On April 11th, a large Chinese orchestra composed of the Chinese Band School of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music took the stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and appeared at the second "Spring of Chinese Music", showing the picturesque spring of the south of the Yangtze River with a Chinese music concert called "Great Music Yonghe".
At the concert, Wang Changbo, a vocal music teacher and baritone singer of the School of Music Education of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, and Xu Junyue, a representative inheritor of the Zhejiang school guqin, cooperated to premiere the "Landscape Long Scroll".
Having studied and worked in Germany for more than ten years, Wang Changbo has sung many Western works. Now that he is in control of Chinese works, Wang Changbo is also very proficient. In his opinion, his study and work experience in Germany did not make him forget that he was a Chinese, but on the contrary, these experiences broadened his horizons and gave him a deeper understanding of Chinese works. "The Western works that I have sung in Germany for more than ten years are understood and sung with Chinese cultural heritage. I have been abroad for more than ten years, and I have experienced the humanities and natural landscapes of other countries and nations, and when I go back and sing Chinese works, those humanities and landscapes have enriched my artistic sense and made the impression in my mind more three-dimensional and rich. ”
Art comes from life, real experience plays the "vagabond"
Because of his love for music since childhood, Wang Changbo gave up his excellent cultural classes after graduating from high school and was admitted to Shanghai Normal University to study music. During his university years, Wang Changbo joined the choir of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, where he met the Chinese choral conductor Professor Ma Geshun, and was recommended by Professor Ma to have the opportunity to study in Germany. At that time, Wang Changbo, who was about to graduate from college, had already found a job as a university teacher, with a stable job on the one hand, and an unknown future on the other. "I really like singing too much, and I want to sing better, but due to the lack of technology at that time, the expression was hindered, so I was unwilling to stop there, and a more important reason is that I just graduated and went to be a university teacher, I was a little weak, I always felt that I didn't have much life experience, so I went to teach students, afraid that I wouldn't be able to teach them well. After locking himself in his room for three days and three nights, Wang Changbo finally followed his heart and chose the path full of challenges but infinite possibilities. Fortunately, his parents unconditionally supported his choice, so that Wang Changbo had no worries.
When he first arrived in Germany, he was unfamiliar with the place and the language barrier, so Wang Changbo deeply realized the difficulty of being in a foreign country. To add insult to injury, because his mind was full of exams, he forgot his luggage at the train station, and was notified by the police to remember. By the time he finished the test and went to pick up his luggage, the luggage station was closed. It happened to be a Friday night, and Wang Changbo, who was penniless, had to spend a long weekend wandering around the train station. "I lived on a bench at the train station for two nights, like a homeless man in Germany, and I learned what they did, found some newspapers to sleep on the bench, and went to the bakery to get bread on credit. "No experience in life is given in vain, and this wandering experience has a great inspiration and help for Wang Changbo to sing "Winter Journey" and play a wandering character in the future.
Although there was a little hiccup, the results were satisfying. Wang Changbo was admitted to the Cologne Conservatory of Music and began to get in touch with "German" classical music. Under the guidance of his professional mentor, Professor Martin Bruns, and his unremitting efforts, Wang Changbo's professional level has improved by leaps and bounds, and he soon performed his first opera at the Aachen Opera House and Symphony Orchestra. A year and a half later, he was admitted to the Hans Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin with his mentor, and entered the top temple of European musicology. At the Hans Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin, Wang Changbo studied more selflessly and won the highest scholarship offered by the "Barenboim Scholarship Foundation", becoming the first Chinese in the history of the school to receive this honor.
Maintain a love of music that guides students to take the initiative to learn
In the spring of 2019, Wang Changbo stayed at the Vocal Department of the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin, becoming the first Asian vocal teacher since the establishment of the Conservatory. But staying in Germany was not Wang's purpose, and he never forgot his original intention. In 2022, Wang Changbo returned to his motherland and officially became a vocal music teacher at the School of Music Education of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. ”
After returning to China, Wang Changbo lamented that the environment for students in China to learn music has changed dramatically. "The books that students read now are so rich in video and audio materials that they are not at the same level as we were at the time. The conditions, consciousness and overall environment of the children who are learning vocal music today are much higher than we were back then. But at the same time, Wang Changbo also felt some shortcomings, "Today's students still lack the awe of classical music and the importance of the basic skills of professional knowledge." Wang Changbo noticed that most of the students' attention is now focused on sound rather than art. To put it bluntly, many students pay more attention to how well they grasp the technology, and do not pay attention to the understanding and communication of the work. ”
Having studied and worked in China and Germany, Wang Changbo is quite familiar with Chinese and Western educational concepts. After returning to China, he clearly felt the difference between Chinese and Western education. "German students are very keen to ask questions, and they often take the initiative to ask the teacher, 'Can I sing this song?' or 'What new song have I learned?' Students in our country are more passive, waiting for the teacher to arrange the repertoire and tell them how to learn. The difference is significant. I hope that our students should be bold and proactive to ask, because love is the best teacher, and only by taking the initiative to learn can we gain more. ”
Wang Changbo usually has high requirements for students, "I will arrange a lot of works by different composers and different styles for them, and the repertoire should be rich, which is very important for vocal music students, because only in a large number of works can they find their own style." Wang Changbo also teaches students how to learn, "When studying, I will tell them how to learn a song, and what kind of learning order is convenient and efficient." In addition, Wang Changbo especially told the children to learn to be a person, "A good singer needs to have many qualities, love for art, language talent, understanding of art, control of timbre and emotion, etc., these are all necessary conditions." But to learn art well, you must first learn to be a person, and you must love your motherland and hometown, if you don't have this kind of cognition, it is difficult to achieve success in art. ”
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
Editor/Qiao Ying