Huang Qingcheng & Fan Zehua - "Lu Lin Hui" 黄请城,范泽华-潮剧"芦林会"选段2

黄请城,范泽华-潮剧"芦林会"选段2
This is part of a 1959 audio recording of a 50-minute excerpt of the Teochew (Chaozhou) opera "Lu Lin Hui" (literally, "Meeting at the Reed Field" but may sound better if translated to "Crossing Paths at the Reed Field" ).

Impoverished scholar Jiang Si (姜诗) banished his wife, Pang Sanniang (庞三娘), under the order of his mother who believes in an unfounded rumor about Pang's lack of filial piety. Pang takes temporary shelter at a nunnery and chances to meet her husband one day when she goes to the reed field to gather some dry stalks to cook a fish for her mother-in-law. (That is despite being hounded out of the family and mercilessly insulted by the old lady!)

During this brief encounter, Pang has the chance to clarify the misunderstandings, but there seems no solution in sight, as Jiang is too much of a weakling to challenge the authority of his mother.

In this tearful duet, Jiang mentions the proverbial "3 Pathways", which are open to Pang. They are not solutions, but rather, desperate measures taken by banished women during the days of old.

Delicately sung, with powerful, expressive voices rich in range and emotion - these two veterans have indeed set a standard of performance that is impossible to surpass. Please listen and love it!