To be honest, I know next to nothing about Teochew opera. I remember being brought to the Teochew street opera in Georgetown, Penang at the age of seven by my grand-aunt (a Teochew lady herself). It was quite a spectacle and I was intrigued not so much by the stage action but by the musicians who played behind the scenes. I returned that favour by bringing her to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra's very own concert of Teochew opera highlights. Then I realised that some of the words sung in the concert were the few words I possessed in my very limited spoken Teochew (despite being one quarter Teochew myself).
So it was a most pleasant surprise for me to be invited on 21 December 2022 to a concert of Teochew opera presented by Singapore's Er Woo Amateur Musical and Dramatic Association, which was commemorating its 110th anniversary in this concert. (Their founding year being 1912, the year of the Titanic and one year before Le Sacre du Printemps). My host was Mr E.C.Goh, a free-lance editor who lives in London and a regular denizen of concert hall stage doors all around the world.
This concert opened my eyes and ears to an artform that is almost totally (and shamefully) foreign to me. It is a world removed from the Western opera favourites of Puccini, Verdi and Bizet which I am familiar with, and even the attendees at this concert occupied almost an alternate universe from mine. The colourful booklet was completely in Chinese, and I imagined myself to be in Swatow rather than Singapore.
Thankfully, the entire concert was accompanied by English surtitles, professionally rendered and operated which certainly helped in the understanding of the stage action. The four stories are probably familiar to those who appreciate Chinese history and lore, but as I am a total novice, I had to be guided, but it was a truly revelatory experience.
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| This is what a classical Teochew beauty looks like. |
There were stories of Imperial palace intrigues, a long-lost husband who returns as an important courtier, virtuous wives, a corrupt border officer who gets his comeuppance, and a secret son who is a pretender to the throne. Stories like these are popular in Chinese plays, which essentially what the acts were. The word hii (Teochew for show) was used by the emcee as one would to refer to a play, television show or movie.
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| Possibly the inspiration for Dick Lee's Mad Chinaman. |
The music was probably through-composed, with neither set-pieces like arias, duets or ensembles encountered in Western opera. The actors sung in a manner of sprech-gesang as if directly making their points or just narrating a story. All the singers used amplification and they did not need to exert themselves too much, while the instrumental accompaniment was pre-recorded.
What can I say about the costumes and sets, other than these were visually stunning, complemented by authentically painted faces. In many ways, this was a major highlight (for me) of this production by a so-called amateur group. There was nothing amateurish about Er Woo's presentation, which I am told rivals even the best of professional groups in China. Chinese opera is an artform under threat of extinction, and we should be thankful that Er Woo even exists in the 21st century. And long may its members (the youngest being 16 years old) continue to fly the flag of genuine Teochew culture.
There was a standing ovation for all the performers involved, and how do the Teochews audibly express their approval? Instead of bravo or bis, there were shouts of "Ho-aah, ho-aah"! That, I understand, is as good as it gets.
All photos by PianoManiac, as here was a concert where photography was actively encouraged, and who could blame them? Members of the audience were also invited to get on stage to take photographs with the performers. Imagine that happening in La Scala, Covent Garden or the Met.
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