Dilbèr,China's nightingale
By Vivian Zhang
Photos by Yao Fan

- She was born in Xinjiang - She gave her first concert at the age of nine - She took the 2nd prize in the 1st International Mirjam Helin Song Competition in Helsinki - She has sung in various opera houses in Europe - She held her solo concert last Friday in Xiamen.

"It's exciting to hear her sing"
Coloratura soprano Dilbèr left Xiamen audiences spellbound(着迷) last Friday evening at the Xiamen Arts Theatre. Though this was her first ever concert held in Xiamen, it turned out to be an overwhelming success.

The theatre was fully packed with her fans. For those who first experienced a coloratura soprano solo, Dilbèr's sparkling and mellow voice definitely made them sit up and listen. The audience was just unwilling to move even after four encore songs. "She is so great and at ease with high C. It is really exciting to hear her sing." They claimed.

Her carefully constructed repertoire(曲目) included several operatic and lieder works, which she had sung to great acclaim at various opera houses in the world, as well as a few folk songs of her people, the Uighur of Xinjiang, China.

Dilbèr appears in numerous radio and TV programs. Chinese, Finnish and Swedish TV-stations have made documentaries devoted solely to her career, with all nations naming her their "Nightingale". Dilbèr always said she owed a great deal to her Chinese instructors who discovered her and made her a distinguished vocalist(歌唱家).

Working attitudes

Giving instructions at the Xiamen University

"I wouldn't have come to Xiamen if not for the invitation from Zheng Xiaoying (the renowned conductor from the Xiamen Philharmonic)." Dilbèr and Zheng used to be colleagues at the China Central Opera House years ago. "I believe and respect her so here I am."

"I had quite a few unpleasant encounters with domestic orchestras, which ended in my despair due to long and tedious rehearsals as a result of their substandard performances and lack of decent working attitudes. So when I finally stood onstage, my voice was almost gone," Dilbèr confided at a press conference before her recital.

The forthright(率直的) soprano continued, "I reckon that should be partly blamed on the money-oriented trend sweeping around so viciously that our artists can hardly concentrate on their art work. Here however in Xiamen, I am so glad to see that things are totally different. The youth members of the Xiamen Philharmonic have a down-to-earth spirit and work diligently. Our coordination was amazingly smooth and efficient, which made me feel as if abroad."

Dilbèr was moved when hearing about the pioneering legend of Zheng Xiaoying who, with the consistent support from the Xiamen municipal government, played a significant role in making the Xiamen Philharmonic into one of the leading orchestras in China after six years.

"It is remarkable. Years ago I still had the false impression that Xiamen was a desert of culture." Dilbèr said, "Seeing is believing. From today on, I will be so proud to promote the Xiamen Philharmonic wherever I go, for it truly lives up to its name."

A born linguist

Singing at her solo concert

Before Dilbèr went abroad, she had been bothered by her shortness of stature, which often resulted in keeping her from taking leading roles in an opera. After she went to Finland in 1988, she was relieved to learn that the audience there would care nothing apart from her voice. However, new problems arose, i.e. the language problem. To take various roles in operas means to sing and speak in different languages, which posed a great challenge to her at first.

"I didn't know any foreign languages then. I used to memorize the lines mechanically(机械地) without understanding their meanings at all. I know I could get by with it, but soon I realized that I would have to master the language in which I sing, otherwise it would blemish(玷污) an otherwise perfect performance."

A coloratura soprano is often a talented linguist. Fortunately Dilbèr has remarkably sensitive ears. She gradually conquered several foreign languages including English, French, German, Italian and some Scandinavian languages such as Swedish and Finnish. The Swedish people even praised her because she spoke their language better than their neighbors, the Finnish people.

Dilbèr has sung in opera houses in Bonn, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Bremen, Venice, Vienna, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Stockholm and Helsinki, and has worked with numerous major orchestras, conductors and directors. The mastership of different languages surely adds color to her performances on stage.

"Now the only language I want to grasp is Russian. But somehow I feel I have almost reached my limit of learning capacity," Dilbèr said jokingly.age I want to grasp is R?

 

 

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Xiamen Philharmonic concert
厦门爱乐音乐会
Conductor: Zheng Xiaoying
指挥:郑小瑛
Time: 19:30, June 18
时间:19:30,6月18日
Venue: Music Island Philharmonic Hall, Wan Shou Lu at 67 Wen Yuan Lu
地点:音乐岛-爱乐厅(万寿路口-文园路67号原电力礼堂)

Free concert for middle-school students
中学生免费音乐会
Performer: Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra
演出单位:厦门爱乐乐团
Time: 15:00-16:30, June 19
时间:15:00-16:30,6月19日
Venue: Music Island Philharmonic Hall, Wan Shou Lu at 67 Wen Yuan Lu
地点:音乐岛-爱乐厅(万寿路口-文园路67号原电力礼堂)