On September 26 and 27, 2021, the modern Peking Opera "Xu Yunfeng" was performed at the Chang'an Grand Theater for two consecutive days as a repertoire of the China Peking Opera Arts Festival. The modern Peking Opera "Xu Yunfeng" was premiered online by the Beijing Opera House in 2020, and is the first new drama in China to meet the audience in the form of "cloud premiere". In 2021, the Beijing Peking Opera House fully adopted the opinions of experts and the audience, actively processed and improved in many aspects such as plot, characters, music, and stage art, and performed grandly at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on July 20 and 21.
A hundred years of gifts, continued glory
The modern Peking opera "Xu Yunfeng" is based on the novel "Red Rock", based on the 1984 peking opera "Red Rock" of the Beijing Opera House. The play tells the story of Xu Yunfeng, secretary of the Chongqing Underground Party Working Committee, who was betrayed and arrested by traitors when he rescued his friends in the Geleshan concentration camp, and he refused to "cooperate" with the head of the secret service, Xu Pengfei, and was tortured and imprisoned in the concentration camp. Xu Yunfeng contacted the imprisoned party organization, discussed the rescue plan with Hua Ziliang, an underground CCP worker who pretended to be crazy, and dug tunnels with his hands, which coincided with the arrival of the army in Sichuan and the reactionaries began to massacre revolutionaries. In order not to destroy the rescue plan, Xu Yunfeng refused to escape from prison alone and sacrificed heroically.
Performance Stills: The First Tea House Farewell
Tan Zhengyan as Xu Yunfeng (middle)
Cao Yangyang as Zheng Kechang (first from left)
Wang Yuxi as Fu Zhigao (first from the right)
Stills of the show: The second session is done
Du Zhenjie as Xu Pengfei (third from right)
The two performances at the China Peking Opera Arts Festival are not only another tribute and praise for the centenary of the founding of the party, but also a spur and encouragement to the Beijing Opera House and all the cast and crew of "Xu Yunfeng". The wonderful performances of the main actors Tan Zhengyan, Du Zhenjie, Zhu Qiang, etc., made Xu Yunfeng, Xu Pengfei, Hua Ziliang and other historical figures three-dimensional and vividly presented on the stage.
Performance Stills: The Third Song of the Black Jail
Jing Baoqi as Owl (right)
Acura praises the "Red Rock Spirit"
Performance Stills: Scene 5 Bear the burden of humiliation
Tan Zhengyan as Xu Yunfeng (left)
Zhu Qiang as Hua Ziliang (right)
After being tortured by the reactionaries, Xu Yunfeng, played by Tan Zhengyan, sang with a trembling body and resolute eyes: "How can torture me Xu Yunfeng!" "Standing on top of the sky, the air is exuberant, and the sound shocks the roof tiles, which attracts warm applause from the audience." Gao Ge said, "One, the tunnel has been dug, the reactionaries implemented the "secret cutting plan", Hua Ziliang let Xu Yunfeng escape alone, Xu Yunfeng asked Hua Ziliang what he would do if it was replaced. This is the dialogue between the souls of the two revolutionaries, and it is also the core plot that arouses the audience's deep thinking. "Xu Yunfeng" makes the audience feel not only the sympathy of the revolutionaries, but also the lofty belief and ideal of "life and death to the courage to bear".
Tan Zhengyan as Xu Yunfeng (right)
Wang Qianqian as Little Radish Head (left)
"Little Radish Head" grew up in prison. When she said goodbye to Xu Yunfeng, the 8-year-old said: "I am leaving, I am going to Guizhou, flying to... One day after liberation, I flew back to see my uncle. This is a subtle expression, in fact, the little radish head was escorted to the execution ground with his parents... "The promise of flying back to see his uncle" can never be fulfilled. The small radish head is a rare symbol of warmth in the horror atmosphere, which makes many viewers sigh and cry. On the one hand, high-pressure terror and severe torture, on the other hand, the yearning for freedom and cherishing life, such antagonistic conflicts can arouse the audience's speculation on history and the abandonment of right and wrong, good and evil.
Praised by the audience, affirmed by experts
Tan Zhengyan as Xu Yunfeng
"I feel like I've come right!" An audience member said, "I was very surprised, as a new screenwriter, it far exceeded my expectations, the selection of materials and angles is good, Tan Zhengyan's performance is good, there is novelty, there is a sense of the times." ”
Performance Stills: Scene 8 Singing Righteousness
Zhu Qiang as Hua Ziliang (fourth from left)
Ni Shengchun as Li Jingyuan (third from right)
Zhou Meihui as Cheng Yao (third from left)
When the actors closed the curtain, an elderly audience member hummed along the way. He said that he was not the first time to see the play, and the story of Xu Yunfeng's heroic battle in prison was unforgettable. "This play brings me back to that era and once again appreciates the fearless spirit of the revolutionary pioneers."
Stills: Fourth Prison Party
Some viewers also said that this play is an "old story with old tones", but there are ingenuities everywhere and there are new ideas in the field. "Xu Yunfeng" is the strengthening and expression of the "Red Rock Spirit" in the new era, and young people act and young people watch, which has a stronger appeal to young people.
Xu Hengjin (Editor-in-Chief of New Screenplay Magazine)
"There are many factors that measure the success or failure of a work. One of the most important elements is to watch his rhythm. The rhythm of the play is good, like reading a poem, like singing a song. Depression and frustration, clouds and water, like weeping like a song. ”
Guo Jinling (Teacher, China Academy of Performing Arts)
"After watching the whole performance, the most direct feeling is that the soul is greatly touched and a profound baptism is obtained spiritually. Highlighting the ideological nature and taking into account the artistry is the main theme of this work. Thought, that is, the spirit of red rock. ”
Li Yigeng (Researcher, China Academy of Arts)
"Peking Opera "Xu Yunfeng" has made many new attempts in the overall stage narrative. For example, when the plot progresses to the scene of the New Year in prison, the inmates compete to come up with their own unique skills, and the director adds other stage art forms (such as Yangge) to the arrangement to create a scene of everyone rejoicing, which is a bold attempt. ”
Shouzheng innovation, inherit the past and open up the future
Liu Tong, president of the Beijing Opera House, said: "On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Party, the Beijing Peking Opera House launched the play "Xu Yunfeng" and had the honor to participate in the China Peking Opera Arts Festival. From "Rising Sun in Mountain City" in the 60s of the last century to "Red Rock" in the 1980s, and then to "Xu Yunfeng" today, this story has been passed down from the era of Tan Yuanshou, Ma Changli and Zhang Xuejin, starring Tan Zhengyan, the seventh generation of Tan Zhengyan, supported by Ma Changli's senior disciple Du Zhenjie and Zhang Xuejin's senior disciple Zhu Qiangding, respectively, playing Xu Pengfei and Hua Ziliang, forming a picture of shouzheng innovation and passing on the torch, which is also the spiritual source of Peking Opera art Shouzheng innovation and inheriting the past. It is hoped that at this year's China Peking Opera Arts Festival, "Xu Yunfeng" will inspire contemporary people to carry forward the revolutionary tradition and inherit the 'Red Rock Spirit'.