As Beijing counts down to the 2008 Games, world-class musicians
are locked in a heated contest to compose the Olympic theme
tune.
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Famed Italian composer Giorgio Moroder, a multi-Grammy and
multi-Oscar awards winner, is one of the numerous composers
interested in writing the song.
The beginning of the song should include some Chinese string
music and singing by a Chinese child, said Moroder on the sidelines
of an Olympic music forum last Friday in Beijing.
"Children are our future, and many successful Olympic songs were
performed by kids," said Moroder, who suggested that a national
singing contest should be organized to select over 1,000 children
aged between five and 10, the best of whom would perform at the
opening ceremony.
"At the core part of the song, the thematic lyric 'One World One
Dream' should be repeated by one Chinese singer and a foreign
singer," Moroder said, adding that he would also find an
appropriate Chinese word to end the song with, as he did for "Hand
in Hand," the song he wrote for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
"Hand in Hand" was regarded as the best ever Olympic theme song
by former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan
Antonio Samaranch.
In fact, Moroder's connection with Beijing Olympics can be
traced back to 1993 when he produced "Good Luck Beijing" for the
city's bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
This time round the famed composer is working with renowned
Chinese contemporary pianist Kong Xiangdong, who will help acquaint
him with Chinese music.
The two previously worked together composing the "Garden of
Harmony" for Shenyang China International Horticultural Exposition
2006.
Besides Moroder, Quincy Jones, the famed American musician,
composer, conductor and producer, best known for his work on
Michael Jackson's "Thriller," has also offered to write a theme
tune for the 2008 Olympics.
Like Moroder, who plans to use Chinese instruments in his song,
73-year-old Jones said his work would contain many international
elements but its core would be Chinese culture. He said he hopes it
could teach the world much more about China.
Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing
Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), extended his
thanks to the foreign master composers for their enthusiasm. He
said their examples may inspire more artists from around the world
to offer songs for the Games.
Jiang said the public search for Olympic songs will continue and
the final choice will be made in 2008.
BOCOG launched a five-year project to solicit tunes from amateur
and professional composers in April 2003. So far the contest's
three rounds have seen 23 songs chosen from thousands of
entries.
The theme song will be selected from a short list in 2008.
The forth Olympic Songs Solicitation Campaign will start next
year.
(China Daily July 21, 2006)
