Xiqu

There are eight famous pieces in the sung music of South China (or ‘Lingnan’), with the scores originating from Cantonese Opera, known as “Eight Classic Pieces”. Each follows a stringent way of voice delivery as well as rules for ensemble accompaniment. Thanks to the salvaging efforts of the Cantonese song art expert, Mr Leung Yee-chung (1905-1974), who collated the vocal tracks of the eight pieces on Commercial Radio in 1966, this invaluable repertory of song art was preserved. In a bid to save it from extinction, the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong launched a research and develo pment project to tie in with this meaningful project, this year’s Festival will present the exquisite of the Eight Classic Pieces. Under the artistic direction of Leung So-kam, daughter of the late Mr Leung Yee-chung and herself a famous singer of Cantonese arias, stars of Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong including Law Kar-ying, Yuen Siu-fai, Liu Kwok-sum and Cheng Wing-mui will perform the full-length production Lulang Reprimands His Son from among the Eight Classic Pieces. The vocal style will be modelled upon the recordings made by Mr Leung on Commercial Radio in 1966. There will also be two shows in which Cantonese operatic song artists Leung Chi-kit, Ting Oi-lin; Cantonese Opera star, Sun Kim-long with Tam Wing-lun, Wong Po-huan, Wong Hok-chiu and Yuen Tak-man, to present arias and excerpts from the Eight Classic Pieces. The Hong Kong audience will be able to revisit this invaluable musical heritage of South China, which had once almost fallen into oblivion.

Programme details are as follows:

Excerpts from “Baili Xi Reunited with His Wife”; “Reading in the Study at Night” from “Monk Biancai Releases the Demon”; “Lulang Reprimands His Son” (full-length opera)