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FANTASY OF THE RED QUEEN

A woman's tragedy about the power of illusion and the illusion of power.

 

libretto excerpts:

 

Devil and songstress: There are many kinds of women in the world.  Traditional art has always tapped this charm.  Look at that most famous Peking opera star; look at his fascinating eyes. Eyes like a woman’s, they drive both men and women wild.  Pure and innocent, It’s nothing but show!  On stage or off, an actor should never let go. Look at all the hand gestures, the ways tears are wiped off, and things are held, the way to be angry, the way to seduce.  Nothing works without rules.                                        (act2) 

Devil: How could you have forgotten the most ancient art? Opera will keep you far ahead of them all.   These revolutionary girls from college know nothing but western art, without a clue about the profound secrets of this traditional art. Not just act, not just gestures, it is a tool for seduction.  Conceal your leering eyes, show him with your fingers how the petals of your body blossom, pass on your silent love with your innocent eyes.  Lightly sway your body, show your endless allure.  Softly whisper, so you capture his soul.  You are a young maiden, coy and coquettish, ready to make him fall head over heels in love!                      (act3)

 

Devil:  But wait!  I have cast a spell on this dynasty, to punish all of culture with the army.  Change history. Change ideas. Only then will you have a future.  Don’t forget a woman’s ambition can conquer millions; to break off one man’s constraint you must use his power against him, and that is the best revenge.  To consolidate your political power, you must carry the flag of culture.  This great revolution needs a great flag bearer.  Guide them into ignorance, to blind faith, to anywhere you want them to go.  Turn their lives into nullity.

                                              (act4)

 

 

 

Queen: My husband, the last man in my life!  I spent most of my life with you, and most of my youth.  I was your secretary, your soldier, your wife and your disciple.  Now it’s your turn to say a few words for me.  Tell them that all I did was to hold up your reign.  For you, I washed everyone’s brain; for you, I set the tone of our time.  This tone fills all corners of this land, infiltrating into everyone’s nerves.  For generations and generations to come, they will never be able to cast off the spell of this tone.  So long as this tone still covers the land, you will be there, and so will your merit.  This voice is your soul.  To keep this voice there, I was relentless when I had to kill, or to put them in jail.  I am a hero, not a sinner.  All I did, I did for you!

...  Oh my devil, my master, where are you? Each and every cell in my body is created by you.  You are my savior, my guiding spirit.  Without your guidance I have no life.  You taught me how to be reborn out of my petty existence.  Why let me experience the greatest glory and the greatest humiliation?  I am the queen and the sinner in one.  Condemn me.  Isn’t power the greatest punishment on the powerful?  Isn’t power nothing but a void?  Come judge me, I leave it all up to you.  I am a daughter abandoned by the father, a twig of flowers men plucked, a proud star and a warrior above them all.  I take orders from fate, but my fate was dominated by men.  My husband dominated my body, the devil dominated my soul.  Look around me - it’s all generals and soldiers.  Look around me - it’s all heroes and traitors.  Men! It’s them loving me, hating me, spoiling me, jailing me, praising me, despising me, using me, abandoning me, inspiring me, and betraying me.  Men oh men, you are all my men.  I believe in the power of men, this belief will be my illusion and my pride !  Ah,  Love me now, as your wife...       (act6)     

(C) liusola/KODA/BMI

excerpts 選段

 

​歌詞摘選  

 

魔鬼:女人有多种,古今风流尽。你看那梨园锦绣,男伴女装,醉人面孔,勾尽世人魂。纯情与天真,无须动情情更真。都是戏台上下,演得逼真。不放松,你看那一招招一势势,那哭哭笑笑,半遮半演,非喜非怒,都不能没有规则。

                                                選自第二场

魔鬼:别忘了你会唱戏。那一点功夫足以出人头地。那些大城市的大学生只会高谈阔论那西洋艺术,他们不知传统艺术隐藏有多少做人的秘密。那些姿态,不仅是表演,还是得天独厚的诱惑人的好工具。半掩半盖秋波藏,手尖舒展花心开,天真的眼睛,暗传情, 轻摇漫步细语娇声,少女的羞涩飘渺缠人,秀指拴人心。

                                                    選自第三場

魔鬼: 且慢,我给这个王朝施了魔法,用军队来惩罚所有的文化。改变历史,消灭思想,就前程远大。 别忘了,一颗女人的野心,能使那千万人倒下,男人的禁锢,只有利用他才是报复。命运带领你扛起大旗,用文化去夺取权利。我们要一个旗手,引导人们走向无知和顺从,冲向你带领的阵地,把生命化为零, 消灭所有人的灵魂!

                                  (選自第四場)

女皇:我的丈夫,我生命最后的男人,我曾经给了你我最多的青春。我曾是你的主妇你的战士,我曾是你的传令兵。求你为我说句话,告诉人们,我所有作为都是为了你, 巩固你的朝廷。我为了你,清洗了所有人的头脑,维护时代正音 。(指众人,众人应和)这声音遍布全国各个角落,浸透人们全身的神经,多少年多少世,他们也不可能走出这声音统治,(独)只要这声音在大地上笼罩,你的形象你的功绩就长存。这个声音就是你的灵魂。为了巩固这声音我不惜杀人,关人,我是你的最大功臣! 

... 我的魔鬼,我的主人,你在哪儿? 我是你造成。哈哈。你搭救我,指引我,给我生命。教会我在渺小的存在中获得新生。 为什么你让我体验那巨大的荣耀同时遭到万人的唾弃?我是女皇又是罪人。审判我吧, 权力是不是对权力者的最大惩罚?权利是不是一场空?我把命运的最后判决交给你了!我是个被父亲抛弃的女儿,我是棵被男人争采的艳枝,我是个狂傲不逊三流的明星,我是个万人之上耀武扬威的战士。我执行命运给我的命令,主宰我命运的都是男人。丈夫主宰我身体,魔鬼主宰我灵魂, 周围都是将领和士兵,周围都是叛徒和英雄,男人!男人爱我恨我放纵我,监禁我抬高我鄙视我重用我,抛弃我启发我背叛我。都是我的男人。我要相信男人力量,维持我的虚幻狂想。啊——-  爱我,如同你的妻子 ……

                                          選自第六場

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©️

                    (C) liusola/KODA/BMI

 

REVIEW 評論:

In her chamber opera Fantasy of the Red Queen, the impressively gifted writer, composer, performer and vocal artist Liu Sola has abstracted from her story, distilling it into a myth: the myth of the woman who wins power with the help of powerful men. ... In six scenes, with a stylized constellation of personae and a broadly eclecticist musical setting, traditional figurative forms of Chinese musical theatre combine with modern psychology, traditional and contemporary musical idioms with elements of pop. Liu Sola has captured the story in a surprisingly clear, intense formal language: a national narrative whose many levels of meaning rise above regional limitations. ... Close cooperation between the Ensemble Modern and an ensemble of Chinese


 

musicians and performers working under the name "Liu Sola & Friends" has created a piece in which the music and the musicians themselves shape the action on stage. ... The dramatic climax in act five is the revolution, portrayed by the musicians alone. In a striped down choreography, they march across the stage while the percussion instruments provide accompanying noise and structure. At present, concepts of this kind can only be staged with Ensemble Modern.

(Hans Jurgen Linke. Frankfurter Rundschau, 8.5.2006)

 

在她的室内歌剧[女皇狂想曲(又名:惊梦)]中,有惊人天赋的作家,作曲家,演员和声乐艺术家刘索拉,把她讲的故事浓缩成一个神话:一个女人如何在有权势的男人帮助下得到权利 … 在六场剧中,风格化的剧中人物和丰富精选的音乐安排,中国传统音乐戏剧的脸谱化较之现代心理学,传统和现代音乐各流派及流行音乐动机的运用。 刘索拉把故事构造在惊人清晰和紧凑的语言结构中:… 在由中国乐队和演员组成的名为[刘索拉与朋友们]的乐队与(德国)现代室内乐团紧密合作中,创造了一个由音乐家演出的作品… 当前,这种类型的演出只有现代室内乐团可以胜任。。” 
Frankfurter Rundschau. 08/05/2006 德国(Translated from German)

FANTASY OF THE RED QUEEN

 

This production is the brainchild of Liu Sola, …. The show offers eclectic blend of music style - ancient Chinese zither melodies give way to tango; Beijing opera is paired with expressionist declamation.  But this is no “east meet west” gimmick. Allusions to the various styles made dramatic sense, revealing character or dictating the action on stage.  … The overall structures was surprisingly tight and formal, … Her performance was both emotionally intense and superbly controlled over a wide vocal range.   

 

  • MAK SU-YIN, [SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST]. NOV.13/08

 

 

这个作品是刘索拉的一个独创。。。它融合了不同类型的音乐—古老的中国古琴奏出了探戈的节奏,京剧与高调的表现主义相辅相成。但这并不是在玩弄中乐西奏的游戏。间接的多形式化创造出的戏剧效果彰显出个性,支配着舞台上的表现。。。整个结构出奇的紧凑和严肃,。。。她的表演情绪强烈,同时极好的控制了一个宽阔的音域。

 

MAK SU-YIN   [南华早报]     08/11/03

World premiere: Bockenheimer Depot. Frankfurt. HKW. Berlin

Produced by: House of World Cultural (HKW/Germany) & "Ensemble Modern" (Germany)

Libretto, music composer, arranger, and artistic director: Liu Sola
Conductor: Johannes Kalitzke

Choreographer and director: Chiang Ching
Cinematographer: Lu Yue (special guest of honor)
Stage designer: Yang Xiaoping
Lighting designer: Konrad Lindenber
Sound designer: Norbert Ommer

 

Leading voice: Liu Sola
Chinese pop mezzo-soprano: Wu Jing
Chinese Peking opera baritone: Zhen Jianhua
Piano: Liang Heping
Chinese percussion: Zhang Yangsheng
Chinese Percussion: Li Zhengui
Chinese Percussion: Zhang Lie
Pipa: Yang Jing
Gu Qin (zither): Wu Na
Performer in the video: Sun Ping (special guest)
Conductor for Beijing rehearsals: Zhang Lie

Oboe: Antje Thierbach
Clarionet: Nina Jan_en
Fag: Johannes Schwarz
Trumpet: Valentin Garvie
Trumpet: Sava Stoianov

Flute: Dietmar Wiesner
Trombone: Uwe Dierksen
Percussion: Rumi Ogawa
Percussion: David Haller
Accordion: Hermann Kretzschmar
E-Piano/Harp: Ueli Wiget
Violin: Jagdish Mistry
Violin: Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne
Viola: Katharina Schmidt
Violoncello: Michael M. Kasper
Violoncello: Anna Carewe
C.B: Joachim Tinnefeld
Conductor: Manuel Nawri

 

Video creator: Liu Sola and Lu Yue
Video editor: Chen Hua
Custome designer: Liu Sola
Customes make for video and stage: Beijing Yanhui Fashion Company
Make up artists for video: Chinese Peking Opera Stage Art Center & Ma Shuying
Customs rental for video: Chinese Peking Opera House
Stage manager: Stephan Buchberger
Artistic advicer: Ackbar Abbas
Director's assistant: Nai Wen Chang
Surtitles: Paul Brauer
Audio technician: Jo Schlosser
Electrician: Markus Mayer
Stage management Instrumente: Michael Schmidt
Translator chinese/german: Wu Xueqing
Ton und Video: Andre Schulz
Beleuchtung und Bahne: Hermann Volkery

Management & Coordinator: Li Simei, Liu Mila
Management & Coordinator/HWC: Gabriele Tuch
Project coordination/Ensemble Modern: Silvia Seibert
Producer: Johannes Odenthal (HKW/Germany)

 

首演:德国 法兰克福 柏林

制作:德国世界文化大厦(HKW/Germany) & 德国现代室内乐团

编剧,作曲,配器,藝術导演:刘索拉
指挥:Johannes Kalitzke

编舞,导演:江青
舞台影像:吕乐
舞台设计:杨小平
舞台灯光设计: Konrad Lindenber
舞台音响设计: Norbert Ommer

 

领演:刘索拉
女声:吴静
京剧老生:甄建华
钢琴:梁和平
中国打击乐:张仰胜
中国打击乐:李真贵
中国打击乐:张列
琵琶:杨靖
古琴:巫娜
影像表演:孙萍(特邀)
北京排练指挥:张列

双簧管: Antje Thierbach
单簧管: Nina Jan_en
大管: Johannes Schwarz
小号: Valentin Garvie
小号: Sava Stoianov

长笛: Dietmar Wiesner
长号: Uwe Dierksen
打击乐: Rumi Ogawa
打击乐: David Haller
手风琴: Hermann Kretzschmar
电钢琴,竖琴: Ueli Wiget
小提琴: Jagdish Mistry
小提琴: Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne
中提琴: Katharina Schmidt
大提琴: Michael M. Kasper
大提琴: Anna Carewe
低音提琴: Joachim Tinnefeld
指挥助理: Manuel Nawri

影像设计:刘索拉,吕乐
影像剪接:陈华
服装设计:刘索拉
服装制作:燕会园时装公司
影像京剧化妆师:中国京剧院舞美中心、马抒英
录象服装租用:中国京剧院
舞台监督: Stephan Buchberger
艺术顾问: Ackbar Abbas
导演助理:张乃文
字幕: Paul Brauer
音控师: Jo Schlosser
灯光师: Markus Mayer
舞台乐器经理: Michael Schmidt
翻译:吴雪清
音响与影像: Andre Schulz
灯光与舞台: Hermann Volkery

中方经理及联络人:李四梅,刘米拉
世界文化大厦经理与联络人: Gabriele Tuch
法兰克福室内乐团经理: Silvia Seibert
德方监制: Johannes Odenthal (HKW/Germany)

 

from act4: i change history

第四場選段:我改變歷史

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