UMS Concert Program, November 10, 1974: The National Chinese Opera Theatre --

Concert: Special
Complete Series: 3910
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

The University Musical Society
of
The University of Michigan
Presents
The National Chinese Opera Theatre
from Taipei, The Republic of China
Sunday, Afternoon, November 10, 1974, at 2:30 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
PROGRAM
CHAN YEN LIANG (Slaying of YEN Liang)
Eight swordsmen........TU Kuangchi, CHU Chihsueh,
CHANG Iching, WANG Kuofei,
WANG Kuanchiang, CHIEN Shengyao,
CHENG Tienszu, CHAO Chenhua
Gen. CHANG Liao............LI Huanchun
Gen. HSU Chu............CHANG Huichuan
Gen. SHU Huang............TIEN Pinglin
Gen. HSIAHOU Tun...........CHANG Ili
Gen. SUNG Hsien............CHUNG Fujen
Gen. WEI Shu.............CHU Chiafu
Gen. CHU Ling............WANG Tehsheng
Gen. LU Chao............SHEN Naihsiang
TS'AOTs'ao.......(A) KAO Tehsung, (B) MA Weisheng
Soldiers carrying Tiger Banners.....LIU Pinchien, LIU Ipeng,
HSIA Yuantseng, CHU Kejung,
LIU Huichu, WANG Shanshan,
HSU Nina, (A) CHANG Fuchun,
(B) MAO Hsiaoping
Gen. KUAN's equerry...........CHU Tienwu
Gen. KUAN Yu .... (A) CHANG Tapeng, (B) YEH Shuhreunn
Foot soldiers in red.....CHOU Chengjung, YANG Chuanying,
WU Chienhung, (A) YEH Shuhreunn, (B) CHANG Tapeng
Foot soldiers in green......SUN YUANpin, TIEN Linhua,
CHANG Ihsiao, (A) MA Weisheng,
(B) KAO Tehsung
Gen. YEN Liang .... (A) MAO Hsiaoping, (B) CHANG Fuchun
Special Concert Complete Programs 3910
TS'AO Tso'ao (a.d. 1S522O), prime minister of the late Han Dynasty, led an army against YUAN Shao, whose general, YEN Liang, proved to be more than the equal of all the prime minister's warriors. In desperation, TS'AO turned to General KUAN Yu, who owed his allegiance to LIU Pei but at that particular time was forced to be TS'AO's guest. The prime minister had been wining and dining and showering KUAN with gifts in the hope of winning him over. General KUAN saw a way of repaying all the favors he received from the prime minister. He asked to fight YEN Liang, and killed him at the first encounter. Then he returned all the gold and presents to the prime minister, and quietly left to join his old master. Because of his battle skills and bravery, but even more, his loyalty and sense of justice, he was deified after his death in a.d. 219 as the God of War. His temple can be found today in Taiwan as well as in many overseas Chinese communities.
SHIH YU CHO (The Jade Bracelet)
SUN YUchiao, the girl ... (A) KUO Hsiaochuang, (B) WEN Aihua FU Peng, the young man.........TS'AO Yungsheng
This boy meets girl routine is taken from a Ming Dynasty (a.d. 13681643) melodrama, in which a jade bracelet left as a token of love brought misfortune to three innocent persons . . . but everything was straightened out at the end. The setting is the 15th century, when it was considered most improper for young people to meet the opposite sex on their own. Pretty SUN Yuchiao lived with her widowed mother, making a living by sewing and raising chickens. She was in her front yard one spring day when young Fu Peng passed by and caught sight of her. He found an excuse to talk to her and, when leaving, deliberately dropped a jade bracelet which she picked up.
CHIN SHAN SZU (The White Serpent)
Male water spirits......CHANG Iching, CHANG, Huichuan,
CHUNG Fujen, WANG Kuohui,
CHIEN Shengyao, WANG Kuanchiang,
CHU Tienwu, (A) CHENG Tientzu,
(B) CHANG Ipeng
Female water spirits . . . . (A) HU Taifeng, (B) CHIANG Chuhua,
(A) WEN Aihua, (B) YANG Lienying,
(A) LIN Fenhuang, (B) YEN Lanching,
(A) WU Hsienwei, (B) KUO Hsiaochuang
The White Serpent.....(A) CHIANG Chuhua, (B) HU Taifeng
The Blue Serpent......(A) YANG Lienying, (B) LI Hualing
Young monk.......... WU Chienhung
Abbot Fa Hai............YANG Chuanying
Heavenly warriors.......LIU Pinchien, HSIA Yuantseng,
CHAO Chenhua, CHU Kejung,
CHANG Ili, LIU Huichu,
WANG Shanshan, TIEN Linhua,
(A) MAO Hsiaoping, (B) CHANG Fuchun,
(A) CHU chiafu, (B) LI Huanchun,
(A) LI Hualing, (B) LIN Fenhuang
Temple Guardian.....(A) CHANG Fuchun, (B) MAO Hsiaoping
Based on the popular fiction by the same name, the White Serpent has even been translated into English. The story concerns a White Serpent and her maid, the Blue Serpent, who came into the world after assuming human form. The White Serpent married a young man and was deeply in love with the mortal. The Abbot of Golden Mountain Temple, Fa Hai, however, warned him that his life was in danger, and hid him in the monastery located on an island in the Yangtze River. The excerpt opens with the White Serpent going to the temple to ask for her husband's return. The Abbot refused. She pleaded with him, to no avail. Driven to desperation, she called on the water spirits to flood the temple, but was stopped by the Guardian God. She called up more spirits led by the Turtle Marshal. The Abbot summoned Heavenly Warriors who finally defeated the spirits.
INTERMISSION
SAN CH'A K'OU (The Crossroad Inn)
LIU Llhua, the wicked innkeeper......(A) CHANG Ipeng
(B) CHENG Tienszu JEN T'anghui.......(A) LI Huanchun, (B) CHU Chiafu
During the Sung Dynasty (a.d. 9601126) there were constant border clashes with the neigh?boring Liao Empire (a.d. 9071124). Jen T'anghui, an officer on the staff of General Yang Ching, was sent on a spying mission to the northern border. At nightfall, Jen checked in at the crossroad inn. The innkeeper, LIU Lihua, whose distorted face denotes his wicked character, tried to feel his bag to see how much hard cash he was carrying. The alert Jen realized he had walked into a "black inn," i.e., one which preyed on its guests. He was ready for the innkeeper who came back to the room to rob him after every one had gone to bed.
While the stage is brightly lit, the audience should imagine that the two could not see a thing, and had to fight to kill and avoid being killed in total darkness.
LUNG FENG KO (Two Loyal Officials)
Four eunuchs........CHANG Ihsiao, CHANG Tapeng
VEH Shuhreunn, SHEN Naihsiang
Four palace maids........HU Taifeng, WEN Aihua,
WU Hsienwei, HSU Nina
Empress Dowager.....(A) YEN Lanching, (B) CHAO Lanfen
LI Liang, Prime minister..........TIEN Pinlin
HSU Yenchao, the duke .... (A) MA Weisheng, (B) KAO Tehsung
YANG Po, viceminister of war......(A) CHOU Chengjung,
(B) YEH Shuhreunn
Upon the death of Emperor Mutsung, the empress dowager enthroned her infant son but wanted to abdicate in favor of her ambitious father, Prime Minister Li Liang. Many officials were cowed into silence. But Hsu Yenchao, a hereditary duke, and Yang Po, the viceminister of war, argued heatedly against her decision. Hsu even hit the prime minister with the symbolic bronze club, bestowed to his ancestor by the founding emperor. Faced with such opposition, the empress dowager recessed the court and postponed her plans. The excerpt ends here, but not the story. The prime minister then staged the coup d'etat and surrounded the palace with troops. At the pleading of the empress dowager who by then had realized her mistake, Hsu and Yang came to her rescue and quelled the rebellion.
Selected to give the audience a taste of what singing in Chinese opera is like, the empress dowager sings somewhat like a soprano, the viceminister more or less like a tenor, and the duke, whose face painting denotes an upright character, is close to a baritone.
AN T'lEN HUI (The Immortal Thief)
Eight little monkeys......LIU Pinchien, CHENG Tienszu,
CHU Tienw, CHU Kejung, HSIA Yuantseng, CHIEN Shengyao, WANG Kuanchiang, CHUNG Fujen
Black monkey............CHANG Fuchun
Monkey King.......(A) Sun Yuanpin, (B) CHANG Ipeng
Four immortal maids .... KUO Hsiaochuang, CHIANG Chuhua,
(A) YANG Lienying, (B) LI Hualing, (A) CHAO Lanfen, (B) YEN Lanching
Earth God.............WU Chienhung
Two immortal boys.......LIU Huichu, WANG Shanshan
Four Heavenly Guardians .... CHANG Tapeng, YANG Chuanying,
CHANG Mi, WANG Tehsheng
Miscellaneous Gods.......TU Kuangchi, CHANG Iching
Goddess of Matrimony..........TSAO Yungsheng
God of Constellations.....(A) LI Hualing, (B) YANG lienying
Goddess of Wind.............HSU Nina
God of Rain......(A) YEH Shuhreunn, (B) CHOU Chengjung
God of Thunder............CHANG Ihsiao
Goddess of Lightning...........LIN Fenhuang
Six Celestial Warriors.....SHEN Naihsiang, WANG Kuohui,
CHU Chihsueh, LI Huanchun,
CHU Chiafu, (A) CHANG Ipeng,
(B) Sun Yuanpin
Heavenly Prince, Na Cha.........CHAO Chenhua
God Erh Lang............MAO Hsiaoping
Heavenly King......(A) KAO Tehsung, (B) MA Weisheng
Gargantuan God...........CHANG Huichuan
Heavenly Dog.............LIU Pinchien
The legendary monkey warrior, who could cover 36,000 miles with each tumble and whose weapon weighed seven tons, led a group of demons against the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven. He caused all kinds of trouble within the Heavenly Gate until he was defeated by the Buddha himself. Converted to Buddhism, he joined the Monk Hsuan Chuang (a.d. 599664) on an expedition to India to bring back Buddhist sutras. This number depicts the Monkey King's rascally deeds before his conversion: How he was appointed guardian of the Heavenly Peach Orchard but ate up all the peaches himself thus becoming immortal; how he stole the longevity pills of the Immortal T'ai Shang Lao Chun, founder of T'aoism; how he disrupted a party thrown by the Queen of Heaven; and how he fought and almost defeated all Heavenly guardians sent by the Jade Emperor to arrest him. Powerful as he was, he was rendered helpless when the Heavenly Dog gripped his leg and would not let go.
MUSICIANS FOR NATIONAL CHINESE OPERA THEATRE
Conductorsmall drum...............HOU Yutsung
Gong....................HSU Chiliang
Cymbals...................SHEN Poshan
Small gong..................YANG Futseng
Ching Hu (twostringed fiddle)............WANG Kehtu
Erh Hu (lowpitch fiddle)..............KAO Chishan
Yueh ch'in (moon guitar).............CHANG Yungteh
So'na flute...................YANG Fei
Senghsiao (bamboo pipes)san hsien (threestringed fiddle).....CHIN Tehhai
Ch'in ch'in (twostringed fiddle).............KUEI Fuken