3_6_5_PQ365

The Golden Hall of Vienna played host to Liao Changyong Vocal Solo Concert, the first by a Chinese baritone, on Friday evening, giving a chance for Westerners to sip the flavor of Eastern music and culture.

At the concert, Liao sang well-known European opera selections like \”The Marriage of Figaro,\” \”The Merry Widow,\” \”Don Carlos,\” and some Chinese songs like \”My Motherland\” and \”Velvet Flowers\” with the accompaniment of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

His performance moved the audience and received long and warm applause.

Liao, who comes from China\’s southwestern Sichuan province, struck by a devastating quake in May that killed over 80,000, specially sang \”The Old Song\” to thank \”the Austrian friends who helped victims in the quake.\”

Liao has won many top international awards for his outstanding artistic skills. He now is vice president of the Chinese Musicians Association and dean of the Vocal Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2008)

U.S. singer Katy Perry receives the award for Best New Act at the 2008 European MTV Awards in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008.[Agencies]

Obamamania met Beatlemania Thursday, as Liverpool hosted an MTV Europe Music Awards show energized by the city\’s musical heritage and the U.S. presidential election.

Pink and Kanye West took home prizes — Britney Spears won two — and stars on the stage included Beyonce, Kid Rock and former Beatle Paul McCartney.

But the absent president-elect was given star status, too.

Singer Katy Perry, who hosted the show and also was named best new act, appeared in a dress emblazoned with Obama\’s face and quipped that \”maybe Europeans will love us again now.\”

Her co-host, 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto, wore an Obama T-shirt and urged the 10,000-strong crowd at Liverpool\’s Echo Arena to yell \”Congrats, Barack.\”

30 Seconds to Mars pose on the red carpet before the MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony in Liverpool, northern England, November 6, 2008.[Agencies]

Hometown pride was also on display in the Beatles\’ birthplace, with McCartney receiving an \”ultimate legend\” award from U2 singer Bono.

Backstage, McCartney said he had a song he thought the new U.S. leader would like for his wife, Michelle Obama — the Beatles ballad \”Michelle.\”

Host Perry emerged at the start of the ceremony in a U.S. football uniform and straddling a giant tube of Chapstick — a reference to her song \”I Kissed a Girl\” that set the tone for a slick, lightly sassy show with plenty of star power.

Beyonce, The Killers, Pink and Kanye West all performed, West alongside British singer Estelle on their hit \”American Boy.\”

The winners of the awards, which are presented in a different European country each year, are selected by fans across the continent. They are broadcast on 21 channels in 40 European countries.

Comeback kid Britney Spears was not on hand to collect her two awards — best act of 2008 and best album, for \”Blackout.\”

Pink\’s \”So What\” was named most addictive track, German band Tokio Hotel were named headliners of the year, and 30 Seconds to Mars took home two prizes — the \”rock out\” award and the trophy for best video.

The \”best act ever\” prize went to \’80s crooner Rick Astley, who is enjoying a career renaissance thanks to the \”Rickrolling\” phenomenon, in which seemingly unrelated Internet links lead to a video of Astley\’s 1987 hit \”Never Gonna Give You Up.\”

The ceremony was a source of pride for Liverpool, a gritty, historically rich port city that has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2008.

The celebrity influx turned Liverpool into \”Star City,\” the local Echo newspaper proclaimed on its front page Thursday. Throughout the day Liverpudlians gathered in the narrow bar-lined streets where the Fab Four once played for a bit of star-spotting.

For all the American star power on hand, the crowd\’s biggest cheers were for grown-up 90s boy band Take That, who have enjoyed huge success since reforming a couple of years ago — and for McCartney, described by Bono as \”this city\’s favorite son.\”

(Agencies/China Daily November 7, 2008)

Mariah Carey will travel to the World Music Awards on a $10,000 private flight.

The singer is appearing on UK TV talent show \”The X Factor\” on Saturday night so organisers have chartered the special plane to get her to the 20th annual ceremony in Monaco which takes place on Sunday .

Mariah will be joined by husband Nick Cannon on the journey which will see them lavishly treated. A source told Britain\’s Daily Mirror newspaper: \”It\’ll be like a second honeymoon on board the jet for them.

There\’ll be no expense spared for Mariah – lilies, mini-burgers, sparkling water and bundles of her favourite Hello Kitty toys as a present. \”Staff won\’t disturb them until Mariah calls, to ensure the love birds have the utmost privacy on the cosy flight.\”

Mariah has received 16 World Music Awards throughout her career – more than any other artist. Her accolades include the Legend award and a special Millennium award for being the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

On this week\’s \”X Factor\”, Mariah will be mentoring the pop wannabes who will all have to interpret one of her hits. The 38-year-old star will perform her latest single \”I Stay In Love\”, along with her classic hit \”Hero\” with the contestants.

\”The X Factor\” finalists\’ charity version of the song is currently at number one in the UK singles chart.

Earlier this week, it was announced Lindsay Lohan has been axed from presenting the World Music Awards show after reportedly being angry she would have to co-host the night with \”Desperate Housewives\” actress Jesse Metcalfe.

She has since been replaced with Denise Richards.

(Agencies/China Daily November 6, 2008)

From the looks of it, there\’s not much clowning around in Britney Spears\’ Circus…despite the \”Come one, come all!\” lettering and primary-color palette.

 

Here lies the cover of the pop princess\’ sixth studio album, which boasts the No. 1 single \”Womanizer\” as its first track and will almost certainly help the reinvigorated songstress start her 27th year off right when it drops Dec. 2 amid birthday wishes and intense scrutiny.

And with song titles like \”Lace and Leather\” and \”Kill the Lights,\” it appears as if the video for \”Womanizer\” barely scratched the surface of the kind of sexcapades Britney\’s all up into now.

Coming on the heels of the record-breaking, chart-topping single—which gave Spears the biggest digital debut of any female artist since Nielsen SoundScan started keeping track—Zomba Label Group has revealed that Circus\’ title track will be the next single released to whet your appetite for the main event.

Check out the complete track list and decide whether you\’re planning to partake in Brit\’s big-top adventure:

1. \”Womanizer\”
2. \”Circus\”
3. \”Out From Under\”
4. \”Kill The Lights\”
5. \”Shattered Glass\”
6. \”If U Seek Amy\”
7. \”Unusual You\”
8. \”Blur\”
9. \”Mmm Papi\”
10. \”Mannequin\”
11. \”Lace and Leather\”
12. \”My Baby\”

Bonus Track:
13. \”Radar\”

(China Daily/Agencies November 5, 2008)

\”World Music Days 2008 – An International Symposium on Chinese and Finnish Music\” at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing ends today.

The 4-day symposium consists of lectures and discussions by Chinese and Finnish musicologists, plus concerts and workshops by both Chinese and Finnish musicians, including a folk ensemble of the Tujia ethnic group from Chongqing and a jazz band from Turku of Finland.

\”World Music Days\” is an annual event of the Central Conservatory of Music, with different themes each year.

(China Daily November 4, 2008)

Celine Dion holds up her honour Felix award presented to her at the ADISQ gala, the Quebec music industry awards at a ceremony in Montreal, on Sunday Nov. 2, 2008. The Felix statuette is name in memory of the late Felix Leclerc.[Agencies]

Celine Dion has cancelled her scheduled concert in Chicago tomorrow night, after doctors banned her from singing for five days.

The 40-year-old singer – who had a special humidifier built to protect her throat during her Las Vegas residency from 2003 to 2007 – is unable to perform because she has been battling a nasopharyngeal infection, an infection in the upper respiratory tract, for the past week.

Celine has rescheduled the concert for December 16 but she is still set to perform on November 7 in Ottawa, Canada, as part of her \’Taking Chances World Tour\’.

The singer recently revealed she and her 66-year-old husband Rene Angelil will try for another baby after she finishes the tour.

Celine, who welcomed son Rene-Charles into the world in 2001 after having a series of fertility treatments, is keen to extend her family, but will not be too disappointed if the process doesn\’t work.

She said: \”We are going to give it a try after my tour. Hopefully we are pregnant again. I have a small window of hope. But we have been so blessed already. We tried six years for Rene-Charles. We have our miracle baby.\”

(China Daily/Agencies November 4, 2008)

Chen Leiji, a guqin artist, plays the traditional Chinese stringed zither instrument at a press conference, October 28, 2008. [sina.com]

Traditional music composer Tang Jianping announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he had joined hands with Chen Leiji, the guqin artist who performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, to create a jingle for an auto ad, sina.com reported.

Deeply impressed by Chen\’s exquisite skills on the guqin, a traditional Chinese stringed zither instrument, Tang decided to invite Chen to join him in making this new composition.

Tang heads the music team of the epic movie \”Red Cliff\” which tells the tale of a historic war during the Three Kingdoms Period 20 centuries ago. Though critics have panned the film, the guqin music written by Tang for the movie was very much appreciated by the audience.

When the new ad music gets released on November 6, the public will finally get the chance to see Chen Leiji playing the new composition.

(CRI October 31, 2008)