"Years and Years - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Mr. Gu Yuezhen, a Famous Shanghai Opera Artist", was held tonight (10) at the Hongqiao Art Center. As an important part of the 2022 "Happy Shanghai New Year" Intangible Cultural Heritage New Experience Activity in Changning District and the "Art Enjoyment Shencheng" series of activities of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center, a classic and famous performance shows the valuable artistic wealth left by the famous Shanghai opera performance artist Gu Yuezhen to the years.
The concert was hosted by the Changning District Culture and Tourism Bureau and co-hosted by China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center, Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe and Hongqiao Art Center.
The famous Shanghai opera performance artist Gu Yuezhen was born in 1921. In 1949, Gu Yuezhen founded the Shanghai Opera Troupe, which is the predecessor of the Shanghai Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe. The concert began with the excerpt "Report to the Party" from the Shanghai opera "Zhao Yiman" sung by chen Suping, the current head of the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe, and the young actors of the whole troupe. The whole performance is divided into three chapters: "Classic Forever Passed on", "Walking with the Times" and "Rooted in the People", and the old, middle-aged and young actors of the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe showed the classic works created by Mr. Gu Yuezhen "Zhao Yiman", "Eight Years of Chaos", "Yang Naiwu and the Little Cabbage" and so on for the Shanghai opera lovers in the form of symphonic concerts. The newly created plays of Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe in recent years, such as the excellent works of realistic themes "Teacher Wenhong", "Alley Premier", "Famous Trilogy", "Under the Eaves of Shanghai" and "Wilderness", have also been fully displayed.
In addition to the wonderful singing brought by the actors of the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe, this concert has also received the attention and support of the Shanghai opera industry and even the entire opera industry. Famous Shanghai opera performance artist Han Yumin and Mr. Gu Yuezhen's beloved apprentice Gu Zhenzhen came to the scene and recalled Mr. Gu Yuezhen's affectionate deeds in sincere and simple language. Li Enlai, a national first-class actor and descendant of the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe, Qian Cheng, a burlesque performance artist, Zhao Zhigang, a Yue opera performance artist, and Gao Bowen, a pingtan performance artist, expressed their tribute to their predecessors with a Shanghai opera chorus. At the concert, the famous composer Mr. Xi Genghu was awarded the "Special Contribution Award for The Cause of Opera in Changning District" by the Changning Cultural Development Special Fund of the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation. In the on-site interview, Xi Genghu, who has cooperated with the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe for many years, also praised Changning and Chen Suping's selfless dedication and unremitting efforts for Shanghai opera and the inheritance and development of traditional art. What is even more touching is that Ms. Zhu Guoping, the prototype of "Alley Premier", also came to the concert site in a busy time, and the "Alley Premier" in life and the "Alley Premier" on the stage launched a moving dialogue. Gu Yuezhen's beloved daughter, Ms. Xie Bo, the former editor-in-chief of the overseas edition of People's Daily, could not attend the scene due to the epidemic situation, and also sent a long letter with sincere feelings, in which she expressed her deep gratitude to the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe and the Colorful Drama Channel of Shanghai Radio and Television Station for holding such a grand and grand concert on the occasion of the centenary of her mother Gu Yuezhen's birth to commemorate her hard work and hard work, and said that "my mother's life is to practice the fundamental direction of 'serving the people and serving socialism'. Everyone here commemorates her, which has a special significance. If the mother knows underground, she can also smile at the Nine Springs. ”
The whole performance ended successfully in the new version of "Zhao Yiman" sung by Chen Suping and the troupe's actors. Chen Suping said that the reason why "Zhao Yiman" was chosen as the opening and ending of the performance was because this play has far-reaching significance for Mr. Gu Yuezhen, for the Shanghai Opera Troupe and the Changning Shanghai Opera Troupe. Performing "Zhao Yiman" in Beijing was one of Gu Yuezhen's biggest wishes during her lifetime. In December 2012, the new version of the Shanghai opera "Zhao Yiman" was selected by the Ministry of Culture as one of the works of the excellent repertoire tour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, and was staged at the Chang'an Grand Theater in the capital, finally fulfilling her dream. Chen Suping said: "From Teacher Gu's version of "Zhao Yiman" to the new version of "Zhao Yiman", from Shanghai to Beijing, from hard work to Changning, from Gu Yuezhen to Chen Suping, this road is the continuation of the stage creative spirit, is the Shanghai opera people's seventy years of initial intention, with the stage dream as a horse, not to live up to youth and Shaohua. ”
Author: Shanghai Radio reporter Zang Minghua
Editor: Yan Ping
Editor-in-Charge: Li Shu'e