Yue Opera in Eindhoven

The 2nd Classical Cantonese Opera Performance Day, 2014

Time and Date: 1 – 4:30 pm 22 Nov, 2014 Saturday

Address: CKE Arts Center, Pastoor Peterstraat 180, 5612 LW Eindhoven

Music Leader: Shi Yu Hua Huang Yue Rui Percussion Leader : Zhang Lian Zhi Mo Xiu Xiang

Music Accompany: Kwum Jin Hua , Liu Shao Wei , Gerard Kwak, Pu Hui , Huang Zhengyi, Zhen Xiao Hong, Liu Xue

Arts Instructor : Kwum Jin Hua Stage Make-up : Kwum Jing Hua Make-up Assistant: Liu Xue

Host: Wu Yan Wei Xia Jing Wu

Program:

The performances include 2 parts. There is intermission in between. The first part is comprised of 6 scenes selected from the Cantonese opera repertoire, self-contained and drawn from different operas. The second part is comprised of various Chinese classical music, dance, songs.

Part 1

別館盟心

“Alliance at the Mansion” from Romance of Fan Li and Xi Shi

夫差揮鞭，直搗會稽山，滅了越國，越國大夫茫蠡，為求復國，尋得綜紗女子西施獻與吳王，西施獻與吳王，西施愛慕范蠡才華，不願獻美，吳王，范蠡誘導西施，以國為重，兩人驛館互訴衷情，最終忍淚惜別。

(During the Spring and Autumn period, China's feudal system became largely irrelevant. The Zhou dynasty kings held nominal power, but had real control over only a small royal domains centered on their capital Luoyi near modern-day Luoyang. During the early part of the Zhou dynasty period, royal relatives and generals had been given control over fiefdoms in an effort to maintain Zhou authority over vast territory.

As the era unfolded, larger and more powerful states annexed or claimed suzerainty over smaller ones. Two states in southeastern China with initially tenuous links to the Zhou realm - Wu in modern-day Jiangsu and Yue in modern-day Zhejiang - grew in power as they gained relevance in interstate affairs.)

King Goujian of Yue was once imprisoned by King Fuchai of Wu after a defeat in war, and Yue later became a tributary state to Wu. Secretly planning his revenge, Goujian's minister Fan Li suggested training beautiful woman and offering her to Fuchai as a tribute (knowing Fuchai could not resist beautiful women). He found Xi Shi in 490 BC. Xi Shi's beauty was said to be so extreme that while leaning over a balcony to look at the fish in the pond, the fish would be so dazzled that they forgot to swim and sank away from the surface. 沉魚落雁, 閉月羞花

However, be admired by the talent of Fuchai, Xi Shi is fond of Fan Li and reluctant to go to Yue. Fan Li tried to guide Xi Shi with the importance of the state affairs. Finally they revealed their admiration and love for each other, after making the alliance for the sake of the state, they fare welled in tears.

Xi Shi -- Kwam Jin Hua Fan Li – Liu Shao Wei

剑合钗圆

“Recovery of the token of love – hairpin” From the story of the Purple Hairpin

唐代隴西士子李益（十郎）赴長安應試期間在元宵夜長安燈市拾得霍小玉遺下的紫玉燕釵，並以釵定情。他得友人崔允明鼓勵，直訪霍小玉求親，當晚成其好事。然益與小玉相遇前，曾巧遇盧太尉之女燕貞。燕貞慕益之才，對其一見傾心，種下李、霍二人分離的禍根，因而得以相識。二人新婚之時，正是李益高中狀元之日。盧太尉特意下令新及第進士等人均要上門拜見，希望趁此安排婚事，偏偏李益卻沒有前往，因而盧太尉將他遠庶塞外參軍，斷絕李霍二人音訊。李益一去三年，小玉生活日漸艱難，還要時加接濟潦倒的崔允明，最後只得命侍女浣紗將紫玉釵​​變賣。三年後，李益被召返長安，盧太尉欲再招益為婿，便施以奸計，不許益回家，並暗中買下小玉出售的紫玉釵，向益詐稱小玉已另嫁他人。他又逼李益之好友韋夏卿與崔允明為媒，以致崔為報小玉之恩而死。十郎見釵在情亡，不願再娶，意欲吞釵拒婚，惜被太尉以反唐詩威脅。後小玉巧遇黃衫客，並得黃衫客之助，得與益重逢。兩人冰釋前嫌，十郎為小玉將紫釵重新插戴，以證舊盟。盧太尉得悉此事後勃然大怒，李益再度被太尉爪牙捉回逼即日與燕貞成婚。小玉再得黃衫客之助，冒死闖入盧府據理爭夫。太尉以小玉闖席論罪，欲將她打死；最後黃衫客亦至，表露其四王爺的身份，並指證盧太尉之惡行。下令再點花燭，讓李益與小玉聯婚，有情人終成眷屬。

The story of the Purple Hairpin is the work of the Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu September 24, 1550 — July 29, 1616. The play deals with the young poet Li Yi of Tang dynasty, who is on his way for the mandarin test in Xi’an. While celebrating the lantern festival at Xi’an, he found the Purple Hairpin which was left by Huo Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu is a Geisha and descendant of a previous noble family. They felt immediately attracted to each other and decided to make the purple hairpin a token of their love. But before their meeting, Li Yi was accidently meeting another daughter of a local official. The girl and the father Lu official wanted to arrange this marriage. There goes the story.

This is the scene in which Li Yi was called back to Xi’an after 3 years assignment to the far west military post. Lu still wanted to marry his daughter to Li. He made tricks to forbid Li to go back home and secretly bought the purple hairpin from Xiao Yu. At the same time , Xiao Yu was very sick and felt in despair. Li saw the hairpin and mistook that Xiao Yu was dead. It was via a mutual friend that the couple finally met each other again. Li Yi put the purple hairpin in Xiao Yu’s hair. Their love goes on forever.

Xiao Yu – Zhen Xiao Hong Li Yi – Guo Hui Ling

魂梦绕山河

Dream haunting the homeland

李煜（937年―978年），南唐元宗李璟第六子，初名從嘉，字重光，號鐘隱、蓮峰居士，漢族，彭城（今江蘇徐州）人，南唐最後一位國君。

北宋建隆二年（961年），李煜繼位，尊宋為正統，歲貢以保平安。開寶四年（971年）十月，宋太祖滅南漢，李煜去除唐號，改稱“江南國主”；並於次年貶損儀制，撤去金陵（今南京）台殿鴟​​吻，以示尊奉宋廷。開寶八年（975年），宋軍攻破金陵，李煜被迫降宋，被俘至汴京（今開封），封為右千牛衛上將軍、違命侯。太平興國三年（978年）七月七日，李煜死於汴京，世稱南唐後主、李後主。李煜精書法，工繪畫，通音律，詩文均有一定造詣，尤以詞的成就最高。

李煜在位期間，雖后宮嬪妃甚多，但卻對兩位皇后用情極深。大周後，名娥皇，精通書史，善音律，尤工琵琶。大周後去世後，李煜又娶了周後之妹小周後為皇后。南唐亡國後，李煜與小周後一同被俘入北宋汴京，攜手度過三年“日夕以淚洗面”的囚禁生活，受盡屈辱。李煜客死他鄉後，小周後悲痛欲絕，不久也隨之而去。

這段戲曲表現了南唐亡國後，李煜與小周後一同被俘入北宋汴京，囚禁屈辱中對亡國的悲憤和對故國的思念複雜之情。

Li Yu (李煜) (c. 937[3] – 15 August 978[5]), known as Li Houzhu (李後主; literally "Last Ruler Li" or "Last Lord Li"), was the third ruler[1] of the Southern Tang state during imperial China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 961 until 976, when he was captured by the invading Song Dynasty armies which annexed his kingdom. He died by poison on orders of Emperor Taizong of Song after 2 years being kept as an exiled prisoner.

Although an incompetent ruler, he was a representative lyric poet during his era, even to the extent of having been called the "first true master" of the ci form.

She is best known as Queen Zhou the Elder (大周后) to distinguish from her younger sister Queen Zhou the Younger whom Li Yu married after her death. A musical genius and pipa virtuoso, she is suspected to be the subject of many of Li Yu's enduring love poems.

One of Li Yu's most famous poems, popularly known as "Alone Up the Western Tower" (獨上西樓), was written after his capture. As translated by Chan Hong-mo:

無言獨上西樓

Alone to silence, up the western tower, I myself bestow.

月如鉤

Like silver curtain hook, so does the moon glow.

寂寞梧桐

The fallen leaves of one forsaken parasol

深院鎖清秋

Make deeper still the limpid autumn locked up in the court below.

剪不斷

Try cutting it, it is still profuse –

理還亂

More minding will but more confuse –

是離愁

Ah, parting's such enduring sorrow!

別有一番滋味在心頭

It leaves behind a very special taste the heart alone could know.

This scene describes the sadness of Li Houzhu as an exiled prisoner when he and Queen Zhou the Younger were captured by Song emperor. The dialogue between Li and Zhou is full of recurrent Cantonese themes, and is notable in that it is the “dan” ,or female, character who proposes to the “Sheng”, or male lead.

Li Hongzhu – Wu Xue Qing , Liang Mei Yu Queen Zhou the Younger – Mo Yan Qing , Li Jie Yin

双仙拜月亭

Two immortals at the pavilion of the moon

This play is the work of early Yuan playwright Guan Hang Qing (1234-1307 about.) It is a love story.

Liang Yu Lian

折梅巧遇

“Picking Plum Coincidence” is part of the story of Alive Red Plum

《再世紅梅記》是仙鳳鳴粵劇團的一個粵劇劇目，劇本改編自明朝周朝俊之紅梅記。 《再世紅梅記》是唐滌生的最後作品，唐氏即死於觀賞此劇首演時《脫井救裴》一段

錢塘裴禹遊玩西湖之際，邂逅奸相賈似道之妾李慧娘，二人發乎情，止乎禮，惺惺相惜，互相讚美之馀，仍無奈要分離。

賈似道知悉後，一時妒恨，將慧娘殺了。後聞得退職總兵頭之女昭容貌美非常，兼且酷肖慧娘，遂欲得之為妾。盧桐欲拒無策，裴生示意昭容扮成瘋女，杜絕賈相之色心。可惜被賈似道洞悉其情，假意放走昭容，卻將裴生拘禁於相府內，圖謀殺之。

慧娘陰魂不息，化成厲鬼，知悉賈似道的陰謀後，遂將裴生救走。賈似道以為是其妾所為，大怒，而慧娘之鬼魂亦於此時出現，痛懲奸相，再與裴生趕赴揚州會見昭容，抵步時，正值昭容相思魂斷之際，慧娘遂得借昭容之身還魂，與裴禹成婚。

The story is set in the Southern Song Dynasty. The concubine of treacherous court official Jia Shi dou, Li Hui Niang goes one day to the West Lake and meet Pei Yu. There is some chemistry between the two. However they part properly with manner. Mr. Jia Shi Dou becomes very jealous after knowing this. He killed his concubine, Hui Niang. There is another lady, Lou Ziu Rong. She looks like Hui Niang.

Pei Yu does not know that mrs. Li Hui Niang was dead and thought Lou Ziu Rong is mrs. Li. Lou Ziu Rong is also in love with mr. Pei. Because Jia Shi Dou wants to get married with mrs. Lou Ziu Rong but mrs. Lou does not want to, so they stand for as a deranged to prevent the marriage. In an evening Pei Yu sees the spirit of the deceased mrs. Hui Niang who says that the house of the Jia family is full of ghosts. Jia Shi Dou is suspected by the Chinese emperor of treason and arrested. Then Pei Yu and Lou Ziu Rong marry and be together.

Picking Plum Coincidence tells the story about the first time meeting of Pei Yu and Lou Ziu Rong. Pei walks along a residence garden and the blossoming plum tree reminds him of Li Hui Niang who he met before at the West Lake. And suddenly Lou Ziu Rong is in front of Pei. Pei doesn’t know that Hui Niang was dead and thinks Ziu Rong is mrs. Li since she looks alike. There comes the humor.

Pei yu -- Huang Zhen Yi Ziu Rong -- Den Min Fang

十绣香囊

“Ten Times Embroidered Sachet” is from the story Snow in the Mid Summer.

六月雪

宋朝熙寧年間，商州大旱，竇娥一家在逃亡途中母親病亡，弟弟失散，被迫賣到山陽縣蔡家做媳婦。蔡昌宗與竇娥情投意合，成親後夫妻恩愛。蔡為了趕考期，於新婚第三天便告別妻母上京趕考。

蔡家東鄰山陽巨族張驢兒，因仰慕竇娥，設計暗害使蔡昌宗墜入水中。

張驢兒進而逼債，企圖使竇娥改嫁，無奈竇娥堅貞守節，甘與蔡母相依為命。驢兒又心生一計，暗在羊肚湯下毒欲毒死蔡母，怎料竟毒死自己生母。於是乘機誣陷蔡母，賄賂山陽縣令要蔡母償命，竇娥不忍婆婆受罪，自擔罪名，挺身受罰。

行刑之時，忽然狂風雷動，大雪紛飛，彷彿天怒人怨。炎炎盛夏，竟然漫天風雪，確實古今奇蹟。

Dou E Yuan, commonly translated as The Injustice to Dou E, and also known as The Injustice Done to Tou Ngo and Snow in Midsummer, is a Chinese play written by Guan Hanqing (c. 1241–1320) during the Yuan dynasty. The full Chinese title of the play is Gan Tian Dong Di Dou E Yuan, which roughly translates to The Injustice to Dou E that Touched Heaven and Earth. It remains one of Guan's most popular works.

Dou Duanyun, a young maiden from Chuzhou (楚州; present-day Huai'an District, Huai'an, Jiangsu), is sold to the Cai family as a child bride because her father, Dou Tianzhang, owed people a lot of money and could not repay his debts. She is renamed 'Dou E'.

Dou E's husband died two years after their marriage, leaving behind Dou E and her husband's mother to depend on each other. Dou E and her mother-in-law are bullied by Sai Lu Yi, an unscrupulous physician. He almost kills Dou's mother-in-law by strangling her.

Zhang Lü'er plots to murder Dou E's mother-in-law. He then puts poison in the soup and hopes that Dou E's mother-in-law will drink it and die. Unexpectedly, Zhang's father drinks the soup instead and dies. Zhang Lü'er then frames Dou E for murdering his father.

Dou E is arrested and brought before the prefecture governor, Tao Wu, who subjects her to various tortures to force her to confess to the crime. Dou E does not want her mother-in-law to be implicated so she admits to the murder. Tao Wu sentences her to death by beheading.

Dou E is brought to the execution ground. Before her execution, she swears that her innocence will be proven if the following three events occur after she dies:

Her blood will spill on her clothes but will not drip onto the ground.There will be heavy snowfall in the sixth lunar month (in the midst of summer) and the thick snow will cover her dead body.Chuzhou will experience a drought for three years.

The three events really did happen after Dou E's death.

Ten Times Embroidered Sachet is the scene which shows the appreciation and love between Dou er and her husband Cai.

Dou E -- Mo Yan Qing , Li Jie Yin mr. Cai -- Wu Xue Qing , Liang Mei Yu

Intermission

Part 2

彩雲追月 Clouds Chasing the Moon

琴挑 Teasing

中國舞蹈 Chinese Dance

帝女花 Perish in the Name of Love

琵琶獨奏 PiPa Solo

紅豆曲 Sound of Love

古箏二胡笛子合奏 Zen Erhu Flute

鳳閣恩仇未了情 The princes in distress

健康柔力球 Health Softball

幽媾 Perfect Match