The song Anping Capriccio has continued to be sung in Taiwan ever since it was first published in 1951, the music for which was composed by Hsu Shih with lyrics written in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) by Chen Ta-ju. It depicts the story of a woman from Tainan’s Anping area who had a love affair with a Dutch ship doctor at the end of the 19th century and the love story between their abandoned, golden-haired daughter and a sailor, echoing the plight of two generations — mother and daughter — as they drift along waiting. Although the lyricist said the lyrics were fictional, the soul-stirring motifs of the piece can be said to represent Taiwanese society’s development over the past century, its contact with the outside world, international relationships, as well as a desire to travel abroad.
The song’s music was an abundant source of inspiration for screenwriter Wang Yo-hui, who has reworked the plot with the love stories occurring in the ancient city of Tainan, adding the rise and decline of gezaixi, or Taiwanese opera, over the past century to the plot. The Shiu-Kim Taiwanese Opera Troupe, a local Tainan troupe, will be performing the adaptation, which premiered in Tainan last year. The work takes this piece of local folklore as its main theme, representing the sentiments shared by people of different generations. It is considered to be representative of gezaixi innovation and experimentation in the 21st century and has received endless accolades. This year it will take the stage at the National Theater, realizing the lifelong dream of the troupe’s director, Chang Shiu-kim, as well as the miracle of being able to take gezaixi, an art form usually performed on outdoor stages, to the National Theater’s stage.
Wang says he has been experimenting and searching for a “gezaixi of the future.” He says, “I began in modern theater, and hope to differentiate gezaixi from Hoklo musicals, allowing this art form that transcends boundaries to go from being vivacious and lively to being elegant and refined.” Wang believes “neo-gezaixi” should utilize modern themes and hopefully preserve the original bold and powerful vitality of the gezaixi performance style, while at the same time combining it with the techniques of modern theater, so that fans of theater are given an entirely new listening experience. Anping Capriccio will be performed from May 4 to May 6 at the National Theater.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo courtesy of Tainan Municipal Cultural Center
照片由台南文化中心提供
許石作曲、陳達儒填詞的台語流行歌謠《安平追想曲》，一九五一年發表之後，傳唱不絕，歌曲中描寫十九世紀末台南安平女子與荷蘭船醫所發生的異國戀情，以至金髮混血孤女與船員之間的愛情故事，呼應兩代母女在愛情中的漂泊與等待處境。儘管填詞者陳達儒表示歌詞虛構，但百年來在台灣社會發展及與國際接觸的過程中，異國戀情、漂泊的想像都是扣人心弦的創作母題。
這首音樂，也給編導王友輝許多創作靈感，他重新勾勒，以台南府城愛情故事為題，融入歌仔戲百年變遷的興衰，創作了《安平追想曲》，由台南在地秀琴歌劇團演出。去年在台南首演，以民間流傳的故事情節，呈現跨世代的情感流轉，被視為新世紀台灣歌仔戲創新實驗的代表作，好評不斷，今年則登上國家劇院，實現團長張秀琴從藝生涯中最大的夢想，也寫下外台歌仔戲班登上國家劇院舞台的傳奇。
王友輝表示，他一邊實驗一邊尋找「未來的歌仔戲」樣貌。「我從現代劇場出身，希望可以跟台語音樂劇有所區別，讓歌仔戲這個很跨界的藝術，從很活到很精緻。」王友輝認為，所謂「歌仔新調」是以現代思維的題材，希望可以做到既保留歌仔戲原本生猛有力的表演方式，又可融入現代劇場純熟的技術，讓戲迷有全新的聽覺感受。該演出將從五月四日至六日，地點在台北國家劇院。
（自由時報記者趙靜瑜）
Photo: Hong Rui-chin, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者洪瑞琴
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