Due to his respect and admiration for Giacomo Puccini, this time Professor Dai brought another great work of Puccini with him, La Boheme. In the beginning of the lecture, he played the Act One of opera film La Boheme sung by Gianni Raimondi and Mirella Freni and conducted by Herbert von Karajan from La Scala Opera House. This version is regarded as a classic by opera-lovers worldwide. Following the principle that "only with more knowledge of the composing background of the author can one better appreciate his work", Professor Dai described the life of Puccini and the background of the opera in detail in the first half of the lecture.

Professor Dai Yuqiang at his lecture

The opera La Boheme tells about the difficult and miserable life of young bohemians who live in the suburban area of Paris. In the lecture, Professor Dai combined their life with the similar experience of the young men who persistently pursued their art dreams in reality, and received favorable response from the students.

In terms of Puccini's composition characteristics, Professor Dai showed deep admiration for this great composer. He said, "Puccini is the representative of Verismo Opera. He focused on the expression of reality in the work, and paid close attention to the life of ordinary people and people with low social status. In a word, he is a man of strong sense of social responsibility!"

To help students better understand the opera, Professor Dai explained the video act by act in detail with three steps: first video playing, second background introduction, and third singing demonstration. With plain and easily understandable words to illustrate the subtle change of emotions and the personality of characters in the opera, Professor Dai professionally conveyed the motif of the work to students, as well as met some opera-lovers' need for academic opera knowledge.

Due to popular demand of the students, Professor Dai and his partner performed two pieces of aria in La Boheme, winning thunderous applause and cheers from students.

After the lecture, Professor Dai answered questions about singing techniques and western music appreciation. A student from PKU School of Economics commented, "I have listened to all the lectures of this series, and feel that this course is very different from other optional courses. Instead of focusing on historical and academic aspect, this course is offered by famous artists with great accomplishment and considerable practical experience in opera. Employing their own examples, they thus give us a much stronger and more vivid touch on opera than just plainly narrating how others felt."

Translated by: Cao Yixing
Edited by: Chen Miaojuan