Song Zuying, Molihua (Jasmine Flower) and the Beijing Olympics 2008

I'm a big fan of Chinese soprano Song Zuying...

She's the last torch bearer of Beijing's Olympic Games!

It's so very nice to watch her at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
closing ceremony!
Song Zuying and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo performed at
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony held in the
National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China,
Aug. 24, 2008. Title of the song is "The Flame Of Love", sung
in Mandarin and English.

"The Flame Of Love" (with lyrics)


The Singer:
Song Zuying has won numerous gold prizes of various kinds of
competition for vocal music and accompanied the delegations
for artistic exchanges touring Europe, Australia, the United States,
Canada and southeast Asia.

She has held solo concerts in Sydney Opera House (2002),
The Golden Hall in Vienna, Austria (2003), and The Kennedy
Center, USA (2006)

I'd previously featured Song Zuying twice in this blog with her
most popular song "Mo Li Hua":

What a beautiful "Mo Li Hua"

Song Zuying - Concert in The Kennedy Center, USA

"Molihua" (Jasmine Flower) - The Song:
The classic Chinese tune of "Molihua", (Jasmine Flower), played
on ancient metal bells and modern jade chimes, has been chosen
as the theme song for the Beijing Olympics 2008 medal ceremonies,
adapted by composer Tan Dun.

"From Puccini to the Beijing Olympics, this melody is a gift from
the Chinese people to the world's athletes".

Molihua dates back to ancient times in China, but it became
known around the world when it was used by Italian composer
Giacomo Puccini in his opera Turandot.

Molihua is such an iconic piece it is almost a cultural symbol of
China, so everybody thought it was a great choice.

A four-part composition, co-written by Tan Dun and Wang Hesheng,
a composer with the Army orchestra, will be played before, during
and after each of the 302 medal ceremonies.

The main melody, which Tan Dun described as "glorious, heart
warming and full of respect", was recorded using the digital
recording of a 2,450-year-old bell set excavated from a site in
Hubei.
Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony:

"Molihua" (Jasmine) - The Flower:
Jasmine is a very popular flower because of its unique fragrance.
It is native to tropical and warm temperate regions around the world.

Jasmine is believed to have originated in the Himalayas in western
China. Jasmine flowers are white in most species, but some species
bear yellow flowers as well.

The essential oil extracted from Jasmine flower are used extensively
in cosmetics (such as creams, oils, soaps, and shampoos) and
perfumery, and as a calmative (relaxing properties, sedative) and
aphrodisiac.

Some Popular Jasmine Varieties are:

Common Jasmine - commonly called poet's Jasmine, is native to
Iran, with fragrant white flowers that are the source of attar of
Jasmine used in perfumery.

Winter Jasmine - a Chinese species with solitary yellow flowers.

Spanish Jasmine - a semi-evergreen to deciduous vine with
fragrant, white flowers.

Italian Jasmine - an evergreen shrub, which can grow up to 20
feet tall, with fragrant, bright yellow flowers.

Primrose Jasmine - an evergreen shrub with yellow, unscented
flowers.

Downy Jasmine - also called Jasmine multiflorum. It has clustered,
slightly scented white flowers.

Tags: Song+Zuying Jasmine+Flower Molihua Placido+Domingo Tan+Dun Giacomo+Puccini Turandot Beijing+Olympics+2008 The+Flame+Of+Love