Text: Slander from the headline number: Beiqing Entertainment
Cheng sent Qingyi Zhang Huoding
As an excellent Peking Opera "Cheng Pai" performance artist, Zhang Huoding was able to break through the portal, rehearse the Mei Pai classic play "Farewell to the King" under pressure, and change it according to his own conditions, which was originally a thing worth encouraging, but now because of individual opera workers and critics, there is an objective and fair "killing", and even the so-called "Gao Feng Theory", which makes such a good thing in the field of artistic creation fall into a wide range of controversy, and thus attracts verbal criticism, which requires people. Opera workers, in particular, must be vigilant and reflective.
Zhang Huoding rehearsed "Overlord Farewell"
Mr. Mei Lanfang's "Farewell to the Overlord", many of the predecessors of the Famous Peking Opera masters such as Yang Ronghuan, Chen Yongling, etc. have been staged and appropriately transformed, which shows that the repertoire created by the predecessors is used for posterity, rather than offering, similar examples include Shang Xiaoyun's treatment of the famous Wang Pai drama "Qiankun Fushou Mirror", Yang Ronghuan's treatment of "Zhaojun Out of the Plug", and even Li Weikang's treatment of the "pipa word" in "Qin Xianglian"... All this shows that anyone can perform the repertoire, and should advocate multi-angle, multi-genre, and personalized abandonment. This is a kind of progress, and it is also urgently needed and vigorously advocated by the current Peking Opera industry in the process of solving practical problems such as few repertoire, poor market, difficult to inherit classics, and many famous actors who do not want to make progress.
In fact, whether from the market box office or the audience response, we must admit that Zhang Huoding's rehearsal of "Farewell to the Overlord" is not a failure, and many artists who watched on the spot, and even opera workers, sincerely expressed their recognition of Zhang Huoding's efforts with applause.
But does this mean that Zhang Huoding's "Farewell to the Overlord" has reached the so-called peak of the current Peking Opera art? From the artistic creation, Yu Ji, played by Zhang Huoding, does not have any problems, or has reached a perfect realm?
A opera colleague who watched the scene and gave a warm applause told this writer: "Huoding's courage to dare to rehearse "Farewell to the Overlord" touched me, and it was not easy for her to reach middle age; but the Yu Ji she played did not move me. ”
This was the first reaction of this colleague on the day after the performance.
Indeed, Yu Ji, played by Zhang Huoding, is quite different from Yu Ji in the play "Farewell to the Overlord" created by Mr. Mei Lanfang, both in terms of image temperament and in singing and making a table, which also makes this artistic figure produce new "imagery". But which of these new "images" are desirable and which are insufficient? This needs to be analyzed, screened and discussed on the basis of the laws of Peking Opera art and on the basis of the laws of artistic creation. After all, this is the first time Zhang Huoding has staged this play, the performance of the day is still the first, if in this case it has reached the realm of seamless and flawless, it is obviously unreasonable, and it is not in line with the objective law of artistic practice.
Mr. Mei Lanfang,"Farewell to the Overlord"
In fact, Zhang Huoding's rearranged sword dance, adapted singing voice, and even appearance have aroused discussions within the audience and the opera industry, which already shows that Zhang Huoding's "Farewell to the King" still has improvements in the scope of artistic creation. For Huoding, who will perform again in the future, it is most urgent to listen to pertinent opinions and improve stage performances, but at this time, the unrealistic praise of individual opera workers and critics appeared.
First of all, the kind of artistic impression expressors who make a living by selling gorgeous literary style and flowery rhetoric. Because its essence is nothing more than a "mallet" that depends on traffic for a living, people can also be dismissed as a "joke" for a family; then opera scholars ignore the seriousness of scholarship, ignore the regularity of opera, ignore the limitations of the actors themselves, detach from artistic practice, detach from the reality of opera, and depart from the history of the development of opera and blindly elevate, and even define an actor's play as the "peak" of the development of contemporary opera, which is obviously contrary to the scientific spirit of dialectical seeking truth from facts.
Mr. Mei Lanfang, the original and master of Peking Opera, can be said to be the most representative figure in the field of Peking Opera after Tan Xinpei, not only because of his own high artistic level and a number of his own representative repertoire, but also because he has his own set of independent art theory system, but also because of his own artistic spirit, artistic personality and even his personality. Therefore, although there is a Mei Party, the establishment of his status is not the result of the elevation of the Mei Party, but the result of all-round recognition within the opera industry, research scholars, ordinary audiences, etc., and it is also a conclusion obtained by the process of historical development. Even if Mr. Cheng Yanqiu had fought with him in the ring, even if Shang Xiaoyun had a big temper, even if Xun Huisheng had a "white party", this master also recognized that among the four famous Dan, Mei was the first.
And if you compare it with Mr. Mei at that time, today's Zhang Huoding obviously does not have the above, whether it is from the quality and quantity of the art work, whether it is from the perspective of his own performance skills, whether from the perspective of whether his peers are convinced or not... It is probably inappropriate to talk about it with "peaks" in a hasty manner. As for Zhang Huoding's play "Farewell to the Overlord", it is indeed an innovation in personal artistic creation, and it may also be the "peak" of personal art, but has this reached the peak of today's opera art? Why do many viewers turn a blind eye to some controversies over the artistic handling of this play, such as the "two six" singing and sword dance, etc.?
Mr. Xu Jichuan said that Master Mei Lanfang performed the play "Farewell to the Overlord" for 40 years, and constantly revised it for 40 years. The video data of Mr. Mei's performance that we can see now is the result of 40 years of experience. We also have other artists performing video materials now, can we really calm down and compare these with Zhang Huoding's "Farewell to the King". We do not seek superiority or inferiority, but a correct understanding of the characters and the performance, at least a comprehensive understanding. What our predecessors did was to show future generations, what should we teach our students? Especially in the context of the country's vigorous popularization of traditional arts, we must think about what we want to teach our students!
In fact, people need to learn some more useful creative information from the art symposium, such as what is the artistic logic of zhang Huoding's choreography of "sword dance" and why a sword spike should be added. Why did part of the vocal voice change, and what are the specific reasons? These cannot be obtained by speculation and the artistic analysis of outsiders, and only the creator's own artistic solution can restore the original appearance of things.
Frankly speaking, artistic creation can not be unchanged, can not be conservative, even if Mr. Mei's "sword dance", that is also to absorb some of the so-called layman's opinions, as he said, many actions according to the traditional rules said to be "anti", "but a little anti is not bad, it seems novel and chic, only laymen dare to do this." (Speaking of "Mei Lanfang Stage Life for Forty Years")
However, academic discussion and artistic discussion must strictly abide by academic rules, standards, and scales, and cannot be "opposed" and cannot be laymen: neither laymen can lead insiders, nor can laymen act as insiders, and even more can insiders "pretend" to be laymen. We must not only be responsible for Zhang Huoding, but also for the audience, but also for the art of Peking Opera and this industry.
But now? It is precisely because the experts do not tell the truth, do not tell the truth, only talk about empty words, and turn academia into a horn, which not only causes an emotional backlash among insiders in the opera industry, but also causes a rift between Peking opera lovers, in the mutual dispute, in the vicious language, it will inevitably hurt Zhang Huoding, it will inevitably give psychological pressure to the actors, and more importantly, it will inevitably damage the academic status of opera educational institutions and research institutions, and damage the credibility of the opera researcher group.
I can't help but ask, is this conducive to the personal development of the actors and the development of the Cause of Peking Opera?
We respect and protect talents like Zhang Huoding, not because of the so-called box office and making money, but fundamentally through the cultivation and protection of these talents, to attract more audiences and absorb more opera lovers, so as to ensure the survival of the Peking Opera cause and promote the development of Peking Opera art. Whether it is a Peking Opera creator, a Peking Opera theory researcher, or a Peking Opera art critic, or even a Peking Opera market operator, it is necessary to soberly understand this problem.
If the wind of objective rationality does not exist, if the wind of trumpeting becomes a practice and imitates each other, in the end it can only ruin the industry and ruin the artists loved by the audience.
What makes people who care about and love Peking Opera feel sad is that an actor who stages a new play or adapts a play is either beaten to death, or touted and "blown" into mythology, which seems to have become the strange state of Chinese Peking Opera for 20 years.
In short, the strange shape is getting weirder and weirder, but Peking Opera is getting more and more downhill.
Those who are out of touch with reality and do not follow the laws of art, please do not "kidnap" Zhang Huoding, "kidnap" Peking Opera art and Peking Opera people.
Stills of Mr. Mei Lanfang's "Farewell to the Overlord"