Homecoming queen

Soprano He Hui is returning to China to give a solo recital of opera arias at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, Chen Nan and Zhang Kun report.

Soprano He Hui had a hectic schedule in 2019. She traveled around the world to perform several challenging roles, including the Cio-Cio-San in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, the title role of Francesco Cilea's opera, Adriana Lecouvreur, at the Salzburg Festival and making her debut as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme at the Puccini Opera Festival in Italy.

On Saturday, the soprano will return to her home country to give a solo recital Night of Opera Arias at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing accompanied by pianist Roberto Corliano. She will perform many classic arias, including Liebestod (Love Death) from opera Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner and Tacea La Notte Placida (The Night Was Still and Quiet) from Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore.

"All the arias I've chosen are personal favorites that I've performed over the past two decades," says He in a phone interview with China Daily. "It's like a review of my career in 2019, which has been a year full of memories."

Ever since she won second place at Placido Domingo's Operalia, a world opera competition launched by the legendary singer in 2000, and first prize at the Concorso Internazionale Voci Verdiane in Verdi's hometown of Busseto in 2001, the soprano has performed in every leading theater in the world, including the Vienna Staatsoper and the Opera Bastille in Paris. She is best known for her roles as Aida or Madama Butterfly, both of which she has performed on more than 150 occasions.

Since 2005, she has been singing at the ancient Roman amphitheater, Arena di Verona, which enabled her to become the first female singer in history to have sung on that stage for 15 years nonstop.

"The only method of transcending cultural differences and convincing Western audiences is through my voice and my acting," He says.

During her upcoming recital in Beijing, the soprano will also perform two arias from Puccini's opera Turandot: Tu che di gel sei cinta (You Who Are Girdled With Ice) and In questa reggia (In This Palace).