Giving the Past a Future
Kun Opera
昆曲
A Journey of Exploring Kun Identity
Prol. Dr. Yu Dan Hong
Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Oct.2011
About Kunqu Opera 关于昆曲
• 600-year-old, known as the Mother of Chinese Opera.
• 600年历史，“百戏之祖”
• A theatre that uniquely blends poetic eloquence, musical
refinement and dramatics and leaves profound influence
on other forms of Chinese opera.
• 融诗歌、音乐、舞蹈于一体，几乎影响了中国所有的传统
剧种。
• The first and foremost Chinese performing art proclaimed
by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and
Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
• 2001年，被联合国教科文组织评为首批“人类口述和非物
质遗产代表作”。
What is Special About Kunqu?
昆曲的特点
•
Musical Instruments 乐器
– Bamboo flute as the principal musical instrument
– Other wind and string instruments may be added to
enhance the beauty
•
Stage Setting 舞台
– Unrealistic, thus appeals to the audience's imagination
•
Movements 身段
– Performed with set conventions
– An ingenious combination of reality with the reality of arts
•
Tonal Patterns 曲牌
– Fixed. Kunqu poetry is written to fit a large number of
fixed tonal patterns embedded with Chinese language.
•
Kunqu Performer 演员
- the pivotal element on stage: singer, dancer and actor all
in one
•
Make-up 化妆
- the process of transforming performers into the roles;
unique appearances and movements identify different
roles
•
Brightly Embroidered Costumes 戏服
- the most exaggerated articles among the ensemble of
Kunqu opera furnishings and outfittings
Kunqu Roles 昆曲的行当
• 生 Male Roles
• 旦 Females Roles
• 净 Painted-Face Roles
• 丑 Clown Roles
生 (Sheng)
•
Sheng is a male role,
usually a leading role in a
play. It is mainly divided into
three subgroups:
•
Lao Sheng 老生 :
a middle-aged or eldly man;
•
Xiao Sheng 小生:
a handsome young man;
•
Wu Sheng 武生:
a man playing Kung-fu.
旦 (Dan)
•
Dan is the general term of female
roles. Dan roles can be mainly
subdivided into the following three
roles according to their age,
characteristics and social positions.
•
Zheng Dan (or Qingyi) 正旦（青衣）
--a young or middle-aged woman
with gentle and refined dispositions;
•
Hua Dan 花旦
--a role for vivacious maidens, young
women with open personality or
women of questionable characters.
•
Wu Dan 武旦
--a female character skilled in the
martial arts.
净 (Jing)
•
Jing refers to paintedface roles, known
popularly as Hua Lian
花脸.
•
The different colors and
designs on the face
represent males with
different characteristics.
Some are bold and
vigorous while others are
sinister, ruthless, crude
and rash.
丑 (Chou)
•
Chou is the clown roles,
which are divided into two
categories:
•
Wen Chou 文丑:
civilian clown roles
•
Wu Chou 武丑:
They are required to have a
good command of the martial
arts or acrobatics. The
movements should be light
and powerful. One of the
most famous Wu Chou in
Kunqu Opera is the worldrenowned Monkey King.
Well-known Kunqu Plays 昆曲名剧
The Peony Pavilion
牡丹亭
•
written by Tang Xianzu, the
greatest poet playwright of the
Ming dynasty (1368-1644),
also regarded as the “Chinese
Shakespeare”; the play was
oftentimes referred as the
Chinese Romeo and Juliet.
• 明代大文豪汤显祖之作汤被誉为
“东方莎士比亚”，堪比《罗密
欧与朱丽叶》。
The Palace of Eternal Youth 长生殿
•
written by Hong Sheng (1645-1704), one of the greatest
playwrighters in Emperor Kangxi's reign, Qing Dynasty.
•
a story about Emperor Ming and Imperial Concubine Yang of
the Tang Dynasty.
• 清代洪昇之作，描述唐明皇与杨贵妃的爱情传奇。
The Look of Kunqu Score
昆曲的曲谱——工尺谱
Qin Tiao (Flirt with the Zither
From The Jade Hairpin)
《玉簪记·琴挑》
琴
懒挑
画
The moon is clear, the clouds
are thin.
The flowers are profuse with
colors and dew.
I lean on my pillow full of
worry,
,
Listening to the crickets
around the walls.
欹
枕
愁
听
四
壁
蛩
。
月眉
明
云
淡
露
华
浓
Saddened by autumn,
Song Yu sings to the west
wind,
The falling leaves startle
my unfinished dream,
,
I count the flowers
on the ground.
闲
步
芳
尘
数
落
红
。
落
叶
惊
残
梦
。
伤
秋
宋
玉
赋
西
风
Survival and Revival of Kunqu
昆曲的幸存与复兴
• Ups and downs in Kunqu history
• 昆曲发展历史过程中的起伏
• The identity of traditional arts in modern world
• 传统文化在当今世界的身份
• Create young classics
• 创造年轻的经典
When Kunqu Meets…当昆曲遇
见…
Kabuki 歌舞伎
(classical Japanese
dance-drama)
• 《新惊梦》--- an
adapted excerpt of
Peony Pavilion
• With Emiya Ichikawa,
respected Japanese
Kabuki artist 市川笑也
• October 2002
• Tokyo, Japan
Pop Music 流行音乐
• 《在梅边》(By the Plum
Tree) with Kunqu "The
Interrupted Dream" from
Peony Pavilion
• with Leehom Wang, 王力宏
American Chinese pop idol
• 80,000 audience
• August 2006
• Shanghai Stadium, China
Jazz 爵士乐
• Live concert with Jean-Francois Maljean (Belgian pianist)
比利时钢琴家尚马龙
• July 2008
• Shanghai, China
Western Opera 西方歌剧
•
•
•
•
Marco Polo 马可·波罗
with Tan Dun 谭盾
November 2008
Amsterdam, Holland
http://t.sina.com.cn/zhangjunonline
Thank you!