Exploratory Discussion On Emotional Expression Of The Art Of Traditional Opera

Emotional expression is an intrinsic nature of the art of traditional opera. Firstly, emotions stirred by external objects are the source of symbolic creation in traditional opera. In line with the principles of being guided by the story and aimed at expressing emotions which serve as the thread running through the opera, symbolic actions and movements are organized in the opera stage. Singing, reciting, acting and martial arts, the four performing techniques of traditional Chinese opera, are unique artistic languages as a result of emotional externalization by creators. A performer playing a role in the story sings, recites, acts and performs martial arts to create a specific musical context, which vice versa further enhance the effects of symbolic creation by performers in traditional opera. Seen as the essence of traditional Chinese aesthetics, the blending of actions, manners and symbols is vividly demonstrated in the opera stage. The creation of symbolized contexts featured by the blending of performers and the surroundings is both the recipe for presenting Chinese aesthetic symbols and the soul of theatrical creation. Secondly, the story narrated under the symbolized context, which is transmuted in form and content, is a reflection of a highly dramatized life which comes from and deviates from the real life. Thus, traditional opera is a kind of art which presents theatrical movements in enticing forms. This paper tries to illustrate a holistic emotional expression in theatrical creation, and the symbolization of singing, reciting, acting and martial arts in the musical context.