In June 2022, Life·Reading·Xinzhi Sanlian Publishing published a new book "Turandot of the Arena" by opera artist Tian Haojiang. Tian Haojiang, who is active on the international opera stage, tells stories about opera in his career with vivid and pictorial brushstrokes.
The book includes in-depth descriptions of music masters such as Pavarotti, Domingo, Seiji Ozawa, and Gergiev, as well as ordinary opera singers, managers, theater managers, vocal coaches, and even street performers. The vivid descriptions of little people can be called an international opera Ukiyo-e with unique vision and extraordinary writing. Readers can see the sublime and harshness of art, the dazzling and ruthless fame and fortune, the subtlety and unrestrainedness of human nature, and even the complexity and unexpectedness of fate...
Tian Haojiang, a native of Beijing, is the first Chinese opera singer who has signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for 20 years. He has played more than 50 major roles in important international opera houses and performed more than 1,400 times. He has performed at the National Grand Theater of China, etc. He has starred in the premieres of more than a dozen Chinese original operas.
Tian Haojiang is the founder and artistic director of the iSING!Suzhou International Young Singers Art Festival. His English autobiography "Opera Life" was selected into the series of books at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Tian Haojiang has won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the University of Denver, the "Best Male Opera" award of the "BraVo" International Artist Jury in Russia, and an honorary doctorate degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He also serves as a planner, director, screenwriter and producer. Hundreds of concerts and stage plays.
Tian Haojiang has also begun to write prose in recent years, while the opera art has achieved good results. The first essay "Later and Past" was written in the book "The Seventies". He has a literary ability that is good at telling stories and deeply describing the world and people. His writing is direct, vivid, and crisp, full of drama, picture and rhythm. Different from our common traditional prose, he has a unique style and deserves attention. "Turandot of the Colosseum" is a masterpiece in this regard. Among them, the article "Pavarotti" was published in "October" magazine in March 2021 and was well received. "Harvest" magazine broke the routine and published several groups of articles in three consecutive 2021 summer, autumn and winter issues, calling them "born writers".
On the afternoon of June 25th, the launch of the new book "Turando of the Arena" was held in Beijing Taofen Bookstore. Poet Nishikawa, scholar Wang Hui, composer Guo Wenjing and the author of the book Tian Haojiang had a discussion together, and they shared the idea of "connecting the world with singing and bridging people's hearts with words". Tian Haojiang said in his opening remarks that he was very happy, excited and nervous. "Today is the birthday of this book, the first day it came to the world. So I'm nervous about it." The following is organized according to the transcript of the discussion (with deletions and wording adjustments), and presented in the form of oral narration by the parties.
Wang Hui said with a smile in his speech, "When we were with Tian Haojiang, we shivered as soon as he cleared his throat. His loud bass was there, and we didn't know how to speak. When I suddenly found out that he had written this book again, it was even worse. I know what to say. I did watch it from beginning to end, and I was very impressed."
The poet Zhai Yongming wrote a very good preface to this book. In the preface, she said that some parts of the book are like novels. Hao Jiang's book does have a novel-like aspect. You can say that it is like prose, essays, or novels. Speaking of novels, of course, it is not called a real novel, but can be read as a novel.
There is a tradition in Chinese novels, we call it "thread piercing beads", that is, a string strung together a series of beads, it is not a geometric structure, but a structure where one bead and one bead are linked together. The structure of this book is generally like this, it has a thread, and this thread is strung with various characters by Tian Haojiang and the opera's Zhuangyou. There are great singers like Pavarotti and Domingo, and there are those of us who watch opera but don't understand opera. characters), including fans, from watching the drama to heavy encounters in different places, basically strung together the stories on and off the stage, inside and outside the characters.
Sometimes I write about the characters on the stage, such as the characters in "Aida" and "Turando", the singing and singing, and also involving these actors, their interactions with each other, including the manager, these are all we are outside. People can't see it. Stringing a series of beads gives us a three-dimensional understanding of life inside and outside the opera. Therefore, on and off the stage, inside and outside the characters, a thread-piercing story is formed, which is a feature of the structure.
The second feature is that although it is "one line piercing beads", there is a main line in it. The main line is of course Tian Haojiang's journey from the China Central Orchestra to the United States, step by step to today's road. He said less about himself and more about his wife Martha, but it was also interspersed in the thread. There is also a growth history in the way of writing - we often write about a person's growth process in novels, and we form our own life path by describing the "beads" around them one by one. For example, my contact with Tian Haojiang is limited, but after reading his book, I know a lot of stories and how he handles various relationships. For me, I think it is also very interesting and interesting. part.
Tian Haojiang's novels or collections of essays, if you say autobiography, are not autobiographies. They are a book that is specially organized and organically formed, which left a deep impression on me. Except for one character, it has depth. What amazes me is that, as an opera singer, his descriptions do have dramatic forms, with appearances, developments, climaxes, and endings. The best part is the appearance and the ending. I especially like the way his articles begin and end, and each article begins and ends differently. Sometimes the writing is very light, but it gives you a little aftertaste. Out of the narrative. These strokes are used very maturely, which makes me feel that although you are a Virgo, you appear very mature.
Tian Haojiang's writing has his own attitude in it. He used a lot of color on characters like Pavarotti and Domingo, not only that, but the characters written in it were not so famous. In Tian Haojiang's world, his narrative has depth, respect and an equal attitude. Instead of putting lights on the biggest characters, he's also very good at sketching (descriptions), rendering it three-dimensional.
In addition, I am more impressed by his insights in life. There are many difficulties in life. Tian Haojiang's writing style is extremely frank, showing all his feelings. This honesty, a certain helplessness, and maintaining respect at the same time make me feel that this book has a strong authenticity, and the tone is warm of. If Yu Hua is here, Yu Hua's memory is very good. When he sees a wonderful episode, he can memorize it in a while. I don't have the ability. You can read Tian Haojiang's works. It is a very pleasant thing to read such a book.
The photo at the end of the main body of this book was given to Li Tuo, our mutual friend. I know that Hao Jiang has not known Tuo the longest, but this book is dedicated to Li Tuo in addition to his wife Martha. Li Tuo's selfless encouragement to young writers in his life is particularly worth mentioning. I didn't expect him to give guidance to such great singers as Tian Haojiang.
Guo Wenjing said in his speech that he wanted to talk about his feelings about this book from the perspective of a music school teacher. "This book is very worth reading for the students of the Conservatory of Music, especially the Department of Voice and Song. It provides them with a lot of valuable experience. Not only a textbook, but also the best reference book, must-have read."
Before the reform and opening up, before Chinese young people of various majors began to go abroad on a large scale, in the world of the West, the United States, and Europe, there were no Chinese people at all. Hao Jiang and the others are the forerunners, and this pioneer has to encounter and overcome many difficulties. Moreover, the major of opera is more difficult than other majors. There is a saying in the international opera world that if you want to be in the opera world in Europe and America, you must know at least five languages. English is not spoken, Italian, German - a lot of classics are Italian, German (sung), plus French. As a pioneering Chinese, he entered such a world and worked hard, which is a very valuable experience for young people, especially students of music colleges. As a teacher, I feel this very deeply. I believe that the students will definitely have a book, because there are so many things to learn and be inspired by.
In addition, Chinese opera directors or conductors, whether directing Chinese operas or Western operas, can also learn a lot from them. For those who make operas, there are also many ways of working.
"Today we really need to understand what a real world looks like"
In his speech, Nishikawa introduced that when he got the book, he felt very unusual when he saw the cover design. "I saw so many people on the girdle (recommended), Domingo, Quincy Jones, Bei Dao, Yu Hua... This scene is too big, like a luxurious opera."
After listening to Wang Hui and Guo Wenjing's serious comments on your book, I also have to talk seriously. Teacher Wang Hui has already mentioned its literary quality, and the literary quality of this book is particularly strong. First of all, the text is very rhythmic, and in the plot, sometimes there will be a side escape, which is particularly good.
I myself sometimes read very serious books and sometimes less serious books. What kind of books do I enjoy? That's what makes me feel like reading detective novels sometimes. There is a suspense in the front, and the back takes you to one place and then to another place. This book is full of such (arrangements), which is very interesting.
I took a casual look at the language of the book, like all the Italians speak in the face - of course they especially like to talk. Furthermore, there is a translator who has many wrinkles on his face, but his movements are very young. Another example is to go to the Russian director, rushing in and rushing out like a tank every day, these are particularly wonderful descriptions.
We used to have a writer, Lin Yutang. Lin Yutang once said, "What is a good article? A good article starts where it shouldn't start and ends where it shouldn't end." There are many such examples in the book.
In addition, the two of them said this, but also aroused me another feeling. For example, when we contacted Tian Haojiang, we actually contacted a world through him. This world is too big. It is a world of opera, we can also say it is a real world. We need it in China now, and it is always the same (need), but today we do need to understand what a real world looks like. "Turando of the Arena" presents us with a wider world, a world of culture, and a very layered world from high to low.
Tian Haojiang was the first Chinese to go abroad. In this wave of people, there seems to be a microcosm, that is, from the late 1970s to the present, not only the relationship between him and the opera, and the opera celebrities, but also the relationship between Chinese culture and world culture , such a fusion. There is so much in this miniature. Hao Jiang's book suddenly made me jump out of his own observations, and actually entered into such an overlap and intersection between Chinese contemporary culture and world contemporary culture.
During the conversation, Nishikawa mentioned a detail in the book: In 2003, Tian Haojiang performed the opera Turandot in Italy, directed by Russian artist Yura. In this version of "Turandot", Tian Haojiang plays the role of Timur, the old king of Tartar. During a rehearsal, Yura hoped that Tian Haojiang would make a dramatic move, "King Lear! King Lear! You have to imagine yourself as King Lear in Shakespeare's plays." The director mentioned King Lear in Tian Haojiang There, the corresponding scene is reminiscent of Hong Changqing in "The Red Detachment of Women".
Yes, Hong Changqing! Because this Russian director is about the same age as me, and was trained in the Soviet-era drama academy. In "Turandot", there is a scene where Timur and Liu'er are escorted by guards, and Turandot is about to have them tortured. This scene requires Timur and Liu'er to show an unyielding energy, and Yura couldn't understand why he couldn't explain it to us, and finally he got anxious.
"You have to be like communists, communists! Being escorted to the execution ground! You struggle, you are brave and unyielding! Like a real communist... die heroically, you understand?!" I understand Yura and immediately thought of Hong Changqing. (Rearranged) When we came out, I held my head high, with a dignified look on my face, thinking of Hong Changqing under the big pine tree, and rushed out as soon as I struggled... From King Lear to Hong Changqing, it was a natural transition.
The happiest of course was Yura, who came over and hugged me. Because this is a performance in Verona, Italy, so many actors, Americans, Koreans, Russians, Italians, Argentines, and me, a Chinese, must have 2,000 people on and off the stage plus the actors and audience. The arena in the arena—he thinks I'm probably his only confidant—if it comes to the fact that Communists take death as their own, it's all too familiar to me.
The book includes in-depth descriptions of music masters such as Pavarotti, Domingo, Seiji Ozawa, and Gergiev, as well as ordinary opera singers, managers, theater managers, vocal coaches, and even street performers. The vivid descriptions of little people can be called an international opera Ukiyo-e with unique vision and extraordinary writing. Readers can see the sublime and harshness of art, the dazzling and ruthless fame and fortune, the subtlety and unrestrainedness of human nature, and even the complexity and unexpectedness of fate...
Tian Haojiang, a native of Beijing, is the first Chinese opera singer who has signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for 20 years. He has played more than 50 major roles in important international opera houses and performed more than 1,400 times. He has performed at the National Grand Theater of China, etc. He has starred in the premieres of more than a dozen Chinese original operas.
Tian Haojiang is the founder and artistic director of the iSING!Suzhou International Young Singers Art Festival. His English autobiography "Opera Life" was selected into the series of books at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Tian Haojiang has won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the University of Denver, the "Best Male Opera" award of the "BraVo" International Artist Jury in Russia, and an honorary doctorate degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He also serves as a planner, director, screenwriter and producer. Hundreds of concerts and stage plays.
Tian Haojiang has also begun to write prose in recent years, while the opera art has achieved good results. The first essay "Later and Past" was written in the book "The Seventies". He has a literary ability that is good at telling stories and deeply describing the world and people. His writing is direct, vivid, and crisp, full of drama, picture and rhythm. Different from our common traditional prose, he has a unique style and deserves attention. "Turandot of the Colosseum" is a masterpiece in this regard. Among them, the article "Pavarotti" was published in "October" magazine in March 2021 and was well received. "Harvest" magazine broke the routine and published several groups of articles in three consecutive 2021 summer, autumn and winter issues, calling them "born writers".
On the afternoon of June 25th, the launch of the new book "Turando of the Arena" was held in Beijing Taofen Bookstore. Poet Nishikawa, scholar Wang Hui, composer Guo Wenjing and the author of the book Tian Haojiang had a discussion together, and they shared the idea of "connecting the world with singing and bridging people's hearts with words". Tian Haojiang said in his opening remarks that he was very happy, excited and nervous. "Today is the birthday of this book, the first day it came to the world. So I'm nervous about it." The following is organized according to the transcript of the discussion (with deletions and wording adjustments), and presented in the form of oral narration by the parties.
From left to right: Tian Haojiang, Xichuan, Wang Hui, Guo Wenjing
"As soon as Tian Haojiang cleared his throat, we shivered."Wang Hui said with a smile in his speech, "When we were with Tian Haojiang, we shivered as soon as he cleared his throat. His loud bass was there, and we didn't know how to speak. When I suddenly found out that he had written this book again, it was even worse. I know what to say. I did watch it from beginning to end, and I was very impressed."
The poet Zhai Yongming wrote a very good preface to this book. In the preface, she said that some parts of the book are like novels. Hao Jiang's book does have a novel-like aspect. You can say that it is like prose, essays, or novels. Speaking of novels, of course, it is not called a real novel, but can be read as a novel.
There is a tradition in Chinese novels, we call it "thread piercing beads", that is, a string strung together a series of beads, it is not a geometric structure, but a structure where one bead and one bead are linked together. The structure of this book is generally like this, it has a thread, and this thread is strung with various characters by Tian Haojiang and the opera's Zhuangyou. There are great singers like Pavarotti and Domingo, and there are those of us who watch opera but don't understand opera. characters), including fans, from watching the drama to heavy encounters in different places, basically strung together the stories on and off the stage, inside and outside the characters.
Sometimes I write about the characters on the stage, such as the characters in "Aida" and "Turando", the singing and singing, and also involving these actors, their interactions with each other, including the manager, these are all we are outside. People can't see it. Stringing a series of beads gives us a three-dimensional understanding of life inside and outside the opera. Therefore, on and off the stage, inside and outside the characters, a thread-piercing story is formed, which is a feature of the structure.
The second feature is that although it is "one line piercing beads", there is a main line in it. The main line is of course Tian Haojiang's journey from the China Central Orchestra to the United States, step by step to today's road. He said less about himself and more about his wife Martha, but it was also interspersed in the thread. There is also a growth history in the way of writing - we often write about a person's growth process in novels, and we form our own life path by describing the "beads" around them one by one. For example, my contact with Tian Haojiang is limited, but after reading his book, I know a lot of stories and how he handles various relationships. For me, I think it is also very interesting and interesting. part.
Tian Haojiang's novels or collections of essays, if you say autobiography, are not autobiographies. They are a book that is specially organized and organically formed, which left a deep impression on me. Except for one character, it has depth. What amazes me is that, as an opera singer, his descriptions do have dramatic forms, with appearances, developments, climaxes, and endings. The best part is the appearance and the ending. I especially like the way his articles begin and end, and each article begins and ends differently. Sometimes the writing is very light, but it gives you a little aftertaste. Out of the narrative. These strokes are used very maturely, which makes me feel that although you are a Virgo, you appear very mature.
Tian Haojiang's writing has his own attitude in it. He used a lot of color on characters like Pavarotti and Domingo, not only that, but the characters written in it were not so famous. In Tian Haojiang's world, his narrative has depth, respect and an equal attitude. Instead of putting lights on the biggest characters, he's also very good at sketching (descriptions), rendering it three-dimensional.
In addition, I am more impressed by his insights in life. There are many difficulties in life. Tian Haojiang's writing style is extremely frank, showing all his feelings. This honesty, a certain helplessness, and maintaining respect at the same time make me feel that this book has a strong authenticity, and the tone is warm of. If Yu Hua is here, Yu Hua's memory is very good. When he sees a wonderful episode, he can memorize it in a while. I don't have the ability. You can read Tian Haojiang's works. It is a very pleasant thing to read such a book.
The photo at the end of the main body of this book was given to Li Tuo, our mutual friend. I know that Hao Jiang has not known Tuo the longest, but this book is dedicated to Li Tuo in addition to his wife Martha. Li Tuo's selfless encouragement to young writers in his life is particularly worth mentioning. I didn't expect him to give guidance to such great singers as Tian Haojiang.
Tian Haojiang
"Students have a booklet, there are so many things to learn"Guo Wenjing said in his speech that he wanted to talk about his feelings about this book from the perspective of a music school teacher. "This book is very worth reading for the students of the Conservatory of Music, especially the Department of Voice and Song. It provides them with a lot of valuable experience. Not only a textbook, but also the best reference book, must-have read."
Before the reform and opening up, before Chinese young people of various majors began to go abroad on a large scale, in the world of the West, the United States, and Europe, there were no Chinese people at all. Hao Jiang and the others are the forerunners, and this pioneer has to encounter and overcome many difficulties. Moreover, the major of opera is more difficult than other majors. There is a saying in the international opera world that if you want to be in the opera world in Europe and America, you must know at least five languages. English is not spoken, Italian, German - a lot of classics are Italian, German (sung), plus French. As a pioneering Chinese, he entered such a world and worked hard, which is a very valuable experience for young people, especially students of music colleges. As a teacher, I feel this very deeply. I believe that the students will definitely have a book, because there are so many things to learn and be inspired by.
In addition, Chinese opera directors or conductors, whether directing Chinese operas or Western operas, can also learn a lot from them. For those who make operas, there are also many ways of working.
"Today we really need to understand what a real world looks like"
In his speech, Nishikawa introduced that when he got the book, he felt very unusual when he saw the cover design. "I saw so many people on the girdle (recommended), Domingo, Quincy Jones, Bei Dao, Yu Hua... This scene is too big, like a luxurious opera."
After listening to Wang Hui and Guo Wenjing's serious comments on your book, I also have to talk seriously. Teacher Wang Hui has already mentioned its literary quality, and the literary quality of this book is particularly strong. First of all, the text is very rhythmic, and in the plot, sometimes there will be a side escape, which is particularly good.
I myself sometimes read very serious books and sometimes less serious books. What kind of books do I enjoy? That's what makes me feel like reading detective novels sometimes. There is a suspense in the front, and the back takes you to one place and then to another place. This book is full of such (arrangements), which is very interesting.
I took a casual look at the language of the book, like all the Italians speak in the face - of course they especially like to talk. Furthermore, there is a translator who has many wrinkles on his face, but his movements are very young. Another example is to go to the Russian director, rushing in and rushing out like a tank every day, these are particularly wonderful descriptions.
We used to have a writer, Lin Yutang. Lin Yutang once said, "What is a good article? A good article starts where it shouldn't start and ends where it shouldn't end." There are many such examples in the book.
In addition, the two of them said this, but also aroused me another feeling. For example, when we contacted Tian Haojiang, we actually contacted a world through him. This world is too big. It is a world of opera, we can also say it is a real world. We need it in China now, and it is always the same (need), but today we do need to understand what a real world looks like. "Turando of the Arena" presents us with a wider world, a world of culture, and a very layered world from high to low.
Tian Haojiang was the first Chinese to go abroad. In this wave of people, there seems to be a microcosm, that is, from the late 1970s to the present, not only the relationship between him and the opera, and the opera celebrities, but also the relationship between Chinese culture and world culture , such a fusion. There is so much in this miniature. Hao Jiang's book suddenly made me jump out of his own observations, and actually entered into such an overlap and intersection between Chinese contemporary culture and world contemporary culture.
"Turandot of the Arena"
"From King Lear to Hong Changqing, a natural transition"During the conversation, Nishikawa mentioned a detail in the book: In 2003, Tian Haojiang performed the opera Turandot in Italy, directed by Russian artist Yura. In this version of "Turandot", Tian Haojiang plays the role of Timur, the old king of Tartar. During a rehearsal, Yura hoped that Tian Haojiang would make a dramatic move, "King Lear! King Lear! You have to imagine yourself as King Lear in Shakespeare's plays." The director mentioned King Lear in Tian Haojiang There, the corresponding scene is reminiscent of Hong Changqing in "The Red Detachment of Women".
Yes, Hong Changqing! Because this Russian director is about the same age as me, and was trained in the Soviet-era drama academy. In "Turandot", there is a scene where Timur and Liu'er are escorted by guards, and Turandot is about to have them tortured. This scene requires Timur and Liu'er to show an unyielding energy, and Yura couldn't understand why he couldn't explain it to us, and finally he got anxious.
"You have to be like communists, communists! Being escorted to the execution ground! You struggle, you are brave and unyielding! Like a real communist... die heroically, you understand?!" I understand Yura and immediately thought of Hong Changqing. (Rearranged) When we came out, I held my head high, with a dignified look on my face, thinking of Hong Changqing under the big pine tree, and rushed out as soon as I struggled... From King Lear to Hong Changqing, it was a natural transition.
The happiest of course was Yura, who came over and hugged me. Because this is a performance in Verona, Italy, so many actors, Americans, Koreans, Russians, Italians, Argentines, and me, a Chinese, must have 2,000 people on and off the stage plus the actors and audience. The arena in the arena—he thinks I'm probably his only confidant—if it comes to the fact that Communists take death as their own, it's all too familiar to me.
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