After the Cultural Revolution, Tian's climb onto the operatic stage began with two fortuitous steps: first, his acceptance into the re-inaugural class of Beijing's newly reopened Central Conservatory, and second, his studies with the Italian baritone Gino Bechi, the first western opera star invited to teach in China. Tian, who had never seen a western opera, auditioned with a Schubert Lied, much to Bechi's chagrin. 'He said I had a nice voice, but he could only help me if I wanted to sing opera. I had no idea what that meant, but I said, "Yes, Maestro, I want to be an opera singer"'. Now a veteran of the world's most prominent opera stages, Tian has established a particularly close relationship with New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he has appeared every season since 1991. From his Met début as Billy Jackrabbit in La fanciulla del West ('I guess they thought I looked like an Indian', he laughs), Tian has worked his way through the company into such major roles as Oroveso in Norma, Walter in Luisa Miller and Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Virtually from the start of his career, however, Tian has been cast in major roles in European companies. 'There are many fine singers in China, but because it is not our culture, singing western opera is probably the most difficult job we could undertake', he says. It is a particular testament to Tian's success that, of the nearly fifty roles in his repertoire, he has often been the first Chinese performer ever to embody a particular character. 'I have chosen the arias for this recording because they are very meaningful to me personally and professionally', he says. 'They are my life and blood'.