tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9115580290264121982024-03-19T06:05:28.345-07:00Vitas Internationalwordy musings from a vitas fanRussia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-22103264311663489582012-06-26T16:36:00.002-07:002012-07-14T10:33:15.123-07:00Vitas: Wo Ai Ni, "I Love You"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-zJh4It-RmlEKILgwGCKZkmPdAmQLLPGgwwGX6Tj9RQyW_tJ0DoxKDIk5h9oQ2Y8TQj8IwI_AurMaJC173auldFcJlrHVhWnATEXiHzS8ge_u6wLPQVsduWvXPOScHS1eR_smbavn6o4/s1600/Wo+Ai+Ni+singers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-zJh4It-RmlEKILgwGCKZkmPdAmQLLPGgwwGX6Tj9RQyW_tJ0DoxKDIk5h9oQ2Y8TQj8IwI_AurMaJC173auldFcJlrHVhWnATEXiHzS8ge_u6wLPQVsduWvXPOScHS1eR_smbavn6o4/s400/Wo+Ai+Ni+singers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">from many countries,<br />singing "I Love You"</span></td></tr>
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I sense in my reading and watching videos, that Vitas has a strong connection to his audiences. I will focus on the Chinese.<br />
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I believe that Vitas has a further role in China besides cultural- it is emotional as well. He says in interviews that he performs "for the love of my audience." I believe him. He works too hard to be doing it only for the money.<br />
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The Chinese people have been through a lot and their heritage was destroyed. I believe that China feels an emptiness, a hole in her heart.<br />
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I saw a photo of a small rural church in the Shaanxi province in 2005. It had no crucifix, and on the altar were only a modest cross and the Chinese word for "Love" in red.*<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaK4XlZq-2xLWyP3LVKeQPpFvKDBOOQOxW3aCu_cG817UvoIOBH2lV8iPM5F2rKWPVwRj37XaMucGb8DO0lac62RqtOJ2CP1OcRDjxN3VfIpylOt4d_lPVrZ0Wh1Y3Pepyd43v30GU_hh/s1600/Vitas+listens+to+audience,+Vancouver+2011,+by+Ray+van+Eng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaK4XlZq-2xLWyP3LVKeQPpFvKDBOOQOxW3aCu_cG817UvoIOBH2lV8iPM5F2rKWPVwRj37XaMucGb8DO0lac62RqtOJ2CP1OcRDjxN3VfIpylOt4d_lPVrZ0Wh1Y3Pepyd43v30GU_hh/s320/Vitas+listens+to+audience,+Vancouver+2011,+by+Ray+van+Eng.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Vitas listens to his<br />audience singing</span></td></tr>
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Vitas a has loving, welcoming persona and gives the sense that he has pure admiration for everyone. He never relaxes his shining smile. I think this is emotionally satisfying to his audiences. Once again, I feel that Vitas was the right person at the right place at the right time.<br />
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Here is a typical comment of a fan:<br />
"This voice both flows with tenderness from the depth of the soul. . .<br />
I want to embrace all the world with fine feeling of gratitude, happiness and love!"<br />
People also use his recordings for healing.<br />
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Here is a video of a group of distinguished singers from all over the world. They are performing the finale, the theme song of China's Spring Gala 2010. It's not a Vitas song, though he is one of the performers, and he gets the best part!<br />
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The title and refrain is "Wo Ai Ni": "I Love You. " In Chinese, it's a song about loving people all over the world. I was surprised at the open, emotional quality of the lyrics. It gave me an unexpected impression of the Chinese. It's a sign of the times, I suppose, and Vitas fits right in.<br />
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WO AI NI (I LOVE YOU)- with lyrics<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VfqA1tXkHYo" width="420"></iframe>
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Here are most of the words:<br />
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Wo Ai Ni (I Love You)<br />
<i>by Xiao Ke</i><br />
<br />
Wherever we come from<br />
Today we get together<br />
Don't ask me who I am<br />
I just really want to be with you<br />
Everything turns out to be easy<br />
When we stand hand in hand<br />
Open the map, all around the world. . .<br />
<br />
Everybody is saying<br />
I love you, I love you<br />
We are brothers and sisters<br />
I love you, I love you<br />
We meet each other and we love being here together<br />
I love you, I love you. . .<br />
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-for-vitas-in-china.html">Full Lyrics Here</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aL6NK0ammiU/T3poFC12WlI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/vByqK9_8y7I/s1600/vitas+gracious,+chinese+singer%3f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aL6NK0ammiU/T3poFC12WlI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/vByqK9_8y7I/s1600/vitas+gracious,+chinese+singer%3f.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Seems almost about to bow</span></td></tr>
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"ASIANIZING"<br />
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Vitas seems to have has become more "Asian" in a way. His boyish agility has smoothed out into a suave polish. Besides wearing more tuxedos and having more Chinese singers and dancers, he moves more gracefully- he studies dance- and when he is with a Chinese person he seems almost about to bow. He studies the Asian technique of breathing for singing, with Asian teachers, and now speaks Chinese.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6gmv3OuxHE/T3pp1gS1aqI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/CzqkBhcBeG8/s1600/Vitas+russian+tryc+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6gmv3OuxHE/T3pp1gS1aqI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/CzqkBhcBeG8/s200/Vitas+russian+tryc+.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">rugged Russian 2001</span></td></tr>
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One peculiar observation is that over the years, Vitas's face has become less rugged, lost its carved Russian cheekbones, become more round, Asian you might say.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Xo92kHDSfjdJDgb8l_Y0VK7H4k0IdFOrXJfWb20frQ0V3fHTf1hRWLDUgngYS91BBFhPOKmL9U5-gG_5C143Ek8JMtsk1DHA1DFIKDVLsAFBhvpDBi2660bLrhZvEHxA8bbxNIlT74/s1600/in+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Perhaps it is vegetarianism, or meditation, but it's more fun to think of it as more than that, that he is 'asianizing.' And as his face goes rounder, he grows younger and younger, almost seems to glow. The smile has sweetened, his demeanor has softened, his movements are more fluid, and his look of innocence intensifies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Xo92kHDSfjdJDgb8l_Y0VK7H4k0IdFOrXJfWb20frQ0V3fHTf1hRWLDUgngYS91BBFhPOKmL9U5-gG_5C143Ek8JMtsk1DHA1DFIKDVLsAFBhvpDBi2660bLrhZvEHxA8bbxNIlT74/s1600/in+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Xo92kHDSfjdJDgb8l_Y0VK7H4k0IdFOrXJfWb20frQ0V3fHTf1hRWLDUgngYS91BBFhPOKmL9U5-gG_5C143Ek8JMtsk1DHA1DFIKDVLsAFBhvpDBi2660bLrhZvEHxA8bbxNIlT74/s1600/in+white.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">younger and younger (2011)</span></td></tr>
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*from the book <i>China Road</i> by Rob Gifford 2007, from which I gathered a lot of the information in these posts<br />
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</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-38683741264876392172012-06-26T16:33:00.004-07:002013-01-29T16:19:24.763-08:00Helpful Links and Interviews for USA Vitas Fans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmWv2DaSqBQz_KJ9SzK6xKLDV2Lk50nWNfSLrnHaj9fByYyxfyJglbc2vxeElJBms4YMYT5jQTjgsoeNZsvE6jO7usbx7OodmNFvkFHvG_3DnmFJqNUmIY6_vSiFhL7X1EYXchWmS8ns/s1600/*vitas+sings+with+Chinese+girl*.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmWv2DaSqBQz_KJ9SzK6xKLDV2Lk50nWNfSLrnHaj9fByYyxfyJglbc2vxeElJBms4YMYT5jQTjgsoeNZsvE6jO7usbx7OodmNFvkFHvG_3DnmFJqNUmIY6_vSiFhL7X1EYXchWmS8ns/s320/*vitas+sings+with+Chinese+girl*.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">VIDEOS</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u0s7NgOFkY&feature=player_embedded">MERCEDES-BENZ China COMMERCIAL</a> (with explosions)</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8gRH1-59pE&feature=player_embedded">HOW THEY DID THE EXPLOSIONS</a> (hint: no special effects were used!) </div>
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<u>LYRICS</u>: <a href="http://www.vitaslyrics.com/">http://www.vitaslyrics.com/</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">SITES</span></div>
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<a href="http://vitas.com.ru/en/calendar/2013-02">Vitas CONCERT Schedule, official website</a></div>
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<u><a href="http://www.vitasusa.com/vitas/">Vitas one month concert schedule: Photo slideshow</a></u></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">OFFICIAL WEBSITE, Vitas's awards & much info: <a href="http://www.vitas.com.ru/pressa_eng.php" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">vitas.com.ru</a> </span></b></span></div>
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FULL info, fan stories, interviews, videos etc: <a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/32467848" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">vitaseurope.com/</a></div>
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FULL info: <a href="http://www.vitasusa.com/vitas/" style="color: #aa0033; text-decoration: none;">vitasusa.com</a> </div>
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FULL info: <a href="http://planetvitas.com/biography.html">planetvitas.com/biography</a></div>
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<a href="http://planetvitas.com/biography.html"></a>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/vitasusa">vitasusa on twitter</a></div>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/vitasusa"></a>Facebook1: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/vitasusa">Vitasusa on Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/vitasusa"></a>Facebook2: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VitasEuropeNorway#!/VitasEuropeNorway?sk=wall">VitasEurope on Facebook</a></div>
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Videos: TV appearances, news etc: <u><a href="http://vitas.com.ru/china_reports_eng.php">Vitasusa news videos</a></u></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">INTERVIEWS in English</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/VitasEuropeNorway#!/VitasEuropeNorway?sk=wall"></a>Wikimusic Interview: <a href="http://www.wikimusicguide.com/Vitas/Interview">wikimusicguide.com Interview</a></div>
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TV Interview 2011: <a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/59840107">vitaseurope.com TV Interview 2011</a></div>
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Vitas's grandfather: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=318541373652&topic=16222">Interview with Grandfather</a></div>
"Vitas Meant to Be Heard, Not Sung": <a href="http://hi.baidu.com/%CC%EC%B5%C0%CB%E6%D0%C4/blog/item/508e9aec08566e3f269791d4.html">Heard Not Sung, baidu.com</a>
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Interview download with Producer 2009: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #242424; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px;"><a href="http://www.vitas.ro/kitej_grad/int_eng_S.Pudovkin.doc" style="color: #aa0033; text-decoration: none;">interview doc download, S.Pudovkin.doc</a></span></div>
<a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/59840107"></a>
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Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-80765701613606189142012-05-05T21:20:00.001-07:002012-05-07T12:59:25.706-07:00Vitas: Bringing China to ChinaVitas is a Russian superstar, extremely popular in Asia, particularly China. His voice spans at least five octaves. I've written an introduction: <a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-have-i-never-heard-of-vitas-vitas.html">Why Have I Never Heard of Vitas?</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uy3e6r4pslg/T3EkMNEokgI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/-XwFT64uJOw/s1600/audience+bringing+bouquets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uy3e6r4pslg/T3EkMNEokgI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/-XwFT64uJOw/s320/audience+bringing+bouquets.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Audience pressing forward to stage, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">with bouquets and gifts</span></td></tr>
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Some people think Vitas is so popular in Asia because Asians are used to men with high voices (eg Peking Opera), but I feel this is a simplistic explanation, and that something far more socio-psychological is going on there. In fact, I have taken great liberty to imagine why.<br />
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I have a theory that Vitas may be helping China to regain her ancient heritage and to heal her wounds. I believe perhaps the China is confused, embarrassed and sad that she lost 5000 years of culture in a few years. I think Vitas recognizes that China wants to rediscover herself: culturally and spiritually. The people feel an emptiness.<br />
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In some ways Vitas is also controversial, but I believe it actually makes him even more attractive to the Chinese.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<u>INTRODUCTION</u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1ygQ0loKPg/T3jc1CHmVLI/AAAAAAAAA8I/8DBzKUx2B1A/s1600/vitas+with+mercedes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1ygQ0loKPg/T3jc1CHmVLI/AAAAAAAAA8I/8DBzKUx2B1A/s320/vitas+with+mercedes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The new face of Mercedes Benz -China</span></td></tr>
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First a quick introduction: Although Russian (actually Latvian/Ukranian), Vitas commands large audiences around the world particularly in Asia, especially China, with audiences as large as 50,000. In 2011 MTV Asia awarded him Best Foreign Artist, and he became the face of Mercedes Benz China. Also that year, Vitas entered the Guinness Book of Records, Russian branch, for having the most fans.<br />
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Here is Vitas's most famous song, put on the internet in 2001. It was Vitas's introduction to the world. Asia discovered it on the internet around 2005. Many believe that the red scarf is religious symbolism.<br />
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Opera #2 <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #242424; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sCGs-Qz3-eQ" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></span></div>
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Lyrics:<br />
"My house has been built but I am alone here<br />
The door banged behind my back<br />
An autumn wind is knocking on the window. . ."<br />
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-to-all-introduction-to-vitas.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a><br />
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<u>BRINGING CHINA TO CHINA</u><br />
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From videos of recent performances in China, I see that Vitas has become less idiosyncratic and more "Chinese": he uses a lot of Chinese dancers in the background, often traditionally dressed or in a modern equivalent. His audiences still love his strange costumes, "alien" persona and dazzling sets; but there are no more bathtubs of goldfish (his Opera 2 video 2001), or aliens in huge animal-like bright yellow costumes with black spots, bobbing up and down behind him (Opera 2 Remix concert). He grew up. He seems more conservative, less interested in pushing boundaries or in an "individualistic" eccentric persona that is more western.<br />
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What he grew up to be, seems to me influenced by what suits his Chinese audiences. A glittering tuxedo fits his style better now, while lines of colorful dancers in Chinese costume circle around him. He is beginning to introduce Chinese songs into his repertoire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCHfelRNd1k/T3EYzk3mGrI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/p3x2iDgXToE/s1600/Vitas,+dancers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCHfelRNd1k/T3EYzk3mGrI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/p3x2iDgXToE/s400/Vitas,+dancers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">in tuxedo, with Chinese dancers </span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">China Changchun Film Festival 2010</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Chinese demand the "full experience" from their entertainers, great colorful spectacles, and Vitas distills and turns their own experience back to them. Reappropriating things like color symbolism; references to the glory of the ancient land (the song "Tibetan Plateau"); ancient culture, customs, spirituality and religion; and a sound like stylized opera- all reminding them of 5 millenia of culture, once forbidden them to express- combining old China and new China. Now that the Chinese have permission to look back, Vitas helps get China in touch with her pride in who she used to be. But from a handsome young Westerner (Russia is Western for China).<br />
<br />
He throws back to them an intensified, rose-colored version of themselves, reaching their collective unconscious. His style has an edge of the sentimental, which perhaps also appeals for this purpose. I see Vitas with a role in the "new" China. He was the right person at the right time in the right place. The way I see it, he is bringing China to China, old and new.<br />
<br />
NOTE: <br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
I have taken much liberty with my guesswork. Please let me know anything that I have gotten wrong!</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-27462386307964468582012-05-05T21:18:00.002-07:002012-05-21T10:12:14.942-07:00Vitas: Diplomatic License<u>OF THE SPIRIT</u><br />
<br />
One aspect of old China that Vitas stongly reappropriates is Asian spirituality, philosophy and religion- the most controversial of all. But things in China have been changing. I have read that the government does not bother the Christian churches springing up everywhere (although for the most part they are state-controlled), and most of the major monasteries have been restored. I have read that the government doesn't mind so long as it doesn't, from their perspective, get out of hand (eg Falun Gong).<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjom7USZJKzOE_ooMmAegm3Dxf1t019VnH3CQWQ8tAkNOw-OqTDoh0HH9kzg0wm-bKeRtEdg2EFgtItCKviD-Wl0T6nPfm9ZK0HpHUzVVWQ4DmgjE9kpSTJ5okmRz27XVYqraYTIsVnzE/s1600/opera+1,+fuzzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjom7USZJKzOE_ooMmAegm3Dxf1t019VnH3CQWQ8tAkNOw-OqTDoh0HH9kzg0wm-bKeRtEdg2EFgtItCKviD-Wl0T6nPfm9ZK0HpHUzVVWQ4DmgjE9kpSTJ5okmRz27XVYqraYTIsVnzE/s320/opera+1,+fuzzy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Vitas dressed as Buddhist monk </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">in video 'Opera 1'</span></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>In one video shot in Thailand, called "Opera 1," Vitas, head shaved, is dressed as a Buddhist monk and worshipped like a Buddha at the temple, which I found startling. When Vitas goes away (that is, not on tour), they say it is to Tibet. While there, he met with Indian monks who told him what reincarnation he is. Rumor has it that on the death of his mother he went there for some time, to recover. He belongs to a service organization the Daili Lama belongs to.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-for-vitas-in-china.html">LYRICS TO OPERA 1 HERE</a><br />
"We always want more than we have. . ."<br />
<br />
He says his favorite book is the Bible. Although it is said that one of his parents is Jewish, from his songs he seems to be a practicing Christian; it appears from at least one song, Russian Orthodox. I would venture to guess that he has found for himself a comfortable mix of Christianity and eastern spiritualism.<br />
<br />
The irony is, I believe his attraction to spirituality and religion actually increases Vitas' popularity; it helps the Chinese to feel in tune with him, as they are themselves reconstructing and piecing together a way of life simultaneously new and old.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIkRomiJAKAlhbGvHBbtbIsOsmOHYFp95Cnzhu-gcCiVbuwABQMbL3h6VV9BIq49s1-bgvAClkpkmSFEfnCtftXjEq7UcxfYEHzDYNYGh5Ja_D9OD9t8UyKPAF7_jfYlAvCeMChpCTMg/s1600/Latvia,+Riga,+home+of+Vitas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfIkRomiJAKAlhbGvHBbtbIsOsmOHYFp95Cnzhu-gcCiVbuwABQMbL3h6VV9BIq49s1-bgvAClkpkmSFEfnCtftXjEq7UcxfYEHzDYNYGh5Ja_D9OD9t8UyKPAF7_jfYlAvCeMChpCTMg/s320/Latvia,+Riga,+home+of+Vitas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Vitas is originally from Latvia </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and grew up in Odessa, Ukraine</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In what strikes me as controversial, Vitas wrote a song "Forgive Us, Lord," which outright apologizes to G-d for the churches having been destroyed in Russia. From the reference to the tzar, I cannot think this is anything other than an apology for the Russian Communists- like China- banning religion.<br />
<br />
Some of the lyrics to "Forgive Us, Lord":<br />
<br />
I shall wash myself with the holy water<br />
And stand praying at the icon.<br />
I ask God to absolve Russia from sins.<br />
God, please forgive us for everything:<br />
For the crosses that were pulled off the churches,<br />
For the killed tzar,<br />
And for the burnt icons...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-for-vitas-in-china.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a><br />
<br />
<u>CONFLICTING IDEOLOGIES</u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhSRv0NrinUMu-f_e3wU4mZlKNqBYi22czW4GW346vRqh6JF0jxC_35JhzB1NbcsN_nW7s2J8HCvd5lhQHmQrJLXYXcePMZsQqhKVHI44c8haKpUvi0vfrD_K66UpSSw-el9r7mCmdFQ/s1600/vitas+in+founding+of+a+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhSRv0NrinUMu-f_e3wU4mZlKNqBYi22czW4GW346vRqh6JF0jxC_35JhzB1NbcsN_nW7s2J8HCvd5lhQHmQrJLXYXcePMZsQqhKVHI44c8haKpUvi0vfrD_K66UpSSw-el9r7mCmdFQ/s320/vitas+in+founding+of+a+party.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Vitas plays the Russian revolutionary Voitinsky, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">for Chinese movie 'Foundation of a Party'</span></td></tr>
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<br />
Vitas good-naturedly participated in China's controversial star-filled propaganda blockbuster "Foundation of a Party" last year. He played Voitinsky, an early Russian revolutionary who was sent to China in the 1920s to help the new republic find its direction. Just as Vitas has come to China from Russia. Significantly, Voitinsky stayed only a few months and left China before Mao rose up.<br />
<br />
Participating in propaganda as a founding Communist seems in contradiction to the other things I've said about Vitas, his spirituality and neutrality, and the song "Forgive Us, Lord." It's like he's coming at China from all different directions, simultaneously.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gAfQcRiul0-4VkWuTZa49uCBfrKvDCfI0I96YVZu2z54rw2-qr7NAAxfDFQBdPIUHJgQKqwKicApuBeWp2hrlVMV1jkEfSgiLJXNnTdUOr9HAioGDGrunwCalvAiV0R98n4fSIlRDkE/s1600/Catholic-Church-in-Dali,+China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gAfQcRiul0-4VkWuTZa49uCBfrKvDCfI0I96YVZu2z54rw2-qr7NAAxfDFQBdPIUHJgQKqwKicApuBeWp2hrlVMV1jkEfSgiLJXNnTdUOr9HAioGDGrunwCalvAiV0R98n4fSIlRDkE/s320/Catholic-Church-in-Dali,+China.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Catholic church in Dali, China</span></div>
</td></tr>
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<br />
An artist is someone who is allowed to cross borders, bridging the distance between his culture and the host culture, making peace. The artist has, as it were, "diplomatic license" in what to say and do. A sort of "backdoor diplomat."<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
Vitas said in an interview, "I always return to China as if I return home."</div>
<br />
I think Vitas' controversial 360 degree view actually makes him more popular. The new China is looking in all directions too; she is looking to reconcile the old with the new. It must be a confusing time for China as she opens up and yet stays the same. To me, Vitas is mirroring back to China not only her pride in herself, but her own tangle of new attitudes.<br />
<br />
<br />
NOTE:<br />
I have taken much liberty with my guesswork. Please let me know anything that I have gotten wrong.<br />
<u><br /></u>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-58023313064238411542012-05-05T21:17:00.001-07:002012-07-14T10:25:58.440-07:00Tibetan Plateau<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: auto;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></u></span></div>
<u></u><br />
<u></u><br />
<u><div style="text-align: auto;">
<br /></div>
</u></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjrd6FM5eyRF6lVt0uSHUYoMa1u0fyhwnguONz-SYIA2Hi-fvjeh-dOEAIrCKeKt9761D0PHFPbunnBBn0IHWKYTPQDTKYZ7pm6bk2kWD5V6Sh3foisu07X_rFZlOESl8Zs_CyYFtoW0/s1600/t+plateau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjrd6FM5eyRF6lVt0uSHUYoMa1u0fyhwnguONz-SYIA2Hi-fvjeh-dOEAIrCKeKt9761D0PHFPbunnBBn0IHWKYTPQDTKYZ7pm6bk2kWD5V6Sh3foisu07X_rFZlOESl8Zs_CyYFtoW0/s400/t+plateau.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the Tibetan Plateau<br />
<a href="http://tibetantrekking.com/tibet/plateau/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>tibetantrekking.com/</i></span></a></span></td></tr>
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<br />
In 2008, Vitas recorded a modern folk song and video about Tibet, which in itself is not strange to the Chinese; it is a song about a beautiful unspoiled* area that includes most of Tibet, part of which greater China claims. It is called the Tibetan Plateau, in Chinese, Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang) Plateau.<br />
<br />
My question is, is this song controversial? This is very ambiguous.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The song is sung by both Tibetan and non-Tibetan Chinese singers.** In fact the composer was a Korean Chinese. Although written only a few years ago, it is in a traditional style and the lyrics avoid anything political or even current. It speaks of the landscape and the ancestors; and depending on which translation you use, the Divine.<br />
<br />
Yet anything that refers to the relationship to Tibet, and how China used to be, is making political statements, no? There is also political controversy over how to handle the plateau's unstable ecology.<br />
<br />
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<u>CONTROVERSY</u></div>
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTauMFqs0EA1q6FePhw2E_qU35wCkTjXQM9o2tMZOo1ELdwV6G3kCwZE0vl4aGAvQSYMvKB2AdNsTNb6TY0hMceQWNZW6XnTKY0F5azz32489hKE7Q_utAJgpGU6OfYdpn8xfl-6uwe8o/s1600/2+DANCE_on_the_plateau_%E2%80%93_yishunbian_of_tibetan_ethnic_group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTauMFqs0EA1q6FePhw2E_qU35wCkTjXQM9o2tMZOo1ELdwV6G3kCwZE0vl4aGAvQSYMvKB2AdNsTNb6TY0hMceQWNZW6XnTKY0F5azz32489hKE7Q_utAJgpGU6OfYdpn8xfl-6uwe8o/s320/2+DANCE_on_the_plateau_%E2%80%93_yishunbian_of_tibetan_ethnic_group.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Classic Tibetan dance steps</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><a href="http://chinatravelrealm.blogspot.com/2011/06/dance-on-plateau-yishunbian-of-tibetan.html">ChinaTravelRealm.com</a></i></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Imagine my surprise when I discovered this about the timing of his song: it seems to have come out one month after a member of British Parliament removed Tibet's status as a suzerainty, which had given her a certain amount of self-goverence while still under China. The MP said the removal would change nothing; but people have protested that this weakens Tibet's amount of autonomy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
This removal came in October 2008-- and one month later, November 2008 (as far as I could determine), Vitas came out with this song about Tibet, I believe the first song he sang in Chinese.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Could this timing be a coincidence? Is that a political statement? Is he criticizing China from the point of view of Tibet? Or is he on China's "side"? Or just drawing attention to the beauty of Tibet?<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-d-hS9Qua00NBYo7D1GpvtF_Nu-kgYHsu3asYGhvAxWQ1HvwGv4kgN9guqxA_qqH4NYR_U-V1EvI4h2Fwa1g9s5VnMSrL5m_ek2E-goAKEnrg9xNa8IoETJ5qywBprl5BO-a3Em5CHo/s1600/vitas+in+rehearsal+(Tang+Tsan%3f).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-d-hS9Qua00NBYo7D1GpvtF_Nu-kgYHsu3asYGhvAxWQ1HvwGv4kgN9guqxA_qqH4NYR_U-V1EvI4h2Fwa1g9s5VnMSrL5m_ek2E-goAKEnrg9xNa8IoETJ5qywBprl5BO-a3Em5CHo/s320/vitas+in+rehearsal+(Tang+Tsan%3f).jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vitas in rehearsal with Tang Tsan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THE SONG ITSELF</u><br />
<br />
He sang this song in duet (video is below) at the BTV [television] Spring Global Gala 2010. I wonder how significant it is that they choose a "traditional" song that is modern, instead of an actual traditional song. And even the words "MY" Tibetan Plateau can sound- intentionally?- like a political statement of ownership. But this is a negative view. There is also a positive way to understand the Chinese embrace of the song.<br />
<br />
Here is Vitas singing the song in duet with Chinese singer Tang Tsan. It is a dress rehearsal, not the final televised version, but the sound here is clearer. If you ever wondered what a "countertenor" is, this should explain it. Notice the Chinese dancers in red behind them, with classic Tibetan dance steps.<br />
Some of the lyrics are at the end of this post.<br />
<br />
<i>TIBETAN PLATEAU</i><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OdUXyIeqQVY" width="420"></iframe><br />
<u><br /></u><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yzk-wP2UBp4MNqLUwELoEj7JhqWq9_Cx7bVd6y_t2bVeFvHvZQv39pWU61J4cHobHKz4IY48Zrb3DJWX-0BePzQbeLoiqZJrJOEMT83FgxUwHVYAXis5wiQ2mMVd-yo21_D30mpp8bY/s1600/DANCE_on_the_plateau_%E2%80%93_yishunbian_of_tibetan_ethnic_group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yzk-wP2UBp4MNqLUwELoEj7JhqWq9_Cx7bVd6y_t2bVeFvHvZQv39pWU61J4cHobHKz4IY48Zrb3DJWX-0BePzQbeLoiqZJrJOEMT83FgxUwHVYAXis5wiQ2mMVd-yo21_D30mpp8bY/s320/DANCE_on_the_plateau_%E2%80%93_yishunbian_of_tibetan_ethnic_group.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tibetan dancers in classic dance steps<br />
<a href="http://chinatravelrealm.blogspot.com/2011/06/dance-on-plateau-yishunbian-of-tibetan.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>ChinaTravelRealm.com</i></span></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THE BRIDGE</u><br />
<br />
An artist has the prerogative to touch any issue, hold it up, yet be on NO side, having a sort of "diplomatic license." I believe this is Vitas's choice. This is one of the great advantages of the arts, the "diplomat" that crosses all borders, forging peace. What Vitas probably wants to be, himself: the backdoor diplomat who enters singing. The one who brings in emotions and ideas that build bridges and heal.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pTO6l8GeJJhvbNCna2xgHokwDAOuam6RiWtKOwZ9JOeF0fNyhRdbuJguFqLrlBmivp_AlYxcmTjk3otQnjd5CMlp_4XMu5XbFQ8QcmHfCS3iYdZn43U3iQDvTgdoPyFZHihyphenhyphenPdCoYBM/s1600/vitas+presented+at+spring+gala+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pTO6l8GeJJhvbNCna2xgHokwDAOuam6RiWtKOwZ9JOeF0fNyhRdbuJguFqLrlBmivp_AlYxcmTjk3otQnjd5CMlp_4XMu5XbFQ8QcmHfCS3iYdZn43U3iQDvTgdoPyFZHihyphenhyphenPdCoYBM/s200/vitas+presented+at+spring+gala+2010.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vitas at China's BTV Gala 2010</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Maybe Vitas is drawing attention to Tibet for his own reasons. A song of Tibet dovetails with what matters to Vitas: a "traditional" folk song- and yet modern, symbolizing China in modern times rediscovering ancient spirituality and culture.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<u>BACKDOOR DIPLOMAT</u><br />
<br />
A Russian stands- both in geography and emotion- halfway between the traditions of east and west. The Russian has all the knowledge and customs of western society, and his great masterworks have been greedily appropriated by by the western canon. Yet a Russian retains the emotionalism and mysticism.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintYTib9lY8RyE-YWrypsk6iGdONI5MQ72_tR3DGNLn9NrTLQUgJW4JcQ6Y7sCYwMZPNAc3T4stDkyHAtmXpMGmPptvH075l1rYNdf7Qt5m2WK_uGIusCgezM53xmBMA4GEse3GhLoMMs/s1600/vitas+sings+with+Chinese+girl*.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintYTib9lY8RyE-YWrypsk6iGdONI5MQ72_tR3DGNLn9NrTLQUgJW4JcQ6Y7sCYwMZPNAc3T4stDkyHAtmXpMGmPptvH075l1rYNdf7Qt5m2WK_uGIusCgezM53xmBMA4GEse3GhLoMMs/s320/vitas+sings+with+Chinese+girl*.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Building bridges</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Vitas has children </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>from </i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>audience come </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>onstage)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A Russian makes a good emissary of peace between east and west, through the traditional back door that Russians have always used even through their decades of Communism- circulating their dancers, singers and other performers around the world. Interesting to note that relations between China and Russia are tentatively beginning.<br />
<br />
In an interview, Vitas said, "I always return to China as if I return home."<br />
<br />
<u>LYRICS</u><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Here are some of the lyrics. They express feelings that this beautiful landscape inspires: a connection to ancient times, and possibly the ancient spirituality, though it's hard to be sure from the different translations.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Where you see two lines close together, these are two different translations. Note that the second translation is more openly spiritual. It is in italics.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3trVLPTP0kuJU3rQaPxzBmmE25dWXNz4qxt37YrCI_l0mmQrd1ZGss3YYOrs1QXEQ07mJHAFFkMnrvwuSwn39ID_whbz1zBU-u0S_toxw9SSVjJX-kFhBeF7dIljbUZgkmWEWRncQVs/s1600/Tibet,+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3trVLPTP0kuJU3rQaPxzBmmE25dWXNz4qxt37YrCI_l0mmQrd1ZGss3YYOrs1QXEQ07mJHAFFkMnrvwuSwn39ID_whbz1zBU-u0S_toxw9SSVjJX-kFhBeF7dIljbUZgkmWEWRncQVs/s400/Tibet,+river.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
VERSE 2</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
who gazes at the blue sky day and night</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Who always looks up to the Divine</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
who thirsts for the eternal vision</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>And dream about immortal life</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Refrain</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
It is my Tibetan Plateau</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>The Tibetan Plateau is my holy highland</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-for-vitas-in-china.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a><br />
<br />
<br />
NOTES<br />
*great efforts are being taken to keep it unspoiled, though there is controversy.<br />
<br />
** The phrasing is controversial. Where China do not refer to "Tibet" but as a region of China, westerners see it as part of the country of Tibet; where China refers to "ethnic Tibetans," westerners call them Tibetans.<br />
<br />
Most of my information on China comes from the book <i>China Road</i> by Rob Gifford, 2007.<br />
<div>
<br />
NOTE:<br />
I have taken much liberty with my guesswork. Please let me know anything that I have gotten wrong!</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-20355497963291699502012-03-30T11:02:00.001-07:002012-03-30T19:35:45.331-07:00LYRICS for Vitas in China<u>list of the Vitas LYRICS below</u>:<br />
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (2 translations)<br />
Opera #1
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Wo Ai Ni (I Love You)</div>
Forgive Us, Lord<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vitaslyrics.com/Vitas_English_Lyrics.html">You can also find most Vitas lyrics at this link</a><br />
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rbeYJZXHJ9Q/TmRV5p1-FxI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/sAWNeICvu4k/s1600/tibet+plateau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rbeYJZXHJ9Q/TmRV5p1-FxI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/sAWNeICvu4k/s200/tibet+plateau.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
2008<br />
<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdUXyIeqQVY&feature=related">Duet with Chinese singer Tang Tsan</a></span></div>
<div>
<br />
A rehearsal, this is the clearest version. (No subtitles)<br />
This modern folk song is in a traditional style.<br />
<br />
The Plateau is the highest place in the world and said to be the most gorgeous. It includes most of Tibet. Both Tibetans and the entire Chinese republic are proud of it.<br />
<br />
Vitas is brave to take on this song whose singers are famous for it, both Tibetan and otherwise from China.<br />
<br />
I found different translations. While they all express how the beautiful landscape fills them with a connection, even a longing, for the past, some phrasing is more openly spiritual. Interesting to see how a text can be so open to interpretation.<br />
<br />
WHEN YOU SEE TWO LINES CLOSE TOGETHER, THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT TRANSLATIONS.<br />
Note that the second translation is more spiritual. It is in italics.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Vitas's official video opens with (not part of the song):<br />
The last place on earth<br />
The most amazing plateau in the world<br />
<br />
<u>LYRICS</u>:<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>verse 1 </i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Who brought the call from immemorial age</span> </i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span">Who left the wish for thousands of years</span> </i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">How high we can go to approach the Divine</span> </i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span>
<span class="Apple-style-span">Still, there are songs without words</span> </i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">With the ancient love which never ends</span> </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">
</span> Refrain: </i><br />
So many mountains in my view<br />
<br />
One by one they stretch to the sky<br />
<br />
Yah La So, it is my Q Plateau.<br />
<i>The Q Plateau is my holy highland.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>verse 2</i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">who gazes at the blue sky day and night</span></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">And dream about immortal life</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
</i>
<i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> </span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Still, there are the ancient songs</span> </i></div>
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span">
and proud spirits that will never change</span> </i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>Refrain</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ-dgOzWrn0/TmQ_tYCMiqI/AAAAAAAAA2I/0FeJUHHUpnU/s1600/opera+1+head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ-dgOzWrn0/TmQ_tYCMiqI/AAAAAAAAA2I/0FeJUHHUpnU/s200/opera+1+head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Opera #1</span></div>
<div>
2000</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1315193400_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQWLt0vdSV8" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Link to Video</a> (no subtitles)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br />
<i>This is the video in which Vitas is dressed as Buddhist monk and people come to worship him at the temple. </i><br />
<i>The song is a variation of Opera 2.</i><br />
<br />
LYRICS</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We always want more than we have</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We always want more than we have</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
And anguish grasps our hearts</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We stagger in an autumn wind</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We are filled up with someone else's joy</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Inflamed by someone else's feasts</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Like sunshine on a glade</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We draw our heads nearer over the tables
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I'll embrace you, tipsy like separation</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
And take you in my arms</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I won't share you, wild like abuse</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Either with an enemy or a friend</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
It rarely happens to me like this</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I will give you a bit of happiness</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
You will swing like light in the windows<br />
And moths will rush towards your light<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xg6XbXcJbnM/TnYcGYrhiaI/AAAAAAAAA3s/hufu6uMvbpw/s1600/vitas+extraterrestrial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xg6XbXcJbnM/TnYcGYrhiaI/AAAAAAAAA3s/hufu6uMvbpw/s200/vitas+extraterrestrial.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">EXTRATERRESTRIAL FRIEND</span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NamqVDWfVoQ">Link to Video</a><br />
<br />
<i>Here Vitas imagines love from beyond, from other planets</i><br />
<br />
LYRICS<br />
Apart from those friends that surround me<br />
There is a secret circle<br />
Of my invisible unknown friends<br />
I am someone's unknown friend, too<br />
<br />
Apart from those enemies that you have around<br />
There are a hundred gangs<br />
Of my invisible unknown enemies<br />
I am someone's unknown enemy, too<br />
<br />
Apart from those planets without life<br />
Some distant light may be flying to them<br />
Millions of years from those invisible and unknown<br />
Though loving and thinking planets<br />
<br />
Maybe, there is no blood in their veins<br />
And they are awarded prizes for loving<br />
For a circle of invisible unknown friends<br />
And fraternity of the existing worlds<br />
<br />
Apart from those friends that surround me<br />
Perhaps, there is an extraterrestrial friend<br />
Of my invisible and unknown friends<br />
I am their extraterrestrial friend, too...<br />
Of my invisible and unknown friends...<br />
I am someone's unknown friend, too...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xg6XbXcJbnM/TnYcGYrhiaI/AAAAAAAAA3s/hufu6uMvbpw/s1600/vitas+extraterrestrial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Tfg8ZvxuoU/TmlDufWZ_UI/AAAAAAAAA2U/-ywz-OgyOPA/s1600/woaini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Tfg8ZvxuoU/TmlDufWZ_UI/AAAAAAAAA2U/-ywz-OgyOPA/s200/woaini.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">WO AI NI (I Love You)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfqA1tXkHYo">Link to video</a> (with subtitles)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
2010 BTV Spring Festival Global Gala Theme Song<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>Song & Lyrics: Xiao Ke</i><br />
<i>This is not a Vitas song; he and other participants in the Spring Gala came out all together for the Finale to sing this "theme song." He does, however, deliver the best solo.</i>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
LYRICS<br />
Wherever we come from</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Today we get together</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Don’t ask me who I am</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I just really want to be with you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Everything turns out to be easy</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
When we stand hand in hand</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Open the map, all around the world<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Everybody is saying</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I love you, I love you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Wherever, whenever, everybody is saying</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I love you, I love you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We are happy to love and to be loved<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Wherever we come from</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Today we get together</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Don’t ask me who I am</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I just really want to be with you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Everything turns out to be easy</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
When we stand hand in hand</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Open up the map, all around the world<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Everybody is saying</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I love you, I love you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We are brothers and sisters</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I love you, I love you</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
We meet each other and we love being here together</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I love you, I love you<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Wherever, whenever, everybody is saying</div>
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I love you, I love you</div>
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We are happy to love and be loved</div>
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I love you, I love you</div>
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We are brothers and sisters</div>
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I love you, I love you</div>
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We meet each other and we love being here together</div>
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I love you, I love you<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">FORGIVE US, LORD</span></div>
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2006
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1315193676_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/aliceborolien#p/search/1/3I_ZC_nbjhs" rel="nofollow" style="color: #003399; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Link to Video</a> (with subtitles)</span></span></div>
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<i>Here Vitas appears to be apologizing for Communism, esp what it did to religion.</i></div>
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<i>It seems from this, he is perhaps Russian Orthodox. The word "temple" here is ambiguous</i>.</div>
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LYRICS<br />
I shall wash myself with the holy water</div>
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And stand praying at the icon.</div>
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I ask God to absolve Russia from sins.
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I’m looking at a silver cross</div>
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But see crucified old Russia,</div>
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And I’m praying with penitence and a bow to God</div>
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In the hope of forgiveness.<br />
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God, please forgive us for everything:</div>
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For the crosses that were pulled off the churches,</div>
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For the killed Tzar,</div>
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And for the burnt icons...</div>
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God, please forgive us for everything!<br />
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I’m feeding pigeons near the temple</div>
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And looking in hope at the sky.</div>
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Great God, please grant us absolution</div>
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And take Russia off the crucifix.</div>
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Let us restore the defiled temples,</div>
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And their domes will shine at down.</div>
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Just give us the hope of forgiveness,</div>
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And our country will become powerful again.<br />
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God, please forgive us for everything:</div>
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For the crosses that were pulled off the churches,</div>
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For the killed Tzar,</div>
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And for the burnt icons...</div>
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God, please forgive us for everything!</div>
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</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-36938503309290425302012-03-30T10:52:00.002-07:002012-05-07T07:56:46.645-07:00Why Have I Never Heard of Vitas? Intro to Vitas<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6aRSvE8fJM/TmO9nJi52nI/AAAAAAAAA1g/XNp7P7TJ0Q0/s1600/vitas+escorted+by+bodyguards%252C+harbin+world+student+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6aRSvE8fJM/TmO9nJi52nI/AAAAAAAAA1g/XNp7P7TJ0Q0/s320/vitas+escorted+by+bodyguards%252C+harbin+world+student+games.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">escorted by a dozen Chinese soldiers</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>to protect him from fans</b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>[video below]</b></span></td></tr>
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AN INTRODUCTION TO VITAS & HIS MUSIC<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">VITAS IN CHINA</span><br />
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How did Vitas, the handsome young Russian pop star, a countertenor with over a five-octave range, become such an international smash and rise to be the one of the biggest celebrities in China- even though singing almost exclusively in Russian?<br />
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. . And need a dozen uniformed Chinese soldiers at the concert hall to protect him from a mob of hysterical fans, shrieking and pushing, and chanting "Vitas" -who in spite of the soldiers, manage to rip his shirt (VIDEO BELOW). Without intending to, Vitas (pronounced "Veee-tahs") seems to have become a bridge between east and west, a sort of "cultural ambassador" (to be explored in a forthcoming post).
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NCg-CjpsAds/TmQFrf4rmBI/AAAAAAAAA1k/yP_HP9M3Wkw/s1600/Vitas%252C+photo+by+Isimiel%252C+photobucket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NCg-CjpsAds/TmQFrf4rmBI/AAAAAAAAA1k/yP_HP9M3Wkw/s320/Vitas%252C+photo+by+Isimiel%252C+photobucket.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Do not use your microphone! </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Kremlin orders,
protect the chandeliers</b></span></td></tr>
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Surely Vitas could never have imagined what has happened- the hysterical fans; large concert halls selling out in an hour; playing to 50,000-seat concerts; a thousand people chanting 'bravo'; and be booked solid months in advance.<br />
<br />
Or that he would become the face of Mercedes-Benz of China. -With explosions!- VIDEO AT END, under "NOTES" -highly entertaining; includes another video of how they made those explosions! *<br />
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And numerous awards each year. Just this year 2011 alone, he made the Guiness Book of Records (Russian branch) for having the most fans; and won MTV Asia Best Foreign Artist. He is wildly popular across all of Asia, as well as his native Russia and Europe.
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And the question we in the USA ask is: with all this going on- Why have I never heard of Vitas?
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This post is an introduction to those who do not know of him. It's also my exploration to understand Vitas as a phenomenon. Part II to this post analyzes Vitas's mystique as a performer. Further posts focus on Vitas's popularity in China.<br />
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For this post I've packaged a general introduction to Vitas, with four world-favorite music videos that give an idea of why people like him so much. I give a link to all lyrics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRet64P6ZtJ8wSSBeMxi4vE89p-X0HOf7mN1k_xNyn4XWpS2XTiIfoIAbkmH8_lxa2Xf4ejMM0Hvka0NxuzWcPXmr6sT6RId33ahdxOJ1sfstWU8UO62JDhwn161M6RChHL34H9q13bwE/s1600/Vitas+Russian+by+trcayla+photobucket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRet64P6ZtJ8wSSBeMxi4vE89p-X0HOf7mN1k_xNyn4XWpS2XTiIfoIAbkmH8_lxa2Xf4ejMM0Hvka0NxuzWcPXmr6sT6RId33ahdxOJ1sfstWU8UO62JDhwn161M6RChHL34H9q13bwE/s1600/Vitas+Russian+by+trcayla+photobucket.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">incarnation #1: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;">flashy rugged
Russian boy</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">WORLD BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO</span><br />
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Around 2000, a striking, charming Russian boy from Odessa via Latvia** sang a flashy, most peculiar pop-rock song "Opera #2," punctuated with an arousing falsetto.
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2002 Vitas was the youngest artist to perform solo at the Kremlin. Here is Vitas as he began: at his most Russian, with rugged cheekbones and mysterious black-hooded violinists and accordionist, and a set-piece of people bowing.<br />
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He would go through a few transformations after that, but this is his first "incarnation."<br />
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It was largely through this internet video that Vitas gained his international fame, particularly in Russia and Asia.
Vitas's world breakthrough 'Opera #2'<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #242424; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sCGs-Qz3-eQ" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></span></div>
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Lyrics:
"My house has been built but I am alone here<br />
The door banged behind my back<br />
An autumn wind is knocking on the window. . ."<br />
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-to-all-introduction-to-vitas.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a><br />
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Vitas composed that song at 10 years old (elsewhere, 12 or even 7). He says he awoke in the middle of the night with the song in his head, and went to the piano to work it out. He says the high notes came from loneliness. The neighbors heard the singing and came running out into the street thinking it was a fire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qla-kFzmVAw/TnVLsfAdZJI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/PsGaMa7qlHE/s1600/Vitas+listens+to+audience%252C+2008+nanjing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qla-kFzmVAw/TnVLsfAdZJI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/PsGaMa7qlHE/s320/Vitas+listens+to+audience%252C+2008+nanjing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">His Fans Know All the Words </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vitas listens to audience</span></td></tr>
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During a Kremlin concert, Vitas's voice broke some part of a chandelier, I believe a light bulb. He is now forbidden to use a microphone there.
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He has one of the highest male voices in the world- a falsetto remarkably clear and sustained to such an unparalleled degree, even onstage, people assumed he must be lip synching. (Why in concerts now, he sometimes takes away the microphone.) No one knew falsetto could be so exciting.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">MOBBED BY FANS</span></div>
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Here is that video of Vitas mobbed by hysterical fans, guarded by Chinese soldiers in their camouflage, who chain their arms to form a protective circle around him; three-quarters in, you see them escorting him back afterwards, and you can count them: a dozen soldiers.<br />
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It's particularly amusing, to see an official literally stuffing dozens of crowding fans back outside the door and closing it in their faces. Vitas however was not amused, he looks a bit nervous. Vitas was coming to sing at the World Student Games in Harbin, China. Near the end, you see the beautiful ice skater pair skating to his singing. It is a fragment of his song Cranes Crying; the full version is further down in this post.<br />
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MOBBED BY FANS, 2009
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/utfVkoDIjHo?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">THE 'MAD SCENE'</span><br />
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Here is a second world-favorite music video, necessary in an introduction to Vitas. It shows the operatic side of Vitas, but also his flash and fire. The 'Mad Scene' is a tragic aria from a Donizetti opera. Lucia, going mad, unwittingly murders a husband she doesn't love, and, in bloodstained wedding dress, rapturously believes she is marrying her lover.<br />
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Ultimate in heartbreaking tragedy, this aria is famously used by coloratura sopranos to show off their range and expression, so Vitas took quite a chance to be compared.<br />
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Do not shut this video off too soon- it gets quite exciting halfway through. I'm assuming Vitas designed the costumes the violinists are wearing, as he is also a fashion designer.
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<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 'Mad Scene' (Il Dolce Suono, 'The Sweet Sound')
from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-itEweIgvVc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
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Lyrics:
". . . Alas! arises a tremendous phantom and separates us!<br />
Here let us take refuge, by the foot of the altar.<br />
Strewn is it with roses!<br />
A harmony celestial, do you not hear?<br />
Ah, the marriage hymn plays!. . ."
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I give the full libretto/lyrics in my previous post "<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/vitas-makes-exception-for-italian.html">Vitas Makes an Exception for Italian</a>," where I also consider Vitas's possible reasons for choosing it.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">CRANES CRYING</span><br />
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Here is a third music video I feel is also crucial for an introduction. This is his more traditional pop style, in what many agree is one of his most beautiful songs.<br />
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Note the grace of the little bow he gives in the beginning.
There are English subtitles.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hel8VPxwKj8?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i>Incarnation: Smooth cosmopolitan</i><br />
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Lyrics:<br />
"I meet your eyes,<br />
We haven’t talked about love<br />
For a long time already.<br />
I shall tell you about it<br />
With night rain,<br />
And you, with the rustle of leaves.<br />
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I shall cry with a wedge of cranes:
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'I love you!'. . ."<br />
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-to-all-introduction-to-vitas.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc0ELzu7SoGRhQRu7yxZYS1_WV5swyVK2u1-wD4XcJqsiOzzUrbQYTD4WhisWaeE6oNhzjGLYY67nETkK6RUuqXWGNZ3jRaJ4V-Tshtv0HWfB80j005IZM6NyoTnGL2LThVhJYeTQiZA/s1600/guru_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc0ELzu7SoGRhQRu7yxZYS1_WV5swyVK2u1-wD4XcJqsiOzzUrbQYTD4WhisWaeE6oNhzjGLYY67nETkK6RUuqXWGNZ3jRaJ4V-Tshtv0HWfB80j005IZM6NyoTnGL2LThVhJYeTQiZA/s200/guru_01.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">incarnation: When he began, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">he was more interested in novelty </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(<i>Blessed Guru</i> costume)</span></td></tr>
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Vitas's latest incarnation is not just about the new glittering tuxedo jackets. It goes very deep. When Vitas first began, he was more about romance, mystery, black-hooded musicians; he might sometimes have used the falsetto as a novelty. But over the years he becomes more genuine, begins using his extra range for feelings not novelty. The same with dance- at the beginning, his movements were boyishly exuberant. He still uses dance to accentuate the power of the songs, but it has developed it into something smooth and refined.<br />
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His voice, emotion and movement have become one, his entire body is part of the song.
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">incarnation: glittering white tuxedo</span></div>
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Vitas is already referred to as a "living legend." People have compared him to a Chinese "Elvis," and even a Michael Jackson. In fact Vitas recently was set to be in a Michael Jackson documentary, playing Michael Jackson- but as himself!- but then Jackson passed away and it was called off. When younger, Vitas contributed to his family by doing Jackson imitations. There is also a rumor that Vitas is making a film with Tom Cruise.
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Vitas gives charity concerts, although keeps quiet about it. The most well-known is the charity concert 2009, for the Sichuan earthquake.<br />
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Vitas is also a fashion designer, with creations ranging from fantastical to glamorous to risque.
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Opera #2 continues to be everyone's favorite. He performs it at every concert. It represents his initial bond with his audiences, the way old couples remember "our song." I imagine that's also a reason he still dons that big red scarf.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Pop Art- Vitas" </span><i>by </i><a href="http://5akurad1va.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=48#/d2j60kt"><i>5akurad1va @deviantart</i></a> </td></tr>
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However much the song is beloved, it is rude and ignorant to expect of any artist that he repeat himself. An artist is to follow his art. The question is, what incarnation is Vitas in now? That's where CHINA comes in. I discuss this in the forthcoming post.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">"MAMA"</span></div>
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No discussion of Vitas is complete without the song he wrote when his mother passed away, 'Mama,' from an entire record he did for her. It is the heart of his repertoire.<br />
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Some people dismiss this kind of pop style as sentimental, or Russian romanticism. But no matter what anyone thinks of the genre overall, they have to admit Vitas simply is different. In any genre, he expresses in a way others do not. It accounts in part for his cult status.<br />
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The rumor is, when she died he went away to Tibet for a year. In this video 2003 he had just written the song, and was really feeling it. This is as genuine as anything can be.<br />
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MAMA 2003<br />
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Incarnation: Vitas sad<br />
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Lyrics</div>
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". . . Forgive me with love for the last time<br />
How much I failed to understand...<br />
And I still have to understand so much!<br />
It seems that I loved too little<br />
If I failed to experience love<br />
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"Forgive me, my dear, for parting with you<br />
For my occasional letters<br />
In my thoughts I kiss your hand. . ."<br />
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-to-all-introduction-to-vitas.html">FULL LYRICS HERE</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">NOTES</span></span></div>
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* <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u0s7NgOFkY&feature=player_embedded">MERCEDES-BENZ China COMMERCIAL</a> (with explosions)</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8gRH1-59pE&feature=player_embedded">HOW THEY DID THE EXPLOSIONS</a> (hint: no special effects were used!) </div>
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** He is said to have one parent Jewish and one parent Russian, but no one seems to know which is which. Vitas himself, through clues in his lyrics, gives the impression that he is a practicing Christian. His outward attraction to Buddhism suggests some sort of influence as well.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">HELPFUL WEBSITES & Interviews</span></span></span></span></div>
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Lyrics: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/lyrics-to-all-introduction-to-vitas.html">Lyrics for all videos in this post are Here</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">SITES</span></div>
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<u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><a href="http://vitas.com.ru/en/calendar/2012-03">Vitas CONCERT Schedule, official website</a></span></u></div>
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<u><a href="http://www.vitasusa.com/vitas/">Vitas one month concert schedule: Photo slideshow</a></u></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">OFFICIAL WEBSITE, Vitas's awards & much info: <a href="http://www.vitas.com.ru/pressa_eng.php" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">vitas.com.ru</a> </span></b></span></div>
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FULL info, fan stories, interviews, videos etc: <a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/32467848" style="color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none;">vitaseurope.com/</a></div>
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FULL info: <a href="http://www.vitasusa.com/vitas/" style="color: #aa0033; text-decoration: none;">vitasusa.com</a> </div>
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FULL info: <a href="http://planetvitas.com/biography.html">planetvitas.com/biography</a></div>
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<a href="http://planetvitas.com/biography.html"></a>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/vitasusa">vitasusa on twitter</a></div>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/vitasusa"></a>Facebook1: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/vitasusa">Vitasusa on Facebook</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/vitasusa"></a>Facebook2: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/VitasEuropeNorway#!/VitasEuropeNorway?sk=wall">VitasEurope on Facebook</a></div>
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Videos: TV appearances, news etc: <u><a href="http://vitas.com.ru/china_reports_eng.php">Vitasusa news videos</a></u></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">INTERVIEWS in English</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/VitasEuropeNorway#!/VitasEuropeNorway?sk=wall"></a>Wikimusic Interview: <a href="http://www.wikimusicguide.com/Vitas/Interview">wikimusicguide.com Interview</a></div>
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TV Interview 2011: <a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/59840107">vitaseurope.com TV Interview 2011</a></div>
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Vitas's grandfather: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=318541373652&topic=16222">Interview with Grandfather</a></div>
"Vitas Meant to Be Heard, Not Sung": <a href="http://hi.baidu.com/%CC%EC%B5%C0%CB%E6%D0%C4/blog/item/508e9aec08566e3f269791d4.html">Heard Not Sung, baidu.com</a>
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Interview download with Producer 2009: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #242424; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px;"><a href="http://www.vitas.ro/kitej_grad/int_eng_S.Pudovkin.doc" style="color: #aa0033; text-decoration: none;">interview doc download, S.Pudovkin.doc</a></span></div>
<a href="http://www.vitaseurope.com/59840107"></a>
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</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-7451895607822655762012-03-30T08:26:00.005-07:002012-06-26T17:38:08.089-07:00Vitas the Great Seducer<div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">STRONG SILENT TYPE</span></div>
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Vitas barely seems to have a life, he is on tour all over the world I estimate three out of four weeks a month; spends it is said 5-6 hours a day practicing various styles of song and dance, and breathing; as well as meditation and sports. Plus time for writing and composing. The rumor goes that he composes at night.<br />
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A personality comes through of an athlete, his mind as tuned an instrument as his body; focused, and living to perform. It's clear in the videos how smooth and practiced he is, how powerful and consistent his voice is.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Incarnation: Sad. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Record for his mother, 'MAMA' 2003</span></div>
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For all this strength, he must guard what little privacy he can find. After facing the crowds, one imagines he goes home and pulls down the shades. In fact the rumor is that he stays in the basement and only comes upstairs in the evening. There is a rumor that when his mother passed away, Vitas went to Tibet for a year to recover. Vitas is private and grants few interviews, and then only with his producer-- who often steps in to take the questions for him.</div>
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Vitas seems a mystery. He never talks about his personal life, and it's a matter of speculation as to the simplest things, such as whether he was married [until recently he wheeled a baby carriage onstage].<br />
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He is a blank slate open to the imagination. Even his lyrics don't pin him down, as they are basically poems. He is the great seducer. Each person sees their own Vitas. Just as here I am giving you mine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Vitas confers with his producer;</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">for interviews, who often
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">VITAS IN CONCERT</span></div>
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His producer says Vitas is not mysterious on purpose, he's just not comfortable talking- he's more comfortable communicating with his music; and "looking them in the eyes."<br />
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The only real way to understand Vitas is to go to a concert. Vitas answers again and again- almost no matter what the question- that he cares only for his audience, their "hearts and respect." He particularly means his live audience.<br />
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One thing especially clear in any video, Vitas is always charmed and delighted and eager to please, with a radiant, appreciative smile for everything and everyone. Fans write that the more the audience yells and screams, the more playful and silly he becomes. Whatever people are feeling, Vitas clearly thrives on it and gives back. He seems genuinely devoted to his fans-- why would he take on such a grueling workload, the relentless touring, otherwise. A fortune is to be had at a fraction of the work.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qgqGqDcTl0BmUB4dxFJwIGcbmDxDSW3yalaUCRnOV-xyAA5NNCUeM1wKemr5rD8zDJMLuXflCpKWzzxJvq5sfLAhusNsacineh30c3w9jS_iiN3fdsY-g5v7M4RNHC6j0Ijug8ACuB8/s1600/Vitas+planets%252C+by+igor+guzei%252C+flckr+%2540vitasusa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qgqGqDcTl0BmUB4dxFJwIGcbmDxDSW3yalaUCRnOV-xyAA5NNCUeM1wKemr5rD8zDJMLuXflCpKWzzxJvq5sfLAhusNsacineh30c3w9jS_iiN3fdsY-g5v7M4RNHC6j0Ijug8ACuB8/s320/Vitas+planets%252C+by+igor+guzei%252C+flckr+%2540vitasusa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>photo: igor guzei</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;">Stories from fans approach reverence. Onstage, fans load him down with flower bouquets and gifts. People show off their Vitas tattoos. People write testimonials of how his voice has healed them of depression, pain, high blood pressure and other conditions. Fans bring jars of water to concerts, to catch the vibrations of his voice for a healing homeopathy. Fans want to touch him- or as one fan tells us, even to touch the hand of someone who's touched Vitas. It gets close to mystical. His producer named this state of mind "Planet Vitas." I begin to grasp, from watching many videos, that there's more to it, invisible to me, a magnetism in the concert hall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9afICuBaLbkFzIWXVdZFdMh9lvB-qBzQq3RaTrRIhWBSCRFHZ0guUiNMtwFqkyNCXGVe993bUNXCuBvMdiGL6LIf6HUOeMcepKaLLzOvB7DtAAeZgmCDZyeiwu2HNhAOKgcZ-TOg0dBQ/s1600/sergey+pudovkin%252C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9afICuBaLbkFzIWXVdZFdMh9lvB-qBzQq3RaTrRIhWBSCRFHZ0guUiNMtwFqkyNCXGVe993bUNXCuBvMdiGL6LIf6HUOeMcepKaLLzOvB7DtAAeZgmCDZyeiwu2HNhAOKgcZ-TOg0dBQ/s1600/sergey+pudovkin%252C.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The young producer who recognized the talent </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and made Vitas an international star. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is how Pudovkin looked over a decade ago </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">when he discovered Vitas</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">acting in a small improv theater.</span></td></tr>
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<br />
Vitas is very loyal. As a man who was hurtled to international stardom and 500,000-seat concert halls, you would think by now he would have changed his original choices of backup band, producer, and girlfriend, who all began with him when he was still unknown. But he took them all with him straight to the top. In fact he kept the same producer who discovered him at 19- even after he changed producers!<br />
<br />
As any great seducer, Vitas has ambiguity. I can't guarantee my facts; it was said by one commentator that Vitas and his producer like to spread little rumors for fun. Maybe he doesn't stay in the basement; or maybe the neighbors didn't really come running out (I think they did). Really, though, when we talk about Vitas we superimpose whatever we like onto him- all we can speak of is who is our own Vitas.<br />
<br />
His lyrics don't help pin him down, being largely poems themselves. Lyrics waver ambiguously between love for one person and love for all. his mannerisms give an ambiguous sexuality; he unites east and west in himself (more on that in the subsequent post). One fansite even romanticized him as a vampire, the staple of teen romance at the moment.<br />
<br />
I understand and hope if- when- I see him, something magical may happen to me. I will happily join the cult of Vitas. Trying to analyze the "spell" of Vitas- as admittedly I am doing- is like trying to "pin down a butterfly." You understand its anatomy but have lost the whole point of a butterfly.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></span></div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-73524816802498816332012-03-30T08:14:00.004-07:002012-03-30T19:36:18.304-07:00How I Wrote the Vitas Posts<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lvAzX58rpy8/TnVuHzKU0LI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Q1Qriodyceg/s1600/vitas+concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lvAzX58rpy8/TnVuHzKU0LI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Q1Qriodyceg/s320/vitas+concert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I believe that to understand Vitas is TO SEE HIM IN CONCERT. That his concert performances explain everything- the effect on his fans amounting to worship; And particularly, explain his unprecedented effect on the Chinese people.</div>
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But my disclaimer is, I have never seen him in concert.</div>
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I have gathered all my facts from the web, a notoriously misleading and inaccurate method of research. Sites merely cut and paste information until every site says the same thing, giving an illusion of truth. There is no way to separate rumor from fact.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mH5DUjTdmr4/TnVrYHLPkuI/AAAAAAAAA3g/V6EPiYaFZSE/s1600/vitas+shores+of+russia%252C+piggyback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mH5DUjTdmr4/TnVrYHLPkuI/AAAAAAAAA3g/V6EPiYaFZSE/s320/vitas+shores+of+russia%252C+piggyback.jpg" width="213" /></a>There is very little information about Vitas online. The best information comes from fans- real research involves reading through comments in hundreds of Vitas fansites, and in the comment strings beneath the hundreds of song videos. I did not do this. As for interviews, I found only very few in English, the rest being in Chinese with his answers in Russian. </div>
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Much of what I found could have been misinformation or rumor. Note that I continually had to write "Supposedly" "possibly" "apparently." One interviewer even claimed that Vitas and his producer purposely put out rumors, those sly devils.</div>
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But I am not an investigative reporter. The songs and links I found were found at random. I cannot establish that these are indeed the very best, it is only what I found. I take what I find and run. If you see mistakes, please contact me.</div>
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My focus is not on facts but my interpretation of the phenomenon that is Vitas. I focus on the videos, trying to understand his "spell." The very fact that there is so much mystery and misinformation further establishes my point, Vitas's cult role, or living legend (they say in Asia).</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgRPVrwSlpg/TnVuvV5EI7I/AAAAAAAAA3o/uWcUyMi-Di8/s1600/vitas+moondancer%252C+vitasusa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgRPVrwSlpg/TnVuvV5EI7I/AAAAAAAAA3o/uWcUyMi-Di8/s320/vitas+moondancer%252C+vitasusa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some might say I'm trying to pin down a butterfly, so to speak, and I do not disagree. It's my nature to analyze and we all gotta do what we gotta do. This is why I include quotations from emotional concertgoers. I hope to be among their number, whenever Vitas comes back to the USA.</div>
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</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-53502877935729116552012-03-30T08:10:00.000-07:002012-03-30T19:40:02.961-07:00LYRICS for Vitas introductions<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Lyrics from the post</div>
<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-have-i-never-heard-of-vitas-vitas.html">Why Have I Never Heard of Vitas?</a><br />
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LIST of Songs in this Post:<br />
1) Opera #2<br />
2) Cranes Crying<br />
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3) "Mad Scene" from Lucia di Lammamoor:
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this post for lyrics (at end): </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/vitas-makes-exception-for-italian.html">Vitas Makes an Exception for Italian</a></span><br />
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4) Extraterrestrial Friend<br />
5) Mama<br />
6) The Star<br />
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<a href="http://www.vitaslyrics.com/Vitas_English_Lyrics.html">You can also find most Vitas lyrics at this link</a>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Opera 2, Kremlin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">maoyi, photobucket</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">OPERA #2</span><br />
2000
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCGs-Qz3-eQ&feature=player_embedded">Link to Video</a><br />
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LYRICS<br />
My house has been built but I am alone here<br />
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The door banged behind my back</div>
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An autumn wind is knocking on the window</div>
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Crying over me all over again...</div>
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Thunderstorm at night and fog in the morning...<br />
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The sun has turned completely cold</div>
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Old pains are following one another </div>
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Let them all get together!<br />
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My house has been built but I am alone here</div>
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The door banged behind my back</div>
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An autumn wind is knocking on the window</div>
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Crying over me all over again...</div>
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This is Fate and I can't </div>
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Ask anything of Fate!</div>
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I just know how the winds </div>
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Will be wailing after I'm gone<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TSmSzGqjh_Y/TmQ9vXQ3oAI/AAAAAAAAA2E/tr2Z2txjzZw/s1600/vitas+angel+by+bostonvmi%252C+flckr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TSmSzGqjh_Y/TmQ9vXQ3oAI/AAAAAAAAA2E/tr2Z2txjzZw/s200/vitas+angel+by+bostonvmi%252C+flckr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>bostonvmi, flckr</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CRANES CRYING</span></div>
2006
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/aliceborolien#p/u/7/Hel8VPxwKj8">Link to Video</a> (with subtitles)<br />
<br />
LYRICS<br />
I meet your eyes,<br />
We haven’t talked about love<br />
For a long time already.<br />
I shall tell you about it<br />
With night rain,<br />
And you, with the rustle of leaves.
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<br />
I shall cry with a wedge of cranes:
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“I love you!”
<br />
And shall answer with a head wind:
<br />
“I love you.”<br />
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No, I have enough words,<br />
Like spring has enough flowers,<br />
But no word can express<br />
That of all luminaries that I loved,<br />
Only the Moon can be compared to you.
<br />
<br />
I shall cry with a wedge of cranes:
<br />
“I love you!”
<br />
And shall answer with a head wind: <br />
“I love you.”<br />
<br />
Let winds, rains, and cry of bird flocks far away<br />
Be our talking about love...<br />
<br />
...And I shall answer with a head wind:
<br />
“I love you...”<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The "MAD SCENE"</span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Il Dolce Suono)
from Donizetti's opera LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2006</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-itEweIgvVc&feature=player_embedded">Link to Video</a></span> </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See lyrics at end of the post:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://russiasings.blogspot.com/2012/03/vitas-makes-exception-for-italian.html">Vitas Makes an Exception for Italian</a>"</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0m5FTKPKGVo/TmlIB3HI4FI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/D8BWRKUvKdE/s1600/vitas%252C+mama%252C+w+dove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0m5FTKPKGVo/TmlIB3HI4FI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/D8BWRKUvKdE/s200/vitas%252C+mama%252C+w+dove.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This 2003 concert is particularly poignant, as he had only just written the song.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MAMA</span><br />
2003<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TzJx9icL1I&feature=player_embedded">Link to Video</a><br />
LYRICS<br />
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I can hardly put into words<br />
Those feelings rooted deep in my soul<br />
How can I explain it?<br />
At nights
I stay awake because of haunting thoughts<br />
It's you, mum, I recall again and again<br />
My dear, my sweet one, please forgive me<br />
For I've always been so stubborn<br />
Have been searching for hard ways<br />
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Forgive me, my dear, for parting with you<br />
For my occasional letters<br />
In my thoughts I kiss your hand<br />
And your tightly pressed lips<br />
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I often cry when I remember<br />
How I used to hurt you at times<br />
Forgive me, my dear!<br />
Forgive me with love for the last time<br />
How much I failed to understand...<br />
And I still have to understand so much!<br />
It seems that I loved too little<br />
If I failed to experience love...<br />
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Forgive me, my dear, for parting with you<br />
For my occasional letters<br />
In my thoughts I kiss your hand<br />
And your tightly pressed lips<br />
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Your love is love without measure<br />
Your hopes and dreams...<br />
Forgive me for my impertinent manners<br />
Which upset you so much<br />
Now I know more about life<br />
I managed to understand a lot of things<br />
I remember all your care<br />
Longing to embrace you.<br />
<br />
Forgive me, my dear, for parting with you<br />
For my occasional letters<br />
In my thoughts I kiss your hand<br />
And your tightly pressed lips
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ew7e3JXEVE/TmlI3D4bE5I/AAAAAAAAA2c/gEJg2LOiZLM/s1600/vitas%252C+the+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ew7e3JXEVE/TmlI3D4bE5I/AAAAAAAAA2c/gEJg2LOiZLM/s1600/vitas%252C+the+star.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">THE STAR</span></div>
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2003</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viwLOxKwwFE">Link to Video</a> (with subtitles)</div>
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LYRICS</div>
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So many times I asked myself</div>
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What for I was born into this world and grew up</div>
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And why the clouds float and rains pour</div>
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You shouldn't expect anything for yourself in this world<br />
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I would fly up to the clouds but I have no wings</div>
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That starlight lures me from afar</div>
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But it's hard to reach the star though the goal is close at hand</div>
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And I don't know if I 'll have enough strength for the throw</div>
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I'll wait just a little bit more</div>
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And then will get ready for my journey</div>
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Towards the Dream and Hope</div>
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Oh my star, please don't burn out, just wait!<br />
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How many paths do I have to go by?</div>
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How many peaks should I conquer to find my own self?</div>
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How long should I keep falling from the cliff?</div>
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How many times should I start from the beginning and is there any sense to it?</div>
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I'll wait just a little bit more</div>
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And then will get ready for my journey</div>
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Towards the Dream and Hope</div>
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Oh my star, please don't burn out, just wait!</div>
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</div>Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-911558029026412198.post-4866345996068262352012-03-29T20:25:00.001-07:002013-01-29T17:02:21.894-08:00Vitas Makes an Exception for Italian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Russian pop star Vitas</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">major celebrity in China.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Escorted through a crowd of fans </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by a dozen Chinese uniformed soldiers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vitas does what Vitas wants to do? For almost a decade, Vitas sang mainly in his native language, with few exceptions. The most interesting exception was Italian, because Vitas sings arias taking the female role.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Italian is the "language of song," and certainly of opera, to which Vitas aspires, in his own characteristically pop way. It shows the operatic side of Vitas, but also his flash and fire.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0js-jZC6v_IHBrman0BFhmMG0kOYMLkAOFCeLTx2KZtKZ5Rswwy0xyTwvLPOPCmOjq0e1jmjGzRtr2WqrrPuPJmehxLjaBHUmnBSfqtpxMJunwdgsgh5OIc_wBc9J8j7ZfrDe575kXo/s1600/blue+diva%252C+The+Fifth+Element%252C+voiced+by+Inva+Mula-Tchako+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0js-jZC6v_IHBrman0BFhmMG0kOYMLkAOFCeLTx2KZtKZ5Rswwy0xyTwvLPOPCmOjq0e1jmjGzRtr2WqrrPuPJmehxLjaBHUmnBSfqtpxMJunwdgsgh5OIc_wBc9J8j7ZfrDe575kXo/s200/blue+diva%252C+The+Fifth+Element%252C+voiced+by+Inva+Mula-Tchako+.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Fifth Element</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> alien</span><br />
voiced by Albanian soprano<br />
Inva Mula-Tchako</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is one of the few official videos that is more exciting than his live videos. With some energetic golden ladies, he sings the "Mad Scene" from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. You may recognize this aria from the movie The Fifth Element, sung by an equally mysterious tender blue alien soprano.</span>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xM-o65WGDSQ/TiY8LS7aRzI/AAAAAAAAA0E/elvZljOpjBc/s1600/Galli-Curci%252C+Amelita+as+Lucia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xM-o65WGDSQ/TiY8LS7aRzI/AAAAAAAAA0E/elvZljOpjBc/s320/Galli-Curci%252C+Amelita+as+Lucia.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Amelita Galli-Curci </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">as Lucia
1915 with Caruso</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This aria is particularly famous for coloratura sopranos to show off their range and expression, adding ornamentation, turns, trills and cadenzas. The perfect opportunity for our showman Vitas to show off his over five-octave range.</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because this is opera, you know that Lucia's love story is going to go Romeo and Juliet, as it does. But the end is far more macabre: Lucia, thinking her lover doesn't love her anymore, marries another man, then on her wedding night. . . well, goes quite mad.
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now we know that she is either going to prison or to die, and our horror and sorrow is underscored by the high poignancy of this aria, as still in her wedding dress (with blood- see photo below), she thinks she is about to marry her lover.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her doomed joy gives this aria its bitter beauty, as you see from the lyrics below, which I recommend reading first.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;">Do not shut this video off too soon- it gets quite exciting halfway through. I'm assuming Vitas designed the costumes the violinists are wearing, as he is also a fashion designer.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Il dolce suono": The "Mad Scene" </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor</i></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-itEweIgvVc" width="560"></iframe>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lyrics:</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">". . . Alas! arises a tremendous phantom and separates us!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here let us take refuge, by the foot of the altar.</span></div>
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Strewn is it with roses!</div>
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A harmony celestial, do you not hear?</div>
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Ah, the marriage hymn plays!. . ."</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
Italian is the language of music legend; opera composers in particular. While Austria claims Mozart, and though he occasionally used German, Mozart for the most part wrote opera in Italian. And there is Caruso, the ultimate Italian tenor, who reached high C, and remains the name we associate with opera, no matter how scratchy his recordings or dubious his legacy.</span></i></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Caruso, legend</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is not the only Italian song Vitas sings, but it's more than enough on its own.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In acknowledgment of his Chinese fans, Vitas has lately learned Chinese and begun to sing a few popular Chinese songs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_nW_cRK8CqPUVDbx_ORNlVsFZgSFvgJVweGq5usTQURAkXNRwVY-AOSD-2Cw1Mj0gU8xuYyUGcALQFpIXvVa3-PsH2BiQrcKhBuA-1WCLlCQdcjApChhRGcJRCt3SUv6f_41TSoR5As/s1600/vitas%252C+photo+by+mymimi74%252C+photobucket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_nW_cRK8CqPUVDbx_ORNlVsFZgSFvgJVweGq5usTQURAkXNRwVY-AOSD-2Cw1Mj0gU8xuYyUGcALQFpIXvVa3-PsH2BiQrcKhBuA-1WCLlCQdcjApChhRGcJRCt3SUv6f_41TSoR5As/s200/vitas%252C+photo+by+mymimi74%252C+photobucket.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Vitas</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Italian, the language of Song</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Il dolce suono": The "Mad Scene" </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LYRICS</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sweet sound, hits me, his voice!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ah, that voice into my heart decends!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Edgardo, I surrender to you</span></div>
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A chill creeps into my breast!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3oda15hT14/TiY_BxWLOsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/HzTfMOwX2g8/s1600/joan+sutherland+as+lucia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3oda15hT14/TiY_BxWLOsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/HzTfMOwX2g8/s320/joan+sutherland+as+lucia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the wedding dress </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Dame Joan Sutherland</i></span></div>
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trembles every fiber!</div>
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falters my foot!<br />
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Near the fountain next to me sit a while!</div>
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Alas! arises a tremendous phantom and separates us!</div>
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Here let us take refuge, by the foot of the altar.</div>
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Strewn is it with roses!</div>
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A harmony celestial, do you not hear?</div>
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Ah, the marriage hymn plays!</div>
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The ceremony for us draws near! Happiness!</div>
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Oh, joy that one feels and does not speak of!</div>
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The incense burns!</div>
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Brilliant the sacred torches, shining all around!</div>
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Here is the minister!</div>
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Give me your right hand!</div>
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Oh, joyous day!<br />
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At last, I am yours, at last you are mine,</div>
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to me you have been given by God.</div>
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Every pleasure is more grateful,</div>
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(it is) to me, with you, more sweet</div>
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From peaceful heaven a smile</div>
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life to us will be.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Translation by Ilya Speranza (ISperanza@aol.com)</span></i></div>
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Russia Songhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18163726977008484914noreply@blogger.com2