In 1973, Yang Chunxia was transferred from Shanghai to Beijing and devoted herself to the preparation of the Peking Opera "Rhododendron Mountain". The party representative she shaped, Ke Xiang, is popular all over the country. Classic songs such as "Family Living in Anyuan" and "Chaotic Clouds Flying" are even more enduring, and Yang Chunxia has also become a generation of Famous Peking Opera artists. Nearly thirty years later, the inheritance of Ke Xiang's role fell on Shi Yihong, the Meipai Grand Qingyi of the Shanghai Peking Opera House. Shi Yihong was enlightened by Wudan, studied under Zhang Meijuan and Lu Wenqin, and studied Mei Pai. Singing and doing well, Wen Wukun is chaotic, is a praise for the opera actors, Shi Yihong is such an all-round "player". At the same time, she did not stick to the traditional boundaries of opera, and always "revolution": adapting the Famous Book of French Literary Hero Hugo "Notre Dame de Paris" into the Peking Opera version of "Love Death Bell Tower", and putting Xu Ke's classic martial arts film "New Dragon Gate Inn" on the Peking Opera stage. The comprehensiveness and challenge of Ke Xiang's role perfectly fit Shi Yihong. This year, in order to welcome the centenary of the founding of the Party, the "Red Classic Repertoire Exhibition Season" was held in Shanghai from February to April 2021. Among them, "Cuckoo Mountain" selected by Shi Yihong is one of the participating works.
【Interview/Observer Network Feng Xue】
Observer Network: Under what circumstances did you initially rearrange "Rhododendron Mountain"?
Shi Yihong: Before the Shanghai Peking Opera House did not have the play "Cuckoo Mountain". In 2001, it was also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the party; it was also 20 years ago, when there was an old regimental commander, his friends, including some entrepreneurs, who had a complex for the model play, and felt that such a good play, why not restore it. The old regimental commander also said that I could do "Cuckoo Mountain", so I was in line. At that time, Gao Mukun was also invited to wait for one and a half months to two months.
At that time, it was different from today: people were more concerned about material life, appreciating art was still very luxurious, and the opera market was less concerned. But I find that nowadays, there is a lot of feedback from society. They seemed to suddenly feel that some kind of expectation had returned.
Shi Yihong played Ke Xiang in "Cuckoo Mountain" courtesy of shanghai Peking Opera House
In fact, the earliest was a group of old actors who took us through the model drama era and were very familiar with this play. It's like saying, I'm learning in their package. 10 years later, that is, in 2011, the 90th anniversary of the founding of the party, it was rehearsed again, that time mainly young and middle-aged actors. This year, there has been another wave of actors, that is, the post-90s are the mainstay.
Observer Network: The role of Ke Xiang is very different from the female image in traditional plays, how to reconcile the two characteristics of "revolution" and "woman" in her body?
Shi Yihong: First of all, from the image point of view, the selection of actors for Ke Xiang is very demanding, so she will choose Teacher Yang Chunxia, she is about 1 meter 68 tall. After this play came out, "Ke Xiangtou" swept all over China and was very "cool".
In a group of men, Ke Xiang must be an expert in fighting and working, so it is impossible to have weak feminine characteristics. She is neither Li Tiemei nor Ah Qing's sister-in-law, she is Ke Xiang, a party representative, and men must follow her. In terms of physical design, there will be no more feminine body language, such as the scene of appearing in shackles.
From the first day of rehearsal, I realized that she was a martial artist and had nothing to do with Danjiao. Her walking, body shape, and standing posture are meridian phases, all of which are martial arts, and the tension is very large. In fact, women dressed as men are also available in traditional dramas, which are cool and beautiful to put on women. Therefore, to play this character, you must have a foundation, that is, to have the foundation of martial arts drama, such as "Blocking Horses".
Although with these designs - revolutionary righteousness, righteousness and awe-inspiring righteousness, she is still a woman after all, so this play also gives Ke Xiang some female personality characteristics. At the critical moment, she is more calm than Lei Gang, and because of this, she can take into account the overall situation, which I think is a feature of women's thinking. For another example, when she stops Lei Gang, she will use a set of female ways to persuade and influence the other party. None of this is dogmatic, there is something humane in it.
The model play wrote "Cuckoo Mountain", which is already in the late stage and very mature. Whether it is screenwriting, singing voice, lyrics, or musical structure, dramatic structure, contradictions and conflicts, all have reached their peak. For example, singing lyrics, none of them are waste words, and they all rhyme; Jingbai with rhymes will not make people feel that it is not Peking Opera.
When it comes to singing, such as "Home In Anyuan", "Chaotic Clouds", etc., there are strong lyrical elements, just like "aria", the emotions of the self are peeled off layer by layer, and I think this is a feminine embodiment. For another example, the "lesson of blood", even if it is preachy, wrapped in a beautiful singing voice, will not make people feel stiff, because the singing voice is very beautifully designed.
Observer Network: In addition to the shape of Wusheng, Ke Xiang's singing voice also has a doll tune, and the "Mulan" you originally prepared to rearrange last year also has a doll tune.
Shi Yihong: Because of the epidemic, the plan was disrupted. Teacher Sun Yuanxi and Teacher Chen Chao, both of them are in a different place, and they can't get together. At that time, Mr. Ru Laiqing designed the "walking side" for Mr. Mei, and Chen Chao learned from the Ru family, so I thought of getting this "walking side" well.
Observer Network: In the field of Peking Opera, you are also a person with a "revolutionary spirit", and Aria in "Love Bell Tower" and Jin Zhiyu in "New Dragon Gate Inn" are very different from the Meipai style you studied.
Shi Yihong: Mei Pai emphasizes modesty, subtlety and femininity. Mr. Mei's personality and his choreography are unified; there will be no great sorrow and joy, and the spirit of traditional moderation is maintained. He will also leave blank space and give you a lot of room to imagine. Like "Farewell to the Overlord", Mr. Mei's "sadness" is different from Mr. Cheng's "sadness", there will be a tragic factor, but it will not make you cry. Each person's artistic presentation is related to his own personality and artistic personality, and there is a personal emotional color in it, so the harvest for the audience will be different. Mr. Mei's artistic height is difficult to reach, and we, the younger generations, are trying to climb. I can only try to understand Mr. Mei's art within my own cognitive and aesthetic scope.
Shi Yihong played Yu Ji in "Farewell to the Overlord" Courtesy of Shanghai Peking Opera House
At the same time, I also want to break through myself and create some special personality characters, although I dare not say that I can fully control it. These characters are both similar and not like me. Many people are accustomed to watching me play "Noble Concubine Drunk", and they can't accept me playing a spicy gold inlaid jade. However, I think shaping the character is still the first. Singing and playing is to assist in shaping characters, not to sing and do to fight. These basic skills need to be crushed and applied to a variety of different roles.
Shi Yihong played Yang Yuhuan in "Noble Concubine Drunk" Courtesy of Shanghai Peking Opera House
Mr. Mei is very advanced, he will not tell you, I am going to be a model, you are optimistic. impossible. He just came, and before you even noticed it, he took it with him. It is so beautiful, this is the "Tao"
Observer Network: During the epidemic last year, you posted a short video on Douyin and specially sang the clip of "Rhododendron Mountain" to encourage medical staff. How do you understand the continued presentation of ke xiang on the contemporary stage?
Shi Yihong: Actually, this year I proposed to rearrange, I like it, this is the real "big heroine" drama. For China, the centenary of the founding of the party is a very significant event, in the past hundred years, it has encountered too many ups and downs and tribulations, but they have gritted their teeth and survived to today.
Shi Yihong played Ke Xiang in "Cuckoo Mountain" courtesy of the Shanghai Peking Opera House
In "Cuckoo Mountain", the peasants engaged in an armed uprising, and they could not find the Communist Party, so they could only go to the execution ground and rob a female Communist Party. She has to work and fight with everyone, she is suspected, the work is difficult to carry out, and she has to patiently convince Lei Gang to let the other party follow you. That's why the spark can ignite. Therefore, when I acted, I was very moved, and in the early days of the founding of the party, it was not easy.
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