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Do you know the bass in opera? What are the vocal and character characteristics of the bass? This issue of the Classic Art Lecture Hall invites the famous bass singer Mr. Lei Keyong to tell the knowledge and story of the charismatic and masculine bass. Mr. Reckon will give an in-depth and simple explanation of the famous bass segments in the classic repertoire such as Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute", "Harem Abduction", verdi's opera "Simon Pocanella", and take everyone into the thick and wide bass voice.
Teacher Lei Keyong was received by Premier Zhou Enlai after performing the opera "Seize the Seal"
1. The role arrangement of the bass in the opera
The arrangement of the characters in the opera is not determined according to the age, image, temperament, etc. of the actors, but according to the characteristics of the voice parts. Just like in the opera, various roles are arranged according to the trades of lao sheng, xiao sheng, qing yi, hua dan, hua face and so on. To give an interesting example, a young actor may be in his early twenties, and the granddaughter in the play may be an actor in his forties and fifties, and this is how the industry on the stage is like this. Because of its vocal characteristics, the role played in the opera also has its own characteristics, let's understand and appreciate the bass in the opera together!
Mr. Reykyong played Bartoló in the opera The Marriage of Figaro
Mr. Reckon played Duke Gremin in the opera Evgeny Onegin
2. The type of bass role in Western opera
The classical Western operas that we are more exposed to are mainly tenor and soprano. The tenor's classic singing section "Nobody Sleeps Tonight", the soprano's classic singing section "My Dear Daddy" and "Sunny Day" are well known to everyone.
The bass is the lowest vocal part of an adult, with a thick, wide, majestic voice that can shape different types of characters. In classic Western opera, there are not many bass roles, almost every opera. It could be the protagonist or the supporting character. Bass often plays older figures such as fathers and elders, or figures with status such as heroes, kings, and dukes.
For example, the male protagonist of Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin, a national hero, is role-played in a bass. He was not afraid of foreign aggression, and after taking the enemy into the primeval forest and never being able to get out again, he also sacrificed himself.
The bass also often takes on tasks in the heavy singing, such as in the heavy singing passages with sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, and tenors, with a bass, the acoustics are no longer so thin, and the entire heavy part is more complete. Therefore, some opera bass, although not the main role, are also necessary. Of course, the bass characters are not all very old, such as Rachmaninoff's work, the opera "Alekko" based on Pushkin's long poem "Tsgang", the male protagonist Alekko is a young nobleman, and Alekko is also a bass character.
Third, the appreciation of the bass singing section of the Western classic opera
Below, we will understand the characteristics of bass in three different styles of classical opera, such as drama, tragedy and comedy, through the bass singing segments of three classic opera works.
1. Mozart's "The Magic Flute" "Sarastro's Aria"
The "Aria of Sarastro" in Mozart's famous opera The Magic Flute is a classic bass singing segment sung by the famous German bass singer Kurt Mohr. The main character in the opera, Sarastro, also known as the sun god, represents the light and represents the glorious victory. At the beginning of the second act of the opera, his singing is solemn and solemn, and his voice is thick and wide, as if the cello interpreted the swan in Saint-Saën's "Carnival of Animals", calm and beautiful.
Stills from The Magic Flute
2. The bass aria "Broken Heart" from Verdi's opera Simon Pocanella
Simon Pocanella is Verdi's mid-to-late work, in which the famous aria "Broken Heart" (also known as "Father's Sorrow") is loved by a large number of music fans, and it tells the heartbreak and grief of the nobleman Fayesk after losing his daughter Maria. This classic singing section appears in the prologue of the opera and is sung by the famous Bulgarian bass singer Nikolai Gaiulov. He expresses the lyrical, very coherent lines of the bass, as well as the tragic and dramatic characteristics. From the late 1950s onwards, Guélov was active on the world opera stage for almost half a century. In his voice we can hear the male beauty and masculinity contained in the bass part.
Stills from Simon Pocanella
3. Mozart's "Harem Escape" "Aria of Osmin"
The bass voice can complete a variety of character tasks, it can not only play tragedy or drama, but also has a comedic side. The comedic character Osmin in Mozart's opera The Harem Escape was played by a bass. The story takes place in Turkey, where Osmin is a gardener at the King's Villa and is a very witty and humorous character. In the play, he has a very short and wonderful singing segment, "Osmin's Aria". We chose the concert version of "Aria of Osmin", slightly adapted by three bass from Finland (Marti Saganinen, Giaco Rihanin, John Tilly) to sing the role together, just as "Nobody Sleeps Tonight" was sung in concert by three famous tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras. "Osmin's Aria" is fast and ends with laughter and laughter. The bass range in the work is very wide, as low as low D, and the three people work together very well.
Stills from "Harem Escape"
The world's three top tenors – Pavarotti (first from right), Domingo (second from right) and Carreras (third from right)
Opera, symphony, and ballet are all very elegant art forms, and I hope that friends can come to the theater to enjoy opera and understand the beauty and enjoyment brought to us by this elegant art.
Artist Profile
Lei Keyong, a famous bass singer, a national first-class actor, once served as a vocal director at the Central Opera House and enjoyed government subsidies. He has played nearly 30 roles in more than 20 Chinese and foreign operas such as "Evgeny Onegin", "Ayi guli", "Figaro's Wedding", "Carmen", "Jani Skiki", etc.; has served as a vocal director in many operas such as "La Traviata", "The Artist's Career", "Turandot", "Rigoletto", etc.; as a choral rehearsal conductor in Bernstein's famous musical "West End Story" and Verdi's opera "Aida"; and has served as a judge for vocal television grand prix and important vocal competitions at home and abroad.
Ministry of Education/Planning for the Popularization of Arts at the National Centre for the Performing Arts
Lek Yong/Narrator
Zhao Yifei/Finishing