Names like Zhou Xuan, Li XiangIan and Bai Guang were not only famous years back, their songs have transcended time and are now immortal. Made popular in the 1930s to 1960s Shanghai arid later in Hong Kong, these songs are now known as the Chinese golden oldies or in mandarin shi dai qu (literally translated as songs of an era).
Back home, Dama Orchestra have given these familiar oldies a ‘face-lift’ over the last few years, introducing a theatrical presentation complete with lighting effects, costume and narration, and featuring trained vocalists.
Although Chinese oldies have been sung by professional and amateur singers throughout generations in Malaysia, it was Dama who a breath of freshness and classical authenticity into these golden oldies in its concert ‘Spring Kisses Lovers’ Tears” in 1997. The concert, which featured well known soprano Angela Cheok and Poon Sook Peng, received an overwhelming response and close to 60 shows were successfully staged.
“A song, after it has been filtered having gone through a period oftime, becomes a classic. Those that are still popular todaymust have their value. Thus shi dai qu can be considered an art form,” says Khor Seng Chew, Dama Orchestra music director.
To Khor, shi dai qu’s legacy has lived on. For those in their 30s and above, these songs are familiar as their parents used tolisten to them.
“These songs have become a nostalgic and familiar part oftheir pasts. Even the non- Chinese educated know them,” says Khor.
A unique feature of Dama’s oldies presentation is that it always provides English narration. It helped convert many English- educated who were once adverse to Chinese concerts.
But it has not always been smooth sailing. Khor explains Dama met with some opposition when the orchestra diversified from performing traditional Chinese classical music to Chinese oldies.
“We had comments like it would not be suitable for trained vocalists to sing oldies,” he says.
Also finding the right singers to sing shi dai qu is not easy. So far Dama has worked with trained Sopranos Angela Chock, Poon Sook Peng and more recently Tan Soo Suan, who will be staging The Songs in Me 2 – More of My Favourite Chinese Golden Oldies and Folk Songs in The Actor’s Studio, Bangsar, from August 8 to 12, 2001.
“The singer must be very versatile and she must be able to understand the different styles and moods of the songs and their original singers. It’s an advantage when most of the trained singers also know some popular songs.”
Extra training is necessary on the part of the singer to deliver shi dai qu properly, exuding her character rather than mimicking.
Dama will continue to present Chinese oldies programs as long as they have audience, says Khor. And their concerts always offer a unique repertoire. For instance, for Tan Soo Suan’s second concert with Dama, she will render both folks and shi daiqu sung by 12 different singers. They include evergreens like “A Little Flower”, “My Serenade To You”, “Does He Know”, “My Faithful Heart”, “Jiu Li Li”, “Without You” and the formidable “Carmen”.
Tan, who also grew with Chinese oldies, will display her powerful and versatile vocals in a wide range of musical styles from the lyrical “Why Didn’t We Meet Earlier” by Li Xiang Ian to the laid back alto voices of “Without You” by Bai Guang and the dramatic and forceful “Carmen”.
First Published on Kakseni on 06.08.2001