Shanghai Daily news

Baritone Yang Xiaoyong is presenting a program of arias from Western classical operas and Chinese art songs for his first solo recital in Shanghai.
Yang's gentle, soothing style, his stage presence and his performance skills shown in more than 20 operas in recent years have given him a high reputation in China. His impressive roles in various well-known operas, such as ``Cosi fan Tutte,'' ``Qu Yuan'' and ``Otello'' have won him the hearts of audiences all over the country.
At the same time, Yang is modest and down-to-earth. He deems thinking as a pleasure and devotes most of his leisure time to watching and absorbing all forms of performances on the world's stages.
``Yang is a person who treats everything and everybody seriously,'' says Zhang Guoyong, artistic director of the Shanghai Opera House and conductor for Yang's recital. ``He is such an exceptional singer and artist that he deserves to distinguished from others. The purpose of staging a solo concert for Yang is a recognition of his artistic achievement as well as a step in the development of opera.''
Yang has his own way of playing ``the bad guys'' in opera. His performances are so real that sometimes members of the audience even call him by the names of the characters he plays.
``Staging a solo concert has long been my dream. However I did doubt my competence and I was not courageous enough to do so. Thanks to the support and from the Shanghai Opera House, I am able to give my first solo concert and I hope that I can provide the Shanghai audience with a concert that exceeds their expectations,'' says Yang.
In tonight's concert, the audience will be able to appreciate many Western classics and some rarely heard Chinese art songs, such as Zhang Ji's ``The Chinese Sweet Gum Bridge is Moored at Night.'' Other program items include arias by Rossini, Mozart, Strauss and Verdi.

Date: November 12, 7:30pm
Address: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Rd E.
Tickets: 80-280 yuan
Tel: 6249-1479