In April 2021, the National Centre for the Performing Arts version of Verdi's opera "La Traviata" was rehearsed in six rounds, and more than 8,000 performance tickets were sold out. Yu Long, Zhang Liping, Shi Yijie, Liao Changyong and other stars gathered, due to the epidemic anxiety for a long time on the Beijing opera stage, finally waited for a Western classic masterpiece.
In the cast list, Liao Changyong's name surprised many audiences, after all, he has been in the opera performance of the National Centre for the Performing Arts for five years. Of course, Liao Changyong loves the stage, and also loves the National Centre for the Performing Arts version of "La Traviata", a work that has been accompanied by ten years, and has not returned because he shoulders more important responsibilities than actors at present.
Liao Changyong at the press conference of "La Traviata".
"Every time I appear on stage, I study the work as if it were the first time"
"The stage of the National Centre for the Performing Arts is big, and it is true that it should not be 'pressed' backwards, one is that the sound will be lost, and the other is to go to the designated position, the speed will inevitably be fast..." The day before the performance began, Liao Changyong was still pondering the suggestion of directing Yu Long. Shi Yijie plays Armand's son Alfred in the play, but he and Liao Changyong's age difference is not too much. Liao Changyong thought about it and smiled at the people around him: "The range of movement is large, does it look like my father, like my brothers?" ”
Amang is a character who has accompanied Liao Changyong for a long time. Only the National Centre for the Performing Arts version of "La Traviata", since 2010, Liao Changyong has participated in five rounds. "Ten years ago, this dad was pretend, and I wanted to try to make my voice a little darker and more mature; now, this dad is real, and I have to try to make my voice a little more 'young.'" Liao Changyong smiled. Life experiences have been incorporated into his Armand. While trying to persuade Alfred on stage, Liao Changyong would think of his daughter. Nowadays, the daughter is older and more sensible, and the father and daughter often share the joys and confusions in each other's lives.
Treating a character who is so familiar, Liao Changyong is still attentive. In the face of the "La Traviata" Violetta, Armand goes from anger to guilt, a process accompanied by many subtle feelings that Liao Changyong may not have been able to pay attention to. "Art needs to be constantly pondered, even if it is a hundred performances, we also want to be able to give something different to each performance." Liao Changyong's experience and advice are particularly sincere, "Actors should give themselves 'stimulation', every time they appear on stage, they must study the work as the first performance, and maintain 'freshness', which is the charm of drama." As long as you slack off, the audience is clear. ”
"In what position to do what, now the main business is to build the school well"
The last time Liao Changyong appeared on stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts as Armand was in 2016. Five years apart, for many reasons. "In the past few years, I have focused more on the collation and research of Chinese art songs, and I have spent more time." Grades are already on the table. In 2020 alone, the "Centennial of Chinese Art Songs" series of activities held by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music had a good response: "Chinese Art Songs Centennial Song Collection", "Chinese Classical Poetry Art Songs 16 Songs" and other monographs were published, and the second China Art Song International Vocal Competition was successfully held...
From Liao Changyong, people seem to be able to capture the shadow of Professor Zhou Xiaoyan. "Teacher Zhou gave me a lot of her attitude towards art, especially her love for Chinese music." When it comes to en mentors, Liao Changyong's tone is serious and warm, "She has always told us that as a Chinese, Chinese works must not be sung badly. ”
At the end of last year, the National Centre for the Performing Arts sent Liao Changyong an invitation to perform "La Traviata". To come or not to come? He made a certain determination. In 2019, Liao Changyong became the dean of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and it is indeed difficult to devote a whole chunk of time to leave the school. However, it is also for the same reasons that support him to take the stage again. "My first identity is that of a teacher, and I must ensure that my teaching work is good." Liao Changyong knows too well how much vocal music pays attention to practice, "In order to better guide students, we can't leave the stage for too long, otherwise the stage and the work will become unfamiliar." Being an actor only needs to manage yourself, but the art must always be inherited, and being a teacher is a process from 'self-interest' to 'altruism', which is a very beautiful thing. ”
How to build disciplines and talent teams? In what direction should schools move? The problems that used to be not to be considered, now Liao Changyong has to consider. In recent years, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music has made many attempts in original works, and after the performance of the original opera "He Luting", it has become the first 8K panoramic sound live opera film in China. In 2021, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music will launch two original operas, "Sentinel under Neon Lights" and "Kangding Love Song", as well as the symphonic chorus suite "Long Hua Soul", the symphonic chorus "Ode to Long Hua Heroic Martyrs", and the musical "Loyalty". Except for the script part, these works are basically created and performed by teachers and students.
"To make an original work, majors such as vocal music, orchestra, and composition will participate and open up the discipline." Taking "Kangding Love Song" as an example, the test it brings is all-round: "Kangding Love Song" takes the construction of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway as the background, and if the local customs, musical characteristics, ethnic habits and other homework are not in place, they cannot find musical motivation and dramatic conflicts; at the performance level, students must go out of the piano room, wrestle on the stage, and accumulate "actual combat" experience. Generally speaking, the transformation from students to professional actors in the academy group also takes three or five years, and now, the school hopes to help everyone as seamless as possible; how should the stage be designed and which point should be grasped? This is again an exercise for the Digital Media Academy.
Nowadays, the creation of local dramas has become a boom in the industry, but in the past, the scenery of the premiere was past, and there were many cases of "once foreign aid left, the drama was abolished". Creating for the sake of creation is definitely not the result that Liao Changyong wants to see: "I think the school's duty is to cultivate people." We are 'production' units, producing works and producing talents. ”
There are so many things to worry about, between school and stage, to make trade-offs? "There's definitely a trade-off." Liao Changyong smiled and gave the answer, and soon he was also very firm, "I will do anything in any position, and now my main business is to build the school well." Teaching, practice, scientific research, management is actually not contradictory, the key depends on how the internal line is worn, if the law of art is not well grasped, the school is not well managed. ”
"Putting yourself in front of art is not far away"
In recent days, Liao Changyong sang a song "Youlan Cao" on the variety show "Praise for Songs", which was "re-praised" by netizens for three consecutive times, and the top hot entries were listed. Among many young people, Liao Changyong is one of the most recognized singers, and this has to mention a phenomenon-level variety show "Sound into People's Hearts", which not only makes the "national degree" of singers such as Liao Changyong and Shi Yijie go to a higher level, but also wins young actors and singers such as Ayunga, Zheng Yunlong, and Zhou Shen, but also injects unprecedented traffic into opera, musical theater and the entire vocal industry.
Is this heat wave a pro or a con? "Of course there will be some problems, but I think overall, this focus is benign." There was one thing that made Liao Changyong very moved. Last year, the Shanghai Opera House and the Shanghai Grand Theatre collaborated on the opera "Don Juan", one of the main actors was Cai Chengyu, who participated in "Sound into people's hearts", and the performance tickets were all sold out.
"The audience did their homework well." Theater and classical music have their own set of viewing etiquette, when to applaud, when not to clap, what is the singing segment of a certain character... In short, there are many doorways. Many viewers specifically checked the information for this purpose. "They are afraid that they will not understand anything and will be laughed at." These viewers really like it, and they really put in the effort. Liao Changyong also found through data that last year, the number of vocal music applicants in the school doubled, and this year it doubled on the basis of last year, "At present, it seems that this wave of heat has not disappeared, and everything is still relatively positive." ”
After a short pause, Liao Changyong immediately said the word "but", "Our actors must be strict with themselves." I often tell the students of "Sound into the Heart", do you love art or do you love yourself? Do you put art above yourself, or do you put yourself above art? Putting yourself in front of art is not far off. Fans are a double-edged sword, how much you pay for them, they will pay for you; how much you turn your back on them, they will also turn their backs on you. ”
Source Beijing Daily | Reporter Gao Qian Fang Fei Correspondent Ling Feng
Editor: Zeng Jiajia
Process Editor Wu Yue