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Every year, the Chinese Opera Festival brings distinctive regional opera to Hong Kong audiences. This year, the Research Institute of Regional Opera Legacy of Heze Municipality of Shandong will showcase five regional genres from Shandong with a strong rural flavour. They are Daxianzi opera, Zaobang opera, Liangjiaxian opera, Dapingdiao opera and Shandong Bangzi opera, with the first four making their debuts in Hong Kong.
The development of Shandong opera has a very long history. Based on the vocal styles of the different cultural regions, Shandong opera can be categorised as northwestern Lu, southwestern Lu, central Lu, southern Lu and eastern Lu. Heze culture, which belongs to the southwestern Lu area, has great depth; in the words of Sima Qian, it represents "the centre of heaven and earth".
The Research Institute of Regional Opera Legacy of Heze Municipality of Shandong is bringing opera enthusiasts a selection of Shandong opera covering the five regional genres. These will fully demonstrate the vibrantly emotive, bold and rustic charm of Shandong opera.
Daxianzi opera developed from the popular tunes and vernacular songs of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The tuneful singing is in a style both rustic and refined. The performance combines exaggeration and subtlety. Stage movements are made in an exaggerated range, but the accompanying music played by "xidi" and other instruments is exquisite and mild. "Mount Liangjia" is a classic of Daxianzi opera, and has been re-staged to revive the art of Shandong opera. The excerpts will feature classics from the four regional genres. Zaobang opera uses "bangzi" made of jujube wood as percussion, and the music is accompanied by the musical saw, with a rich variety of rhythms and set tunes. Liangjiaxian opera is adapted from the "flower-drum operas" sung by farmers. Its refreshing singing style is dubbed "half a bowl of honey". Dapingdiao opera was once popular in the five provinces and eight states. The instruments played in a martial scene consist of a pair each of large cymbals "nao" and "bo", which are commonly called "the four big hand fans". These are accompanied by the "jianzi" trombone to convey a majestic mood. Shandong Bangzi opera is also called "a 'bangzi' vocal style that risks one's life" because it creates extraordinary tension to mesmerise the audience. The finest actors in all these genres will be appearing in the programme, presenting a truly rare extravaganza of various Shandong opera genres.
Details of the performances are as follows:
July 15 (Friday) 7.30pm
Daxianzi Opera "Mount Liangjia"
July 16 (Saturday) 2.30pm
Excerpts: Zaobang opera "Xu Long Executing his Own Son", Liangjiaxian opera "San La Fang", Dapingdiao opera "Winning Over Jiang Wei" and Shandong Bangzi opera "The Ridge of the Five Phoenixes"
July 16 (Staurday) 7.30pm
Excerpts: Zaobang opera "The Pearl Tower", Liangjiaxian opera "Dull Sister Giving up Her Room", Dapingdiao opera "Down the East of the River" and Shandong Bangzi opera "Opposition at Xitang"
All performances will be staged at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced from $120 to $280 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999.
For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.cof.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, June 24, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:15
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