In the string family, the viola is not only an elegant and low-key singer, but also an indispensable glue between the high and low ranges. For a long time, the viola has been misunderstood by the public, and there were few solo opportunities. In recent years, the viola has received more and more attention at home and abroad, and many young viola players have emerged on the international stage.
Sheng Li (Photography by Li Naixin)
Sheng Li, a viola professor at Shanghai Conservatory of Music, has witnessed the development of viola in China. On June 13, "Viola Performance and Teaching" created by Professor Sheng Li was held in the Mirror Hall of the City Concert Living Room. Feng Lei, Vice President of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Professor Sheng Li, the author of the book, and Chen Xin, Chief Editor of Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press Together with relevant teachers and students, they witnessed the development of the upper-note viola major in recent years through the warm and rich sound of the viola and Professor Sheng Li’s sharing.
"It took seven or eight years from preparation to publication of the new book." Sheng Li said that for performers, it is another challenge to summarize and organize many years of rich performance experience into words, and this is another challenge for performers. The development and construction of disciplines are indeed crucial. Sheng Li believes that this book will help deepen the understanding of viola technology and music, and will also gain diversified thinking skills and further thinking about the content of educational theory. At the
new book release site, Shangyin viola students Ma Chen, Wang Yumeng, Lin Yixiu, Wu Chengzhan and piano student Yuan Xiao presented Piazzolla's "Café 1930" for viola quartet and Paganini's "Viola Sonata" for viola solo. Before the release of the new book, Professor Sheng Li accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper.
Live performances and other viola quartets
It took eight years to gradually build the internal structure of viola teaching
In 1995, Shengli was admitted to the viola major of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and studied under Professor Shen Xidi. As Shangyin's first professional viola teacher, Shen Xidi is regarded as a "pioneer" and has taken a key step towards the independence of the viola major, allowing the viola to have its own say in the string major. Under her cultivation, the alpine viola major developed rapidly and formed a "one-stop teaching system for large, medium and small". In 2002, Shengli became the first master's degree student in Shangyin's viola major to stay at the school, bringing the viola major to a new level and extending the original "one-stop teaching model for large, medium and small" to the postgraduate education level. As Shen Ziyu, who has won many top viola competitions in the world, was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study for a doctorate and successfully graduated, he became the first student to obtain a doctorate in viola from Shangyin. At this point, Shangyin's viola major has formed a "small - A more complete integrated training model of "medium-university-master-doctoral".
"If you want to expand the development of an instrument, teachers are very important. This is also the driving force for me to study viola teaching and compile teaching materials," Sheng Li said in an interview with The Paper. In the past, viola teaching has always relied on the "support of violin teachers" ", there is a lack of specialized teachers and systematic teaching materials. In the book "Viola Performance and Teaching", Sheng Li spent eight years starting from the performance techniques, repertoire, teaching concepts and teaching systems, and gradually built the internal structure of viola teaching, which included his His many years of teaching experience also include his experience participating in every international competition and studying every viola player and educator.
"Even if we are both members of the string family and have very close ancestry, there are still certain flaws in using the violin method to teach viola." Sheng Li said that in terms of training methods, viola has learned from At the same time, it combines the violin teaching material system such as Kretzel and Carl Flesch scales with the viola education system to "keep pace" in training students.
In fact, before learning the viola, Shengli received many years of professional violin training. When he first came into contact with the viola, he felt that the range and pronunciation characteristics were different from those of the violin. “After about a week or two, I became very familiar with the viola, as if it had a fate with me.In my opinion, the sound of the viola is very beautiful and gentle, which has become an important reason for me to continue learning. "In Shangyin, there are also many students who switch from violin to viola. In Shengli's view, the way of playing viola is very different from that of violin, "due to the thickness of the strings, the size of the speaker, and the height of the sound zone. , resulting in some differences in playing methods. From a professional perspective of musical instruments, even a little difference will cause essential changes," Sheng Li said. From the violin to the viola, how to ensure the mellow tone of the viola? Pulling up clearly and dexterously is a science. “In recent years, our research in this area should be considered quite fruitful. ”
The viola is the glue of the quartet, but it is often ignored
Nowadays, more and more children choose to learn the viola. In Shengli’s view, such a choice may have practical reasons, but it also reflects the viola’s own characteristics. Charm, "From recognition to familiarity to love, children choose to learn the viola after many considerations. Some children really like the sound of the viola. They feel that the violin is a bit harsh and the cello is too deep, while the sound of the viola is warm and soft. Closest to the human voice, some critics also described the viola as having a 'velvety sound'," Sheng Li said. "Each instrument has its own different charm. "
Looking back on history, the viola was born as early as the mid-16th century, but it was not until the 20th century that it took the right track and entered the solo stage. "In fact, in the string family, there is the viola first, then the violin and cello, "Sheng Li said that the viola has experienced tortuous development and did not really enter the symphony orchestra until the 19th century. In the late 19th century, in the chamber music of Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák and others In the work, the rich artistic expression potential of the viola part is fully realized in the string quartet.
Shengli recently published "Viola Performance and Teaching"
In the quartet, the viola is located in the alto area and often acts as the glue. "One reason is that the great musicians in the past wrote fewer solos for the viola. The fewer solos the instrument performed, the less attention it received. As a discipline, it needs to be presented and promoted on the stage through a large number of excellent works," Sheng Li explained. In recent years, more and more composers at home and abroad have begun to rediscover the charm of this instrument, and there have been There are many works created for the viola. For example, Xu Mengdong, a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a composer, created the large-scale orchestral piece "Symphonic Fantasia" for the viola, which combines national charm with modern techniques and has been performed in international art venues such as Beijing and Vienna many times. At the same time, a group of young viola players appeared on the international stage, bringing more and more attention to this instrument. In 2022, Medyan became the principal viola of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The first Chinese principal performer in the world's top symphony orchestra. The development of
instruments is inseparable from inheritance. Sheng Li still remembers that he was introduced to the world of viola by Professor Shen Xidi. Now, as a major in upper-range viola. The mainstay, Shengli has also brought out a group of outstanding viola professionals. These young people have frequently won good results in international competitions.
International competition winner Shen Ziyu, the first viola doctoral student at Shangyin, entered the Shanghai Music High School when she was 12 years old. She switched from the violin to the viola. She described it as a "coincidence". It was her mentor Sheng Li who introduced her to the viola and conducted in-depth study. When she was 15 years old, Shen Ziyu won the first place in the under-30 category of the British Tethys International Viola Competition. She became the youngest winner in the history of this competition. Now she participates in top international music festivals as a soloist and chamber music performer. “The viola looks kind and honest, but it can actually show a variety of styles—such as crazy. , delicate, weak tone, can also be very lonely." She hopes to expand the viola repertoire through her own efforts so that more people can experience the beauty of this instrument.
"The sound of the viola is slightly sad, yet resolute. It can express melancholy, and can also convey joy and beauty. The viola can make people feel the most direct beauty from deep inside, because it is closest to our human voice. "Sheng Li said that he hopes that more people will enter the world of viola, thereby strengthening the domestic viola playing team.
