast’ya, Like the sun piercing through the dark stormy clouds, opened the London season with Simon Boccanegra and returned there in 1995 to conduct La forza del destino, Mne zhizn’ i molodost’, da, molodost’ i schast’ye, She brightened up my life and youth, yes, among many other operatic successes in various countries. In 1996 he became principal conductor of the Virtuosi of my life and happiness. Prague and from 2000 has served as principal conductor of the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Spain, where he has enjoyed considerable success, conducting national and regional orchestras. 8.557442 12 5 8.557442 557442 bk Tian 2/13/06 12:01 PM Page 6

Hao Jiang Tian singt Opernarien 4 Verdi: Macbeth – Come dal ciel precipita

Der in Peking geborene Bass Hao Jiang Tian ist seit der achtziger Jahre zum Studium in die USA gegangen Banquo: Banquo: langem an Herausforderungen gewöhnt. Zunächst war; sein Wissen über die westliche Kultur verdankte er Studia il passo, o mio figlio… usciam da queste Watch your step, oh my son!… einmal gibt es da eine ausgezeichnete Karriere als jedoch dem heimlichen Studium gestohlener, verbotener Tenebre… un senso ignoto Let us flee these shadows… Opernsänger, die nicht nur in exotischen Kulissen wie Bücher. Tian wurde einer Maschinenfabrik zugeteilt, wo Nascer mi sento in petto A strange premonition fills me Puccinis Turandot, sondern auch in den eindeutig er in aller Stille leidenschaftlich mit ähnlich denkenden Pien di tristo presagio e di sospetto. With ill omen and suspicion. europäischen Landschaften Verdis und Rossinis Gestalt Kollegen diskutierte. „Ich weiß noch, dass ich beinahe Come dal ciel precipita How the shadows descend annahm. Andererseits wurde er in der Kulturrevolution einen Mann getötet hätte,“ sagt er mit einem verlegenen L’ombra più sempre oscura! ever darker from the sky! erzogen – eine Tatsache, die er weder verheimlicht noch Lächeln. „Ich hielt die Geschichte von La Traviata für In notte ugual trafissero On a night like this herunterspielt, sondern als mitverantwortlich für seinen eines der schönsten Dinge die ich je gelesen hatte, und Duncano il mio signor. they killed Duncan my lord. späteren Weg erachtet. er nannte Violetta eine Hure.“ Mille affannose immagini A thousand disturbing images „Als ich aufwuchs, hasste ich Musik,“ gibt er zu. Nach der Kulturrevolution gelangte Tian durch zwei M’annunciano sventura, spell disaster, Das europäische Repertoire, so erklärt er, sei für ihn glückliche Umstände auf die Opernbühne: Erstens E il mio pensiero ingombrano And my thoughts are clouded untrennbar mit den Klavierstunden verbunden gewesen, wurde er in die wiedergegründete Klasse des Di larve e di terror. with ghosts and terror. die er auf Geheiss seiner Eltern – eines Dirigenten und wiedereröffneten Pekinger Zentralkonservatoriums E il mio pensiero, ecc. And my thoughts are clouded, etc. einer Komponistin der Volksbefreiungsarmee – über aufgenommen, und zum andern studierte er bei dem sich ergehen lassen musste. Auf den Straßen tönte italienischen Bariton Gino Bechi, dem ersten westlichen Propaganda, keine Kunst – und als sämtliche westliche Opernstar, den man zum Unterrichten nach China Musik verboten wurde, beteiligte sich der zwölfjährige eingeladen hatte. Tian hatte noch keine westliche Oper 5 Verdi: Simon Boccanegra – Il lacerato spirito Tian begeistert an den nationalen Bemühungen, indem gesehen und sang ein Schubert-Lied vor – sehr zu er die kostbare Schallplattensammlung seiner Eltern Bechis Bedauern: „Er sagte, ich hätte eine hübsche Fiesco: Fiesco: zerstörte. Stimme, doch er könne mir nur helfen, wenn ich Opern A te l’estremo addio, palagio altero, My last farewell to you, haughty palace, Als die Familie später zum Zwecke der politischen singen wollte. Ich hatte keine Idee, was er meinte, doch Freddo sepolcro dell’angiolo mio!... My angel’s chilly grave! „Umerziehung“ Peking verlassen musste, entdeckte der ich sagte: Ja, Maestro, ich möchte Opernsänger Né a proteggerlo valsi!... Nor was I able to protect you! Knabe eine Aufnahme, die seinem früheren Zorn werden.“ O maledetto!... O vile seduttore! Oh accursed one! Oh vile seducer! entgangen war. Es war Beethovens sechste Symphonie, Heute gehört Tian zu den Veteranen der Et tu, Vergin, soffristi, And Thou, Virgin Mary, didst Thou suffer, das letzte Stück, das sein Vater öffentlich dirigiert hatte. international bekanntesten Opernbühnen. Besonders eng Rapita a lei la verginal corona?... When my child’s crown of virginity was snatched away? „Eine Minute schwieg er still,“ erinnert sich Tian. ist er der New Yorker Metropolitan Opera verbunden, Ah! Che dissi?…deliro!... ah, mi perdona! Ah! What was I saying?… I am raving!…Ah, forgive me! „Dann sagte er: ,Lass sie laufen’ – sehr leise natürlich, wo er seit 1991 in jeder Spielzeit auftritt. Seit seinem Il lacerato spirito The sad father’s denn es war gefährlich. Zum ersten Male erklärte er mir, dortigen Debüt als Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del Del mesto genitore broken spirit worum es in der Musik geht, und allmählich sah ich in West („Die haben bestimmt gedacht, dass ich wie ein Era serbato a strazio Has been ripped den Augen dieses strengen Mannes eine natürliche Indianer aussehe,“ lacht er) hat er sich an der Met bis zu D’infamia e di dolore. by infamy and grief. Schönheit leuchten. Ich dachte, dass Musik, die meinen so großen Partien wie Oroveso in Norma, Walter in Il serto a lei de’ martiri Heaven in its pity Vater auf diese Weise verändern könnte, sehr mächtig Luisa Miller und Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor Pietoso il cielo diè… gave her the martyrs’ crown… sein müsse.“ hochgearbeitet. An europäischen Häusern hingegen hat Resa al fulgor degl’angeli. Now she is a shining angel. Während des nächsten Jahrzehnts war die Tian praktisch seit dem Beginn seiner Karriere große Prega, Maria, per me. Maria, pray for me. Erziehung, die der bekehrte junge Mann auf dem Rollen gespielt. Resa al fulgor, ecc. Now she is a shining angel, etc. Gebiete der westlichen Kultur erfuhr, bestenfalls „Es gibt in China viele gute Sänger. Doch die sporadisch. Zwar lernte er auch, auf dem Klavier zu westliche Oper gehört nicht zu unserer Kultur, weshalb improvisieren – eine Fertigkeit mit der er sich in einer ihre Aufführung vielleicht das schwierigste ist, was wir Bar in Denver etwas Geld verdiente, nachdem er Mitte unternehmen können,“ sagt er. Es spricht besonders für

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3 Verdi: Jérusalem – Grâce mon Dieu! Tians Erfolg, dass er viele der beinahe 50 Partien, die er Geheimnisse des Charakters selbst widerspiegeln. beherrscht, als erster Chinese überhaupt interpretiert hat. Roger: Roger: „Die Arien für diese Aufnahme habe ich ausgewählt, Simon Boccanegra Grâce! mon Dieu! De remords déchiré Mercy, my Lord! Torn with remorse weil sie mir persönlich und beruflich sehr viel Tian studierte diese Arie, in der der Patrizier Fiesco den J’ai fait pieds nus le saint pèlerinage, I set off barefoot on holy pilgrimage, bedeuten,“ sagt er. „Sie sind mein Leben und mein Tod seiner Tochter betrauert, bei Carlo Bergonzi in Et trois ans, j’ai pleuré And for three years, I cried Blut.“ Verdis Heimatstadt Busseto, nachdem er 1988 den Dans ce désert sauvage. in this wilderness. Gesangswettbewerb der Bel Canto Stiftung gewonnen A ce front pâle, à ces cheveux blanchis With this pale face, and this white hair reflected Nabucco hatte. Dieses Eintauchen in die Welt des Komponisten Dans l’eau des sources réfléchis, in the streams, Wenn Tian diese Arie singt, in der Zaccaria um die war ein verheißungsvolles Vorzeichen für Tians Moi-même je ne puis hélas me reconnaître! I can hardly recognize myself! Fähigkeit bittet, die Assyrer bekehren zu können, dann musikalische Zukunft: „Wir hatten Unterricht in Verdis Cette tache de sang s’effacera peut-être! This blood stain will fade perhaps! hat er nicht den Palast vor Augen in dem diese Szene Arbeitszimmer; sein eigenes Klavier stand im Zimmer,“ Seigneur de ton pardon Lord, my soul thirsts spielt, sondern die Hinterbühne der Met („für junge erinnert er sich. „Musste ich da nicht das Gefühl haben, Mon âme est altérée! for your pardon. Sänger ein luxuriöses Bühnenbild der anderen Art,“ sagt dass mir der Komponist über die Schulter schaut?“ Et l’âme d’un fratricide à ton courroux livrée, And the soul of a fratricide succumbs to your wrath, er), wo er diese Rolle erstmals studiert hat. Sans l’irriter peut-elle invoquer, ton saint nom? Can it invoke your holy name without irritation? Don Carlos O jour fatal, ô crime, O fatal day, O crime, Les vêpres siciliennes In dieser Nummer aus dem vierten Akt erkennt Philipp, Tombeau de ma victime the tomb of my victim Tian singt Procidas Arie aus dem dritten Akt der Oper in dass das Herz seiner jungen Braut einem andern gehört. Du fond de cet abîme At the bottom of the abyss französischer Sprache, um daran zu erinnern, dass das Es war dies die erste Arie, die Tian bei Gino Bechi am Toujours je te revois. I can see you still: Werk an der Pariser Oper uraufgeführt und vom Zentralen Konservatorium lernte. „Er wies mich darauf Le spectre de mon frère The spectre of my brother Komponisten in eben dieser Sprache melodisch und hin, dass die Rolle äußerst schwierig sei; dennoch hoffe Sanglant sur la poussière bleeding in the dust dramatisch konzipiert wurde. Mit dieser Partie er, dass ich sie eines Tages singen würde.“ Beinahe Arrête ma prière Stops me in mid-prayer debütierte Tian im Amsterdamer Concertgebouw. zwanzig Jahre später war Tian in Genua der erste Et fait trembler ma voix! And makes my voice tremble. asiatische Sänger, der diese Rolle in Italien aufführte. Pourtant à ma souffrance Yet in the midst of my suffering Jérusalem Le ciel se laisse voir, the sky opens, Verdis frühe Oper Jérusalem erlebte in Paris ihre Eugene Onegin Et Dieu dans sa clémence And God is his mercy Premiere, konnte aber ihren Anfangserfolg nicht auf Tians Affinität für Fürst Gremin geht auf Puschkin Me garde encor l’espoir. keeps my hope alive. internationaler Ebene fortsetzen – nicht einmal in zurück, dessen dichterisches Meisterwerk während der Et Dieu dans sa clémence…etc. And God in his mercy…etc. Italien, wo sie bis heute eine der am seltensten Kulturrevolution ein kostbarer, wenngleich verbotener aufgeführten Verdi-Opern ist. Tian verhalf sie allerdings Besitz war. Als Tian rund dreißig Jahre später die Partie zu seinem Italiendebüt am Teatro Carlo Felice von einstudierte, erlebte er einen Sturm der Erinnerungen. Genua, wo die Zeitung Il Secolo XIX auf die „seltene „Die Bildhaftigkeit war herrlich,“ ruft er aus. „Zu einer musikalische Intelligenz“ und „das stimmliche Timbre Zeit, als wir nur rot und grün sahen – ich meine die von bezaubernder Solidität“ hinwies. Farbe der Revolution und der Armee-Uniformen – öffnete Onegin eine ganz andere Farbenwelt.“ Macbeth In der Oper bekommt der Bass nur selten das Mädchen. Il barbiere di Siviglia Dafür erhält er bei Verdi im allgemeinen blutvolle Eine Sache ist es, seine ganze stimmliche Kraft Nebenrollen wie etwa die des Banquo, den Tian an so aufzubieten, eine ganz andere hingegen, die Leichtigkeit entlegenen Orten wie Hongkong und Malta aufgeführt des Komischen zu meistern. „Auf der Bühne bin ich hat. Die Arie aus dem zweiten Akt, in der Banquo immer alt und traurig, oder ich bringe jemanden um seinen Sohn zur Wachsamkeit mahnt, erzeugt eine oder werde umgebracht,“ sagt Tian. „Es ist schön, zur kunstvolle Atmosphäre der Ungewissheit, in der sich die Abwechslung eine komische Rolle zu singen.“ Die

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Darstellung des Don Basilio, die sprachliche und Le Cid 1 Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco – Tu sul labbro dei veggenti musikalische Gewandtheit fordert, kam ihm bei seinem Ein besonderes Glanzlicht in Tians bisheriger Karriere Debüt im Florentiner Teatro Comunale besonders war eine nationale Fernsehübertragung dieser Rarität Zaccaria: Zaccaria: gelegen. von Massenet mit der Washington National Opera und Vieni, o Levita!... Come, O Levite, dem Generaldirektor des Hauses, Placido Domingo. Il Santo codice reca! Di novel portento! and bring forth the Holy Law! Law of new portents! La sonnambula „Ich spiele Domingos Vater, doch im wirklichen Leben Me vuol ministro Iddio!... Me servo manda, God wants me as His minister! He commands me, Die Tatsache, dass dieses Werk so selten aufgenommen ist es genau umgekehrt,“ sagt Tian, bei dessen Per gloria d’Israele, For the glory of Israel, wird, erklärt Tian damit, dass diese Arie eine der Metropolitan-Debüt der legendäre Tenor gleichfalls Le tenebre a squarciar d’un infedele. to expel the darkness of an infidel. schwersten im gesamten Repertoire sei. Dass er sie hier mitwirkte. „In allen gemeinsamen Produktionen war er Tu sul labbro de’ veggenti Thou on the lips of the prophets, dennoch singt, ist kein bloßer Bravourakt, sondern eine ein überaus hilfreicher Kollege und Mentor.“ Fulminasti, o sommo Iddio! O God Almighty! Hommage an Carlo Bergonzi und Gino Bechi, bei denen All’Assiria in forti accenti To Assyria in dark intonation er das Stück studiert hat. La Gioconda Parla or tu col labbro mio! Thou speak now through mine lips! Dass diese Arie kaum aufgenommen wird, ist angesichts E di canti a te sacrati Songs devoted to Thee Faust der wenigen Live-Inszenierungen der Ponchielli-Oper Ogni tempio suonerà; will ring from every temple; Gounods Méphistophélès ist ein teuflisches Geschenk kein Wunder. Tian jedoch hat sich von Domingos Sovra gl’idoli spezzati Above the broken idols für jeden Bass. Dementsprechend großzügig war er auch Engagement für vernachlässigte Werke anregen lassen La tua legge sorgerà. Thy Law will rise. zu Tian, der die Rolle oft gesungen hat – nicht zuletzt und der Partie des Alvise seine Aufmerksamkeit Sovra gl’idoli spezzati, ecc. Above the broken idols, etc. bei seinem Südamerika-Debüt am Teatro Colón von geschenkt: „Wenn man mich fragt, welche Partien ich Buenos Aires. „Der Charakter ist überaus bezwingend,“ gerne spielen würde, dann antworte ich, dass ich diese sagt er. „Er ist nicht menschlich, sondern steht abseits auf die Bühne bringen möchte.“ und sieht die Welt sehr klar. Wenn ich den Mephisto 2 Verdi: Les vêpres siciliennes – Et toi, Palerme spiele, habe ich das Gefühl, ein bisschen mehr vom Ken Smith menschlichen Wesen zu verstehen.“ Procida: Procida: Deutsche Fassung: Cris Posslac Palerme! ô mon pays! Pays tant regretté, Palermo! O my country! How I miss you, L’exilé te salue après trois ans d’absence! I salute you after three years of exile! Sur tes bords enchantés j’ai reçu la naissance! In your beautiful countryside I was born! Je m’acquitte envers toi… I remain true to you… Je m’acquitte envers toi… I remain true to you… Voici la liberté! Freedom at last! Et toi, Palerme, ô beauté qu’on outrage, And you, Palermo, such enviable beauty, Toi toujours chère à mes yeux enchantés!... Always dear to my enchanted eyes, Ah! Lève ton front courbé sous l’esclavage, Ah! Lift up your enslaved head, Et redeviens la reine, la reine des cités! And once more become the queen, the queen of all cities, Partout sur la terre étrangère, All over the foreign land, J’allais te cherchant des vengeurs! I searched for your avengers! Mais insensible à ta misère, chacun disait: Yet regardless of your poverty, everyone said, Contre vos oppresseurs, levez-vous, et l’on soutiendra… Rise up against your oppressors, we shall support you… Levez-vos! Levez-vous! Rise up! Rise up! Et je viens, me voilà! Me voilà! Me voilà! So I come, and here I am! Here I am! Et toi, Palerme, ecc. And you, Palermo, etc.

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Hao Jiang Tian singt Opernarien 4 Verdi: Macbeth – Come dal ciel precipita

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@ Amilcare Ponchielli: La Gioconda – Ombre di mia prosapia Verdi • Rossini • Bellini • Gounod

Translations by Diana Liao

8.557442 16 NAXOS NAXOS A veteran of the world’s most prominent opera stages, Hao Jiang Tian has established a particularly close relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where he has appeared every season since 1991. “There are many fine singers in China, but because it is not our culture, singing western opera is probably the most difficult job we could undertake,” he says. It is a particular testament to Tian’s success that, of the nearly fifty 8.557442 rôles in his repertoire, he has often been the first Chinese performer ever to embody a DDD particular character. “I have chosen the arias for this recording because they are very meaningful to me personally and professionally,” he says. “They are my life and blood.” Playing Time PRTCARIAS: OPERATIC PRTCARIAS: OPERATIC OPERATIC ARIAS 59:37 sung by Hao Jiang Tian Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) 1 Nabucco: Tu sul labbro dei veggenti 5:07 8 Il barbiere di Siviglia: La calunnia 4:41 2 Les vêpres siciliennes: Vincenzo Bellini (1801-35) 9 La Sonnambula: Et toi, Palerme 7:08 Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni 2:57 3 Jérusalem: Grâce mon Dieu! 5:08 Hao Jiang Tian Charles Gounod (1818-93) Hao Jiang Tian 4 Macbeth: Come dal ciel precipita 3:56 0 Faust: Vous qui faites l’endormie www.naxos.com Made in USA Includes sung texts and translations Booklet notes in English • Kommentar auf Deutsch

5 Simon Boccanegra: (Sérénade) 2:46 &

Il lacerato spirito 4:10 Jules Massenet (1842-1912) 6 Don Carlos: Ella giammai m’amò 8:24 ! Le Cid: Il a fait noblement ce que 2006 Naxos Rights International Ltd. l’honneur conseille 5:07 Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-93) Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-86) 7 Eugene Onegin: Lyubvi vse vozrasty @ La Gioconda: pokorny (Gremin’s aria) 5:41 Ombre di mia prosapia 4:33 Hao Jiang Tian, Bass Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra • Alexander Rahbari 8.557442 8.557442 Recorded at the Concert Hall of Slovak Radio, Bratislava, from 28th June to 2nd July, 2004. Producer: Emil NiÏÀansk´y • Engineer: Hubert Geschwandtner • Booklet Notes: Ken Smith Cover photograph of Hao Jiang Tian by Christian Steiner