Tue 4 Jun 2013
Posted by Bertrand under Software Tools We Use, Technology, Web development, Zhang Huoding 张火丁
[11] Comments
Hello,
The new Google “Search by image” feature is pretty surprising. I started with a color picture of Zhang Huoding:
Using GIMP, I changed the canvas size, removed the color and renamed the file to “test.jpg”, giving:
Now I test to see if Google recognizes Zhang Huoding and indeed it does:
Now that’s pretty amazing.
Sun 26 May 2013
Posted by Bertrand under Favorite performers, Zhao Huan 赵欢
1 Comment
Hello,
These days, I need a strategy to figure out how to roll out of bed with the least amount of pain.
As I mentioned, I’ve been having some health issues (my back let out three times this month), some technical issues, and my son is having exams at school needing more coaching than expected.
I managed to work around the technical glitches, the chiropracter is working on my back (“crack!”), and Benjamin’s mother is coaching him as I have lost patience with him yet again… and so here are the final files of the Dan Roles. Zhao Huan is one of my favorites, and we discussed this set with Fern last year when she posted the download links here. http://megapoxy.net/wordpress/?p=9628
Zhao Huan is an artist in the making. She is a splendid performer, but she seems a bit too comfortable following a pattern established by others. Her performances last year were not as memorable for me as the year before. Am I still a fan? Naturally.
The original file names were:
《CCTV空中剧院》 20120421 第五届青研班毕业汇报演出 京剧旦角经典折子戏专场 1/2
《CCTV空中剧院》 20120421 第五届青研班毕业汇报演出 京剧旦角经典折子戏专场 2/2
The players:
京剧《遇皇后》 Meeting the Empress – Li Hong (李宏), Wang Jiaqing (王嘉庆), Rui Zhenqi (芮振起); Ding Sheng (丁胜), Jia Zenghui (贾增辉)
京剧《汾河湾》 Fen River Bay – Zhao Huan (赵欢), Ling Ke (凌珂); Liu Lei (刘磊), Sun Yong (孙永), Chen Yang (陈洋)
京剧《游龙戏凤》 Emperor Zhengde Meets Li Fengjie – Zhang Xuan (张璇), Du Zhe (杜喆); Wang Xi (王曦), Wang Jihui (王继辉)
京剧《陈三两》 Chen Sanliang – Zhou Jing (周婧), Zhang Bing (张兵), Xu Mengke (徐孟珂), Jin Zhiqi (靳智棋); Wang Xi (王曦), Xiang Manjing (祥满静)
Download part one of the video here
Download part two of the video here
Enjoy!
Tue 7 May 2013
Posted by Bertrand under Jingju / Beijing Opera / Peking Opera 京剧
[3] Comments
There are few people who take backups as seriously as I do. I believe in redundancy and taking a copy of my data off site.
Why?
Because I am so spectacularly inept at times, I awe myself. Yesterday I bought tickets to the Toronto Zoo for this summer to see the pandas lent by China last month, received the bar-coded tickets to be printed by email. And then accidentally reformatted the hard drive. I reformat a lot at work you see, and instead of /dev/sdc I should have typed /dev/sdd and formatted the other thingie.
Um…
I blame it on lack of rest and my monkey ancestry.
Anyhow, I am glad to say the author of one of the emails I have lost in a previous blunder has written back. Here is what he has to say:
Tommi Ojanperä from Finland writes:
“Hello fellow Chinese opera enthusiast!
(Hopefully you still remember who I am…)
I just came across a wonderful piece of recent news, and I thought I’d share it with you:
The 18 month restoration of the Grand Theater in the Summer Palace is now complete!
Well, to be precise, they’ve restored the entire Deheyuan section, but the Grand Theater (Daxilou) is of course the main attraction there. To celebrate this reopening, they’ve put together a Peking opera exhibit by bringing out 128 items from the vaults of the Forbidden City!
For more information, including a video clip from CCTV News, go here:
http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-04/28/content_28678854.htm
By the way, I’ve recently posted some of my own photos taken in China (mainly Beijing) to this website:
http://picuna.com/tojan76/albums
In the album titled “Daxilou (Yiheyuan, Beijing)” you will find my photos of the Grand Theater in the Summer Palace. All the photos were taken in summer 2010, just a few months before Deheyuan was closed for restoration.
P.S. This coming summer I will be spending 22 days in Beijing. Oh joy! Needless to say, the Grand Theater is very high on my list of places to visit.
P.P.S. Please feel free to edit and share any/all of this info on the operabeijing.com website for the benefit of our fellow xiqu-fanatics!
Tommi Ojanperä
<tojan@elisanet.fi>”
Thanks Tommi, and could you please sent me your previous email I managed to lose?
(Must focus better, must… )
Sun 5 May 2013
Posted by Bertrand under External links, Jingju / Beijing Opera / Peking Opera 京剧
No Comments
Fern wrote: “Hello, I found this via Greg’s Facebook group, I think it’s worth a post.”
Sun 28 Apr 2013
Posted by Bertrand under External links, Jingju / Beijing Opera / Peking Opera 京剧, Photographs
[4] Comments
Last night we were invited for supper and my 9 year old son was not in exemplary behavior mode. Fern sent me this link today:
http://www.chncpa.org/ens/jmsc/ycjmxx/2011-04-22/65150.shtml
My reaction: how do those jingju directors manage this?!
Tue 23 Apr 2013
Posted by Bertrand under Software Tools We Use, Web development
[3] Comments
… is both a blessing and a curse. It reported 86 broken links so far. I managed to fix a dozen posts today, you can search for “(Updated 2013-04-23 to fix broken links)” to see which.
Sun 21 Apr 2013
Sun 14 Apr 2013
Posted by Bertrand under Actresses
No Comments
(link corrected 2013-05-13)
I resume presenting this series of Beijing Opera showcases featuring famous female roles. The performers are generally younger and less well known, so there can be real surprises along the way.
Recorded on 2012-04-20 at the Chang’an Grand Theater in Beijing, China, the original title of these files are:
《CCTV空中剧院》 20120420 第五届青研班毕业汇报演出 京剧旦角经典折子戏专场 1/2
《CCTV空中剧院》 20120420 第五届青研班毕业汇报演出 京剧旦角经典折子戏专场 2/2
Fern provided the original download links and cast list on her web site here.
Part One of the video begins with 京剧《桃花村》 Peach Blossom Village – Chen Yuan (陈媛), Sun Lei (孙磊), Xu Peiwen (许佩文), Shao Hailong (邵海龙), Rui Zhenqi (芮振起); Ding Sheng (丁胜), Jia Zenghui (贾增辉).
Talented Sun Lei in a huadan role is the focus here playing a comedic servant, with a rather modern twist. She would be at ease in any kind of theatrical performance, I think, she’s fun to watch. It’s redundant to say a huadan is vivacious, because that’s the essence of the role, and in this case it is obvious. Emphasis is on movement and dialogue rather than singing.
京剧《红娘》 Hong Niang – Zhang Jiachun (张佳春), Song Xiaochuan (宋小川), Zi Rui (訾睿), Bi Xiaoyang (毕小洋); Wang Xi (王曦), Wang Jihui (王继辉)
Graduate of the Fifth class (2009-2012) of Outstanding Young Jingju Performers, Zhang Jiaochun sounds Mei school to me. Her partner Song Xiaochuan is, of course, another Zhang’s regular partner. Every time there is a close-up, there is a different embroidery to marvel at on her costume.
Part Two of the video begins with 京剧《红楼二尤》The Two You Sisters of the Red Chamber – Chen Jing (陈静), Du Zhe (杜喆), Tan Yuan (谈元), Zhang Bing (张兵), Zhang Zexin (张泽心), Zhang Xueyan (张雪岩), Jin Zhiqi (靳智棋); Wang Xi (王曦), Wang Jihui (王继辉)
京剧《百花赠剑》 Princess Baihua Gifting a Sword – Chen Yang (陈阳), Zhang Bing (张兵), Yang Yanan (杨亚男); Shi Desheng (石德胜), Ma Jun (马军)
京剧《对花枪》 The Matching Spears – Guo Yaoyao (郭瑶瑶), Feng Guanbo (冯冠博), Ma Lei (马磊), Guo Mingyue (郭明月); Li Zhonghua (李中华), Gao Junhao (高俊浩)
Look out! Female warrior!
Download Part One of the video here
Download Part Two of the video here
Enjoy!
Sat 30 Mar 2013
Posted by Bertrand under External links, Favorite performers, Full length operas, Zhang Huoding 张火丁
[2] Comments
A really old performance of “Tears on Barren Hill” starring Zhang Huoding is offered up by Tony Zheng at Youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n0OeT4-CZo
Sound is quite listenable even if picture quality is pretty awful.
Youtube videos can be downloaded using the Firefox add-on Video Downloadhelper http://www.downloadhelper.net/
Sat 23 Mar 2013
Hello all,
I de-activated the WP Mobile Detector and enabled DudaMobile.
Let me know if you see a difference on your phone/tablet/notebook/device.
Cheers!