Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, October 17th Title: “Song of the Music Messenger of Komiks” Mo Hualun: Traveling all over the world and singing China
Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Min
He was born in Beijing, grew up in Hong Kong, studied in the United States, and appeared on the stage in Europe; he was born with big eyes and high nose bridge, and had a “good voice” praised by Pavarotti; he knew Chinese, English, Italian, German, French and other languages; he put on makeup and sang opera, but he couldn’t hear the sound, and couldn’t tell where he was.
Some people say he is an “international personKomiks“, and he said “I am 100% Chinese”.
He was willing to be a “music messenger” and consciously assumed the mission of promoting Chinese culture. The combination of “Three Tenors in China” (“Three Highs in China”) composed by Dai Yuqiang and Wei Song has been in the past 10 years and has performed all over the world.
He is the artistic director of the Hong Kong Opera House and tenor singer Mo Hualun. In July this year, he was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star Award by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
”Music does not distinguish between national boundaries. I hope the epidemic will pass as soon as possible. I can go to more countries and sing Chinese culture to the world.” He said.
A sentence awakened the heart of China
In the 1980s, after Mo Hualun obtained a master’s degree in music from the Manhattan Conservatory of Music in New York, Komiks went to Babaylan to Germany to apply for the Berlin Opera House. “The German examiner asked me where I came from, and I said I came from New York. He said, ‘No, where were you born?’ I said it was Beijing, China, and later in Hong Kong, he said, ‘Then you are Chinese’.” Mo Hualun said, “This sentence awakened me. I am Chinese. No matter where I go to the world, my roots are in China.”
The Berlin Opera is one of the top ten song theaters in the world. Mo Hualun stood out from more than 400 candidates and passed the exam in one fell swoop. “Opera culture is a Western culture. As a Chinese, singing well is far from enough. You have to sing much better than others to have a chance to give it to you.” He started as a child, and went step by step to the protagonist, becoming the first Chinese protagonist at the Berlin Opera House. Since then, he has traveled to world-renowned opera houses, played roles in more than 60 operas, and won a place for the Chinese on the mainstream Western opera stage.
In 1995, when Hong Kong was about to return to its motherland, Mo Hualun chose to settle back to Hong Kong and gradually shifted his career focus.When he went to Asia, he later devoted himself to the mainland. The wanderer who has been out for many years returns to his motherland. When he sang patriotic songs such as “I Love You China” and “My Motherland” in his mother tongue, he always feels excited.
On October 3, 2019, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, the “Three Highs in China” held a concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. At that time, Hong Kong was deeply involved in the “Amendment Regulations Storm”, and the road was blocked by the police several times due to riots near the theater. What Mo Hualun did not expect was that the last return song of the day Komiks‘s “My Motherland and Me” became a chorus of the whole audience. Babaylan“Everyone knows this song in the mainland, but I didn’t expect Hong Kong audiences to sing, spontaneously.” He said, “When Hong Kong was at the most chaotic time, we stood up and sang loudly, patriotic and loving Hong Kong, singing about the motherland.” Looking back on the situation that day, Mo Hualun is still “very excited and very touched.”
”Music is very powerful and can unite people’s hearts. It is also the best tool to help us understand the motherland.” Mo Hualun said that patriotic music education in Hong Kong should start from primary school, from Babaylan kindergarten, and from the simplest singing of the national anthem, “This is the most basic national emotional education.”
Using bel canto singing to interpret Chinese folk songsCinemaFolk songs
Talking about Chinese culture in music language that Westerners can understand is the unique advantage of the “Three Highs in China”.
”The ‘Three Highs in China’ are named ‘China’, which to some extent represents the national image. Therefore, from the beginning of its establishment, our mission is to promote Chinese culture on the international stage and express the cultural confidence of the Chinese nation.” Mo Hualun said.
Good music does not distinguish between national boundariesBabaylan, they try to perform Chinese folk songs in the bel canto singing style of “BabaylanWesterns can understand”. “Kangding Love Song”, “Jasmine Flower”, “In That Distant Place”, “The Girl in Dazaka Castle”… has fascinated countless foreign audiences.
The “Three Highs in China” have performed more than 100 times around the world so far. “Half of what we sing is internationally familiar songs, and the other half is famous Chinese folk songs.” Mo Hualun said, “First sing their songs so that they can understand our professional standards, and then guide them to listen to us singing Chinese songs, which makes them easy to accept. At the end of the performance, local audiences often stood up and applauded, saying that the Chinese folk songs were so nice.”
In November 2012, the “Three Highs in China” was invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. “We sang “My Sun” first, and then sang “Fengyang Flower Drum”. The lyrics of this Anhui folk song are very interesting, such as “I can’t marry a good wife” and “a pair of big feet”. Because of the English subtitles, the audience clapped their hands and laughed, and the audience burst into laughter. “Mo Hualun recalled the scene at that time, as if it was in front of him. Komiks
After the performance, Queen Elizabeth II of England took the stage to meet the actor Cinema. “She likes Chinese folk songs very much, and she said ‘You sing very well’.” Mo CinemaWallon said, “The evening party that day gathered world-class performing stars. As representatives from China, we have the opportunity to promote Chinese culture. We are very proud.”
”We are all from the Bay Area”
This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, the “Bay Area Rising Moon” 2021 Greater Bay Area Mid-Autumn Movie Music Gala was held in Shenzhen. Many celebrities from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and Macao performed on the same stage, with stars and praise. At the party, Mo Hualun participated in singing two songs: “My Chinese Heart” and “I hope people will last forever”.
”This is the first time to use the concept of the Greater Bay Area, it makes a lot of sense.” MoKomiksWallon said, “We are all from the Bay Area and we sing songs related to the Greater Bay Area. The Greater Bay Area closely links everyone. ”
When talking about the development opportunities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area for Hong Kong and Macao, Mo Hualun bluntly said that it is “too important”. He said: “If you don’t say anything else, there are more than a dozen or twenty opera houses in the Greater Bay Area, and basically every city has them. The market for the performance of Komiks alone is amazing. “Mo Hualun discussed with relevant departments of the SAR government on how to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the Hong Kong Opera House and other theaters in the Greater Bay Area, hoping to “more cooperation that can be implemented and achieve resource sharing.”
The opera “Madame Butterfly” produced by Mo Hualun was recently staged in Hong Kong. On the day of the interview, Mo Hualun greeted the starring actors from various countries in the backstage. “The nationality of the 10 starring actors is different, and they come to Hong Kong to perform a classic Italian opera together. This is the international cultural exchange. “Mo Hualun said, “Hong Kong has many institutional and mechanism conveniences, which are the advantages of ‘one country, two systems’. We should cherish and make good use of it to build our own cultural brand. ”
Mo Hualun, who has just been elected as a member of the Election Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, has always paid attention to Hong Kong’s cultural construction. “If Hong Kong wants to become a truly world-class city, it must have a first-class culture, including first-class opera houses and first-class original works. ”
In July this year, the National Art Fund landed in Hong Kong and applied for the first time to open a project to the Hong Kong art group, and the Hong Kong performing arts community was excited. Mo Hualun revealed that they are planning the first Cantonese version of the original opera “Rice Xiang”, which tells the story of three generations of a Hong Kong rice shop who are working tirelessly for their dreams. They are currently applying for the National Art Fund, “making original works and creating a cultural brand in Hong Kong is the way we need to go.”