藝文.逸志-四川秋色:成都川劇紅梅記 Art.Culture - Sichuan Autumn Scene: Sichuan Opera "Red Plum Blossom" at Chengdu

日前到成都旅遊，我有幸購將門票在錦江劇場欣賞一場精彩絕侖的川劇綜藝表演《川劇·傳奇變臉秀》，其中的經典名劇《紅梅記》尤為精彩，劇中生角與旦角唱做俱佳，兩人身段舞姿完美配合，做手及水袖舞動爾雅優美，音樂及唱辭悠揚悦耳，值得一看再看，細細回味。

川劇紅梅記介紹:

南宋時，書生裴禹游西湖，權相賈似道的侍妾李慧娘顧盼裴生，加以讚美，致為賈似道殺害。總兵之女盧昭容春日登樓眺望，折梅吟詠，裴生恰在牆外攀枝，昭容即以梅相贈。賈似道見昭容貌美，欲強納為妾。裴生為盧母出計，權充其婿，至賈府拒婚。賈似道將裴生拘於密室，慧娘鬼魂得與裴生幽會，救裴生脫險，並現形痛斥賈似道之兇殘暴戾。後賈似道兵敗襄陽，在木綿庵被鄭虎臣殺死。裴生應試擢探花，與昭容完婚。

川劇，又稱川戲，中國西南地區戲曲之一，形成於清朝中期乾隆年間，流行於四川省、重慶市，以及雲南省、貴州省、湖北省的部分地區。川劇有高腔、崑腔、胡琴、彈腔、燈調等五種聲腔，而與其他劇種不同的地方在於特別高的高腔。川劇中最有名的技巧是變臉，為人們所熟知。川劇名列於2006年5月20日公布的第一批518項國家級非物質文化遺產代表性項目名錄之內。

川劇的起源可以追溯到先秦乃至更早的時期，而後兩漢的角牴百戲，為早期的川劇奠定了基礎。戰國名篇《宋玉對楚王問》中有「其為下里巴人，國中屬而和者數千人」。所謂「下里巴人」，即是四川民間歌舞或者歌者舞者的代稱。據《太平廣記》及《稗史匯編》等文獻記載，自蜀郡守李冰起，便有《鬥牛》之戲。三國時期，更是出現了四川第一曲諷刺喜劇《忿爭》，可謂川劇喜劇的鼻祖。

唐至五代時期，流行雜劇，是四川戲劇最為鼎盛之期，出現了「蜀技冠天下」的局面。這一時期常演的劇目有《劉辟責買》、《麥秀兩岐》和《灌口神》等。並出現了中國戲曲史上到目前為止最早的戲班，即《酉陽雜俎》中所載的干滿川、白迦、葉矽、張美和張翱五人所組成的戲班。

宋元時期四川流行南戲、川雜劇，比較有名的曲目為《酒色財氣》。

明代「川戲」的靳廣兒班曾遠赴江蘇，轟動南京，形成與南戲爭勝的局面。。

明末清初，四川人口銳減，全國各地移民入川，史稱湖廣填四川。移民們帶來了家鄉的各種戲劇，使多種南北聲腔劇種也相繼流播四川各地，並且在長期的發展衍變中，以四川燈戲為基礎，融合了高腔、崑腔、胡琴、彈腔等聲腔，並與四川方言土語、民風民俗、民間音樂、舞蹈、融合，逐漸形成具有四川特色的聲腔藝術，川劇正式形式。

川劇主要特色:

聲腔多樣：融匯了高腔、昆腔、胡琴、彈戲、燈戲五種聲腔藝術。其中以高腔最為獨特，並善於運用「幫腔」形式。

表演絕技：最為人熟知的絕技是「變臉」，能夠瞬間改變臉譜，以強烈的視覺效果來表現人物內心世界的變化。

行當齊全：分為小生、旦角、生角、花臉、丑角五個行當，其中小丑、小生、小旦的表演最具特色。

藝術表現：表演細膩生動，語言幽默風趣，並能充分體現中國戲曲虛實相生、寫意的美學特色。 

來源:維基百科及網上資料

During a recent trip to Chengdu, I was fortunate enough to purchase tickets to enjoy a spectacular Sichuan Opera variety show, "Sichuan Opera: Legendary Face-Changing Show," at the Jinjiang Theater. The classic play, "The Story of the Red Plum Blossom," was particularly captivating. The male and female leads excelled in both singing and acting, their movements perfectly coordinated. Their hand gestures and flowing sleeves were elegant and graceful, and the music and lyrics were melodious and pleasing to the ear. It's a performance well worth seeing again and again, a performance to savor.

Synopsis of "The Story of the Red Plum Blossom": During the Southern Song Dynasty, the scholar Pei Yu visited West Lake. Li Huiniang, a concubine of the powerful minister Jia Sidao, admired Pei Yu and praised him, leading to her murder by Jia Sidao. Lu Zhaorong, the daughter of a general, climbed a tower in springtime to admire the view, picking plum blossoms and reciting poetry. Pei Yu happened to be outside the wall climbing a branch, and Zhaorong presented him with a plum blossom. Jia Sidao, seeing Zhaorong's beauty, desired to take her as a concubine. Pei Yu devised a plan for Lu's mother, pretending to be her husband, and refused the marriage proposal at Jia's residence. Jia Sidao imprisoned Pei Sheng in a secret room, where Hui Niang's ghost was able to meet with him, rescue him, and then reveal her true form to denounce Jia Sidao's cruelty and tyranny. Later, Jia Sidao was defeated in Xiangyang and killed by Zheng Huchen at the Mianmian Temple. Pei Sheng passed the imperial examination and became a third-ranked scholar, marrying Zhao Rong.

Sichuan Opera, also known as Sichuan Opera, is a type of opera from southwestern China. It originated in the mid-Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and is popular in Sichuan Province, Chongqing Municipality, and parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hubei Provinces. Sichuan Opera has five vocal styles: Gaoqiang, Kunqiang, Huqin, Tanqiang, and Dengdiao. What distinguishes it from other opera genres is its exceptionally high-pitched Gaoqiang. The most famous technique in Sichuan Opera is face-changing, which is widely known. Sichuan Opera was included in the first batch of 518 national intangible cultural heritage representative projects announced on May 20, 2006.

Key characteristics of Sichuan Opera:

Diverse Vocal Styles: It integrates five vocal styles: Gaoqiang, Kunqu, Huqin, Tanxi, and Dengxi. Gaoqiang is the most unique, and it skillfully utilizes the "accompaniment" technique.

Performance Masterpieces: The most well-known skill is "face-changing," which allows for instantaneous alteration of facial makeup to vividly portray the inner world of a character.

Complete Role System: It is divided into five roles: Xiaosheng (young male lead), Dan (female lead), Sheng (male lead), Hualian (painted face), and Chou (clown). The performances of the clown, Xiaosheng, and Xiaodan are particularly distinctive.

Artistic Expression: The performances are delicate and vivid, the language humorous and witty, and it fully embodies the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese opera, which emphasizes the interplay of reality and illusion and expressive imagery.

Source: Wikipedia and online resources