WANG KAI: EMBED BEL CANTO TO THE AGE OF INTERNET

People say that art is both mysterious and prestigious. However, for Wang Kai, Art is not as abstruse and hard to understand as most people believe. Now we are in the age of the internet, karaoke apps and livestream software change not only the way of making music, but also the relationship between the performer and the audience.

Wang Kai believes that it is good for professional Bel Canto singers to put their feet on the ground and join such internet platforms to create new high-quality art experiences.

Text &Photos by/Yang Yin Translations by Tao Wenjia （图片由受访者提供）

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Wang Kai, a young tenor singer from the The headquarters of the Army Comrade Dance Ensemble, he studied under famous Chinese tenor singers such as Jin Tielin, Song Yi and Qu Xuexuan. Wang is now a council member of the Chinese Artist Association.

When I met him for an interview one afternoon, Wang waited for me at a distance. He was tall and straight, and from one look, I could see his Tenor-Singeraura. However, after talking to him, I noticed, he was defi nitely not your typical “Tenor Singer”.

Wang believed that the most satisfying music that he made was his take on “O Sole Mio”. “Just like everyone has his own Hamlet, every tenor singer has his own version of 'O Sole Mio'. I tried many different versions of the song, and the most satisfying one is my popular version.” Wang Kai told me. Using modern instruments and rhythm helps bring new life into this classic song, and moves the live audience every time.

People now are more and more in need of arts as the direct outlet for their emotions. In fulfi lling such needs, artists started to attach unique styles on their work. As a result, a variety of different voices have emerged in this fi eld. Wang appreciated such consciousness of innovation. “Arts need constant new ideas: it's the only way to break through. However, innovation does not equal mindless changes. Successful creation needs to fi nd its foundation in classics and showcase the core ideas of classics with alternative means. Such new aesthetic experience is what we should pursue.”

For instance, people always think that the Bel Canto is a high-end art, whereas pop is somewhat a less artistic genre. “As a young singer, I'm constantly considering the question: how to combine Bel Canto with Pop? How to make Bel Canto more 'grounded' so that ordinary people, especially the younger generations will love it?”

Wang has made some very bold moves, but eventually he found out that no matter what kind of innovation, you have to keep the original essence of Bel Canto. We don't need some half-hearted attempts of “Bel Canto pop”. What we need is to add new elements and spirits to Bel Canto. Based on this principle, Wang produced some interesting music that is uniquely his. Upon listening, one can instantly tell that they are Wang's songs.

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In the recent couple of years, “One Belt One Road”became a hot topic in China. For Wang Kai, cultural communication has long since become the pioneer of the “One Belt One Road” strategy.

“My own cultural communication experience was as early as 2004. At the time I was a freshman in college. Because of my outstanding performance, I was lucky to go to Florence, Italy for a short-term exchange. Even though I was quite naive, the cultural communication and clash during that time had a huge impact on me.”

Wang believes that utilising national soft powers of culture and arts is extremely signifi cant during inter-country communications. “Music is the most beautiful language. Music can break through the limits of nationality and language to connect people of different colours. It can serve as the best bridge of cultural communication. It is not only my wish, but also my duty to become a cultural messenger for my country”.

After his exchange in Italy, Wang visited New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Russia, Italy, France and Kazakhstan with national leaders. “It is my hope to sing my songs in every corner of the world so everyone can enjoy the charms of Chinese music and culture.”

王凯把美声嵌入“互联网+”时代

很多人说艺术是一座闪耀的金字塔，神秘而崇高。但在王凯看来，它并没有那么深奥和难以理解。现在，社会全面进入“互联网+”，诸如“唱吧”“全民K歌”等唱歌App和手机直播软件，改变了音乐的模式，也改变了演出者与受众的关系。

王凯觉得专业美声歌手可以迈开步子，放下身段，积极加入这些平台，创作出高水准、高质量的新艺术体验。

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王凯是陆军总部战友文工团青年男高音歌唱家，师从于金铁霖、宋一、曲学选，是中国艺术家协会理事。采访的下午，他站在不远处等我，高大伟岸的身材，轩昂的气质，一眼望去就是高音歌唱家范儿。

但与他聊过之后，我发现他又不完全是刻板印象中的那种“高音歌唱家”。

学习声乐至今，王凯说他最满意的是他独特演绎的《我的太阳》。“正如每个人心中都有一个哈姆雷特，在每个男高音心中，也都有一个《我的太阳》。我改编过很多个版本，最后最让我骄傲的是流行版本的《我的太阳》。”王凯说。用现代的配器和节奏赋予这首老歌新的生命力，每次演唱这首歌都能让现场的观众感受到热情，获得经久不息的掌声。

现代人越来越需要用艺术作为直接表达情绪的出口。在这种需求下，艺术工作者们开始关注个性风格，艺术领域出现了很多不同于传统的声音。王凯说，自己很欣赏这种创新意识。“艺术需要不断迸发新的灵感，才能有新的突破。不过‘创新'不等同于毫无章法地‘另类'，成功的‘创新'一定要基于尊重传统、尊重艺术的基础之上，使其中的精神内涵以富有特色的方式呈现和升华，这样创造出来的新的审美趣味，才会更具个性，更具风格。……