LOCAL FLAVOR
The Peony Pavilion, the most well-known opera work by the great Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) playwright Tang Xianzu was staged in Beijing for three nights last week from Tuesday to Thursday in the melody native to Tang’s hometown, the Fuzhou Xuhe melody.
The last performance of the opera at the Poly Theater on Thursday, featuring wellknown Fuzhou opera singer Wu Lan, sold out, making for an excellent end to the previous performances held at Peking University and Tsinghua University on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to a press release sent to the Global Times on Monday, the performance is the troupe’s latest attempt to promote the Xuhe melody, following their performance last year of the Linchuan Four Dreams, a collection of Tang’s works The Peony Pavilion, Story of Purple Hairpin, A Dream Under the Southern Bough and The Handan Dream.
The Xuhe melody is the oldest surviving opera melody in Fuzhou, East China’s Jiangxi Province. It is believed to be the most representative of the original melody that was used when Tang’s work made its debut during the Ming Dynasty.
The story follows the lovers Du Liniang, one of the most well-known female characters in Chinese opera, and Liu Mengmei as they overcome numerous difficulties, including death, to be together.
Elements of local Fuzhou Nuo Opera were added to the new version so as to present a more local flavor to Beijing audiences.
First performed in 1598 at the Pavilion of Prince Teng in what is now Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province, The Peony Pavilion has been adapted into many different opera styles. However, this performance marks the first time it has been staged using the Xuhe melody.
Xie Yongjun, a scholar from Chinese National Academy of Arts, said that she hopes the new version can inspire other local opera troupes to take chances.
“Sometimes a performance can save a genre of opera. For this reason, this performance holds great meaning for the Xuhe melody,” she said.