Kunqu Masters on Chinese Theatrical Performance
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- ISBN 9781785278075
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 153 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 13 Sep 2022
- Publisher: Anthem Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Kunqu, recognized by UNESCO in 2001 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is among the oldest and most refined traditions of the family of genres known as xiqu (music-drama or “Chinese opera”). Today, the art form’s musical and performance traditions are being passed on by senior artists. This book consists of twelve explanatory narrations in English, selected and translated from among an expansive collective endeavour in Chinese. Each performer narration sheds light on the human processes that create and transmit celebrated pieces of theatre. Annotations place these narratives in historical, literary, discursive, and aesthetic contexts. Close critical attention reveals kunqu as a living and changing art form. Methodologically, this work breaks new ground by centering the performers’ perspective rather than the text, providing a complement and a challenge to performance analysis, and ideological, sociological, or plot-based perspectives on xiqu.
Yip Siu Hing is the creator and compiler of Masters’ Lectures on One Hundred Kunqu Scenes, of which this volume is an annotated English selection. He is well known for his activities and writings in support of kunqu.
Josh Stenberg is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney. He is the author of Minority Stages: Sino-Indonesian Performance and Public Display (2019) and Liyuanxi—Chinese “Pear Garden Theatre” (2023).
