The Legend of White Snake

The Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong cooperated with Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe during the "Shanghai Arts Festival", and young actors from Shanghai and Hong Kong collaborated to perform "The Legend of White Snake". Hong Kong's young actors will perform three parts of "The Great Change", "Stealing the Immortal Grass" and "Broken Bridge". The introduction is as follows:

"Surprising Change": Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen lived by the West Lake. They donated doctors and medicines and lived a peaceful and peaceful life. Zen Master Fahai of Jinshan Temple knew that Suzhen was the incarnation of a snake demon, and instigated Xu Xian to use realgar wine to make Suzhen appear in her original form. Xu Xian was frightened to death.

"Stealing the Immortal Grass": In order to save Xu Xian, Suzhen risked her life to steal the Ganoderma lucidum grass, fought with Hetong and Deertong, and finally obtained the Ganoderma lucidum from the Antarctic immortal to save her husband.

"Broken Bridge": After water flooded the Jinshan Mountain, Suzhen and Xiaoqing walked away from the broken bridge and met Xu Xian. After several explanations and exchanges of feelings, the two finally settled their differences.

# Program Features

Several excerpts from this performance reflect the characteristics of Cantonese opera, a Cantonese opera. Cantonese opera Art is the carrier of Lingnan culture, which fully embodies the characteristics of Lingnan culture’s flexibility and tolerance. Cantonese opera In the process of development, it has continuously absorbed nutrients from different opera types and local music to form a unique performance style.

In terms of music, in addition to the general banqiang (banghuang, major, minor, paizi, etc.), Cantonese music, ditty, and even Guangdong rap are also added, such as Nanyin, Muyu, Dragon Boat, Yuegu, etc. In addition, Cantonese opera's big gongs and drums are the most prominent feature of Cantonese opera. Cantonese opera's unique literary gongs and high-sided gongs are better at creating an atmosphere for the plot. Pei Yanling, a famous Peking Opera actor, highly admires Cantonese opera's gongs and drums, and even pointed out that Guangdong gongs and drums make the actors' most powerful appearance. In addition to the unique large gongs and drums of Cantonese opera, Beijing gongs and drums are also introduced to enrich the percussion part. In addition to Chinese musical instruments, Cantonese opera music will also add Western musical instruments as needed, such as violin, saxophone, etc., adding variety to Cantonese opera music.

Cantonese opera The flexibility of music can also be reflected in singing. Cantonese opera There are "special tunes" designed for individual plots, such as: Sinzi tune (Yang Liulang's special singing tune in "Liu Lang Sinzi"). There are also many Cantonese opera actors who create their own "special tunes" based on their own interpretation characteristics, thus forming a lively and diverse genre. In this performance of "Broken Bridge", Hua Dan's aria transitions from the "reverse line two yellows" of the Erhuang system to the "reverse line middle plate" of the Bangzi system, which fully demonstrates the flexible changes of Cantonese opera music.

In addition, in addition to the established body postures, hands and procedures, Cantonese opera has strong flexibility when reproducing the content of the story, and the interpretation method is more lively and life-like. In this performance of "Surprise", the young couple's gossipy scenes show Cantonese opera's more life-oriented interpretation.