BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- "From the age of 51, an old boy began to start a business. For the famous tenor Dai Yuqiang, his life is a process of continuous "nudging". From the Hebei farmer to the Zongzheng Opera Troupe, from the Chinese stage to becoming a disciple of Pavarotti, from overseas to returning to China to perform classic operas.
Now, at the age of knowing his destiny, he has set off again, started a business, and carried out online teaching. He hopes to contribute to China's music education, and if he can cultivate a few more people like himself, he will be satisfied.
Infographic: Dai Yuqiang. Photo by China News Service reporter Yu Jing
From Hebei Farmhouse to Zongzheng Opera Troupe
In 1963, Dai Yuqiang was born in a farming family in Hebei. Since he was a child, he has loved to sing and has a good voice by nature. In junior high school, he listened to songs on the radio, and he was soon able to imitate them perfectly.
In 1980, Dai Yuqiang was admitted to the Beijing Coal Mining School majoring in civil engineering. Although the distance from music is getting farther and farther, Dai Yuqiang has never given up on his dream - he wants to become a singer. He saves money and goes to concerts in his spare time.
"Learning music is a paradox. Often children with good family conditions do not have to work, and children who work hard do not have economic conditions. But the more these students with poor family conditions, he has a certain talent, he is desperate to learn, and then he can become a professional. Let's say there are too many like me. Dai Yuqiang said.
After graduation, Dai Yuqiang was assigned to work in the mining area. But he did not "accept" at all, as always, listened to the radio and learned to sing. Later, he finally got his wish and was admitted to the Shanxi Provincial Song and Dance Theater and studied at the Central Academy of Drama. When he went to school, he had no income and had to work on the construction site. Dai Yuqiang was fascinated by opera, but after graduation, he found that the Shanxi Provincial Song and Dance Theater had no opera to perform.
Data chart: Dai Yuqiang (right)
However, Dai Yuqiang did not settle for the status quo, but "exerted a lot of strength" and resigned as a North Drifter. He went everywhere looking for opportunities, but he always hit a wall. He often went to the lectures of the teachers of the conservatory, and when he did not have money to listen to concerts, he followed the tape to understand it himself.
He rented a small stairwell in Beijing, and in order to survive in Beijing, he went to the construction site to work as a laborer. One year during the Spring Festival, he wanted to go home for the New Year, and he searched all over his body, and the ticket was only a penny short. Finally, he searched around the square of the train station to get his ticket home.
At the end of 1989, Dai Yuqiang was finally admitted to the General Political Opera Troupe. In 1991, he was also admitted to the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts, and finally graduated with the first place.
Data chart: Photo by Hou Yu, China News Service
From the Chinese stage to Pavarotti's disciple
In 1996, in the CCTV National Young Singers Grand Prix, Dai Yuqiang won the second prize in the professional group of bel canto singing. After that, it began to emerge and won awards.
On November 17, 1995, at the Century Theatre, Dai Yuqiang sang "Turandot" in Italian for the first time. Dai Yuqiang said that he entered the crew as a study group and spent five months rehearsing the play. Those two arias, "Liu'er Don't Cry" and "Nobody Sleeps Tonight", he is also practicing, and he has never sung it before.
"I was also very nervous, I didn't sleep all night, and he just gritted his teeth and stomped on it and sang." Dai Yuqiang said that the response that night was very warm, and the media reported that if anyone accidentally rubbed a match, the theater was on hold, it was so hot.
Data chart: Dai Yuqiang sang "Toast Song". Photo by Zhao Qingbin
In 1998, at the Chinese art song concert, Dai Yuqiang became a big hit with a song "You Are Such a Person". Until 2001, the world's three major tenors came to China for the first time to perform, and Dai Yuqiang's career ushered in a new peak. He formed a mentoring relationship with the world-famous tenor Pavarotti, and since then he has embarked on a journey to the world stage.
The three tenors came to Beijing to perform, and the Central Opera House attached great importance to it, and they chose three More Chinese Tenors to sing to the master.
Dai Yuqiang recalled that at that time, Pavarotti rarely stood up on his own because of his heavy weight, but after listening to his own songs, Pavarotti stood up on the back of the chair, and then raised his hand above his head to applaud.
Pavarotti is a world-renowned bel canto master known as the touchstone of the industry. With the help of a little golden victor, Dai Yuqiang quickly stood out on the international stage.
Data chart: Photo by Liu Weiyong, China News Service
The old guy who started the business
In general, the golden age of tenor is between the ages of 30 and 50. But at the age of 49, Dai Yuqiang starred in "Masquerade Ball". At that time he said: "I want to gamble, take a gamble, pursue a hand, because every tenor opera actor regards it as a supreme honor to be in this play." ”
But singing well is not so easy, not only the pitch and rhythm of the music are difficult to grasp, Dai Yuqiang also has to nibble Italian.
"That's not your native language, you can't understand it, but you have to sing it clearly." If you can't sing and can't sing accurately, then it's not called a profession. Singing back and forth, over and over again, singing tirelessly, singing into a muscular memory. Dai Yuqiang spent three months nibbling all italian and completing the performance.
This opera, which many foreign actors dare not touch, Dai Yuqiang touched it and once again stunned the world. However, Dai Yuqiang did not linger on the applause from overseas, but focused on the Chinese opera stage.
From Yang Xiaodong in "Wildfire Spring Wind Fighting Ancient City", Yu Yongze in "Song of Youth", to Yue Wang Gou Jian in "Xi Shi" and Yang Guang, the Sui Emperor of "The River of Luck", he has interpreted many Chinese artistic images.
Data chart: The picture shows the Sui Emperor played by Dai Yuqiang. China News Service reporter Zhang Daozheng photographed
Dai Yuqiang said that opera singer is a sad profession, he spans two lines, Chinese audiences are familiar with him through television, but his main job is to perform opera on stage, and for decades, 90% of his energy has been on stage.
"Whether it's science or art, you can't stay put." Chinese traditional arts, Peking Opera, local opera, you can learn from, to combine, how to sing more like the thing, let the Chinese accept this is the most important. Dai Yuqiang said.
At the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, dai Yuqiang decided to start a business out of the desire of preaching music. With his achievements, as a teacher, he could have gone to college, but this time he chose the Internet in order to let more people receive music popularization education.
He joked that he was an old boy who started a business and strived to open up a new world to contribute to China's music education.
"If I cultivate one or two or two or two people like Dai Yuqiang, I will be satisfied." Dai Yuqiang said. (End)