The UCLA Confucius Institute and
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Department of Ethnomusicology

 present

Music and Eroticism in Kunqu, a lecture by Joseph Lam, University of Michigan

Traditional kunqu, a genre of classical Chinese theatre, tells many Chinese love stories, and some performances feature kinetic, musical, verbal, and visual gestures designed to titillate the audience. This kunqu titillation is always aesthetically and virtuosically presented. Indeed, one of the reasons why kunqu appeals to many elite men or women in traditional China is the fact that the genre is romantic/erotic but never vulgar/pornographic. Thus, kunqu titillation constitutes a window to examine not only aesthetics and performance practices of the genre, but also its cultural and social messages about traditional and gendered China. To promote kunqu appreciation and to reveal its eroticism, this presentation analyzes the erotic acting, singing, and speaking in three masterpieces: “Qintiao” (Zither Seductions); “Sifan” (Yearning for the Secular World); and the “Huozhou” (Caught Alive by a Deceased Former Lover).

Joseph Lam is Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Michigan and Professor of Musicology, the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, the University of Michigan. A musicologist and sinologist, Lam specializes in the music and culture of Southern Song (1127-1275), Ming (1368-1644), and modern China (1900 to present). Lam regularly lectures in the US , Mainland China, and Asia. His most recent publications include: “Music and Eroticism in Late Ming Texts” (Nannu 2010), and “Music and Masculinities in Ming China, (Asian Music, 2011). He is currently working on a monograph entitled Kunqu: the Classical Opera of Globalized China.

Monday, April 16, 2012
4:00–5:00pm
Room 1420, Schoenberg Music Building

Open to the public and free of charge
Parking in Lot 2 — $11 all day (Hilgard and Westholme)
(Pay-by-space parking also available in Lot 2)
Information: (310) 825-5947

 

RELATED EVENTS

Named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, Kun Opera is one of the world oldest extant music drama traditions. This April Southern California audiences will have the rare opportunity to watch master artists from China perform classics from the Kun Opera repertoire, and hear experts discuss the tradition’s historical roots and its continued creative relevance on the world stage.

Performance by artists from the Jiangsu Kun Opera Company
with introduction by acclaimed theatre and opera director Peter Sellars

Presented by the UCLA Confucius Institute and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Department of Ethnomusicology

April 17, 7:30 PM, Tuesday
Location: UCLA Schoenberg Hall

Excerpts include: The comic opera “Mountain Gate” (山门), “Union in the Shades” (幽媾), and
a scene from the Kun opera masterpiece “Peony Pavilion”(牡丹亭)
click here to purchase tickets

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Peach Blossom Fan
April 21, 2:00 PM, Saturday
Location: Downey Civic Theatre, Downey
Peach Blossom Fan (桃花扇)
click here to purchase tickets


Classic Scenes from the Kun Opera Repertoire
April 22, 2:00 PM, Sunday
Location: Downey Civic Theatre, Downey 
“Painting the Portrait,”(描容) “Chance Meeting in the Great Hall,” (游殿)
“Captured Alive,” (活捉) “Hearing the Appeal,” (看状)“Reprimanding Father” (诘父)
click here to purchase tickets