Vice Chairman of Tianjin Federation of Literary and Art Circles, National Model of Artistic Ethics, National First-Class Actor, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Visiting Professor of the Chinese Academy of Opera , Meng Guanglu has many titles, but during the interview, he only said that he is an opera actor worker. Meng Guanglu has a unique understanding of tradition and drama. He deeply feels the great responsibility of opera actors and believes that Peking Opera is something inherited from our ancestors and must be preserved.
I have long heard that Meng Guanglu Copper Hammer Painted Face sings well. He has a high-pitched voice, full of energy, euphemistic accent, and mellow charm. He has the charm of his teacher Fang Rongxiang . His representative songs are " guillotine " and " Lock". "Five Dragons ", " Guillotine Judge " and "Cao Qi" are deeply loved by fans. When we met for the first time, I felt that Meng Guanglu was different from the typical colorful-faced actor. He was not burly and rugged, but lean and capable, and he was still full of energy after he was over 50. On my way to Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe for an interview, I happened to meet a taxi driver who loved opera. The master gave me a thumbs up and said to me, Meng Guanglu is the one who sings the colorful face.
Meng Guanglu gave up his career as a pilot because of singing and broke his leg while practicing in drama school. , Li Changchun and many other famous experts gave guidance. He has won the "Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award", the "Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award for the Second Time", the "Wenhua Performance Award" three times, the "Best Actor Award" at the National Young and Middle-aged Peking Opera Actors Television Grand Prix, and the " Mei Lanfang Gold Award". ", "China Golden Record Award", and was recommended as the first "Chinese Peking Opera Star". The new large-scale symphonic Peking opera "Zheng He's Voyages to the West" starring in him won the gold medal at the 5th China Peking Opera Art Festival, and won the gold medal for performance at the 4th National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival.
Meng Guanglu was born in Shandong, an ordinary worker's family in Tianjin. His father was a model worker in Tianjin. "People of that era had relatively difficult families. My mother did not work and was a housewife. My father was the only one who worked and supported six children. I am the youngest in the family. All my brothers and sisters have gone to the mountains and countryside, so I am at home. I have to do all kinds of work, such as washing and cooking, carpentry, sewing machines, and playing chimneys. I can't do anything." Meng Guanglu has fallen in love with singing since he was 3 years old. "At that time, I would follow the semiconductor demonstration opera. After learning, I can sing by following the example of a cat painting a tiger's land. I am very courageous. I dare to go to the square in the center of Tianjin and sing in front of the uncles and aunts. When I was a child, I listened to the opera sung by Mr. Qiu Shengrongqiu. He sang so well. , and then I started to imitate it, and finally I could imitate it with both nose and eyes. I remember one time my father asked me to go shopping for groceries, and then halfway through I heard a model play from someone else’s semiconductor industry, and I just kept listening to it. I was so fascinated. I almost forgot about buying groceries." Because he loved singing, Meng Guanglu told reporters that he had given up his job as a pilot, "After I graduated from junior high school, I was admitted as a pilot, and the entire Hedong District of Tianjin only accepted two people. As a result, I I passed the exam. At that time, the Chinese Opera Academy was also recruiting students in Tianjin, recruiting 10 people nationwide, and recruiting 1 person in Tianjin. I remember it rained heavily on the day of the exam, and the rain was already up to my waist. My brother was afraid that I would be affected by the cold, so he refused. He rode his bicycle, asked me to sit on a beam, and took me to the interview, and I was admitted again. I remember my singing skills during the interview, and the teacher from the Chinese Opera Academy immediately took a fancy to me and said he must be here. At that time Their evaluation of me was that my future was limitless. Because I liked singing opera since I was a child, I finally chose the Chinese Opera Academy and gave up my job as a pilot."
After entering the Chinese Opera Academy, Meng Guanglu excelled in kicking, lowering, martial arts and body posture. In basic learning, I have put in unimaginable hardships. "At that time, I practiced every day and sang endlessly. I think I am the one who works hard, just like going to college now. Some college students are just dawdling around to get a diploma, and some college students are really working hard. I am one of them I am a and student who can endure hardships. I practice when others are not practicing.I remember once I broke my leg while doing a somersault. My brother came to see me, gave me an egg, and left me 5 yuan. "Meng Guanglu said frankly that it was precisely because his family conditions were not good when he was young and it was difficult to go to school and practice that he developed a strong will that has allowed him to persist until now and become the guardian and inheritor of the art of Peking Opera.
Bronze Hammer Painted Face In 1981, Meng Guanglu returned to Tianjin after graduating from the Chinese Opera Academy. In 1984, he officially joined the Tianjin Youth Peking Opera Troupe. According to Meng Guanglu's description, the process during this period was very tortuous. "At that time, the director of the theater troupe didn't want me because I didn't have any opera singers in my family, and I didn't know how to give gifts at that time, and I didn't have the money to give gifts. I really want to thank Mr. Zhang Rongshan, the academic director of Tianjin Opera School at that time. He heard me sing opera and he was very fond of talent. Then he lay in the middle of the playground on a hot day and said, "You don't want Meng Guanglu, so I won't get up. I guarantee he is a talent." In this way, I was saved. But at that time, there were a total of 11 flower-faced singers in our troupe, and I didn’t sing at all. I was very depressed at the time, but I had no choice but to work hard step by step. I stayed in the troupe for three years. To put it bluntly, I was leaving you alone and not letting you sing. Then one day, an actor in our troupe was ill and there was no one to replace him. I finally got a chance to sing on stage. I played the role of the bronze hammer painted face in "大宝国? Exploring the Emperor's Tomb? The Second Entering the Palace" Xu Yanzhao. As a result, as soon as I finished singing, the whole Tianjin became a sensation, and the word Meng Guanglu spread like wildfire among Tianjin theater fans. Just this one performance as a substitute, I became famous. The mayor of Tianjin at the time also wrote to me, saying that I sang really well. He also personally wrote to the governor of Shandong Province, asking him to help me become a student of Mr. Fang Rongxiang of Shandong Tokyo Theater. "
Peking opera performing artist Fang Rongxiang is the great disciple of Qiu Shengrong. When he listened to Meng Guanglu's singing tape, he fell in love with this simple and spiritual young man very much, so he accepted Meng Guanglu as his disciple. The relationship between the master and the disciple was even better. Father and son. During his many years of learning, Meng Guanglu often took the train to Jinan to seek advice from Fang Rongxiang. "I remember one winter, I carried a hundred kilograms of rice and bought a standing ticket to Jinan to see my master. I took the train for a day and a night on a rice bag, and then I went to Jinan and found an old man who rode a three-wheeler. I gave him 20 yuan and told him that I would ride the tricycle while you sit in the back. When I arrived at the door of my master's house, I didn't want to disturb the master's family while they were sleeping, so I waited from five o'clock in the morning until dawn. In order to learn as much as possible from Master as quickly as possible, I brought a tape recorder with me every time and practiced singing with Teacher Fang word for word during the day. At night, I returned to the small hotel where I stayed to listen to the recording attentively. "In this way, Meng Guanglu learned such things as " serial set of ", "Guillotine Case", "Cao Qi", " Muhu Pass ", " Chisang Town ", "Lock Five Dragons", " "Exploring Yinshan ", "Fighting the Dragon Robe" and many other representative repertoires or arias of the Qiu School.
Fang Rongxiang once commented on Meng Guanglu: He can sing and has strong understanding. Meng Guanglu said that he would visit his master every year, even though the master had passed away 22 years ago , but I am always grateful to Master. “Master is meticulous about art. As soon as I got on stage, he knew how hard I was working. If the performance is not good enough, they will know that I have not put in the effort, so they will just hit me with a stick. After hitting me twice, I will remember it. In life, my master is a very frugal person. When his fat coat and socks were torn, he sewed them himself. He has no airs about himself, he likes to study art, and he never talks about people's rights and wrongs. No one in Shandong knows my master's name, but he is always polite to everyone. Unlike some celebrities nowadays, when they become famous, they are followed by seven or eight bodyguards, cheering and supporting them. " Meng Guanglu not only inherited Qiu Pai's delicate, expressive and full-featured singing characteristics, but also integrated Mr. Fang Rongxiang's skillful and charming singing characteristics of combining hardness and softness with his free and elegant work performance. "My biggest regret is that I have never I have never met Mr. Qiu Shengrong. He was the founder of Qiu Pai, but he died in his fifties. Qiu Pai is based on the singing method, and pays great attention to resonance, making good use of the resonance of the mouth and nose.Mr. Qiu can combine his own voice characteristics, start from the expression of characters, and work hard on the meaning, sound and charm of words to create artistic images of different characters, which has a strong artistic appeal. The main characteristics of his singing are that he brings the voice with emotion and wins with rhyme. It can be said that he absorbed the strengths of Qiu Guixian, Jin Shaoshan, Hao Shoushen, Hou Xirui, as well as the singing skills of Laosheng and combined with his own conditions. It has formed a singing method with mellow charm, distinctive rhythm and a balance of hardness and softness. In performance, he pays attention to expressing the emotions of the characters. When playing different characters, he makes inferences and uses different footwork, changes in the expression of the beard and the dance of the sleeves to fully express the changes in the characters' emotions. Meng Guanglu told reporters that Qiu style art has a great influence on the Peking Opera painting industry, and there is a saying that "nine out of ten Qiu styles".
When reporters talked about the essence and inheritance of Qiu style art, Meng Guanglu said with emotion: "Qiu style Art has a great influence on us and has a profound influence on us. It is an inexhaustible source of art. The singing style must be inherited from the predecessors. Even if there are some changes, it should not be too out of the ordinary. The performance should have the flavor of Peking Opera, a sense of the times, and something of its own, so that it can be loved by more theater fans. I have always been adhering to the spirit of continuing and promoting traditional Chinese culture, and am committed to inheriting and promoting the art of Peking Opera, so that more people can know and accept this cultural treasure. Only then can I live up to the love, support and hope of the audience. "In Meng Guanglu, there is a passion that never stops and is never satisfied. Just like his master, he always insists on innovation and exploration of the stage, and demands himself and his apprentices with his rigorous style. "You can't do art. To rest on our laurels and continue to carry forward innovation, Peking Opera must be reformed. Seven years ago, I became a disciple of the famous calligrapher Ouyang Zhongshi , but what I learned was not only calligraphy, but also the idea of artistic inheritance. The teacher said that a man would not be rich without external wealth, and a horse would not be fat without night grass. When we learn art, it’s not about him taking one step and you taking one step, but we have to figure out what he is thinking, learn the real culture and hold it in our arms, only then can we truly learn it. "
In every performance, Meng Guanglu takes the stage with a serious attitude and full passion for the "first time". His singing has a mellow charm, delicate and euphemistic style, masculine and free-spirited style, and touching people with emotion, which is deeply loved by the audience. The upright and selfless Mr. Bao , the reckless hero Dou Erdun, the great general Shan Xiongxin, the war general Lian Po... Meng Guanglu created vivid images one after another on the stage, leaving a deep impression on the people. But Meng Guanglu's parents did not even see their son. I have never seen any performances. Why is that? Meng Guanglu told reporters that his wife has only seen three or four of his performances at most. "I get nervous every time I go on stage. They are more nervous than me and worry about whether my performance will go smoothly." , will be heart-warming. So my parents never saw one of my performances, but they never interfered with my work. "In his career of more than 30 years of Peking Opera performance, Meng Guanglu has always been strict with himself. He walks on thin ice in every performance and does not dare to take it lightly. "You can't make any mistakes on stage. It's not like playing football. It's okay if you miss the kick. There is a chance to turn things around. What would you do if you forgot your lyrics on stage, or couldn't sing properly, and there were thousands of people sitting in the audience? Who can guarantee that he will not get sick? What should I do if I have a cold and my voice can’t sing? So before every performance, I will pay special attention to my body, such as wearing a hat to prevent catching cold. Anyone who says I’m not nervous about going on stage would be lying. There’s never been a time when I wasn’t nervous. It is precisely because of the nervous stimulation that better artistic effects can be produced. If you lose all your energy, you won’t be able to express your energy when singing. Art is a kind of beauty that cannot be repeated in an instant. Every scene is different. The audience coming today is different from the audience coming tomorrow. Art is something that needs to be constantly adapted. Our performance is inseparable from seven words, joy, anger, sorrow, sadness and hard thinking. In these seven words, we can understand the means and methods of performing on stage. If you sing comfortably, the audience will also feel comfortable listening. I didn't sing for the sake of fame, but singing gave me a bit of fame. In terms of art, I am very strict with myself because I am afraid that I might disappoint the audience on stage.As an actor, I have a very ordinary view of myself. I work hard because I like Peking Opera. What I think more about is how to achieve greater improvement and development in art, how to use my art to better serve the audience, and how to repay society more with my own meager efforts. "
I met Teresa Teng, a "foreign fancier", by chance at a Sydney performance. Wan Ziliang became a fan of Peking Opera.
As for singing, Meng Guanglu is meticulous and has always maintained his sincerity and dedication to art. On the stage, he is heroic and powerful. When he steps off the stage, he is a kind and wise elder. He always pays attention to the country's political and cultural undertakings. When talking about Peking Opera, he said that acting to the end is acting on culture. In today's rich and colorful culture and entertainment, Peking Opera once occupied a dominant entertainment position in people's lives. Traditional art has gradually receded into a corner in the tide of the times. Since the mid-1980s, the theater business has begun to wither. Peking Opera has suddenly become far away from our daily lives and has been replaced by pop music. Traditional Peking Opera is facing an overall crisis. dilemma. "I don't believe any popular music can be sung for 200 years, but the reason why Peking Opera can be spread to this day is because it can embody the joys, sorrows and sorrows of life. The ideas of Peking Opera are very flavorful and need us Take your time to appreciate it. Peking Opera itself can be said to be the history of China for five thousand years. The loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness itself represent the kindness and simplicity of people, or every character they meet in life. Everyone looks different and has his or her own thoughts, which can be reflected in Peking Opera, where people's thoughts are expressed through voice, performance, and eyes in the form of arias. Peking Opera is a kind of freehand Chinese style. Its brushwork and skill are indeed very contagious. I also hope that young people can calm down more and listen to Peking Opera, which has profound ideological meanings. We cannot throw away the things belonging to our ancestors. Our Peking Opera culture must be preserved. "
So, how can the audience truly enter Peking Opera? Meng Guanglu believes that one must first understand the history of Peking Opera in order to truly feel its charm. In 1790, the Sanqing Troupe headed by Gao Langting entered Beijing to participate in the eighth performance of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. A celebration performance for the tenth birthday. Subsequently, several Hui troupes such as Sixi, Chuntai, and Hechun also came to Beijing one after another. The Hui troupes came to Beijing They originally performed in the palace to celebrate their birthday, but they did not return to their hometown after performing the birthday celebration performance. Instead, they stayed in Beijing to perform folk performances. When the Hui Troupe came to Beijing, the Qing Dynasty was still in its prime. As the political, economic and cultural center of China at that time, Beijing had social stability, business prosperity, and the cultural accumulation of the entire society was already very deep. . In terms of opera, almost most of the local operas across the country were performed in Beijing at that time. The overall prosperity of opera art brought greater room for development to Peking Opera. And other rap arts such as storytelling, cross talk, and miscellaneous opera also It is quite active. Various opera types and various art categories learn from and influence each other, and are in a prosperous period of blending and sharing. In the specific historical and cultural background at that time, it can be said that Peking Opera is the master of folk art forms from the north and the south. This is because Hui Troupe has rich and colorful tunes, a large number of plays with broad themes, touching plots, popular language and unique martial arts skills. The actors have many unique skills. In addition, they are good at absorbing the performance expertise of other opera arts. After the 50s and 60s, With years of development, a unique type of opera - Peking Opera was born. Regarding the current development of Peking Opera, Meng Guanglu believes that the development of Peking Opera is not a one-person career. "I hope that young people can endure hardship, be willing to be lonely, and protect Peking Opera. Any art has its limitations. Peking Opera has its own specific performance methods and methods, which is only suitable for performing history. It is an art with rich historical accumulation and a treasure of Chinese traditional culture. How to pass it on is the problem that Peking Opera art is now facing. Now China is very supportive of Peking Opera, and leaders also attach great importance to it. With the support of the country and society, the art of Peking Opera will surely reach new heights. "Meng Guanglu firmly believes that Peking Opera has a bright future.
Recalling his performance experience in Hong Kong in the 1980s, Meng Guanglu revealed that he also made a lot of jokes. "In the 1980s, our troupe went to perform at the Starlight Theater in Hong Kong.At that time, I felt that Hong Kong was really prosperous, and since it was my first time there, I made a lot of jokes. We didn't see much floor-to-ceiling glass at that time, and they wiped it very clean. Later, we bumped into the glass while walking. Another time, we saw a black plastic bag and thought it was a meal delivery, but when we unwrapped it we saw it was all trash. However, the performance went smoothly. 11 performances were performed in 9 days, and every venue was full. Wan Ziliang, Tianniu, and Teresa Teng all came to listen to our opera. They all love traditional culture very much. I remember that after the performance, Teresa Teng invited us to dinner. She wore a black leather skirt and sang " Small Town Story " to us. We were all very happy. "During
's performance in Australia, Meng Guanglu also met a very interesting "foreign fancier" who impressed him deeply. "I remember one year when I performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, I went backstage after the end and saw an Australian An audience member came to me and said that she was a fan of mine. My facial makeup was very interesting and she wanted me to draw one for her, so I drew a face for her. The next day, he came to see me again. When I saw that the facial makeup was still there, I said I couldn't bear to wash my face. Therefore, it is not surprising that our Peking Opera has a profound cultural heritage, condenses the essence of Chinese civilization, and resonates overseas. The key is how to maintain the strong vitality of Peking Opera and carry it forward through inheritance and innovation. "
However, times are changing, and various art forms have emerged one after another. Peking Opera has suffered the greatest impact in history. Why do Europeans still attach great importance to and appreciate stage performances? Meng Guanglu believes that drama is an eternal art, and art has no national boundaries. “I often perform abroad, and my biggest feeling is that our Chinese culture is very popular abroad. When you go to the United States, you are popular; when you go to Japan, you are popular; when you go to Germany, you are popular... Art truly has no borders. I am very proud that I have the opportunity to travel around the world with Chinese culture. My current thought is how to repay society and how to give an explanation to the motherland. After a while, I will also recruit apprentices, train talents, and serve the society. After every performance abroad, I will carefully summarize every detail, experience it carefully in practice, improve as soon as possible, and strive to improve. We all have a responsibility to revitalize the quintessence of Chinese art. Only by advancing with the times and building Peking Opera into a world brand, so that overseas people can actually like it from seeing it as new, can the seeds of Peking Opera art be sown locally. ” (The pictures and texts in this article are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us and delete them)
