Taiwan Musical "April Rain" 2008 Performance Tour
(「四月望雨」音樂劇)
Date: 2008 June 28th~ July 6th
Venue: National Theater (CKS Cultural Center in Taipei)
Date: 2008 July 19th~ July 20th
Venue: Tainan Municipal Culture Center
Date: 2008 August 23rd~ 24th
Venue: Jhihde Hall, Bureau of Cultural Affairs,
Kaohsiung City Government
A note about Taiwan musical "April Rain"
The musical "April Rain" is the first Taiwanese musical to recall a long-gone and almost forgotten period in the history of Taiwan, an era of blood, dreams, hopes, sweat and tears that comes alive through the compositions of the great Taiwanese composer Deng Yu-Shian(鄧雨賢).
This musical was named April Rain(四月望雨)based on the combination of the first Chinese character of four pieces of Deng’s famous works -- "Love Song of Four Seasons"(四季紅), "Sorrow in a Moonlit Night"(月夜愁), "Longing for the Spring Breeze"(望春風), and "Flowers in a Rainy Night"(雨夜花).
Blending Deng Yu-Shian’s own musical legacy with new pieces composed especially for this musical, "April Rain" tries to create a mesmerizing mixture of old and new styles.
"April Rain" was designed to be performed in four languages, namely Holo, Hakka, Japanese and Chinese. It premiered in June 2007 and will be staged a third time from June to August 2008. According to Yang Chung-Heng(楊忠衡), artistic supervisor of All Music Theater, it was the first Taiwanese Musical in Taiwan and in history. He said he hoped that "April Rain" would herald a new era for musicals and theater performances in Taiwan.
A note on Deng Yu-Shian (鄧雨賢)
The great Taiwanese composer Deng Yu-Shian, the "Father of Contemporary Taiwanese Music", wrote his famous folk melodies several decades ago, but much of his music is still very popular today.
Deng was born into a scholarly Hakka family in Longtan Township, Taoyuan County in 1906. When he was three years old, he moved to Taipei with his family because his father was appointed as a Chinese teacher at the Japanese School of the governor’s office. He had to get used to speaking the Holo language, under the circumstances.
At Taipei Normal School, where his father had taught, Deng became fascinated with music and composition. There was a piano in every classroom, as the students in this school were all trained to be teachers with music teaching abilities.
After his graduation in 1925, Deng began teaching at the Ze Hsin Primary School. As soon as got his pay, he would rush to buy books on music theory. In 1929, he decided to quit his teaching job and to pursue studies at the Tokyo School of Music for one year. He later worked as a translator for the Taichung District Court, but quitted the job after a few months.
From 1932 onward, he devoted his efforts to writing popular music, and for about 13 years, his songs were often big hits on the radio. In 1932, his composition "The Dadaocheng March"(大稻埕進行曲)gained good reviews and he was subsequently invited to serve as a professional composer and to train the singers for Columbia Music Entertainment, Incorporated. From 1933 to 1934, Deng composed songs that included "Longing for the Spring Breeze", "Sorrow in a Moonlit Night", "Golden Age of Dance" and "Flowers in a Rainy Night."
His melodies reflected the life and the thoughts of the Taiwan people under Japanese colonial rule. He not only composed new melodies but also collected traditional folk songs in his spare time. However, he was unhappy when the Japanese colonial government asked him to restructure his melodies during the Second World War as motivational war songs. He therefore quitted his job and chose to be a teacher, as his wife was, in Cyonglin Township in Hsinchu County. In 1944, he fell ill and died at the age of 39.
Deng’s influence on Taiwanese music is everlasting. The first Deng Yu-Shian Memorial Concert was held by Taoyuan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Auditorium of Longtan Township Hall on February 15, 1992. The Deng Yu-Shian Composition Concert was first staged at the National Concert Hall on July 14 and 15 that same year. On November 29, 2002, in a memorable concert in Taipei, Placido Domingo, a world-renowned operatic tenor, sang "Flowers in the Rainy Night" in Taiwanese with the well-known Taiwanese female singer Chiang Hui. This particular work has acquired the status of a musical centerpiece at international cultural events in Taiwan.
A note on Yang Chung-Heng(楊忠衡), playwright and artistic supervisor
Yang Chung-Heng, born in 1963, is currently the editor-in-chief of Allmusic Publishing Company and art director of Allmusic Theatre. Yang has held a number of positions in several organizations, listed in chronological order: vice editor-in-chief at "Audio Art", "Music Shopper" and "Art China" magazine; journalist at "China Times", founder and editor-in-chief of "All Music" magazine, musical director of "All Music Records;" and executive director of "Poco-a-Poco Music Education Foundation".
Yang is a prolific writer. He has written and translated several books and his music critiques and columns appear frequently in numerous journals. He is also a record producer, and won the National Golden Melody Award in 1999 for Best Producer of a Classical Music Recording. He is often invited to serve as a judge in many competitions and appraisal meetings. He started his stage career in 2003 as a playwright and an artistic director of Chinese musicals. His musical works include "Butterfly Loves" (2003), "Song of Love—Story of Madam Chiang Kai-Shek" (2006), "April Rain" (2007), "Immortal Homeland" (2008).
The members of "April Rain" are as follows:
Chiang Yi-Jui(江翊睿)who graduated from the School of Medicine at Taipei Medical University, and despite his parents’ objections, immersed himself in artistic performances after he graduated. He plays "Deng Yu-Shian" in this musical.
Hung Jui-Hsiang(洪瑞襄)is an experienced actress who is equally at home in Hakka musicals and Taiwanese Operas. She plays the female singer Chun-Chun.
Cheng Po-Jen(程伯仁), a graduate of the Department of Dance, National Taiwan University of Arts, plays Deng Yu-Shian’s good friend Chen Chun-Yu.
Chang Shih-Pei(張世珮), who graduated from the Department of Chinese Music, Chinese Culture University as a vocal music major, is a piano teacher in real life. She plays Deng’s wife in the musical.
Chen Ho-Chia(陳何家), a music lover, successful entrepreneur and president of Shin Shin Natural Gas Company, plays the Japanese柏野正次郎 who was in charge of Columbia Music Entertainment, Incorporated.
Shih Ying-Ying(史茵茵)earned a B.A. from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at National Taiwan University and an M.A. from Harvard University. This is her first role in "April Rain." She plays a female singer Ai-Ai, a good friend of Chun-Chun’s.
去年與「四月望雨」飾演鄧雨賢的男主角江翊睿,以全英語演出外百老匯音樂劇「I Love You,You'rePerfect,Now Change.」,對史茵茵而言並非難事。這次兩人又再度合作演出,史茵茵飾演當年紅極一時的古倫美亞歌手「愛愛」,展現風情萬種又帶點潑辣的一面;這個角色是全場畫龍點睛的重要旦角,十分受觀眾喜愛。