On April 21, the production meeting of the opera "The Wilderness", the first major drama of the China Conservatory of Music's series of performances to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the school, produced by the Art Practice Center of the China Conservatory of Music, was held at the China Conservatory of Music comprehensive studio. Hall convened. Li Xincao, president of the China Conservatory of Music, artistic director and conductor of the opera "The Wilderness", and Chen Wei, professor of the Vocal Opera Department of the China Conservatory of Music and director of the opera "The Wilderness", join hands with leading actors and behind-the-scenes creators such as You Hongfei, Xue Haoyin, Gao Peng and Yang Qi Come and share the behind-the-scenes stories of the show’s creation and preparation.
The four-act opera "The Wilderness" was adapted by Wan Fang based on Mr. Cao Yu's play of the same name. The music was composed by Jin Xiang, a professor at the China Conservatory of Music and a famous composer. It was premiered by the China Opera and Dance Drama Theater at the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing on July 25, 1987. In January 1992, the play was performed at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and was a great success, becoming the first Eastern opera to knock on the door of the Western opera palace. It is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the China Conservatory of Music. After two years of preparation, the school gathered resources from top artists and alumni in the industry to launch the anniversary version of the opera "The Wilderness". The play has already started rehearsals and will be performed at the Central Opera House on June 14th and 15th.
Li Xincao, President of the China Conservatory of Music
Deep Origin
Li Xincao, President of the China Conservatory of Music, once played a guest role
"The opera "The Wilderness" is a well-known Chinese classic opera. It has been performed for nearly 40 years, and it can be said that it has been performed for a long time. . As a landmark work of contemporary opera, the opera "The Wilderness" not only inherits the Chinese national music tradition, but also fully mobilizes various artistic methods such as vocal music and instrumental music, draws on the creative experience of Western classical operas, and is well received all over the world. At the founding meeting, Li Xincao, president of the China Conservatory of Music, artistic director and conductor of the opera "The Wilderness", said that "The Wilderness" has a deep connection with the China Conservatory of Music. Its composer, Mr. Jin Xiang, is a famous composer in my country. He is also a well-known professor at the China Conservatory of Music. The China Conservatory of Music has rehearsed the opera "The Wilderness" several times, and he himself has an inextricable bond with the opera "The Wilderness". Li Xincao recalled the first time he watched this opera more than 30 years ago and still vividly remembers it, "I saw this opera when it premiered at the Tianqiao Theater in 1987. I had not formally studied conducting at that time and was just an ordinary conductor. I am a middle school student. I am very unfamiliar with these composition techniques and stage presentations, but the shock and touch it brought to my soul will never be forgotten." Later, Li Xincao went to college to formally study conducting. In 1992, at the invitation of teacher Chen Wei, Li Xincao participated in the performance courses of the Vocal Department of the China Conservatory of Music, including the play "The Wilderness". "Not only did I participate in music assignments and rehearsals, I also made a cameo role in the graduation drama "The Wilderness" of the Vocal Department of the China Conservatory of Music in 2002. That guest appearance was an experience I will never forget."
Li Xincao and the opera "The Wilderness" The fate does not end there. In 2007, the performance commemorating the 20th anniversary of the premiere of the opera "The Wilderness" was of great significance to Li Xincao. "Mr. Jin Xiang is very strict with art. Before this, I had performed in some of his works, but there were two experiences that made his trust in me change qualitatively. One of them was the 20th anniversary of the premiere of the opera "The Wilderness" So far, I am probably the only conductor who has conducted the whole play of "The Wilderness" from memory. That performance really shocked Mr. Jin Xiang. Since then, we have conducted the play "The Wilderness". Countless exchanges, studies, and discussions continued until Mr. Jin’s death. Therefore, this work is very meaningful to me, and it is also a bond between teachers and students of our two generations. On the 60th birthday of the Conservatory of Music, it is very meaningful to put this opera on the stage again. We also hope to use this opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Conservatory of Music to launch a new version of "The Wilderness", and hope that everyone will pay more attention to the China Conservatory of Music. development, and pay more attention to the development of Chinese opera."
Chen Wei, the chief director of the opera "The Wilderness"
stage presentation
combined with contemporary aesthetics, insisting on integrity and innovation
In 1993, as the graduation play of the opera undergraduate class at the China Conservatory of Music, the opera "The Wilderness" was performed at the Capital Theater in Beijing; in 2002, the play It was staged again at the China Conservatory of Music. Director Chen Wei has served as the director of the opera many times. 20 years ago, Chen Wei also staged the opera "The Wilderness" for the China Opera and Dance Theater. Now, after 20 years, he once again directed the opera "The Wilderness". "Chief Director of the Music Conservatory of Music, Chen Wei, said that this National Music School Anniversary Edition of "The Wilderness" is very different from previous versions. "This time it is a specially created version for the 60th anniversary of our China Conservatory of Music. It will show our China. The conservatory’s inheritance and development of Chinese opera, especially its breakthroughs in keeping integrity and innovation. "Chen Wei said that the first thing to do is to be upright and inherit a Chinese opera classic like "The Wilderness". "We conducted an in-depth study of the original work of Mr. Cao Yu's play "The Wilderness" and combined the literary, dramatic and musical qualities of the work. Carry out a high degree of unification and strictly follow the piano scores and scores of the composer Mr. Jin Xiang to perform musical homework and band rehearsals for the actors, so as to fully present the scale of the music. Ultimately, a version with the artistic characteristics of the China Conservatory of Music will be created, and it will be published and recorded. Work related to the music requirements of the whole play. "
should develop on the basis of keeping integrity, combining contemporary aesthetics, international appearance and the aesthetic taste of the Chinese audience. Chen Wei said, "In terms of stage presentation, it is necessary to create a high-quality and reasonable opera sound field, and at the same time, in accordance with Mr. Cao Yu's The literary nature of the original play was combined with the scenes of Wan Fang’s opera text to design the stage installation, and contemporary stage multimedia methods were used to combine the literary nature, musicality and observation of the opera field to achieve a comprehensive expression of musical visual image communication. significance. ”
The behind-the-scenes lineup of the Guoyin School Anniversary version of the opera "The Wilderness" is very strong, and many big names in the industry have been invited. Wang Xingang, director of the stage art department of the China Opera and Dance Drama Theater, is the stage designer, and Meng Bin, the lighting designer of the Beijing People's Art Theater, is the lighting designer. , Peng Dinghuang, professor of the Chinese Academy of Drama and deputy director of the Department of Stage Art, served as costume designer, Liu Hongman, professor of the Department of Stage Art of the Central Academy of Drama, served as makeup design, Chen Xiao and Li Ganni served as multimedia designers, and Jinan Song and Dance Theater props designer Li Zhenchao served as Prop design, etc.
Twenty years ago, Wang Xingang served as the stage designer for the China Opera and Dance Theater's revival of the opera "The Wilderness." Wang Xingang had a very different feeling when he collaborated with Chen Wei on the opera "The Wilderness" again. "This creation is different from the past. Director Chen requested to return to the text, return to literature, and return to the original work. We started to create the opera "The Wilderness" from the text of the play "The Wilderness". " Wang Xingang revealed that this time he will use heavy elements such as heavy boulders, the palm of fate, and a depressing cage to firmly hold down the entire stage, symbolizing that the characters in the play cannot escape the shackles of fate. Hands are used in the stage presentation. In the style, five huge human-shaped fingers surround and wrap the starring area. They can be moved, representing the impermanence of fate but the inescapability.
The actor team
assembled domestic first-line singers such as You Hongfei and Xue Haoyin
to present the performance. In order to produce the best results, the performance team is composed of teachers, outstanding alumni and students of the China Conservatory of Music, including many outstanding domestic sopranos such as Sun Li, You Hongfei, Xue Haoyin, Gao Peng, and Yang Qi. Singer You Hongfei graduated from the China Conservatory of Music in 1996. This time she plays the heroine Jin Zi in the play. "Although I have participated in the concert version of the opera "The Wilderness" before, this is the first time I have performed in a complete drama like this. times, so very nervous. As an outstanding alumnus, I feel honored to be invited back to perform in such a heavy drama, but at the same time, I feel pressure to live up to the expectations of my alma mater and teachers who trained me. This performance with my juniors is also a good opportunity to learn from each other. I will do my best to play this role well."
Tenor Xue Haoyin, who plays Jiao Daxing, starred in the opera "The Wilderness" more than 20 years ago when he was a college student at the China Conservatory of Music. More than 20 years later, he has now become a teacher at his alma mater. “I feel very honored to be participating in this play as a teacher at my alma mater. This feeling is very familiar and a bit time-travelling, as if the feeling from back then is back.
I haven’t sung this play for more than ten years. Now I sing the role of Wilderness, which is both familiar and challenging, because this play is technically very difficult in general. This time we will show all the details of Teacher Jin Xiang’s music on the stage, and I am looking forward to it very much. "At the
group building meeting, actor representatives You Hongfei, Gao Peng, Yang Qi, and He Haoyuan also performed classic arias from plays such as "You Only Live Once", "Ah, My Brother Huzi", "You Are Me, I Am You" , won a lot of applause.
The design report of this play has been completed at the end of 2023, and the music work will begin in early 2024. The play will be staged at the Central Opera House on June 14th and 15th. Photo courtesy of the college
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
editor/Gong Lifang
