Large-scale historical drama Chibi, or Red Cliff visits Europe.

Tour Information:

Burgtheater Wien：
29 June, Red Cliff, Cast by Yu Kuizhi, Li Shengsu and Li Hongtu
30 June, Red Cliff, Cast by Zhang Jianfeng, Dou Xiaoxuan and Li Hongtu
1 July,  Red Cliff, Cast by Yu Kuizhi, Li Shengsu and Li Hongtu
2 July, Peking Opera Gala (“At the Cross Roads”, “Autumn River”, “Farewell My Concubine” and “Presenting a Pearl on Rainbow Bridge”)

Hungarian State Opera House Budapest：
4 July, Red Cliff, Cast by Yu Kuizhi, Li Shengsu and Li Hongtu
5 July, Red Cliff, Cast by Zhang Jianfeng, Dou Xiaoxuan and Li Hongtu

National Theatre Prague：
9 July, Red Cliff, Cast by Zhang Jianfeng, Dou Xiaoxuan and Li Hongtu
10 July, Red Cliff, Cast by Zhang Jianfeng, Dou Xiaoxuan and Li Hongtu

Details: Click here and here.

It’s not her favorite opera, but Fern already bought her ticket – it cost 13.000 HUF. Bertrand will kill me but I’ll see the performance with the “secondary” cast. I’m a bit sad that they didn’t hire Jin Xiquan for the youngster cast as it’s customary, but that’s OK, Li Hongtu will suit the taste of the European audience better.

Wang Yue as Cao Cao, Du Zhe as Lu Su are for my liking. But…
I…have to…meet… Zhu Qiang.  How much does a parlor maid outfit cost?

You can download the full opera here.

(addition)

Li Shengsu has this habit of posting photos on which everyone makes a funny face…

Li Hongtu, Du Zhe, Yu Kuizhi rehearse Red Cliff

Not bad at the age of 62, right?

Guess what, Li Shaochun’s legendary repertoire misses Battle of Weinan. This drama is the most astonishing and spectacular one from all the plays that tell Three Kingdoms stories; many heard about it, but there are very few who actually had the opportunity to see it. 50 years ago he was rehearsing this play with Yuan Shihai, but for some reason they had to cancel the performance.

“Nowadays my goal is to unearth things taught by our predecessors.”, said Li Baochun.
A few years ago, he and one of his colleagues started to look for the script of Battle of Weinan, and after a long search they found it in the library of The National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts.
“It was covered with dust, moreover it had only rehearsal directions and two excerpts, it just wasn’t enough for a full play.”

As a last option, Li Baochun had to find those old people still alive who participated in or witnessed the rehearsals.

“First I found dad’s assistant, Cao Yunqing, he’s already 80 years old and hardly can walk, he remembered some details but could explain them only in words. Unexpectedly turned out that Chang Guixiang has seen the rehearsals, and he could explain two moves in depth. And this was all the material we had.”

This evening, Li Baochun paid his dad’s score before the Shanghai audience with a traditional and at the same time innovative Battle of Weinan, based on memories and his own approach and new ideas. For the role of Ma Chao they invited Tian Lei, that I personally am very happy with.

 
Li Baochun and Tian Lei in action

Besides Battle of Weinan, tomorrow’s Hit with the Golden Brick also contains this kind of “newly excavated” stuff, so stay tuned! For today, here are some more beautiful photos by 狠老虎不喂:

Sorry guys, no girls in this play.

Article: Liberation Daily

(update)
I found the full opera at CCTV.com in five parts, it’s a 2009 performance, not very splendid in quality and smallish in size, but the story! Wow! Not a light comedy. How jealousy can spoil a childhood friendship. Very moving! Check out the opening and the ending scene. Brilliant!

You don’t need to build insane stage sets to achieve the large-scale feeling. The battle scene towards the end or the dinner preparation scene around the first ten minutes is more than unique, I’m not sure I would be daring enough to come up with this kind of music in a Beijing opera. Worth to watch. Worked on me.

→ 京剧《孙膑与庞涓》Sun Bin and Pang Juan  [Part1] [Part2] [Part3] [Part4] [Part5]

As title indicates, the main purpose of the one-week festival is to strengthen the loose tie between mainland and Taiwanese jingju.

As Li Baochun explains, Taiwanese audience rarely can see famous mainland performers. Due to China’s expanding economics, they can’t afford to invite the most prestigious mainland productions to the island – it’s just too expensive.

Article: Shanghai News Times

Taiwan also lacks performers: after graduation, only 5% of the students stay in the Peking Opera business. Moreover, Taiwan’s jingju scene doesn’t have many famous performers and teachers from various schools, thus Taiwanese spectators don’t pay particular attention to Beijing opera schools, rather tend to judge each character in a production based on their individual styles.

Although there’s no contradiction between “tradition” and “innovation”, new plays always meet some kind of resistance first, both in China and Taiwan.
Li Baochun smilingly said, Taiwanese audience likes “action”, thus artists do their best to satisfy these needs while safeguarding the core essence of traditional jingju at the same time.

Offstage…

…onstage.

Photos of today’s Sun Bin and Pang Juan by 狠老虎不喂:

Title: “两岸流芳” Both Shores leave Good Reputation – 2012 Jingju and Kunqu Festival
Date: 2012/02/16 – 2012/02/24
Place: Shanghai Grand Theater
Details: Li Baochun and the Liyuan Jingju Troupe from Taipei will stage three full operas and a highlights performance. The closing “big boom” on 23-24 February will be Wang Peiyu and Taiwanese actress Wei Haimin’s Tale of the White Snake.
Shanghai Grand Theater provided excellent story descriptions in English, check them out here and here!

On 11 February, Li Baochun already held a course of lectures about his “new-old dramas”. Innovation is a tradition in the Li family.

Does Li Baochun look 62? Nope, in my opinion.

2012/02/16 19:15 —《孙膑与庞涓》Large-scale new jingju saga Sun Bin and Pang Juan

2012/02/17 19:15 —《奇冤报》aka.《乌盆记》“Baochun-ized” jingju Vengeance in a Black Pot

2012/02/18 19:15 —《渭南之战》Large-scale new jingju The Battle of Weinan

2012/02/19 19:15 —《柜中缘-打金砖》Jingju excerpts Love in the Wardrobe – The Gold Bar Hit
(comedy & tragedy, not bad)

2012/02/23-24 19:30 —《白蛇传》Jingju classic The Legend of the Silver Serpent

Very nice festival, I just don’t get one thing: where is the kunqu in the program?

Unusual (may I say never seen before) artistic elements, beautiful costumes, lovable performers – everything is together to have a good time while watching Hua Rui.

The Jiangsu Jingju Troupe staged this new play in Wuhan, at the 6th National Beijing Opera Festival on 8 September last year, with the cast of Li Jie, Yan Zhen, Sheng Haining and Fu Xiru. The latter was borrowed from Shanghai for the role of the acrobatic and arrogant Prince Charming – jackpot.

Title: 京剧《花蕊》Hua Rui

Date: 2011/09/08, Hongshan Hall, Wuhan

Cast:
Hua Rui: Li Jie  (李洁)
Zhao Kuangyin: Yan Zhen (严阵)
Zhao Guangyi: Fu Xiru (傅希如)
Meng Chang: Sheng Haining (盛海宁)
Prime Minister Zhao Pu: Li Weiqun (李为群)

Download:
CNTV: [1] | [2]

Summary:
The story is set in present-day Sichuan. Founder of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin (Emperor Taizu) subdues the kingdom of Later Shu, his secret motivation is to take possession of Lady Hua Rui, the beautiful concubine of Meng Chang (ruler of the fallen Shu kingdom).

While transporting the captured Hua Rui, Taizu’s younger brother, Zhao Guangyi (later Emperor Taizong) also gets enchanted by Hua Rui’s charm and tries to molest her but he fails.

Hua Rui is stuck in an awkward situation with these three men and their love. The first dropout is the romantic Meng Chang, who has outstanding literary talent but he’s weak and powerless – the Zhao brothers poison him to death. (However, Meng Chang appears in the play as a ghost from time to time.) Now Emperor Taizu can take Hua Rui as concubine, and Zhao Guangyi gets more and more jealous.

The weeping Hua Rui offers sacrifice to her deceased husband in the palace, and draws a portrait of Meng Chang. Zhao Guangyi, risking his own life sneaks into Hua Rui’s room and confesses his passionate love, he also admits the poisoning of Meng Chang. Hua Rui angrily rejects him, yet she doesn’t want him to get into trouble and hides Guangyi when the Emperor unexpectedly shows up.

Taizu suspects Hua Rui is hiding another man, but finally gives up on questioning and goes to sleep. In the other room, he sees Hua Rui’s painting, and assumes the young and handsome man on the portrait is Zhao Guangyi.  The Emperor starts a lengthy lament about his own vanished youth (he removes his beard as if it were some kind of stage prop, definitely an unorthodox idea from the director), then demands the returning Hua Rui to explain who’s on the picture.

Hua Rui tells him it’s not Zhao Guangyi, but to admit it’s supposed to be Meng Chang is also a bad idea, so she cleverly fabricates a fairy tale about the god of Mount Qingcheng and defuses the conflict. Meng Chang’s ghost is also there, commenting on the story, the whole scene is somewhat surreal. The Emperor and Hua Rui part on good terms.

In the final scene, Hua Rui accompanies Zhao Kuangyin in the royal hunt, and an arrow shot by the jealous Zhao Guangyi mistakenly kills her.
While dying, she finally reveals her emotions towards all three men: marrying Zhao Kuangyin, grieving over Meng Chang, rejecting the illicit relationship with Zhao Guangyi – all were because of her insistence on self-esteem. Death is a real relief for Hua Rui, she finally can get rid of her self-esteem (pride?) and controversial emotions.

I read reviews on this play, and those confirmed the script was a bit shady and some details remained uncertain even for Chinese spectators who didn’t have to face the language barrier. Did the painting made by Hua Rui really resemble Zhao Guangyi, or just Emperor Taizu felt so? How is it possible that Hua Rui actually liked Zhao Guangyi? Maybe these question were left open intentionally, to let spectators draw their own conclusions. (?)

As understood by me, this play is a story of a vulnerable woman, struggling in an emotionally complicated situation. She cherishes the memory of Meng Chang because this is the morally correct behavior. She becomes Emperor Taizu’s consort to defend her integrity and dignity. Although she likes Zhao Guangyi, simply cannot melt into the arms of someone who repeatedly tried to violate her chastity and killed her previous lover. My impression was that Hua Rui was attached to all three in different ways; like an ordinary woman, she just wanted to love and be loved. Unfortunately she became a prisoner in this odd love rectangle of monarchs.

But don’t let yourself influenced by my review! This is just what this drama meant to me, maybe you’ll see a completely different Hua Rui.

I borrowed the photos from here: http://blog.sina.com.cn/yinc423

Tianjin Jingju Theater’s contribution to the 6th China Peking Opera Art Festival was a new edition of Qin Xianglian, titled《香莲案》Xianglian An (Case of Xianglian).

I didn’t watch it yet, but the costumes are different than usual. Lü Yang (吕洋) plays Qin Xianglian, Ling Ke (凌珂) Chen Shimei, Wang Jiaqing (王嘉庆) Judge Bao and Wang Zhigang (王志钢) Han Qi.
I like Wang Zhigang. I just read a “review” on Wang Jiaqing (scroll down for example video), commenter said he “already surpassed Meng Guanglu and runs An Ping close”, so let’s see!

Download:
CCTV: [1-3] [2-3] [3-3] [int.]

Interview is included, Wang Ping mentions as particularly interesting thing about the play that it’s featuring many schools, some of them differ from to the usual setup, i.e. Lü Yang: Cheng school, Ling Ke: Yu school, Wang Zhigang: Qi school. Besides this I understood only the conjunctions, but check out Mr. Wang’s necktie and Lü Yang’s bun.

Photos: 戏剧像素

Symphonic White Snake, anyone? Sound only, 73min. (SONY PCM-D50 REC MODE:44.10KHz 16bit) Despite the chatter in the background now and then it’s a good recording!
I promise you’ve never heard something like this. Courtesy of 庭庭清风.

交响·京剧·多媒体《白娘子·爱情四季》Bainiangzi·Aiqing Siji (Miss White Snake – Romance of Four Seasons)
 [DOWNLOAD] 71MB

Staged yesterday evening in Hangzhou.
I’ve never heard Jin Xiquan singing like this. Somewhere between xiaosheng and laosheng.
Dong Hongsong, who played the kind-hearted “Quasimodo” in the Notre Dame adaptation, now portrays the evil Fahai. How can someone so young and sweet-looking produce such sounds? :P
Shi Yihong’s acrobatic action was surely spectacular. Seems that I like her better in these reform-plays.
And the choir – you’ll see. Really, really, REALLY interesting production!

Cast:
Miss White Snake: Shi Yihong (史依弘)
Xiaoqing: Zha Sina (查思娜)
Xu Xian: Jin Xiquan (金喜全)
Monk Fahai: Dong Hongsong (董洪松)

Source: Hangzhou News
Photos: hitan_bri, 秦钟wzl