Meihua dagu 梅花大鼓 / qiyin liantan 七音联弹 music from Tianjin, China

A performance of instrumental ensemble music from the tradition of meihua dagu (梅花大鼓), a genre of accompanied narrative singing (shuochang, 说唱) from the Beijing and Tianjin areas of northern China. The melody performed here is the Beijing opera qupai (曲牌, labeled tune) called "Ye Shen Chen"《夜深沉》(The Deep Night).

The lead vocalist (who also plays a drum and clapper) is Ms. An Ying (安颖, b. 1958), and all the performers are members of the Tianjin Municipal Narrative Singing Troupe (Tianjin Shi Quyi Tuan, 天津市曲艺团), whose leader/sanxian player is Mr. Han Baoli (韩宝利, b. 1954; third from right); these musicians are as follows (from left to right):
● Han Qing (韩晴)
● Han Lixiang (韩利祥)
● Zhang Yuheng (张玉恒)
● Han Baoli (韩宝利, b. 1954)
● Qiu Changle (岳长乐)
● Chen Qian (陈茜)

Other than the drum and clapper, the instruments used in this performance include zhongruan (中阮, round-bodied fretted plucked lute) two yangqin (扬琴, hammered dulcimers), sihu (四胡, vertical fiddle with four strings in double courses and snakeskin-covered resonator), erhu (二胡, 2-stringed vertical fiddle with snakeskin-covered resonator), sanxian (三弦, 3-stringed fretless long-necked plucked lute with snakeskin-covered soundbox), and pipa (琵琶, 4-stringed pear-shaped lute).

Probably filmed at a concert hall in Tianjin (天津市), northern China, perhaps c. 1995.

In this performance, the six musicians perform using a special method of playing called qiyin liantan (七音联弹 or 七音连弹, literally "seven sounds playing jointly"), shuang qin huan shou (双琴换手, literally "double instruments swapping hands"), huan shou liantan (换手联弹 or 换手连弹, literally "swapping hands [and] playing jointly"), or qiyin huan shou liantan (七音换手联弹 or 七音换手连弹, literally "seven sounds swapping hands playing jointly"), in which each musician uses one hand on his own instrument and the other hand on his neighbor's instrument. In this way, seven different instruments can be played by just six players (from left to right: yangqin, zhongruan, sihu, erhu, sanxian, pipa, and another yangqin). This innovation was pioneered in 1985 by the group's leader and sanxian player, Mr. Han Baoli (韩宝利, b. 1954); prior to this only four performers and five instruments were used (called wuyin liantan, 五音联弹 or 五音连弹).

【首发】曲艺伴奏绝技《换手联弹》梅花调 夜深沉 天津市曲艺团演出

More information:
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AE%8...