On the night of the Founding Day on August 1, the huge lineup of nearly 170 people of the Shanghai Opera House appeared at the Shanghai Concert Hall to stage a large-scale musical epic "Long March Suite Song". The actors put on red army uniforms, put on red army hats, and raised the red army flag, restoring the stage action of the premiere in 1965 and fully interpreting this classic masterpiece.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the 85th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March. The Shanghai Opera House's re-arrangement of "Long March Suite" is eclectic, the lyrics are based on the 1965 premiere version, while the chorus and band music are based on the 1975 version, and take the length of the 1995 version, and strive to perfectly present the sound effects. At the same time, the chorus actors' formation changes, movements, and settings on the stage in passages such as "Breaking through the Blockade Line" and "Over the Snowy Mountain Meadow" also follow the premiere version of 1965 as much as possible.
Although "Long March Suite" has been a repertoire of the Shanghai Opera House for decades, each rehearsal is rigorous and serious. This time, hundreds of actors from the Shanghai Opera House have been preparing for several months. Artistic director Zhang Qingxin and physical director Chen Han participated in the whole process, always paying close attention to every breath, every sentence, every look, and every set of actions in the singing. Every detail on the stage, everyone carefully examined and compared with the classic version of the video data, and strived to present an original "Long March Suite" for the audience. The allegro that is not exposed to it on weekdays has also become a "compulsory course" for the actors, not only in the rehearsal field, but also in the piano room, canteen, and leisure area, you can see everyone pondering the action and communicating the essentials.
"Every time a classic work is rehearsed, it will pass on the spirit to new actors and new audiences, and old actors and audiences will also be inspired by each different performance experience." Lin Yousheng, who has been conducting "Long March Suite Song" for 20 years, sighed that the outdoor performance of the "Art Sky" series of the Shanghai International Arts Festival in China in 2016 is still fresh in his memory, "The stage is set up, but it encounters heavy rain, the actors still sing high in the face of wind and rain, and the audience under the stage also insists on watching in the face of wind and rain and wearing rain ponchos." ”
In this round of rehearsals, more "post-90s" young people joined in. In addition to the specially invited mezzo-soprano singer Dong Fang, Shanghai Opera House baritone singer Zhang Feng, lead singer Zhou Chen, He Xiaonan, Zheng Yao, Li Xinyu, Shen Jiayu, recitation of Chen Chaobin and other "post-80s" have become the "old people" in the crew. They learn from their predecessors and become role models for those who come after them in their demonstrations. "Long March Suite Song" is passed down in this relay of "inheriting the past and opening up the future".
Zhang Qingxin, vice president of the Shanghai Opera House, said: "In the process of creation, rehearsal and performance, the "Long March Suite" was initially cared for and guided by the proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation, and also poured out the painstaking efforts of experts and the masses. We hope that by respecting the original appearance and restoring the classics, the younger generation can understand, comprehend, learn and inherit the spirit of the Long March while singing the "Long March Suite". ”
After the performance of the night of "August 1st", "Long March Suite Song" will be performed twice in a row in the Cultural Square from August 5 to 6.
Source: Author: Wu Tong