Operatic Showcase
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is one of the most prestigious music competitions in the world and often one of the most controversial. In 1994 there was a furore in Moscow after the judges conferred over who should be nominated winners of the piano, violin and cello classes, only to announce that in their opinion no competitor was worthy of first prize on any instrument.
What was easily overlooked in all the brouhaha was that, in stark contrast, the judges were in no doubt about who was the undisputed winner of the male vocal class - baritone Yuan Chenye. Hong Kong audiences will be able to appreciate why Yuan made such an impression in his Arts Festival operatic showcase on March 6 when he will be accompanied by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Li Xincao, resident conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra.
Born on the mainland, Yuan gained his first degree at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing before moving to the United States to study at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, gaining his postgraduate performance diploma there in 1997.
Peabody Opera director Roger Brunyate had auditioned Yuan the previous year, recalling that 'his was the best voice I had ever heard without having to pay for the privilege'.
Yuan's vocal coach at Peabody was the celebrated British baritone John Shirley-Quirk, who would often quote his favourite maxim: 'A singer needs to be three-dimensional, not simply a walking voice.' It clearly had an influence on Yuan who is now regularly acclaimed for his ability to portray vastly different characters with his clear, supple voice.
By the time he left Peabody in 1998, Yuan had already been a winner in the Houston Grand Opera Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. People at the conservatoire were predicting that the young star would not have to worry about what offers might be in the pipeline, but which ones he wanted to accept. They were right, and Yuan's career continues to rise amid international acclaim.
The programme he is bringing to this year's Arts Festival is an attractive mix of familiar favourites and intriguing novelties in styles ranging from the baroque to the 21st century.
The evening opens with 18th-century music in a selection of arias from Handel's oratorio Joshua, Gluck's opera Elena e Paride and Mozart's opera Cosi fan Tutte.
Romantic repertoire will be represented by highlights from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame and Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.
Yuan has enjoyed particular success with his Verdi performances, notably in the title role of Rigoletto which has opened the door for him to some of the best venues in the United States and Europe, including an appearance with the Welsh National Opera that was broadcast on the BBC.
The Oxford Mail wrote: 'Yuan fulfils the immensely demanding role of Rigoletto to perfection,' while the Birmingham Post described his performance as 'magnificent ... his voice and presence hugely powerful'.
Yuan is equally at home with contemporary works and has appeared as Chou En-lai in a number of productions of John Adams' opera Nixon in China. The Kansas City Star praised Yuan's performance in this role for his 'gorgeous, burnished baritone, his poise bringing the mysterious figure to life'.
In 2001, the young American composer Mark Adamo caused a stir with his sensational new opera Little Women. Despite being his first operatic work, it was quickly released on CD, broadcast on television and has since been performed numerous times, capturing the public's attention in a way that is rarely heard of.
Yuan will sing a highlight from Little Women - Kennst du das Land? Reviewing one of the first performances of the work, Westword wrote: 'Yuan deservedly earns the evening's longest round of applause for his rendition of an aria based on a Goethe poem. The talented singer barely moves a muscle as he enthralls ... us with his sublimely realised description.'
Lusher moments will be captured in Maurice Ravel's last completed work - the three tender and humorous songs from Don Quichotte a Dulcinee - and music from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's opera Die tote Stadt, a work that is suffused with romantic and erotic strains reminiscent of German composer Richard Strauss.
While Mahler is famed for his song-cycle Das Lied von der Erde, Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang is the creator of the slightly differently titled Das Lied auf der Erde. It is based on the original Chinese poems that Mahler used in his work. Ye was commissioned to write the piece at the suggestion of Yu Long, music director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the conductor of the work's first performance in 2005.
