用大爱谱写辉煌——记林徐伟教授和北京奥贝拉歌剧中心

Prof. Lam Chuiwai and the Beijing Italian Opera Centre

2013年4月13日，我赶往西城区虎坊路工人俱乐部院内的北京奥贝拉歌剧中心拜访为筹备下部歌剧排演而回国作短暂停留的林徐伟教授。顺着微暗的楼梯进入二楼的工作室内，眼前近乎简陋的环境有些出乎意料，而林教授宽厚平和，比想象之中多了一份苍劲。随着交谈，时空穿越，他带我走进如星辰闪烁般的别样人生，在看似淡淡的讲述中，我倾听和感受到的却是他用大爱谱写的辉煌。

Born in Indonesia in 1944, the Chinese tenor singer Prof. Lam Chuiwai has devoted so much to the art of opera with all his energy and heart. Being a famous artist with great achievements made abroad, he could have spent his years of retirement comfortably and peacefully. However, he resolutely chose to return to China and dedicated the rest of his life to 'promoting the development of operas in China.' For over a decade, he has invested more than RMB 10 million yuan on opera production and artists' training, and he has not only built a bridge of communication and exchange in the art of opera between China and Italy, but has made great contributions to the growth and prosperity of Chinese opera as well. In 2002, he founded the Beijing Italian Opera Centre. The ten years' growth of the Centre synchronized with China's economic rise and revival of the opera culture over the past decade. With more opera theatres built up in major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and with more funding on opera productions from the government, a striking picture of prosperity in opera performance and production has emerged. The Beijing Italian Opera Centre has been serving as an important force in this great development drive, and with its distinctive fea- tures in the contemporary opera arena, it has made inestimable contribution to the opera development in the nation. The Beijing Italian Opera Centre becomes an important institution in promoting Italian operas in China. It is also a training base for high-level Chinese opera artists. Besides, the Centre's cooperation mechanism with focus on comprehensive coordination has helped to upgrade the overall level of Chinese operas. Despite all the difficulties and challenges, the Centre's brilliant achievements have left a glorious chapter in the history of contem- porary Chinese opera art. Today, when the globalization of the world economy is speeding up, and the development of Chinese music is in full swing, the Centre, however, is encountering more challenges such as the the rapid rise of production costs with the soaring prices and the difficulty in gathering opera artists who are now all busy in various performances. But Prof. Lam Chuiwai remarked that he would as always make every effort to carry on the cause of devel- oping opera music in China.