Grooming a passion for the opera
Print Edition
MUSICIANS from Shanghai Conservatory of Music presented an Italian opera “L’elisir d’amore” at the Shanghai Changning Art Culture Center on May 27, the first time a complete opera was performed at a district-level theater.
It was part of Changning Weekly Concert, a program run by the Changning Cultural Bureau and Shanghai Conservatory of Music to promote music among the public.
The organizers printed information of the opera, which served its purpose as big crowds showed up for the performance.
Just two weeks before this event, the Changning Weekly Concert invited Zhang Liuchun, a Chinese tenor who gained fame in Japan, to perform in the district.
“To cultivate a group of opera fans is a priority of this year’s Shanghai Citizens Art Festival,” said Wu Rongmei, Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Citizens Art Festival Association. “It is a decision made following people’s request to get closer to fine arts, reflecting new cultural demand of Shanghai as a global metropolis.”
Within five years, Shanghai will complete the constructions of Shanghai Grand Opera House and the Opera House affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music — just in time to popularize the opera.
On a city level, the Shanghai Citizens Art Festival Association, in partnership with the Shanghai Musician Association, Shanghai Opera House and Shanghai Conservatory of Music, have made plans to raise people’s awareness and appreciation of opera. The promotion period has been set between 2016 and 2020.
More opera performance will be seen on occasions such as the Shanghai International Art Festival, and lectures will be held in places like Shanghai Opera House, the Zhou Xiaoyan Opera Art Center and Shanghai Conservatory of Music, as per the plan.
With experts explaining the nuances to the public, music lovers are expected to develop deeper fondness of the opera.
Earlier this year, before the staging of “La Dame aux Camellias,” Shanghai Opera House sent artists to East China University of Political Science and Law to give presentations on how to appreciate classical performance.
Shi Heng, a faculty member at Shanghai Opera House, gave lectures to art lovers and winners of chorus competitions, and taught them to practice opera to have a real taste of the art.
Wang Zhanquan, team leader of the Dream Rhythm Chorus, said “opera is not difficult as many may deem. People must simply give it a try.”
After attending Shi’s classes, Wang said he had fallen in love with opera, which has more shades than any of the other music genres in his view. “I hope our team can practice opera one day,” he said.
Well-known Chinese pianist and conductor Xu Zhong, who is now the new president of Shanghai Opera House, said opera was “mesmerizing” after attending a lecture for white collars working in Zhangjiang High-Tech Zone.
Opera is border-less, and China has developed the opera with its own culture and characteristics.
Li Ruixiang, Vice President of Shanghai Opera House, will deliver lectures on Chinese operas including the “White-Haired Girl” and “Sister Jiang.”
On May 28, Shanghai kicked off a competition inviting locals to try out the opera — Chinese opera in particular. The winners will be invited to perform around the city, and even at the Shanghai Opera House.
This year, Shanghai will also launch an application to entice young people learn opera through their mobile devices.
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