Concert of classic arias highlights opera's diversity

The Central Conservatory of Music staged a concert of classic opera arias on Nov 10 in Beijing, as part of the eighth "Oct 15" Central Conservatory of Music Art Festival.

Titled Books and Music in Harmony: A Celebration of Opera Classics, the concert featured doctoral students from the conservatory's department of vocal and opera who performed celebrated arias from operas in Russian, Italian, German, and French, showcasing the diversity of the international operatic repertoire.

The performers included Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music winners and young singers active on opera stages in China and abroad. They were accompanied by faculty members on piano, highlighting the department's approach to combining rigorous academic training with stage experience.

Highlights included sopranos Wu Simian and Zhang Kemeng, baritone singer Lin Shan, and bass singer Yu Yunlong, performing classic arias, such as I Say That Nothing Frightens Me from Bizet's opera Carmen, On the Rosy Wings of Love from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore, and To a Doctor of My Standing, a comedic bass aria from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville.

The concert also explored the connection between opera and literature through a book exhibition featuring "translations of classic opera librettos" series by the Central Conservatory of Music Press, the conservatory publishing house. The collection brings together landmark works in Western opera history, offering complete translations of original librettos alongside cultural notes, composer biographies and background information on their works.

A dedicated reading area at the venue let audiences explore the texts behind the music, extending the experience beyond the stage and highlighting publishing's role in preserving and sharing opera classics.