Newsletter No. 403

12 No. 403, 19.9.2012 這個夏天你在香港演出頻密，感覺怎樣？ 8月19日與大師赫爾穆特．里霖合作莫札特《C小調莊嚴彌撒曲》，今晚（9月2日）演 唱莫札特《安魂曲》、巴赫的經文歌和清唱劇，明天回阿姆斯特丹開學，兩星期後再 回港參與香港聖樂團的海頓與布列頓音樂會。這樣頻密演出並不常有，也挺累的。 每套作品對音色、詮釋的要求各異，我只有盡量多研習樂譜，多聽一些錄音。 你最初常演唱女低音或女中音的曲目，現在則多是女高音，何解？ 中學女生都愛唱高音，我是少數低音較突出的，自然就歸入低音部。十多歲學聲樂， 接受的是女中音的訓練，老覺得音色厚一點比較安全，感情比較充沛，還是這兩年在 荷蘭才領悟要把音色均勻調和。老師常叮囑我不要故意用胸腔把聲音加厚，要兼備 頭腔和胸腔，不可偏重。 還記得在中大學習的片段嗎？ 中大是大學，比較注重學術根基，中英文和通識的學習比重也不小。最近辭世的系主 任麥嘉倫教授就是位了不起的學者，我曾上他的西方歌劇課。音樂系的樂室可算是 二十四小時開放的，我住在文質堂，晚上常和同學從後門溜進去，唱歌、玩樂器，練 習嬉鬧到三四點。 在荷蘭的學習又如何？ 我在阿姆斯特丹音樂學院唸完碩士，那邊着重實踐，除了上法、德、意文課、戲劇課， 大部分時間都在練習聲樂，表演機會也較多。我不是學術型，是頗適合音樂學院的。 可以談一下各階段老師給你的啟蒙嗎？ 我高中開始跟陳少君老師上課，直至完成大學，每次都樂在其中。學聲樂除了要有美 麗的聲線，音樂感很重要。不能單靠樂譜上的記號或別人告訴你怎樣做，要自己感受 音樂的要求。當時年紀還很小，對音樂的詮釋、想像、感覺，全靠陳老師啟導培養，至 今仍然受用。九歲加入香港兒童合唱團，音樂總監霍嘉敏給我很大啟發。對小孩子 講話不能太技術性，你說怎樣提高某塊肌肉，沒人會明白。她用很多意象加深我們 的理解，很是奏效。阿姆斯特丹的Sasja Hunnego老師則強於提升技巧，令我在兩 年內進步很大。她能發出很確切的指示，也擅於針對我的問題，設計練習助我改善。 在這個階段，我已累積了一點經驗，比較有能耐了解技術性較強的課題，辨識力也較 強，遇到她，時間上配合得剛好。 談談今年4月在奧地利的比賽奪得亞軍、女高音獎和觀眾獎的經驗吧。 我也是姑且一試，只想着盡力而為，如能進入準決賽，也算是「超標完成」，對自己有 個交代了。三輪比賽共唱七首歌，我本沒勝算，所以把威爾第《假面舞會》的一首詠嘆 調放到決賽，因為那需要很重的聲音，並不太適合我。後來在決賽名單見到自己的名 字，真是喜出望外，唯有豁出去吧。可能就是那份豁出去的努力贏取了觀眾和評判的 好感。 未來的路打算怎麼走？何時會舉行獨唱會？ 還是想在外國多闖些時，多一點表演機會，也多跟一些樂師、歌唱家觀摩學習，增 廣見識。我喜歡教學，我曾回中學母校教聲樂、教合唱團。中大的師弟妹遇到問題找 我，我也樂於和他們討論，這會迫令自己深入思考，學習因應個別學生不同的能力和 性格，改善自己的表達方式或解決問題的方法，在過程中可能也會發現對自己有助的 方法。至於獨唱會，現在還未是時候，我還須汲取更多經驗，充實技巧和修養；或者 期於五年後吧。 請掃描QR碼閱讀全文版 Scan the QR code for the full version Photos of Louise Kwong in this issue are by Keith Hiro How do you feel about the busy schedule in Hong Kong this summer? I sang in Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor under the baton of maestro Helmut Rilling on 19 August, and will sing the soprano solo in Mozart’s Requiem , a Bach cantata and a motet tonight (2 September). I will return to Amsterdam tomorrow for the new semester and come back two weeks later for the Hong Kong Oratorio Society’s Haydn and Britten concert. Such a busy schedule is quite unusual and demanding for me, as each work requires a different tone quality and interpretation. You used to appear as an alto or mezzo soprano. How come you’ve been singing more soprano roles recently? Nearly all high school girls love singing the high voice. Since I belonged to the few who have a better low register, I was assigned to the low-voice part. I was trained as a mezzo soprano in my teens. Singing with a rich timbre made me feel secure, and it sounded more expressive. It was not until two years ago in Holland that I learned to have a balance between head and chest tones. What is it like studying at CUHK? The undergraduate programme focused on building a strong academic foundation weighted with general education and languages. The late Professor McClellan of the Music Department taught me Western opera, and he was an outstanding scholar. I lived in Wen Chih Tang. I remember sneaking in through the back door of the department’s studio at night, which was practically ‘open’ around the clock. We would have fun there until 3 to 4 am, singing and playing instruments. And what is it like studying in the Netherlands? I obtained my master’s degree at the Conservatory of Amsterdam where practice was the emphasis. Besides learning French, German, Italian and drama, I spent most of my time practising voice. Opportunities for performance were plenty. I’m not the academic type and so a conservatory suits me well. How do teachers at different stages inspire you? Ms. Chan Siu-kwan taught me voice from Secondary 4 till I graduated from CUHK. I enjoyed every lesson with her. It takes a beautiful voice, and most of all, musicality, to be a good singer. You have to feel the music and understand what it asks from you. As a young girl, I learnt everything—interpretation, imagination and musical senses—from Ms. Chan, and I am still benefiting from her teaching now. I joined the Hong Kong Children’s Choir at nine and was inspired by its Music Director Kathy Fok. She used vivid imageries to help us understand the technical requirements for singing, and it proved to be effective. Under the coaching of Ms. Sasja Hunnego at the Amsterdam Conservatory, my techniques have improved tremendously over the past two years. She is good at giving me specific instructions, and designing customized exercises for me to correct my mistakes. Having gained some experience and grown with age, I have become more capable of understanding more technical issues. I met her at the right time. Tell us how you won the singing competition in Austria in April. I didn’t aim at winning at all. I had to sing seven songs altogether. Since I didn’t think I would make the finals, I left an aria from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera to it. It requires a heavy voice which is not my strength. I was stunned to see my name as one of the finalists. I told myself, ‘Let it be, just try your best.’ Maybe it’s my daring attempt and hard work which had impressed the audience and the judges. How will you walk your future path? When will your first solo recital be? I want to spend more time overseas, to gain more performing opportunities and learn from more experienced artists. I love teaching. I have taught voice and choirs at my high school, and I love to offer my help if my juniors at CUHK need it. When you teach, you’re forced to reflect deeply, to present your views in different ways and develop different solutions to suit the ability and personality of individual students, and in doing so, you may come to discover something helpful to yourself. I think it’s not yet time to give a solo recital. I need more time to gain experience, to hone my skills and to enrich myself. Five years from now, maybe. Louise Kwong Music graduate of 2009, winner of the Second Prize, the Soprano Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2012 International Singing Competition ‘Ferruccio Tagliavini’ 鄺勵齡 音樂系2009年畢業生，2012年「佛路曹．塔爾亞雲尼」國際歌劇賽三大 獎項得主