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Sam Olluver

THREE CHINESE musicians who have conquered the exclusive world of western opera will present a programme of romantic arias and operatic duets at the Hong Kong Arts Festival on the eve of Valentine's Day.

The Three Zhangs take on the world of the Three Tenors with  Une Nuit d'Amour on February 13.

Tenor Zhang Jianyi, soprano Zhang Liping and conductor Zhang Guoyong will take time out from their busy international schedules to join hands on a journey through some of opera's most romantic  works.

If it is difficult for western singers to achieve operatic acclaim, Chinese-born musicians face even greater challenges.

Italian and French opera will figure prominently in Une Nuit d'Amour but, for Zhang Jianyi, European language barriers were only part of the frustration experienced at the outset of his opera career.

The tenor, who now has more than 40 leading roles to his credit, visibly upset his leading lady when playing Rodolfo for the first time in Puccini's La Boheme.

His character's amorous intentions were meant to be expressed in an on-stage kiss but timidity and restraint ruined the natural flow, forcing him to apologetically explain that a public kiss was culturally difficult for someone who had never even seen his parents kiss.

His solution to the problem?

'I made myself believe I was an Italian!'

The tenor said there  were many new Chinese singers on western stages in his first few years abroad. Five years later, however, only a few remained and today, he said, 'I don't see anyone.'

Having sung many roles from both the Italian and French repertoire, Zhang Jianyi has had to develop a range of unique vocal interpretations.

'Only if you can sing roles in a truly distinctive way can you survive in the top opera companies,' he said.

His experiences as a guest lecturer at the Shanghai Conservatory confirmed a further problem for Chinese students aspiring to western opera stardom.

'Students are not encouraged to develop personal styles,' he said. 'Chinese women share very similar sharp voices.'

Nothing could be further from the truth, however, when experiencing the vocal magic of his fellow performer at the festival, Zhang Liping.

The soprano has earned praise for her performances with the Deutsche Oper Berlin,  the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Opera de Paris and at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Her phenomenal vocal control is recognised by opera critics, who lavish praise on her for her ability to deliver a wide dynamic range and to retain clarity of tone even when singing very softly.

She drew wide critical acclaim playing Liu in Turandot at Covent Garden, with The Telegraph reporting that 'the biggest round of applause went to the Liu of Zhang Liping, whose sumptuous soprano had us hanging on her every note'.

Critics also recognise the soprano's undoubted ability to act. The dramatic realism with which she cloaks a role gives her an immense on-stage presence.

Zhang Jianyi and Zhang Liping will sing the duet Viene la sera from Act I of Puccini's Madama  Butterfly. With her petite stature and eastern looks, Zhang Liping is one of the few opera stars who can give dramatic credibility to the 15-year-old Japanese title character, enabling her to  deliver a performance Puccini himself would have applauded.

Zhang Jianyi will perform the famous solo Una furtiva lagrima from Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore.

Powerful extracts from Puccini's La Boheme and Bizet's Carmen also appear on the programme, with accompaniment provided by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Zhang Guoyong.

Zhang, who graduated in conducting with the highest accolades from the Moscow State Conservatory, will lead the multinational ensemble in orchestral interludes by Verdi and Tchaikovsky.



The three Zhangs mark Valentine's Day with the romance of opera