"Your enthusiasm and calmness are half on one side on stage, each taking 50 percent, and then merging again." This sentence said by the mentor Zhu he had a profound impact on the young bel canto tenor Cai Chengyu, who is also looking forward to showing a more mature self on the music stage. After more than 9 months, Cai Chengyu returned to the Shencheng Stage - on November 7 this year, the "My Own Tomorrow" 2021 Concert Tour Shanghai Station will be held in Shanghai Oriental Art. In this concert, Cai Chengyu will sing with his heart in his golden voice, sharing his pursuit as a singer and his inner monologue to fans in Shanghai.
"On January 28 this year, I held my first solo concert in Shanghai, which was the first time since I joined the work that all the music fans on the stage were all because of me, which was one thing that made me feel very moved. Now back to Shanghai, I believe there will be more surprises, and this time I will also present a city-limited song to Shanghai fans. In an exclusive interview with Wen Wei Po reporter, Cai Chengyu said that he spent six years studying in Shanghai and has long been accustomed to the environment here. Speaking of the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, which he will soon debut this time, it is also a place that Cai Chengyu is familiar with. "The last time I came to Dongyi was when I was a spectator, it was in 2018 when the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra came here to perform; now I have gone from audience to performer, and I will also bring fans music that spans classical bel canto and popularity."
Spanning the classical and popular, use singing to convey gratitude to fans
Classical music promotion is the original intention that Cai Chengyu insists on on the road of music. The choreography of the "My Own Tomorrow" 2021 Concert Tour contains emotions such as courage, faith, and love. In the first half of the performance, Cai Chengyu prepared classic fragments of operas by Composers such as Handel, Mozart, Puccini, And Donizetti, etc., and the melodies of the works were familiar, which was very friendly to the beginner opera listeners. "When singing these different composers' opera arias, the performer needs to design some more explicit character characteristics for themselves. In addition to knowing the story and background of the opera and mastering the singing skills freely, it is also necessary to have a deep understanding and switching of characters and plots. In fact, in many performances, there are not so many arias arranged, but I think that every concert is a valuable opportunity for me to promote opera, so I want to bring you more excerpts. ”
In the second half, Cai Chengyu not only sang the works in his first ep "Cai Chengyu", but also had to perform the new single "Like a Shadow" released on September 3 to Shanghai music fans. For Cai Chengyu, every live performance is the most precious experience, "the environment, atmosphere and audience feedback of the theater and concert hall are different, because the scene is that time, the second time to sing again will no longer have the feeling of the day, this is the most attractive place on the scene." It is worth mentioning that "Like Light With Shadows" is a warm song that expresses some of the things that Cai Chengyu wants to say to fans and audiences since he joined the work for three years, and returns everyone's love for him. "Every concert, whether it's for new or old audiences, wants to pass on my gratitude."
"I wanted to be more contagious on stage, like joking, "memes", and interacting more with the audience to make them relax. "Speaking of the atmosphere of the concert, Cai Chengyu is finding a more suitable way of performing through practice." At my concerts, the teachers of the lighting, production, sound and other teams are very professional and have strict procedures, but if you follow the process completely, you may be a little too 'stretched' and miss some opportunities that would have made the field more active. Cai Chengyu said that his ideal stage performance should create a more relaxed atmosphere, so that the audience does not feel constrained by the serious atmosphere of the theater.
When he was in elementary school, the slogan "Happy to go to school, happy to go home" was printed on the school gate, which made Cai Chengyu remember it vividly. Now, he also wants to say to the fans who come to his concert, "I hope everyone is happy to come home, go home happily, arrive home safely and safely, don't take the baggage, and come to a concert easily!" ”
There are no shortcuts in art, only constant reflection, adjustment and tempering
2021 is a year full of harvest for Cai Chengyu. He released solo EPs and singles, completed several solo concerts, participated in the performance of the new era version of the "Long March Suite Song" of his alma mater, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, recorded a number of impressive evening programs, and so on. "One of my most impressive performance experiences this year was participating in the centenary party held at the Bird's Nest, which was rehearsed in a closed manner for nearly a month, and at the end of the party, everyone sang "Pilot" together, fireworks rose in the sky, and the image of the founding ceremony appeared on the big screen, and as soon as I looked back, my tears came down."
In the midst of a busy schedule of activities, how does Cai Chengyu maintain his voice state? "I would like to give special thanks to my mentors, Teacher Wang Kaiwei and Teacher Zhu He, who have helped me to converge and standardize my voice concept over the years." In Cai Chengyu's view, vocal music is invisible and untouchable, unlike other musical instruments that have an entity. "Vocal music has to be understood by oneself, such as a simple inhalation and opening, some teachers will say 'smell the flowers', some teachers will say 'smile', some will say 'teeth open', there are more statements but in fact, basically in a training place, so in the final analysis, you still have to rely on your own understanding, continuous learning and adjustment." 」
Having studied vocal music for seven years now, cai chengyu has learned that singers cannot be led by music. "A singer on the stage, should be parallel to the music, the most taboo is that they sing themselves 'cool', sing excited, the audience does not feel at all." The average singer's skills are actually always in the process of constant self-adjustment, for example, when I go back to listen to the previous videos and recordings after a while, I will have new feelings and motivate myself to find the balance. I will also keep myself calm on the stage, and don't let the emotions completely pull me. ”
As Cai Chengyu said, "There is no shortcut to maturity and growth in art, only hard work, continuous reflection, learning, and more tempering can achieve better results."
Courtesy of the performer
Author: Jiang Fang
Editor: Tong Weijing