On April 12, local time, the famous Kunqu performance artist Hua Wenyi died in his sleep in Los Angeles, USA, at the age of 81.
Her daughter said: "Mother walked in her sleep at seven o'clock in the morning, there is no illness in heaven, may she go all the way." ”
Hua Wenyi, born in 1941, is the first graduate of Shanghai Opera School, and has been taught by Zhu Chuanming and other "chuan" character artists and famous teachers such as Yu Zhenfei and Yan Huizhu.
Hua Wenyi looks beautiful, has a graceful body, elegant posture, gorgeous voice, subtle and explosive performance, rich emotions and does not lose her status.
She pursues a natural style, integrates the formula into her own performance without leaving a trace, and creates a beautiful image with a long rhyme and timeless beauty for the Kunqu opera stage.
The Chinese wenyi on the stage is always dazzlingly beautiful. In "Wall Head Horse", together with her "golden partner" Yue Meiti, she reproduced the classic images of art masters Yu Zhenfei and Yan Huizhu.
Chinese Yi version of "Wall Head Immediately"
1
Two versions of "White Lady"
Peking Opera version
In 1961, Hua Wenyi went to Hong Kong with the troupe to perform, when he performed a play "The Legend of the White Snake", Chinese dramatist Liu Housheng suggested that "you lake", "steal grass", "Golden Mountain Temple" and "broken bridge" four folds, there are four "white niangniang", there must be Beijing, there is also Kun, Hua Wenyi will play Bai Suzhen in "You lake" in Peking Opera.
Jingkun master Yu Zhenfei called Hua Wenyi "a rare boudoir in fifty years", and Liu Housheng also praised her as "the daughter of Kun opera".
Kunqu version
In 1978, the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe was established, and Hua Wenyi became the head of the troupe.
At the first Chinese Drama Festival held in Beijing, Hua Wenyi sang "Swimming in the Lake" again, but this time "White Niangniang" sang back Kunqu opera. In just one fold, the technique was shocking, and it still makes fans who have watched that performance reminisce.
That year, not only Hua Wenyi performed in Beijing, but also Cai Zhengren, Wang Zhiquan, Liu Yilong and so on.
At the performance at the Beijing National Cultural Palace, Hua Wenyi arranged Tian Han's script, and since the script was not written according to the Kunqu qu tablet, it took some effort to compose and rehearse the music.
"The willow silk on the Su Causeway gently pulls the boat, and the peach and plum blossoms in the trembling wind are like a timid spring cold", the voice of the white lady played by Hua Wenyi is moving. After the performance, Liu Housheng smiled and said to Hua Wenyi: "Your 'swimming lake' is a good mat for those young actors!" ”
2
Jade into a tool
Chinese Ripple
It is said that singing plays should become a role, in addition to their own efforts, they also need to be rewarded by God.
Yue Meiti, who is not only a classmate, but also a partner, and a close friend, recalls the days when she studied drama together when she was a child, and always said: "Hua Wenyi's talent is not generally good." ”
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Hua Wenyi has interpreted many classic images on the stage
From her size, voice, stature to appearance, she is the material of natural boudoir.
Yue Meiti said: "Sincerity and directness make Hua Wenyi's plays have no craftsmanship, but she was once dissatisfied with herself, and felt that the performance was slightly rough and not meticulous enough. Therefore, a few good friends gave her advice, not all said that you are like Xiao Mei Lanfang, how meticulous Master Mei's performance is, it is better to learn more about Mei Pai's performance. ”
Hua Wenyi and Yue Meiti's version of "Peony Pavilion"
Therefore, Hua Wenyi found Wei Lianfang, a disciple of Mei Pai who was teaching at the Shanghai Opera School at the time, and found a famous teacher in Hangzhou to study, from the fingers to the body, little by little, polishing the performance.
In 1986, she played Chen Miaochang in the Kun opera "The Tale of the Jade Hairpin" and won the "Plum Blossom Award", the highest artistic award of the National Dramatists Association.
Hua Wenyi and Yue Meiti's edition of "The Tale of the Jade Hairpin"
In terms of art, Hua Wenyi also has a breakthrough, that is, to integrate Kunqu opera performances into drama performances.
In 1988, the Guangzhou Repertory Theatre adapted the famous writer Bai Xianyong's novel "Dream of Visiting the Garden" into a drama. Among them, the heroine Lady Qian is a singer, a complex figure who married a noble lady for a long time, but unfortunately lost her husband and lost power.
The plot requires "Lady Qian" to sing a few Kunqu songs. Bai Xianyong invited Hua Wenyi to join, and this attempt also became a touch of brilliance in his artistic career.
Bai Xianyong and Hua Wenyi
Bai Xianyong watched Hua Wenyi's performance and commented: "Kunqu opera actors acting in dramas is cross-cutting. She (Hua Wenyi) understands everything at once, integrates the taste, stature and gestures of Kunqu opera into the drama with ease, and is a very intelligent person. ”
3
The Bad Smell of "The Tale of the Jade Hairpin"
Over the years, Hua Wenyi has been invited to return to his alma mater, "Shanghai Opera School" many times, to pass on his art to the students of the "Kun Fifth Class".
Yue Meiti said: "In the last ten years or so of Hua Wenyi, I received many students. Whoever wants to learn as long as the conditions such as body and voice meet, she will teach it with all her heart. ”
Chinese Ripple
In the following years, although Hua Wenyi and Yue Meiti were far away from each other, the WeChat contact was never interrupted.
Only in the past three months, Yue Meiti sent greeting messages, but rarely received a reply from her friend, and she has always been worried about Hua Wenyi. Later, through her daughter, she learned that Hua Wenyi was transferred to the nursing center, because of the effect of the drug, sometimes it would be a little confused, and it was not like the previous reply.
Hua Wenyi and Yue Meiti in the rehearsal hall
The news came suddenly, which made Yue Meiti stunned for a long time, thinking of reading together, practicing hard every day, performing on the same stage, and having bitter and sweet days, which made her sad: "If it weren't for her illness, as early as five years ago, we would have agreed to sing "Jade Hairpin" again." ”
New Performing Arts Studio
Author: Zhu Yuan
EDIT: Small open
Image: From the web
Xinmin Evening News Cultural Department