On the afternoon of July 19, local time, at the world-renowned Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland, baritone singer and director of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Liao Changyong and pianist Hartmut Hall presented a " China-Europe Art Song Concert" won overwhelming applause from local Finnish and European audiences. After its appearance at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg, Germany, in June this year, this concert once again went abroad, showing the charm of Chinese and European art songs that are harmonious but different, elegant and unique. At the
concert, Liao Changyong sang representative art songs by Chinese composers such as Huang Zi, Qing Zhu, Chen Tianhe and Lu Zaiyi, four Italian art songs by Tosti and Mahler in three languages: The vocal suite "Song of the Young Traveler". Many of the audience heard Chinese art songs for the first time. Some viewers said that although they could not understand Chinese, they were deeply moved by the unique charm and emotional expression of Chinese art songs.
Concert poster
Telling the common sorrows and joys of mankind in Chinese language
"Listening to Liao Changyong's concert in the bright sunshine of the Nordic summer is an incomparable and wonderful enjoyment." Savonlinna Opera Festival Artistic Director Wille Ville Matvejeff said, "He is the best among the world-class baritone singers that I know. It is also the pride of the Opera Festival that such a high-level concert can be staged in Savonlinna." At
, Liao Changyong sang Chinese art songs such as "Three Wishes of a Rose", "I Live at the Head of the Yangtze River", "The River Goes East" and "Hongdou Ci". In his opinion, Chinese art songs are as literary and artistic as German, Austrian, Russian, and French classic art songs. "I hope the audience can appreciate the beauty of Chinese and foreign art songs from a comparative perspective and enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations."
94-year-old Pentti Olavi Savolainen, one of the founders of the Savonlina Opera Festival, is listening After the concert, he said: "Liao Changyong's concert was really touching. His tone was sometimes mellow, sometimes melodious, full of delicate layers and color changes. His superb artistic level made me come to the concert with you today." Many European audiences were deeply moved by Chinese art songs and developed a deep interest in them."
The audience responded with warm applause
Liao Changyong's partner, former president of the Karlsruhe Conservatory of Music in Germany, Hartmut Hall, said. , he is proud to work with Liao Changyong and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music team led by him to contribute to the dissemination of Chinese art songs and the exchange of art songs between China and Europe.
In Hall's view, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music has made many years of efforts to carry out international promotion through the Chinese Art Song Concert and the Chinese Art Song International Vocal Competition, so that European audiences can understand the past and future of Chinese music and art, and use the Chinese language. The shared joys and sorrows of mankind are deeply shocking and resonant.
After listening to the concert, Marty Makonen, executive chairman of the Savonlinna Conservatoire, was moved by the unique charm of Chinese art songs and was also impressed by Liao Changyong's interpretation of Mahler's "Song of the Young Traveler". "The pure and authentic German pronunciation, superb control and emotionally varied timbre left a very deep impression on the audience. The cheers and applause of the audience proved all this."
Liao Changyong and Hart Mu Special Hall
enhances dialogue and cooperation with world-class music festivals
Local newspapers and radio stations in Savonlinna reported extensively on the concert. This is also the second time Liao Changyong has participated in this prestigious music festival in Europe after participating in an official performance and holding a master class at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2023. Compared with the last concert "16 Chinese Art Songs", this concert allows Chinese art songs, German and Austrian art songs, and Italian art songs to dialogue with each other, enhancing exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
The Savonlinna Opera Festival was founded in 1912 and is a world-renowned opera and music festival. It is held on the stage of the world heritage site - Ora Wenlinna Castle, which was built in 1475.After years of hard work, the Savonlinna Opera Festival has been extended from the earliest one week to more than two months. Every summer, it attracts more than 70,000 audiences and students from all over the world to Savonlinna to watch operas and learn music. .
Local media reports
This Savonlina Opera Festival opened on June 25 and lasted until August 1, with performances of Verdi's "Nabucco", Wagner's "Lohengrin" and Mozart's "Don Giovanni" , Smetana's "The Betrayed Bride", Janáček's "Katya Kabanova", and Finnish female composer Sarah Hall's "Andrianna Matt" and other 6 operas .
Starting from July 20, Liao Changyong and Hartmut Hall will hold a series of Chinese and foreign art song master classes at the Savonlinna Conservatory of Music for students from all over the world. After selection, five students from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music will also receive training at the Savonlinna Conservatory of Music and hold an art song master class report concert on July 25. In the future, the Savonlinna Opera Festival and Shangyin Opera House will enhance exchanges and cooperation in repertoire production and opera talent training.
Concert audience
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music has been committed to the collation, research and promotion of China’s excellent traditional culture in recent years. In 2017, it established the China Vocal Art Research Center. The team with Liao Changyong as the academic leader has implemented the "integration of teaching, creation, performance and research" talent training model, from the Chinese Art Song Centenary Project, to the Chinese Art Song International Vocal Competition, to performances in Switzerland, Vienna, Germany, and Finland. , forming a unique innovation-research-communication model.
Liao Changyong said that in the future, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music will continue to bring China’s excellent music culture, especially the century-old classics of Chinese art songs, to the international stage, build up Shanghai’s cultural brand, and enhance the influence of Chinese culture.
