|
How do you go from singing in the shower to becoming the next Whitney
Houston or Pavarotti?
If there was a 12-step programme, it might include a leg-up from a
master singer or participation in a runaway hit show.
Super Girls, a TV singing contestmodelled on
American Idol, is captivating the nation with its mix of gossip and
rivalry. Ratings have shot through the roof. Each weekly show reportedly
attracts hundreds of millions of viewers.
Pundits attribute the success to the exercise of a grassroots form of
democracy, as the ranking of the contestants is determined by text votes.
Some fans have even taken to the street to rally votes for their
respective "idols."
"It has always been the so-called elites who determine which person
should be a star. I like it when I can have a say in it," enthused a fan
who called herself Hama.
Some viewers believe that the show is becoming more popular because it
now highlights voices more than faces.
However, the serious vocal talents are not to be found in the tabloids.
Instead they are being polished and refined by one of 20th-century's
leading Italian tenors.
Carlo Bergonzi, one of the top Italian tenors of the last century, has
just finished a ten-day master class coaching 24 of China's most promising
singers. "I never expected to encounter so many beautiful voices here," he
raved.
This outpouring of Chinese
vocal talent, in both the pop and bel
canto areas, has taken many by surprise. In a land of
karaoke mania, singers strutting their stuff on stage or television are
not always those who can be associated with the word "talent."
Super Girls claims to discover singing talents. In the process, it
stumbled upon a large gold mine as revenues for each show reached millions
of yuan from advertising, naming rights and text messaging.
Bel canto is considered too high-brow, but its fan base is growing. "In
the national vocal competition just concluded in Chongqing, we had to
whittle 350 applicants in this voice category down to 36 contestants, more
than any other category," revealed Tian Yubin, one of the judges of the
contest. Tian, director of Chinese Musicians Association, is also an
organizer of the Bergonzi master class.
These voices are like diamonds in the rough. They need polishing and
guidance, which Maestro Bergonzi has provided with panache and gusto, said
Tian. "He teaches by demonstrating, by showing both the right and wrong
way and letting you compare. One cannot learn that from recordings."
The maestro has a magic touch. He adds elegance and expressiveness to
phrasing. Students are taught to caress the words and sing with feelings
and contrast. "The result is nothing short of miraculous," said Tian.
Despite the lure and glamour of a career in opera, a bel canto singer
requires the utmost degree of discipline and devotion, such as learning
several foreign languages and immersion in foreign culture. "And
sacrifice. You have to give so much before it's possible to reap the
rewards," said Tian Haojiang, a bass at Metropolitan Opera in New York,
who was coached by Bergonzi in 1988.
To be fair, pop singers also need multiple talents. Besides vocal
prowess, they must command charm, presence, acting skills such as smiling
and crying on cue and posing for paparazzi.
In other words, the faint-hearted should just stick to the shower or
karaoke bar.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-08-22 09:30
