At 7:30 p.m. on November 13, writer Bella's "Survivor's Song Concert" will be held at the Shanghai Concert Hall.
"The Huangpu River, which flows day and night, is my mother river." Bella, a Canadian writer born in Shanghai, said: "I use literature to find my hometown, tell stories with music, sing 'Survivor's Song' to the world, and play the music of human destiny and common destiny." ”
"In a bumpy carriage / Sitting a girl / Her eyes are full of sorrow ... The sorrow of the wandering people / the death of all mankind... Captain of Noah's Ark / Standing on the Pujiang River summoning..."
These poignant texts, written by Bella and based on the Jewish folk song "Survivor's Song". On the night of the concert, the song will also be sung for the first time by Bella.
Bella's "Survivor's Song," based on the eight-time Academy Award for Best Picture, hollywood's top producer Mike Madway's parents' real-life experience in Shanghai during World War II, has been called the Shanghai version of Gone with the Wind.
The Survivor's Song (Chinese edition) was published by Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House in 2019 and received a warm response; the 2020 English version was translated by the famous American sinologist Ge Haowen and first published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Publishing House at the Shanghai Book Fair.
Bella is known as a contemporary romantic and humanitarian writer. With a pair of eyes that discover love and beauty, she has been committed to telling the story of Shanghai Jews to the world for many years, spreading the fire of love and faith, and has published more than ten books such as "The Magic Piano", "Survivor's Song", "Sad Casablanca" and so on. With love and faith as the core, Bella's works show the humanitarian spirit of Shanghai, the wisdom and humor of the Jews, and the optimism and strength that are still alive in the face of suffering and wandering. They flicker and jump between the lines in Bella's work.
For many years, Bella has focused on the literary creation and research of "Jews in Shanghai". Over the past 20 years, Bella has traveled to Jews around the world who once lived or were born in Shanghai, accumulating a large number of first-hand historical materials. The "Jews in Shanghai" series of books is planned to be ten. Gerhoven (Jew) is the English translator of Bella's work. British playwright Ronald Harwood, who won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "The Pianist", "The Magic Piano", is based on Bella's novel of the same name, also known as the sister piece of "The Pianist".
Compared with "The Spell Piano", "Survivor's Song" has more historical vividness. In order to create, Bella spent several years studying the history of Shanghai telecommunications, and found the resume of Mike's father, David, from the telecommunications file system at the American Shanghai company. She also visited Mike's mother, Dora, several times in the United States, to obtain more first-hand historical information about Jews in Shanghai.
Romantic, warm and powerful love stories are engraved in the background of the big era, and the works cut into the development process of Shanghai's industrial civilization with the explosive node of communication technology, completely and accurately presenting Shanghai's early telecommunications past and living beings. Solid creation has attracted widespread attention. The documentary of the same name is currently being filmed and will be broadcast on Oriental TV; the large-scale sculpture "Survivor's Song" has entered the bronze casting stage and will be unveiled at the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Memorial Hall at the end of the year.
Literature and music mingle to tell the story of the Jews in Shanghai
Born in Shanghai, Bella moved overseas in her early years, and after returning to Shanghai, she showed a broader narrative perspective and burst out of great creative energy. Bella said: "I have a sense of mission and sacredness in literary creation, that is, in addition to the return of each work to literature itself, we should also build a bridge connecting the civilizations of the East and the West." ”
In addition to literary creation, Bella is also fascinated by music and art. She has performed the piano song "Liang Zhu" at the concert of Israeli pianist Yaron Kohlberg and also gave concerts at the Shanghai Concert Hall. Four years ago, her book "On the Road to Love" concert of the same name was also held at the Shanghai Concert Hall.
In 2012, Bella visited Mike's house, and Mike showed her to a piano concert. A Jewish female pianist who tells the story of her family during World War II and plays the piano at the same time, bella is deeply affected and touched.
All the repertoire in this concert is derived from world famous songs and Jewish folk songs. In addition to showing the wisdom of the Jews and the wonderful life experience of Mike's family in Shanghai, it also presents the "hometown" of Bella, Shanghai, where the people of Shanghai and the Jews share hardships and destinies, and write an unforgettable chapter of inclusive fraternity and international love in human history.
In this concert, in addition to Bella, some of the heavyweight performance guests familiar to the public will also appear, they are: Shanghai TV host Chenguang, who is the host of this concert, Tong Zirong, voice actor and dubbing artist of the movie "Zorro", Liu Jiazhen, host and voice actor of Shanghai TV, Chen Yanhua, host of Shanghai TV and "Sister Swallow", Chen Xiaoqun, soprano singer and professor of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Chen Gong, music producer and guitarist, Ye Shuwei, saxophone player. Israeli pianist Solka, Israeli dancer Eugene and The Anestesian couple, etc.
Artist friends will play, sing, dance and recite with Bella to sing the melody of human destiny and commonality. The concert was also supported by the Consulate General of Israel in Shanghai. The concert will also be attended by hundreds of foreigners in Shanghai, including international students, senior executives of foreign companies, as well as dozens of consuls general and diplomats in Shanghai, and the concert will be accompanied by English subtitles throughout the concert.
The haze of the new crown epidemic has not dissipated, and the warmth, tenacity and hope projected by art have always been an indispensable force for mankind to forge ahead. Bella hopes that the "Survivor's Song Concert" will bring everyone an audiovisual feast full of love and faith.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Li Junna Text Editor: Li Junna Photo Editor: Cao Liyuan
Source: Author: Junna Li