After watching the modern Peking Opera "Azalea Mountain" rehearsed by the Shanghai Peking Opera Company broadcast by CCTV Opera Channel, Yaqing, like everyone, couldn't calm down for a long time.
It was a very complex emotion, both the feeling of the classic work and the appreciation of the new version of the art. There is not only the reminiscence of the old days of the past, but also the prospect of a new stage in the future.
After the broadcast of this play, it caused a huge response among fans, which many of us did not expect.
Although Ke Xiang played by Shi Yihong still has a certain gap compared with Yang Chunxia. But to be honest, the overall effect of this rehearsal of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company is really good. The audience has a rod scale in their hearts, so they have a positive attitude towards it.
This rehearsal of "Cuckoo Mountain" has sparked heated discussions, which I think is a good thing. First of all, it shows that everyone still has deep feelings for this play. Secondly, it means that this play has many merits in art, and those beautiful singing voices and catchy rhymes are all things that can stand the test of time. Third, it has also contributed to the inheritance of Peking Opera.
With the broadcast of the new version of "Cuckoo Mountain", it has once again awakened our memories of the 74 movie version.
As part of the "Red Model Play", "Azalea Mountain" is actually a relatively special existence. When it came out, the craze for "model plays" was coming to an end, and the audience's enthusiasm was waning. However, on the basis of learning from the successful experiences of "Red Lantern" and "Outwitting Tiger Mountain", "Cuckoo Mountain" has added a lot of new ideas in the plot, character building, singing, costumes, martial arts, etc., which makes it shine as soon as it appears.
Especially Ke Xiang played by Yang Chunxia, it is really a common memory of several generations.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the film version of "Cuckoo Mountain". After half a century of testing, everyone still remembers it, and even has a soft spot, which shows that it has its own timeless charm.
So how was this classic modern Peking Opera born? Why did the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe have to invite Yang Chunxia from Shanghai, thousands of miles away, to lead the repertoire? Is it really "a foreign monk who recites scriptures"? In addition, what little-known behind-the-scenes stories and secrets are hidden in this play, from the stage to the screen?
Today, let Yaqing and everyone reveal the secret.
One
At the beginning, "Cuckoo Mountain" was not a novel, nor a movie, nor a Peking opera, but a drama.
Its author is Wang Shuyuan. At that time, he was an actor and playwright of the Shanghai Opera Troupe. has not only played Wang Dachun in "The White-Haired Girl", but also wrote works such as "Brave Loyalty".
At that time, actors often went to the countryside to experience life. Once Wang Shuyuan came to Ruijin and heard many legendary stories here. In particular, the story of a peasant self-defense army, which was transformed from an unorganized and undisciplined straggler to a brave and warlike regular army, greatly stimulated his creative enthusiasm. So he wrote the first draft of the drama script of "Cuckoo Mountain", which was named "Mountain Fire".
But at the time, the script was not mature. Later, Wang Shuyuan continued to revise, and changed more than ten drafts in total, and the title of the play was changed from "Mountain Fire" to "A Red Flag", and finally to "Cuckoo Mountain", before it finally took shape. The male and female protagonists in the play are Wu Dou, the commander of the self-defense army, and He Xiang, the party representative.
In 1962, the Shanghai Youth Repertory Theatre took the lead in bringing this play to the stage. As a result, the performance caused a strong response. Troupes from all over the country have come to observe, learn, transplant and adapt. This also includes two Peking Opera troupes, one is the Ningxia Peking Opera Troupe led by Li Lifang. One is the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe led by Qiu Shengrong.
In 1964, the first Peking Opera Modern Opera Observation and Performance was held in Beijing. Both troupes rehearsed "Cuckoo Mountain" participated in the performance. In contrast, although the performance lineup of the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe looks more powerful - Qiu Shengrong as Wu Dou, Zhao Yanxia as He Xiang, Tan Yuanshou as Li Shijian, Ma Changli as Wen Qijiu, Ma Fulu as Lao Dibao, and even Ma Lianliang also went into battle and played the role of Zheng Laowan. It's definitely a collection of celebrities.
However, judging from the performance effect, the performances brought by Li Lifang and Li Mingsheng of the Ningxia Peking Opera Troupe are more popular. Even Qiu Shengrong felt that Li Mingsheng acted better than himself.
So at that time, Changchun Film Studio had already accepted the shooting task and was ready to put "Cuckoo Mountain" rehearsed by the Ningxia Peking Opera Troupe on the screen. However, when the crew was about to rush to Changchun, Li Lifang suddenly received an instruction asking her to rush to the crew of "Harbor" in Shanghai immediately to play the heroine Fang Haizhen. The filming task of the movie "Cuckoo Mountain" has been put on hold for the time being.
However, in 1968, the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe received instructions to rearrange "Cuckoo Mountain", and the creative team was expanded, with Wang Zengqi and Yang Yumin as screenwriters, and Zhang Junqiu and Tang Zaixin as music designers. After such revisions, it has injected a fresh vitality into this version of "Cuckoo Mountain". After performing at the Beijing Workers' Club, it was very popular.
Among them, the male protagonist played by Qiu Shengrong (renamed Lei Gang at this time) left a very deep impression on everyone. The heroine played by Zhao Yanxia (who has been renamed Ke Xiang at this time) is also eye-catching.
Ma Lianliang also showed great enthusiasm for this modern play. He took the initiative to ask Ying to play Zheng Laowan, who did not have many roles in the play. This is not easy for an old artist who has acted in traditional dramas all his life. Because he needs to change too many routines and habits.
Ma Lianliang acted very seriously, but after all, he was an old man in his seventies, his legs and feet were not very dexterous, and his eyes were not very good, so sometimes when he rehearsed a play, he would bring a pair of reading glasses.
Once, when the troupe was preparing for an important performance, all the actors rehearsed with makeup. When Ma Lianliang was not playing, he wore reading glasses to watch other actors perform, but when it was time for him to play, the old gentleman forgot to take off his glasses. Just went up, doesn't this give those who are interested in finding fault a chance?
Immediately, someone in the audience said, which one is this singing? Is it an expression of dissatisfaction with the revolutionary model play? Since you don't want to act, then don't let you act.
Because Mr. Tsushima immediately held a criticism meeting. Mr. Ma was very aggrieved in his heart, thinking that he was old, he really forgot, he didn't mean it, why was he so unforgiving?
But at that time, it was a special era, the wind was loud, the grass and trees were all soldiers, and it was common for everything to go online. And obviously, some people want to drive Ma Lianliang and other old gentlemen off the stage, not for a day or two.
In this way, a group of old artists were defeated or "locked up", and a new version of "Cuckoo Mountain" personally supported by the "chief" was about to be born.
Yu Huiyong's entry into the crew of "Cuckoo Mountain" is the biggest breakthrough.
So what kind of changes will he bring to "Cuckoo Mountain"?
Two
Yu Huiyong is indeed very talented. And his artistic talents are vividly displayed in the play "Cuckoo Mountain".
He first rectified the singing tone of "Cuckoo Mountain", and borrowed and added many musical elements of folk songs and other operas, such as Jiangxi folk songs, Hunan folk songs, Huangmei tunes, Hunan opera, Ping opera, etc.
Such a reform is undoubtedly bold, but the singing voice after the change is more beautiful and easy to spread. The shaping of the character image can also play a role in promoting.
Among them, "Home and Anyuan" and "Flying in the Clouds" are the most successful.
For example, in "Home in Anyuan", we hear many musical elements that are completely different from traditional Peking Opera, full of novelty, but its singing itself has not departed from the foundation of Peking Opera. In addition, "Flying in the Clouds" uses a variety of composition techniques to naturally lay out the theme music that highlights the image of the characters. It not only promotes the development of the plot, but also expresses Ke Xiang's complex inner emotions vividly.
But such reforms have not been smooth.
Many people objected, thinking that Yu Huiyong changed it to "four dislikes".
However, because Yu Huiyong was personally appointed by the "chief" and had the "right to decide by one vote", no one said anything. However, it turns out that the beautiful singing and poetic rhyme he created have indeed been well received by the audience.
Later, some people said that "Azalea Mountain" may not be the most standard Peking Opera, but it is the Peking Opera that the audience likes to watch.
After the script is released, who will play the actors in the play?
Qiu Shengrong played Lei Gang before, and he was not bad at singing and proofing, but his style was a little problematic, and he played the 35-year-old Lei Gang in his 50s, which looked a little old. Moreover, he has severe emphysema, heavy rehearsal tasks, and is worried that he will not be able to bear it, so he considered being played by a younger "net angle" actor. And Ma Yongan, who was only in his 20s at the time, was undoubtedly a good candidate.
He has a strong voice, a masculine temperament, and when he dresses up, the image of a rugged and heroic Self-Defense Force captain jumps in front of him.
The determination of Lei Gang's actor has set the direction and standards for the selection of other actors in the crew, that is, to boldly use young actors. Therefore, there is also a lineup of Li Baochun as Li Shijian, Liu Guixin as Du's mother, Gao Mukun as Tian Dajiang, Zhang Xuehai as Zheng Laowan, Zhang Lianqun as Luo Chenghu, Jing Lianzhen as Du Xiaoshan, Wang Zhongxin as Wen Qijiu, and Ma Zengshou as Viper Gall.
And who plays Ke Xiang, the number one heroine in the play?
At that time, the actors of the China Peking Opera Troupe who could sing Dan were not only Zhao Yanxia, but also Liu Xiurong, Hong Xuefei, Yang Shurui, Yan Guixiang, etc. Zhao Yanxia already has experience in "Cuckoo Mountain", while Hong Xuefei became famous not long ago for playing A Qing's sister-in-law in the "model drama movie" "Shajiabang".
However, Yu Hui was not satisfied with the selection.
So he waved his hand and added a new name to the list of actors.
Everyone was taken aback when they saw it. Then he was a little unhappy, and secretly said, "Why is there no one in our Beijing Peking Opera Troupe?" Do you have to invite someone from Shanghai? ”
This person was Yang Chunxia of the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe at that time.
Yu Huiyong chose her, of course, because of her outstanding performance in "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Yangmen Female General". In addition, her gorgeous appearance is obviously incomparable to other actresses.
So what kind of "exclusion" will Yang Chunxia suffer?
Three
When Yang Chunxia received the notice, it was an afternoon in May 1971. Yang Chunxia remembered that it was Saturday, and she was resting at home, when she suddenly heard someone downstairs calling her to answer the phone, saying that the head of the regiment was waiting for her in the office and had something important to announce.
She hurried to the director's office, only to get the news that she would report to the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe immediately, and she would leave on Monday.
Yang Chunxia, who had just entered the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe, of course, immediately felt an invisible pressure. Almost all of them were secretly observing her, as if they were weighing how many catties and taels she had? Everyone doesn't like to call her anything, which makes her seem lonely.
Faced with this situation, Yang Chunxia had to grit her teeth and strengthen her practice. Because she knows that there are many things, it is useless to say more, she just needs to show her true skills, and she can do it.
As a result, with her strong personality and meticulous spirit, she gnawed down this "hard bone".
At that time, to what extent was she "desperate"? In a year, she lost a lot of weight, with a height of 1.68 meters, but only a little more than 46 kilograms. So much so that when she read "iron shoulders and thick hands", the audience burst into laughter. Because the "Ke Xiang" in front of him is too weak, he is not rough at all.
But a year later, the new "Cuckoo Mountain" surprised everyone.
The singing, lyrics, martial arts, dance, costumes, sets, props, etc., are all completely renewed. Although the rehearsal of this play is very hard, Ma Yongan will sweat every time he performs, Yang Chunxia will also be tired and fall on the chair, and every time he plays the scene of "Flying Through the Clouds", there are always actors who will be injured. But the final performance effect of this play is very good.
Yang Chunxia became an instant hit because of this.
Yu Huiyong has a "springboard" to rise. He even ended up sitting in the position of Minister of Culture, and the speed of his ascension was faster than a rocket.
In 1974, "Cuckoo Mountain" was put on the screen by Beijing Film Studio, and the director was Xie Tieli, who had directed "Model Drama Films" such as "Outwitting Tiger Mountain", "Harbor", and "Ode to Longjiang", and the photography was Xie Tieli's old partner Qianjiang. Although excellent feature films such as "Shining Red Star" have been released this year, "Cuckoo Mountain" still attracts countless fans and theater fans with its new packaging.
But the play was stopped in 1976. The reason is clear. After all, it is a product of a special era, and it will inevitably leave many traces of history. Yu Huiyong was dismissed from all positions in October 1976 and placed on file for review. On August 31, 1977, he committed suicide by poisoning while under incommunicado. At the end of 1978, his wife, Ren Ke, and Yu Huiyong's mother returned to Shanghai to live.
However, Yu Huiyong's reform of Peking Opera and the transformation of model operas such as "Cuckoo Mountain" still contributed to it. For example, in order to make Ke Xiang's recitation more infectious, he invited Beijing Renyi's drama performance artists Diao Guangqin and Zhu Lin to tutor Yang Chunxia in her lines. And he was also very involved in the rehearsal scene, often pondering for a singing meeting until late at night, and he didn't even go to the toilet for more than ten hours.
But no one thought that Yu Huiyong, who was known as a "Peking Opera genius", would end his life like that. Many people say that it would be nice if he only focused on art and not politics. So this means that the tragedy of his life was caused by his "ambition"?
At that time, the rest of the crew in "Azalea Mountain" did not have a good time. How beautiful it was back then, how lonely it was at this time. Yang Chunxia was stopped from all performances and censored for a long time before she was allowed to return to the stage.
In 1986, Yang Chunxia appeared in the 86 version of "Journey to the West" filmed by CCTV with the image of "White Bone Spirit". This is her second on-screen role after Ke Xiang in "Cuckoo Mountain". Although she is a villain, her superb interpretation also stopped this moving image in the audience's mind.
But what everyone is more memorable is the "Ke Xiang" she played.
In that "fiery era", her sweet smile and her clean and refreshing "Ke Xiangtou" were like a pool of spring water in midsummer, bringing us a cool feeling.
And "Cuckoo Mountain" has also attracted the attention of generations of theater fans with its solid script and the special charm of red classics. It has also been rehearsed by a number of theater troupes.
Prior to this, the Beijing Peking Opera Company conducted the first rehearsal of "Cuckoo Mountain" in 1993, and Ke Xiang was played by the young actor Liu Shanli. Later, the Peking Opera Troupe of the Beijing Military Region also rehearsed "Cuckoo Mountain", Ke Xiang played Yu Lan, and then in 2011, the Tianjin Peking Opera Company also rehearsed "Cuckoo Mountain", and it was Wang Changjun who played Ke Xiang.
The Shanghai Peking Opera Company rehearsed the play for the first time in 2001, and after many years of intensive rehearsals, the theater rehearsed again in 2021.
When we look at the previous "Ke Xiang" together, we will find that the closest to Yang Chunxia's performance style is Yu Lan, and her sassy and heroic posture is incomparable to many other actresses. followed by Shi Yihong, she also deduced Ke Xiang as she understood, singing, reading, doing, and fighting, beautiful.
But to be honest, it is difficult for today's young actors to restore the version of 50 years ago. At that time, arranging a drama was to concentrate the elite soldiers and strong generals of the whole country, picking out every detail one by one, and grinding one singing voice after another, which was the result of thousands of tempering. And all the main creators have to live and have real feelings and experiences. And now, most of the young actors are in a hurry, and they can act to the extent of six or seven points, which is already good, "What more bicycles"?
Yang Chunxia is now 81 years old. But recalling the scene when she starred in "Cuckoo Mountain", she still remembers it vividly. She said that at the beginning, the Ke Xiang she played was not recognized by the audience, and she was even scolded. Because her figure is slightly thin, and her temperament is relatively weak. Later, she intensified her training to make herself tougher.
After a lapse of 50 years, Yang Chunxia, who was "disliked" by the audience back then, has now created an insurmountable peak. It's a wonderful thing indeed.
And the other actors in the 74 movie version of "Cuckoo Mountain" are now getting older one after another - "Wen Qijiu" Wang Zhongxin is 81 years old, "Du's mother" Liu Guixin is 80 years old, "Tian Dajiang" Gao Mukun is 79 years old, and "Li Shijian" Li Baochun is 74 years old. In addition, Ma Yongan, who played Lei Gang, has been dead for 17 years, and Ma Zengshou, who played the poisonous snake gall, has also passed away for 7 years.
Sometimes it may take decades for a play to see its value. For example, isn't that the case with "Cuckoo Mountain"? Its singing, its confession, and its martial arts, looking at it now, are all timeless. Only those that can stand the test of time can be regarded as true works of art. In this way, "Cuckoo Mountain" undoubtedly does this.
So it's no surprise that the rearranged "Cuckoo Mountain" can be welcomed by everyone. #长文创作激励计划#