China News Service, Hangzhou, March 9 (Zhang Bintong Xiaoyu) Xiaosheng, Xiaohuadan, Guimendan, Da Qingyi, Laodan... so many opera professions do not appear in traditional operas, but are presented in "imported" operas. The performance is the same character - Li Qingzhao, a talented woman from the Northern Song Dynasty.
On March 8, Li Bonan, the director of the national opera "Li Qingzhao" expressed in an interview that he hoped that this opera made in Hangzhou and produced in Zhejiang would become a model for Chinese expression.
Stills from the national opera "Li Qingzhao".
Photo courtesy of Hangzhou Theater
From March 8th to 9th, the national opera "Li Qingzhao" was performed in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
The play was jointly created and staged by the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, Zhejiang Performing Arts Group and Zhejiang Song and Dance Theater. It focuses on Li Qingzhao's lifelong lyric creation, showing the female lyricist's broad mind and lofty feelings for her family and country.
Opera is a stage art originated from the West. How can it be combined with traditional Chinese characters and stories to achieve a "combination of Chinese and Western"?
The actor who plays Li Qingzhao, Zheng Peiqin, professor of the Vocal Opera Department of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and former chief singer of Zhejiang Song and Dance Theater, found a clever combination.
She has studied Wu Opera for eight years. In the play, Li Qingzhao's age spans from 18 to 71, so she drew on different professions in opera to perform.
The young girl Li Qingzhao is smart, lively, delicate, and likes to dress up as a man. Zheng Peiqin refers to the niche and the dandy in opera; the young Li Qingzhao is gentle, knowledgeable and courteous, referencing the feeling of a boudoir; the middle-aged Li Qingzhao, who has experienced After the changes in his family and country, he is mature and calm, and is performed in the style of Da Qingyi; in his old age, Li Qingzhao is already enlightened and open-minded. On the basis of Da Qingyi, he also adds Lao Dan's expression techniques.
"Thanks for the accumulation that traditional opera has given me. Otherwise, I might not be able to win this play." Zheng Peiqin said.
The national opera "Li Qingzhao" is not only an artistic representation of a famous historical figure, but also an in-depth exploration and display of Song Dynasty culture.
The whole play is divided into four acts, each of which is titled with Li Qingzhao's lyrics; Western operas often use orchestral instruments, but in the play, the guqin, pipa, and bamboo flute are also the protagonists.
What makes Li Bonan most proud is the rain on the stage.
At the beginning of the creation, after carefully studying the relevant information, the stage designer Qiu Bing came up with a bold idea: "On the stage, it will rain like a thousand years ago, and it will rain belonging to Li Qingzhao."
As a result, there were seven or eight more rain curtains on the stage, which could "rain" at any time according to the plot.
From "warm rain and clear wind breaking the freezing cold" to "last night's rain and wind," to "the sycamore trees are drizzling more and more, and then the dusk, bit by bit"...
"All scenery language is a language of love. We want to show an elegant atmosphere and convey the artistic conception of poetry." Li Bonan said.
It is reported that the play had its premiere at the China Opera Festival in 2023, and this is the second round of performances after polishing.
Li Bonan admitted frankly that choosing March 8 to perform was intentional.
In his opinion, Li Qingzhao has her own free thoughts and ethics. She was an independent woman thousands of years ago. This performance still has practical significance for today's female audiences.
Stills from the national opera "Li Qingzhao".
Photo courtesy of Hangzhou Theater
For this reason, in terms of plot setting, they deliberately skipped Li Qingzhao's legendary external storylines, and instead focused on the character's inner spiritual world and cultural character.
For its premiere in 2023, "Li Qingzhao" won the "Outstanding Drama Award" and was praised by the industry as "a dark horse at the Opera Festival".
For this performance, all tickets for both performances were sold out, which was an unexpected surprise for Li Bonan.
"With the booming cultural and tourism economy, more and more audiences are willing to pay for culture. This is a good thing. We should seize this opportunity and make it truly a breakthrough work, with frequent performances and new performances. , often performs well." (End)