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Meta Theater München presents
LIVING MEMORIES PROJEKT
New Music Theater from China
three contemporary solo operas with orchestra
February 5, 6 and 7, 2010, 8 pm
Marstall Theater München / Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel
The music theater of China ( xiqu ) is characterized by its high degree of stylization, but it has nearly nothing in common with European opera. Xiqu could be described as an abstract synthesis of the arts. There are approximately 300 different styles of xiqu , but Westerners decided in favor of the Peking Opera, which developed in the mid 19 th century, because of its sensational acrobatic character. The much older and poetically more artful Kun Opera ( kunqu ), on the other hand, is especially appreciated in China . High-pitched singing accompanied by percussion is typical of the extremely lively Sichuan Opera ( chuanju ).
Despite the fact that they were prohibited during the Cultural Revolution, jingju , kunqu , chuanju are again being cultivated and supported today. There are also contemporary theater-makers who further evolve these ancient theatrical forms and explore their significance and relevance. The Living Memories Project presents three such individuals: Kei Jun, Tian Mansha and Wo Hsing-kuo.
Ke Jun comes from the Kun Opera tradition. In his solo piece “Hiding and Fleeing” ( Cang yu ben ), which is accompanied by twelve musicians and which lasts somewhat more than half an hour, he explores a fundamental question about the philosophy of life: Should a person chase every passing fashion or should he radically strive to realize his own master plan? Ke uses classical means to express this conflict: the gentle timbre of the bamboo flute (i.e. the typical instrument of kunju ), calligraphy and singing. Tian Mansha comes from the Sichuan Opera tradition. Accompanied by six musicians, her 35-minute piece “The Sigh” ( Qing tan ) is based on the memory of an old actor who lived during the Cultural Revolution. Fearful that the prohibition against the performance of traditional pieces would cause him to forget them, he clandestinely rehearsed them in whispered tones. Against this background, Tian recounts the stories of three Chinese women from different centuries, each of whom she projects into the 21 st century.
Wo Hsing-kuo, who comes from the Peking Opera, was inspired by Shakespeare's “King Lear” ( Li'err wang ). Accompanied by twelve musicians, he brings ten different roles to the stage in course of his 45-minute solo performance. Wo portrays the blind and aged king, his hardhearted daughters Goneril and Regan, he also plays kindhearted Cordelia, the Fool, and the gullible Glouster. And he repeatedly raises the question: How much tradition does the modern era need?
The “Living Memories Project” is a Meta Theater Munich project in collaboration with Europalia Brussels, the Bavarian State Theatre, supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture and Science. Tickets Bavarian State Theater Tel. (+49) 89/2185 1940
Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel / Tel. 089/2185 1940
tickets@st-schauspiel.bayern. de / www.bayerischesstaatsschauspiel.de
Press pictures: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | / pdf (1,34MB)
  
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