Qilu Literature and Art 丨Fen Yu will be Lan and Mao, condensation should be suitable with snow - RememberIng The national non-hereditary inheritor of Lü opera Lang Xianfen
Lang Xianfen is a national non-hereditary inheritor of Lü opera and a famous Lü opera performance artist.
First, from a song and dance teenager to a member of the literary troupe
Lang Xianfen was born in September 1935 in Shouguang County (now Shouguang City) in Shandong Province, and lived with her grandfather in Furong Street in Laowei County as a child. According to Chen Ruizeng's article "The Past of Furong Street in Laowei County", there were many scholars, gentlemen and merchants, and local celebrities living here, "because of its proximity to the north-south axis of the county, it is very close to the two major markets of the county's Big Cross And South Gate, and its convenient transportation has become a livable place." Historically, there have been many talents and humanities here... Later, the famous Lu opera actor Lang Xianfen also lived here with his grandfather Lang Yimin before liberation. [1] Lang Xianfen grew up in a family environment where her grandfather was a doctor who opened a clinic, her father was engaged in financial work, and her mother was mainly engaged in household chores.
When she was a child, Lang Xianfen showed a talent for singing and dancing, and during her studies at Wenmiao Street Primary School, she was the backbone of the class. After graduating from elementary school, she attended the private Xinhua Middle School in Weifang, which was founded in September 1947 and changed to a public school in 1952, and later renamed Weifang No. 3 Middle School. Lang Xianfen likes to take music classes the most, and Teacher Zhang Jun teaches her to sing and read music, becoming an enlightener on her artistic path. Teacher Zhang Jun is a very active person, he combined the call to support national construction in the early days of the founding of New China and the just promulgated "Marriage Law", created two live newspaper dramas, one "Zhang Xiulan Buys Public Bonds" and one "Buys and Sells Marriage", both starring Lang Xianfen. After the performance, many people heard about the propaganda team of Xinhua Middle School and heard that the propaganda team had Lang Xianfen who could act. Lang Xianfen was able to truly practice art later, and it was also because of the pull of these two works that she was able to get acquainted with her mentor Shang ZhiSI and became a member of the literary troupe.
In 2002, Lang Xianfen recalled the experience in "Weeping Grace Master Shang No. 4", she said: "Looking back now, I am afraid that there is no artistry except for my political enthusiasm and the courage to sing because of my bold and spicy personality." Who knows that just because of these two little operas, they have changed the fate of my life, and the person who extended this hand that changed my destiny is the fourth teacher of The Teacher Shang. Later, I heard that Shang Zhisi, who was the head of the Weifang Special City [2] Cultural and Labor Troupe at the time, watched my performance on the street and asked which school I was a student of. Soon, The leader of the Shang Troupe came to Xinhua Middle School with a director and an actor captain to look for actors. I was called in front of him as the first candidate to sing and dance, and tossed and turned for a while. At that time, I was young, I didn't know how to be afraid, I was serious and serious, I was very emotionally invested, I remember singing a song "Turning Over" at that time, singing 'The bottom of the well presses our people, women at the bottom', full of tears, choking, almost unable to sing. The results of this exam were known three days later, and I was admitted as a full-fledged actor in the Changwei District Cultural and Labor Troupe. [3] Zhang Yunfeng wrote in the article "The sword is sharp and sharp, and the flower is diligent and irrigated with Yang Fen": "Lang Xianfen, who loved singing and dancing since childhood, was only sixteen years old when she was admitted to the Changwei Special District Cultural and Labor Troupe in Shandong Province in 1951. ”[4]
New China has just been founded, and everything is waiting to be rebuilt, and the Weifang Special City Cultural and Labor Troupe, which is being formed, urgently needs excellent actors. In this way, Lang Xianfen officially embarked on the road of art, and the leader of Shang Zhisi was not only the Bole who discovered her, but also the guide on her later artistic growth path. After entering the literary troupe, she received systematic professional training while participating in the performance, no matter how small the role, she also had to make the characters shine through her own performances, which made the leader of the Shang Troupe see her potential. In April 1951, the head of the Shang Regiment went to Jinan to attend the first Shandong Provincial Literary Congress, at which he saw "Li Erjie's Remarriage", created by the local opera research office at that time and starring Lin Jianhua. Back in Weifang, he arranged for Lang Xianfen to go to Jinan to learn the play with Lin Jianhua. At the end of the study, Director Shang rehearsed and performed the play in Weifang. However, before everything could begin, the literary troupe was suddenly disbanded, and Lang Xianfen's fate took a turn.
Stills from "Li Erjie Remarried"
2. From a member of the literary troupe to a Lu opera actor
After spending more than a year in the troupe, the troupe was disbanded for policy reasons, and Lang Xianfen was assigned to work in the cinema of Yidu (present-day Qingzhou). A few months later, she received an order from the Shandong Provincial Lü Opera Troupe (then known as the Shandong Provincial Opera Troupe), and at the recommendation of director Shang Zhisi, she returned to her professional position in acting, only this time she wanted to study Lü opera. At this time, Shang Zhisi had served as the deputy head and director of the regiment. After entering the troupe, the first thing to receive is a three-month intensive training, which means that all kinds of basic skills, martial arts, singing, etc. must be learned from scratch. Opera needs Tong Zi Gong, Lang Xianfen was 17 years old at the time, under the unified arrangement of the troupe, she began to systematically learn the opera stage steps, round field, water sleeves, body, followed the Kunqu teacher Zhao Zenong to learn "SiFan", with Kunqu opera enlightenment, standardized performance and shape, which reflected the foresight of the troupe leaders at that time, but it was also a great test for beginners around the age of 20. Lin Jianhua and Li Daijiang, two artists, also recalled this unforgettable history, because most of the actors who entered the troupe came from various cultural troupes, although they could sing and dance, but there was no basis in opera, so the troupe leaders were particularly strict about the training, plus the young people were self-motivated, so after three months of training, they basically could play roles. Because Lang Xianfen was arranged to be Wang Dingbao in "Wang Dingbao Borrowed Dang", she also learned the movements, figure and singing style of Lu Opera Xiaosheng when she was practicing, which was very helpful for her future growth.
The rehearsal of the re-adapted "Li Erjie's Remarriage" is obviously a major turning point in Lang Xianfen's life. The great impact of the play and the series of honors it brought to her personally were something she could not have imagined at the beginning of the rehearsal. The young Lang Xianfen, full of the confidence and determination of the newborn calf, devoted herself to practicing and rehearsing, but the first rehearsal failed to harvest flowers and applause. She recalled: "I was 17 years old. Although director Shang Zhisi put a lot of effort into me and I also paid a lot of sweat myself, the first rehearsal of "Li Erjie's Remarriage" failed, and the main reason for the failure was that I was 'like a city student' and 'didn't have the taste of a rural sister-in-law'. [5] Because I have not had the experience of rural life since I was a child, such a situation is inevitable. Therefore, the leaders arranged for the actors to form a rural cultural task force to experience life while performing in the Yanjiafang area of Boxing County. Lang Xianfen met several widow sisters-in-law there, one of whom had a similar experience with Li Erjie, so she moved to Liu Dajie's house to eat and live and work together, and learned to take shoes, spread pancakes, push mills, and pull lukes with her... In addition, director Shang also provided help in various aspects such as theory and practice, Lang Xianfen said: "From the theme of the script, the characteristics of the character, the context of plot development, the grasp of the overall style to the specific each scene, each environment, each singing voice, and each sentence help me analyze and deepen my understanding." He also carefully told me his observations, understanding and experience of life, which inspired me to deepen my understanding of the characters... The accumulation of perceptual life and the profound analysis of rationality, Director Shang helped me step by step into the inner world of Li Erjie. [6] Through in-depth experience of rural life and the careful guidance of director Shang, Lang Xianfen finally completed the transformation from "urban student" to "rural sister-in-law". "The first performance of "Li Erjie's Remarriage" was a hit, and in 1954, East China would perform a sensational drama, in 1955 it entered Beijing to perform a national reputation, and in 1957, the long film was made into an opera art film. Until 1962, after the play had been performed for ten years and received many honors, Director Shang made another major adjustment, adding the popular singing section of "Sad cut out of the door", making the characters' ideological changes clearer, the tragic personality more distinct, the plot development more ups and downs, and the whole play more harmonious. ”[7]
Lang Xianfen did not hide her gratitude to director Shang Zhisi, and her words also fully affirmed the important role of Director Shang in the successful creation of "Li Erjie's Remarriage". In addition to "Li Erjie's Remarriage", Shang Zhisi also directed a number of works with important influences, such as Liuzi's "Sun An Dongben" and "Playing will Jump ship", Shandong Zizi's "Record of the Wall", Peking Opera "Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Troupe", etc., which caused a sensation at the time, and later became the reserved repertoire of various dramas. Shang Zhisi is an outstanding opera director, he supports and promotes many actors, Lin Jianhua and Li Daijiang, the national inheritors of Lü opera, Huang Zunxian, the national inheritor of Liuzi opera, and several other old artists have mentioned Shang Zhisi director many times. Lin Jianhua recalled Director Shang's affirmation of his singing voice, Li Daijiang recalled the scene when Director Shang led them to Hangzhou to learn the Yue opera "Recognizing Mother in the Nunnery", and Huang Zunxian remembered Director Shang even more when he recalled his artistic career. Just as some people criticized Lang Xianfen's portrayal of Li Erjie as a "city student", Huang Zunxian was also questioned when he played "Sun An's Moving Book". Because of his martial arts background, Huang Zunxian played Sun Wukong the most when he was young, so when he first played Sun An, people criticized him as "Sun Anjia Monkey". Huang Zunxian was very sad to hear this, and director Shang Zhisi found him and said humorously: "Sun Monkey became Sun An, why not?" Sun Monkey seventy-two changes, you still can't change a Sun An? Subsequently, director Shang helped Huang Zunxian dispel his ideological concerns, establish professional confidence, overcome various difficulties in form and voice cavity, break through the shackles of old-fashioned dramas, and create an image of Sun An with a full personality and different from the past. [8] As Lang Xianfen said, "Half a century of friendship between teachers and students, comradeship, and mutual knowledge is better than father-daughter love", when many famous national inheritors of different dramas and have reached their old age recall the four directors of Shangzhi si so fondly, every word, every sentence, and every detail has traveled through more than half a century of time and space to appear in front of us, and its sound and smile, together with the grace of knowledge and cultivation, seem to be vivid, and its scene is moving!
In 1954, at the East China Opera Observation and Performance Conference, "Li Erjie's Remarriage" sensationalized the drama scene. The grand performance at that time can still be seen from the memories of the famous dramatist Mr. Liu Housheng. At a symposium held by the Propaganda Department of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the Department of Culture of Shandong Province in July 2001 for the 50th anniversary of Lang Xianfen's art, Liu Housheng said: "At that time, there were 35 dramas and 158 plays performed at the conference, and the Lü opera "Li Erjie Remarried" stood out in so many fierce competitions because her simplicity and rich local atmosphere made people feel fresh. In particular, the little girl Lang Xianfen who plays Li Erjie is simple and natural, without any exaggerated and contrived skills to show off, but it brings people a complete and fulfilling artistic image that makes people feel the charm of art, which makes me think of the situation when I first watched Lü Opera and "Li Erjie Remarried" every time I saw Lang Xianfen in the future. [9] Elder Liu's remarks highly affirmed Lang Xianfen's performance and the key role of "Li Erjie's Remarriage" in promoting the development and dissemination of Lü opera in the early days of the founding of New China.
In 1955, the Shandong Lu Opera Troupe entered Beijing to perform and once again received praise. At that time, the "Dazhong Daily" published a Xinhua news agency article entitled "Shandong Province Lu Opera Troupe Received Praise after the End of its Performance in Beijing", saying that the troupe "performed in Beijing the traditional plays "Borrowing Year" and "Wang Dingbao Borrowing Dang", as well as "Li Erjie's Remarriage", which reflects modern life, and "Drinking Noodle Leaves", which are adapted from the repertoire of the brothers' dramas. The troupe's unique simple style and strong atmosphere of life, rich and popular language and beautiful folk music maintained by the troupe in its performances have attracted the attention of the capital's literary and artistic leading departments and literary and artistic circles. Premier Zhou Enlai and other heads of government departments have watched the Performances of the Lu Opera Troupe. [10] At the end of the article, it is also pointed out that "the troupe's adaptation of the play "Li Erjie's Remarriage" won the first-class script award at the 1954 East China Opera Observation and Performance Conference, and the main actors of this play, Lang Xianfen and Wang Junying, both won the first-class actor award" [11]. From the perspective of time, the Shandong Opera Troupe was founded in October 1952 and renamed the Shandong Provincial Lv Opera Troupe in November 1953, and this history has also been reviewed in detail in the commentary of Li Daijiang, the national inheritor of Lü opera. [12] As a newly established troupe, the Shandong Lu Opera Troupe quickly gained the recognition and recognition of the national audience in a very short period of time because of the traditional plays that the audience liked to hear and the popular "Li Erjie's Remarriage". The young Lang Xianfen also received various honors for successfully shaping the image of Li Erjie.
"Dazhong Daily" published Lang Xianfen's speech at the third session of the First National People's Congress, saying: "I am a young Lu opera actor in Shandong Province, and because of the cultivation of the party and the government, such a young opera worker as me must also attend the meeting, which makes me deeply realize that only under the leadership of the Communist Party and Chairman Mao is possible, and I have unspeakable excitement and gratitude in my heart!" [13] At that time, Lang Xianfen was only 21 years old. Since then, she has been re-elected as a deputy to the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Eleventh and Twelfth National People's Congresses. [14]
In 1957, "Li Erjie's Remarriage" was made into an opera art film by Changchun Film Studio, and it was awarded the best opera film at the first Hundred Flowers Film Awards that year. The new genre of Lü opera and the name of Lang Xianfen spread throughout the country, and for a while, it seemed as if "Li Erjie's Remarriage" had become synonymous with Lü opera, and Lang Xianfen had become synonymous with Li Erjie. Under the spotlight, the audience sees the bright brilliance of the actors on the stage and screen, and what they can't see is the sweat and hardship behind them. Liu Guoquan, the director of the film version of "Li Erjie's Remarriage", wrote an article in 1957 about the difficult conditions of the troupe at that time, saying: "The Shandong Lv Opera Troupe has created very good results in the past few years, which is admirable. Because there is no rehearsal field or practice field, no matter winter or summer, they all rehearse and practice in the courtyard, but no one complains bitterly. From here, you can see how much they love their careers! [15] The hard work, rehearsal, performance and publicity in the harsh environment obviously became the secret of the successful foothold of the Shandong Lu Opera Troupe in a short period of time.
III. From "Li Erjie's Remarriage" to "Bitter Cauliflower"
From the 1950s to the early 21st century, the performance information presented by the "Dazhong Daily" can roughly understand the plays and roles played by Lang Xianfen, and this clue can more clearly outline the artistic development process of Lang Xianfen.
Stills from "Mu Guiying"
In terms of costume drama, Lang Xianfen has rehearsed plays such as "Mu Guiying", "Cai Wenji", "Princess Wencheng", "Wu Zetian", "Peach Blossom Fan" and so on, and made a useful attempt to create historical dramas of Lü opera. Taking "Mu Guiying" and "Cai Wenji" as examples, Lang Xianfen created the image of Mu Guiying, a heroic heroine with a heroic posture and strict military discipline in "Mu Guiying", which should be a big breakthrough for her personal drama. And to be able to play the role of Cai Wenji, we have to start from 1959 Guo Moruo Road Economic South. After watching the performance of the Lv Opera Troupe in Shandong Province, he took the initiative to recommend the script of "Cai Wenji" created by him to them for rehearsal, which shows his appreciation of the Lv opera genre and his trust in the troupe's actors. After the performance of the play, an article said that it "wrote a new page in the short history of Lü opera." For the first time, a major historical theme was represented".[16] At the same time, in terms of musical creation, combined with the needs of the performance of characters, the play matched Cai Wenji's famous work "Hu Di Eighteen Beats" with the traditional song brand "Fengyang Song", which was expressed in the form of accompaniment in the play, which was of innovative significance at that time. In comparison, Lang Xianfen made an attempt to develop the theme of drama in the creation of historical dramas, and some works also withstood the test of the audience at that time, but their popularity and influence were far less than her "Li Erjie Remarried" and "Bitter Cauliflower".
"Li Erjie Remarriage" and "Bitter Cauliflower" are the two main representative works of Lang Xianfen, "Li Erjie Remarriage" has created the image of a young widow who dares to pursue personal happiness, making Lang Xianfen, who has just joined the work, become famous; "Bitter Cauliflower" has created the image of a revolutionary mother who dares to struggle with the enemy, so that Lang Xianfen will be brilliant again after retirement. Both of these works are modern dramas, both of which are won by presenting the characteristics of Lü opera in a dignified atmosphere and unpretentious manner, which represents both ends of Lang Xianfen's artistic life.
Stills from "Bitter Cauliflower"
Unlike Qingshi, who played Li Erjie at the age of 17, Lang Xianfen was 62 years old when she starred in "Bitter Cauliflower", which explained her lifelong performance experience and artistic pursuits. The drama is based on Feng Deying's novel of the same name, following the creative principles of faithful to the original, improving the plot, highlighting the characters, and condensing clues, and showing the great sacrifices made by Jiaodong women represented by Feng Da Niang during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Lang Xianfen's image of Feng Da Niang has a loving love for her children and a passion for her children and soldiers, and after the sacrifice of her relatives one after another, the hatred of the enemy has inspired her courage to resist the war, and a heart soaked in suffering shows super calmness, courage and courage. Just like "Li Erjie Remarried" that year, "Bitter Cauliflower" was well received by all walks of life as soon as it was performed, and in October 1997, "Bitter Cauliflower" entered Beijing to perform and won the "Wenhua Award" and "Cao Yu Drama Award"; in October 2000, it won the "Arts Festival Award" at the 6th China Arts Festival. In 1957, "Li Erjie's Remarriage" was made into a film by Changchun Film Studio, and in 1999, "Bitter Cauliflower" was made into an opera film drama by the CCTV Television Drama Production Center, and both works were more widely disseminated to audiences across the country through film and television media. As the most representative work of Lang Xianfen's life, such a coincidence is no accident. This point, Lang Xianfen himself also deeply felt. She said: "If the filming of the movie "Li Erjie's Remarriage" forty years ago made my artistic creation enter a new stage, then the filming of "Bitter Cauliflower" forty years later made me feel that I had regained my artistic youth. If the movie "Li Erjie Remarried" has caused strong repercussions throughout the country, so that people know Lü opera and love Lü opera, then, forty years later, when filming "Bitter Cauliflower", the audience can see the new development and new style of Lü opera art. ”[17]
From the art of more than half a century, in terms of modern drama creation, in addition to starring in "Li Erjie's Remarriage" and "Bitter Cauliflower", Lang Xianfen has also played the baoniang in "Chaoyanggou", Zhang Guiqing in "Danhe Qu", the director of the Women's Rescue Association in "On both sides of the Yi River", Zhang Dayun in "Family Affair", the harem in "Mother and Son", and Li Erjie in "The Sequel to Li Erjie".
It can be seen from the above repertoire that Lu Opera is good at creating modern dramas, and its content is often related to the background of the times and real life, with the help of characters and stories in the works, to publicize the spirit of the times, and to pinpoint the shortcomings of society. The well-known "Remarriage of Li Erjie" was created in conjunction with the newly promulgated "Marriage Law" in the early days of the founding of New China, and "Danhe Qu" showed the progress and growth of new young people in the socialist countryside, who took a firm step from being ashamed to confess their love to breaking through the feudal patriarchal system and striving for the freedom of love and marriage; "On both sides of the Yi River" "To show the scene of large-scale agricultural production in the early stage of socialist construction, but also to show the struggle between members of different ideas, there are not many works that can be learned from at that time. Therefore, it is innovative and challenging"[18]; "Family Affair" exposes the ugly custom of "changing relatives" in rural areas through the love twists and turns of three rural girls; "Mother and Son" shows the story of Lang Xianfen's stepmother who has influenced her re-education through labor through love and dedication, so that he can resolve misunderstandings and embark on the right path. In the process of modern opera rehearsal, Lang Xianfen and his colleagues have accumulated good experience in using traditional opera performance programs to reflect modern life, which is still of reference significance for the current modern opera creation.
Of course, not every work can be successful, and many works that closely follow the situation and have distinct characteristics of the times are shelved with the changes of the times, and eventually become short-lived, and it is difficult to resist the consumption of time, which is a common disease of many modern drama creations. As early as 10 years ago, Lang Xianfen objectively evaluated the reasons and problems of the success of modern drama creation. She said: "In the early 1950s, we created and performed "Li Erjie's Remarriage", which was clearly to cooperate with and publicize the first Marriage Law after the founding of New China, but we did not make it shoddy. At the beginning of the start, it was positioned to create a play with high ideological and artistic nature. We've been honing for a long time, and the director, the composer, the choreographers, and the actors on the stage all have very good creations... Looking back, the reason why I played Li Erjie in my early years and Feng Da Niang in my later years has a certain relationship with our relatively high requirements for the art of modern opera. Of course, we also perform some modern plays where the stage effect is not very ideal, which is often in the repertoire of 'writing the center, singing advanced, grasping the coordination, and grabbing the timeliness'. The reason for this is subjectively that the theater pays too much attention to the words "time limit", intentionally or unintentionally reducing the artistic standard. Nor can it deny the objective interference. Sometimes this interference even comes from advanced figures who are praised and suggest that they should write this way or that. This subjective and objective factor is mixed together, making it impossible to talk about the artistic quality of the production of the play. [19] The problem of repertoire creation that arose 10 years ago or even earlier still exists on today's stage, which cannot but arouse the vigilance and reflection of our opera functional departments and relevant practitioners.
Fourth, teachers and students meet, spring mud to protect flowers
After the 1990s, Lang Xianfen shifted her main energy to teaching students and cultivating new talents. Among the more than a dozen disciples who formally worshiped her as a teacher, there were many outstanding professionals, who not only inherited the teacher's representative repertoire, but also received various honors and awards as the backbone of the troupe. Many people have heard that Teacher Lang accepts apprentices to sign the "Teacher-Student Appointment", which is a solemn agreement based on the responsibilities and obligations of the two sides for inheriting the cause of Lü Opera. Its contents are as follows:
Teachers and students meet
The love for the cause of Lü opera brings us together, and it is our lifelong wish to carry forward and expand the cause of Lü opera; I am willing to pass on what I have learned all my life to the young friends who love the cause of Lü opera, so that we can dedicate our sincerity and wisdom to the brilliant tomorrow of the cause of Lv opera. Frankly state my views, I hope to seek consensus with you:
1. Listen to the Party and adhere to the direction of socialist literature and art;
2. Cultivate morality and be a person of high moral character;
3. Dedication and love for the post, wholehearted dedication to Lu opera;
Fourth, diligent study and hard work, professional skills strive for first-class;
If you agree with the above four articles, please sign.
It is a great honor to be called a teacher by you, and I sincerely accept you as my student.
Student: Teacher:
Date of the year[20]
As a teacher, you are willing to pass on what you have learned all your life to students; as a student, you need to be strict with yourself in terms of personal and professional learning. The common goal agreed upon by the two sides is to "carry forward and expand the cause of Lu opera". Limited to the length of this article, the author contacted two disciples of Teacher Lang, Gao Jing of The Lv Theater in Shandong Province and Zhao Jing of the Lü Opera Troupe in Dongying City, who had signed the agreement and remembered the teacher's teachings vividly.
In 2001, lang Xianfen celebrated the 50th anniversary of his career in art, and 11 disciples of the collective teacher were from left: Zhao Xiumin, Jiang Shaohua, Yang Chunmei, Liu Yufeng, Hu Jinghua, Li Ping, Gao Jing, Shi Ping, Qin Xia, Lü Xueqin, and Zhao Jing
Gao Jing learned to perform "Li Erjie Remarried" at the age of 19, and has since become acquainted with her mentor Lang Xianfen. She has starred in plays such as "Li Erjie Remarried", "Sister Easy to Marry", "Finishing Touch", "Bitter Cauliflower", "Shilongwan", "Patching Heaven", etc., and has performed well in each work, and has won the Chinese drama "Plum Blossom Award", "Wenhua Award" and other awards. In 1979, the Central Radio recorded a number of Lu opera singing segments of Gao Jing and broadcast them on the radio, and since then she has had the title of "Xiaolang Xianfen". For Gao Jing, who was still very young at the time, this title was not only an affirmation of her professional level, but also became the pressure and motivation for her to continue to improve in the future. Gao Jing still remembers a sentence that her teacher said to her: "When Master Jinshan performed "Uncle of Vanya", he carried a small book with him, and all the opinions raised by everyone were recorded in the book. This may just be an example casually given by the teacher, but Gao Jing has always kept it in mind, and in the process of learning drama with Teacher Lang, she has developed a good habit of taking notes at any time, which also benefits her endlessly. Over the years, Teacher Lang has given himself a book of drama, and Gao Jing has always kept it. Whenever there was a performance, she would take out the book and turn it over, thinking about the scene at that time, just like the teacher said the play to herself again. Today, Teacher Lang is old and can't move the play, and the significance of these notes is particularly important.
Teacher Lang Xianfen and his disciples, from left: Li Ping, Gao Jing, Hu Jinghua
When she was young, the task of rehearsing and performing was heavy, when there was an important performance or when the rehearsal was particularly tired, Teacher Lang always asked Gao Jing to come to the house to have a good meal, and her old partner Teacher Yang stewed chicken legs, steamed prawns, and also made Weifang dumpling noodles, Gao Jing still remembered this vividly, she said: "That prawn is as big as a chicken leg." "Gao Jing also brings a book with her when she goes to the teacher's house to eat, because the teacher usually tells Gao Jing a play when eating, from biting words, lines, rhymes to eyes, actions, performances, etc., one by one. In terms of shaping characters, the teacher told her that it is very important to grasp the relationship between the characters, taking "Li Erjie Remarried" as an example, Li Erjie's performance is different when facing Zhang Xiaoliu, his mother-in-law, and Zhang Daniang; in his own home and in Zhang Daniang's home, in different environments, the entire state of the characters is different. In Zhang Daniang's house, just like in the Liberated Areas, people are relaxed; in the mother-in-law's house, it is the old society, and people are depressed. This method of analyzing and shaping characters is also used in other works. In 1992, Gao Jing was already a first-class actor, but when he rehearsed "Shilongwan", because it was a newly created play, Teacher Lang still paid extra attention to the whole process from getting the script, analyzing the characters to the stage rehearsal, and strictly guided every step. In 1994, Gao Jing won the Protagonist Award at the 4th Shanghai Magnolia Theatre Performing Arts Awards for this play. At the end of the performance at the Shanghai Lyceum theater that day, the famous film actor Zhang Ruifang, the famous Yue opera actor Yuan Xuefang, the famous actor Bai Shuxian of Longjiang opera and others came to the stage to meet Gao Jing, and they unanimously commented, "In your body, I see the shadow of Lang Xianfen." ”
Gao Jing's success is due to the teacher's one-move, word-by-word guidance, and also thanks to the good habits she inherited from the teacher. In addition to his concern for life, Mr. Lang is also famous for his strict requirements for Gao Jing's business. She said: "The teacher has three characteristics for me, one is that if I perform the night before, the teacher is not satisfied with it, and the next day when they meet, they will get angry and ignore me; second, if there is any mistake, the conference will criticize by name, and I will not show mercy, so I dare not relax for a moment; the third is that I am never praised in person, and the teacher hates me for iron and steel." Today, as a representative inheritor of Lü Opera at the provincial level, Gao Jing has also brought more than a dozen disciples. Like Teacher Lang in those days, she signed the "Teacher-Student Appointment" with the students and continued to pass on the professional knowledge and fine traditions that the teachers passed on to her.
Among Teacher Lang's disciples, in fact, not only Gao Jing has such feelings, But Zhao Jing, who is far away in Dongying, also has full of memories and gratitude when he talks about his teacher. She said that when signing the "Teacher-Student Rendezvous", the teacher asked the disciples to dedicate their lives to the cause of Lu Opera, and also specially instructed: "Acting is the first to be a person, and artistic virtue is very important." Character is not good, high professional level is not far away, and will not win respect. She believes that the biggest feature of the teacher's performance is simplicity and generosity, infecting the audience with true feelings, impressing the audience, and there is no trace of performance at all, making people feel real and credible, which also deeply affects her. In 2002, Zhao Jing and Hu Jinghua accompanied Teacher Lang to Beijing to participate in the concert of symphony accompaniment to local dramas, on the train, Teacher Lang let them perform the action of the sole of the shoe in "Li ErJie's Remarriage", which was originally a familiar play, but Teacher Lang told them that the more seemingly simple the action, the more it needs continuous practice, in order to make the performance more authentic and credible, the details such as the length of the line should be paid attention to, so as to achieve excellence.
Because she was not in Jinan, Zhao Jing had problems in rehearsals and performances and could only call for advice, and the teacher gave her a lesson on the phone. Usually, every time she calls, the teacher will ask her what kind of drama she is scheduling, and she is very concerned about the development of the troupe. Teacher Lang is older and has a habit of taking a lunch break, so the disciples usually call after 3:30 p.m. Once, Zhao Jing accepted the program recording task of the local TV station, and needed to ask the teacher for advice, when the teacher was not in good health, but the recording time was very tense, she had to call the phone during the lunch break, and as a result, Teacher Lang endured the pain and tirelessly answered her questions on the phone, helping her successfully complete the recording task. Zhao Jing is currently the deputy head of dongying Lu opera troupe, a first-class actor, a cultural master of Dongying city, and a cultural talent of Qilu. She said that although this achievement is insignificant, every step forward is inseparable from the teacher's teaching and subtle influence.
Interviewing Teacher Lang's disciples gave me a holistic feeling, that is, the teacher is like a banner, a benchmark, so no matter what you do, you can't shame the teacher. This simple consciousness and concept has also become the source of motivation for their continuous improvement. Teacher Lang's disciples have achieved excellent results in their respective posts, contributing to the inheritance and development of Lü Opera's cause, which is also the embodiment of Teacher Lang's teaching achievements for many years.
Looking back at the artistic path of the famous Lv opera performance artist Lang Xianfen is like seeing the historical epitome of the development of Shandong Lv opera. In this process, Lu opera has a long-standing costume repertoire, as well as modern works that have left a deep impression on audiences across the country. Lv opera has made continuous efforts in developing creative themes and enriching musical styles, although the history of the drama genre is not long, it has a large audience, and in terms of the number of troupes and the audience base, it can be called the first drama genre in Shandong Province. This is due to the pioneering achievements of the pioneers of early Lü opera, but also thanks to the continuous progress of generations of Lv opera practitioners, and the persistence of Lv opera troupes around the world is indispensable. Fang Gan of the Tang Dynasty has a poem: "Fenyu will merge with Lan and Mao, and condensation should be suitable for snow." "The Hundred Gardens of Opera have both zi and red and a thriving, and they are an inseparable whole. May Mr. Lang Xianfen be in good health, and may her lifelong Lu opera career flourish.
exegesis:
[1] Chen Ruizeng, "The Past of Furong Street in Laowei County", Weifang Daily, February 21, 2014, 6th edition.
[2] Before the liberation of Weixian County, in view of the importance of the liberation of Weixian County, in order to strengthen its later work and give play to its active role, the East China Bureau connected Weixian and Fangzi together, took the "Weixian" and Fangzi "Fang" of Weixian County, and formed Weifang Special City, directly under the leadership of the East China Bureau, and upgraded Weixian to the level of a large city. In April 1948, Weixian County was liberated, and Weifang Special City was officially established, and in June 1949, it was changed to Weifang City. (According to Chen Jingfan and Chen Dongli, "The Origin and Beginning and End of Weifang Special City", published in Weifang Daily, December 13, 2019, page 6)
[3] Lang Xianfen, "Weeping Grace Master Shang No. 4", in Chinese Drama, No. 2, 2002.
[4] Zhang Yunfeng: "The Sword Is Sharp and Sharp, and the Flower Is Diligently Irrigated is Yang Fen—Remembering the Famous Lü Opera Actor Lang Xianfen", in People's Drama, No. 2, 1981.
[5] Lang Xianfen, "Weeping Grace Master Shang No. 4", in Chinese Drama, No. 2, 2002.
[6] Lang Xianfen, "Weeping Grace Teacher Shang No. 4", in Chinese Drama, No. 2, 2002.
[7] Lang Xianfen, "Weeping Grace Master Shang No. 4", in Chinese Drama, No. 2, 2002.
[8] Zhou Aihua, "The Pen Pipe Moves the Mountains and Rivers in One Fell Swoop, and the Righteous Qi Persists in the Sun and the Moon Hanging: Huang Zunxian, a Representative Inheritor of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Liuzi Opera", in Shandong Art, No. 6, 2020.
[9] Chen Peng, "A Lifelong Pursuit for Lü Opera: Shandong Holds a Celebration of Lang Xianfen's 50 Years of Art", in Chinese Drama, No. 9, 2001.
[10] Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, 12, "Shandong Province Lu Opera Troupe Received Praise at the End of its Performance in Beijing," published in Dazhong Daily, November 14, 1955, 3rd edition.
[11] Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, 12- "Shandong Province Lv Opera Troupe Received Praise at the End of its Performance in Beijing," Dazhong Daily, November 14, 1955, 3rd edition.
[12] Zhou Aihua, "Spring Comes and Goes to Urge People to Grow Old, Old Husbands Fight to Lose Young--Remembering Li Daijiang, National Inheritor of Lü Opera", in Shandong Art, No. 1, 2021.
[13] Lang Xianfen, "Speech by Deputy Lang Xianfen at the Third Session of the First National People's Congress," Dazhong Daily, July 7, 1956, 4th edition.
[14] Luo Tianyu, "Shallow Chanting, Clear Singing, Fragrant Strings of Lü Ge", in Shandong Art, No. 1, 2016 (inaugural issue), p. 6.
[15] Liu Guoquan, "About the Movie "Li Erjie's Remarriage"," Published in Dazhong Daily, February 15, 1957, 3rd edition.
[16] Xin Ge: "Ode to National Unity", dazhong Daily, May 23, 1978, 3rd edition.
[17] Lang Xianfen, "Fifty Years of Spring and Autumn, Blood Pouring Out<苦菜花>: <苦菜花>A Speech at the Symposium on Opera and Television Dramas", in Contemporary Television, No. 7, 1999.
[18] Zhou Aihua, "The Presentation and Change of the Yimeng Spirit in Opera Works", in Art Hundred Schools, No. 3, 2020.
[19] Gao Chang, "Modern Opera Drama Should Achieve the Unity of Ideological and Artistic Appreciation: Listening to the Famous Lu Opera Performance Artist Lang Xianfen", published in China Culture Daily, September 14, 2011, 3rd edition
[20] Luo Tianyu, "Shallow Chanting, Clear Singing, Fragrant Strings of Lü Ge", in Shandong Art, No. 1, 2016 (inaugural issue), p. 12.
(The author is a doctor of literature and art, deputy director of the scientific research department of Shandong Academy of Arts, professor, master supervisor.) Deputy Secretary-General of China Opera Education Alliance, Member of the Teaching Steering Committee of Drama and Film and Television Studies in Shandong Province, Academic Commissioner of Shandong Province National Non-Hereditary Record Project, and Contracted Literary and Art Critic of Shandong Province. ）