The reporter learned that the conductor and composer Xiao Bai died at 19:21 in Shanghai Huadong Hospital on April 23 at the age of 90 due to ineffective treatment.
Xiao Bai, a Manchu, joined the school choir at the age of 15 and has since embarked on a musical path. He graduated from the Conducting Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, also studied composition, and was a permanent conductor of the Shanghai Opera House. At the age of 27, he won the World Youth Festival in Vienna for his "Happy River Chorus". His opera "Shouting in the Sky" won the Special Award of the Ministry of Culture at that time, and the opera "Farewell to the King" won the 13th Wenhua Awards and 5 individual awards.
Upon learning of Xiao Bai's death, baritone singer Yang Xiaoyong said: "Before the epidemic, I also received the opera score of "Farewell to the Overlord" sent by Teacher Xiao Bai, saying that it was to be rearranged, and talking about his grand plan, I didn't expect ..."
After retiring from the Shanghai Opera House, Xiao Bai continued to devote himself to the choral art he loved, serving as the artistic director of the Shanghai Philharmonic Choir, the artistic director of the Shenzhen Musicians Association Choir, the Wuxi Shanhe Choir, and the publication of the monograph "The Art of Choral Conducting". In his view, chorus is the most popular and widely participatory art form, no matter what era, chorus has never been separated from society and the masses.
In 2002, at the age of 70, he conducted the Shenzhen Musicians Association Choir and won three awards: the Gold Award, the Best Performance Award, and the Outstanding Conductor Award at the 5th Riva International Choral Competition in Italy. In 2013, Xiao Bai was awarded the China Choral Lifetime Achievement Award at the China Choral Centennial Conference. Entering his old age, he was still active on the podium and podium with silver hair and elegance.
"The soul of the chorus is the expression from the heart, and if the performance or the money prevails, it will not show the shocking power of the song." He once called on the choral community to respect the soul of music, regain the history of choral singing, and interpret music with feelings.
Xiao Bai once said: "Bring together the best singers in the world to form the worst choir in the world." The "union" of chorus is the "union" of cooperation and the "harmony" of harmony. The chorus places high demands on the degree of mutual cooperation and inner tacit understanding between the participants.
Because "Zhang Shichao, where did you put the key to my house" and "Spring Festival Self-Help Guide" and other choral "Divine Comedy" popular Shanghai Rainbow Indoor Choir, also visited Xiao Bai. At that time, in the face of this group of post-80s and post-90s who explored the new road of chorus, Xiao Bai encouraged: "For your exploration, I support. Art is never monolithic, and chorus requires diverse voices and fresh blood. ”