A still from the modern Kunqu Opera drama “Qu Qiubai”.Photo courtesy of Shi Xiaming
The efforts made by Kunqu opera people in the past dynasties are to constantly improve their understanding of Kunqu opera in the process of carefully guarding it; on the basis of conforming to the laws of art, adding the creation of each generation
The 2022 Chinese Opera Hundred Opera Ceremony, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, will be held in Kunshan. This is the third Kunqu Opera modern drama created and arranged by Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Theatre in recent years. Looking back on the way of creation, I feel a lot of emotion and gain.
How to make the audience feel the clear division of Kunqu Opera and see the stylized and virtual opera performance is the first problem to be solved in the creation of modern and contemporary Kunqu Opera themes. Fortunately, since I participated in the rehearsal of modern opera, I have received strong support and strict control from senior performing artists such as Shi Xiaomei, Hu Jinfang, Zhao Jian, etc., so that we have established the direction of modern opera creation that adheres to the essence of Kunqu Opera.
Kunqu Opera has a standardized and stylized performance system, and it is necessary to insist on shaping the characters according to the profession, so that each character on the stage has a clear return. Taking the characters I play as an example, in the modern Kunqu Opera drama “Mei Lanfang: Mei Lang of the Year”, Mei Lanfang in different periods is portrayed as a towel student and a junior official student. In the modern Kunqu Opera drama “Jiangjiang City”, Liu Yipeng, a doctor who is fighting on the front line of the epidemic, is portrayed with a towel, showing his elegance and intelligence. In the Kunqu Opera modern drama “Qu Qiubai”, a small official and student interpret the stern character of the revolutionary hero Qu Qiubai.
“Sing four or two, read a thousand pounds.” Nianbai occupies an important position in opera performances. In modern operas, if the performance is performed in accordance with the traditional rhythm of rhyme and white, it will not be in tune with the rhythm of modern life; if rhyme and bai are abandoned and used in Mandarin, the charm of Kunqu opera will be lost. This requires adjustments to the rhythm and speed of rhyme white. On the basis of retaining the musicality of the traditional Kunqu rhythm and rhythm, we read it at a rhythm that is closer to contemporary people’s sense of speech, which is more in line with the audience’s aesthetics and easier for the audience to accept. The aria has also been adjusted accordingly, and most of the arias use a medium-to-fast rhythm.
Adhering to the virtual and stylized expression is the consistent creative principle of modern Kunqu Opera plays. The third scene “White Night” of Kunqu Opera “Mei Lanfang: Mei Lang of the Year” revolves around Mei Lanfang and rickshaw driver Li Ada. We simulated the form of pulling a rickshaw and riding a rickshaw on the stage, using a leather-woven hemp rope and an oil lamp as image props, and borrowing from traditional programs such as “getting on a horse” and “boarding” and other program methods, and finally through the design A series of combined poses to express the action of “getting on a rickshaw”. In the play, after Mei Lanfang is seated, the driver and Mei Lanfang always maintain the same distance. The driver saves his legs and bows, and Mei Lanfang keeps his body upright to form a staggered shape, simulating the posture of a rickshaw. The change of field type scheduling, the slow pace of the round field, and the staggered posture, simulate the stopping, turning and staggering of the rickshaw. In Kunqu Opera “Jianjiang City”, we further explore how to properly express the inner activities of contemporary characters through stylized body movements. In the few steps Liu Yipeng appeared on the stage, the stage steps of the opera were matched with body language and the rhythm of the music, expressing his emotional state. Kunqu Opera “Qu Qiubai” attempts to stylize and condense some behaviors in life. At the suggestion of Mr. Shi Xiaomei, we designed a set of programmed movements for wiping glasses in the confrontation between Qu Qiubai and Wang Jiefu. From taking off the glasses to putting on the glasses again, to raising the eyes to make an appearance, every action pauses in accordance with the rhythm of reading the white, which plays the role of externalizing the character’s heart.
Going back to tradition to find a way is an effective basic creative method. For example, each fold of the Kunqu Opera “Qu Qiubai” is divided into two parts: “day” and “night”: “day” corresponds to Qu Qiubai’s life course; “night” shows the inner world of the protagonist through both real and fantasy stage techniques. In the first scene of “Qu Qiubai”, “Trace to the Origin”, in order to express the changes in Qu Qiubai’s thoughts in prison, we borrowed the figure of the Kunqu Opera “Peony Pavilion: A Dream”. In the play, Qu Qiubai is lying in front of the desk, first falling to the left and then to the right. In such a half-dream and half-awake state, Qu Qiubai slowly got up, and his thoughts shifted to the “Qu’s Ancestral Hall” where he grew up. This attempt made full use of the advantages of opera to replace reality with virtuality and create infinite expression space on a limited stage, and achieved good stage effects.
Tradition is the foundation. Only by relying on the inheritance and accumulation of traditional art can we have the courage and the means to innovate in modern and contemporary themes. The efforts made by Kunqu opera people in the past dynasties are to continuously improve their understanding of Kunqu opera in the process of carefully guarding it; on the basis of conforming to the laws of art, adding the creation of each generation to make this ancient art form a sustainable development. A virtuous circle. It is the responsibility of our generation of Kunqu Opera people to strive to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese excellent traditional culture, so that it can be integrated with contemporary culture. Only in this way, the art of Kunqu Opera can maintain its vitality and vitality forever, and can it be passed on from generation to generation. (Shi Xiaming National First-Class Actor)
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责编：张诗奇 ]