BY WENDY ZHANG
Tang Xianzu: The Playwright in Concert
Presented by China National Arts Fund, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and Ausfeng
Sydney Opera House, 7 April
More than 100 students and teachers from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music performed the Tang Xianzu opera in the Sydney Opera House, showcasing through music and poetry the life story of famous Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu. It was a brilliant performance, and what impressed me most was the Chinese instrumentalists in the orchestra as well as the striking costumes designed to reflect the Ming dynasty in which Tang (1550-1616) was born.
When the orchestra first appeared on the stage, I noticed there were standard Western instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) as well as Chinese flute, erhu, guzheng, sheng, pipa, and suona. It was the first time I’d seen sheng performed in an orchestra – a mouth-blown reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes, and one of the oldest musical instruments in China, played in the Ming dynasty. What was interesting was the Chinese instrumentalists were also wearing Ming-dynasty costumes and hairdos, showing respect to the playwright’s era, and also resembling the look of the imperial court musicians from the day.
The 50-piece orchestra, led by conductor Zhou Ke, played an overture – a brief reflection of Tang’s life and powerful opening – before Act I started. It was the wedding scene between Tang and his love Madam Wu. The loud and high-pitched sound of suona opened this scene. Tang’s (baritone Hu Sihao) voice was deep and resonant –appropriate for this noble, honest, and patriotic character. His voice was implemented by the warm and expressive voice of Madam Wu (Chen Jingwei). The duet between Tang and Madam Wu continued throughout the opera across different stages of Tang’s life, and was always romantic and affectionate, representing their eternal love for each other. According to the program note, the love between Tang and Madam Wu was a main inspiration for Tang’s four masterpieces, collectively called the Four Dreams in Linchuan due to the decisive role dreams in the plot of each one – The Purple Hairpins, The Peony Pavilion, A Dream Under the Southern Bough, and The Handan Dream.
Scene three was set at the Imperial Academy where Tang took his exams. Examiner Cao, in his red uniform, invited Tang and his friend to lunch and bribed them with top places in the exam in exchange for doing whatever he requested. Wang Miao Zhuang was brilliant in his acting and singing of Examiner Cao, representing evil and corruption through his manipulative expressions and versatile voice. Tang rejected his offer immediately, and as a result, ‘failed’ the exam. At the same time, he also learnt that his wife had just passed away from illness, and he was heart-broken. The orchestra, led by the flute, played a melancholy melody, reflecting Tang’s great loss and devastation. Madam Wu, appearing in white (the colour of death in China, as if coming from Tang’s dream), sang a duet with Tang, accompanied by the strings. They sang lyrics from Tang’s most well-known play The Peony Pavilion, when the heroine in that play, Du Liniang, appeared in a Chinese opera garb, sang a small part of the play and disappeared. Du’s green dress was exquisite and her voice was innocent with a dreamy sense of sadness and nostalgia. Madam Wu and Du Liniang embodied Tang’s unswerving commitment to ideals and love (according to the program note), and having them appear on stage at the same time was a clever demonstration of ‘dreams’, which was an essential theme in his four plays.
Act Two was about Tang in his 30s, as he failed the exams many times and did not get ahead in life due to his resistance to corruption. In this act, a lady in a blue dress appeared on stage to play a suona solo, accompanied by the orchestra. It was an expressive performance with technical brilliance, hitting a very high note at the end. I normally hear suona in an orchestra setting, playing background music for outdoor scenes, and it was refreshing to hear a suona solo that showcased the beautiful and unique brassy sound of this instrument.
Act Three was about Tang in his 40s, having becoming the chief magistrate for Suichang County for five years and made a series of policies to improve people’s life, according to the program note. I thoroughly enjoyed this act, as the Chinese instruments were featured prominently. There was a pipa solo accompanied by guzheng, which was beautiful and expressive. I also heard sheng playing by itself for the first time, and it had a unique sound with high register; appropriate for depicting the Ming dynasty imperial court.
The orchestra’s playing was tight, and the Western and Chinese instruments played well in sync. In the epilogue, I heard sound of the harp, guzheng, sheng, and pipa playing together, as Tang and his wife sang a final duet. The choir and the orchestra sounded powerful together and provided strong support for the lead singers.
Apart from the music, the costume design of the show was extraordinary and showed attention to details. All the lead characters’ costumes had the colours and design symbolising the Ming dynasty. The officials wore hats and uniforms with colours and patterns reflecting their titles and grades. Tang and his servants, when travelling on the road, each carried a bamboo baggage on their back, which acted as a baggage and small umbrella; authentic representations of what pedestrians were using in that era. Even the choir members and players of Chinese musical instruments wore costumes of the Ming dynasty, showing how much effort the production team put into making this show authentic to the dynasty..
Tang Xianzu was an original Chinese opera with a great cast, superb orchestra, and splendid costume design. Even though the main character was from so many centuries years ago, the production team, musicians, and cast worked together to translate his life and literature into languages and music we can understand and appreciate today, and made this a visually stunning show.
Images supplied.
