Blind Musician Dou Wun

Experiment Naamyam Hong Kong

Experiment Naamyam Hong Kong

Blind Musician Dou Wun

Introduction

Male singers of Deishui Naamyam are called gu si (blind songster). Born in 1910, Dou Wun began learning Naamyam in the early 1920s. When the civil war broke out, he moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, where he earned his living by singing. Dou improvised his singing on current affairs topics in the RTHK radio programme Dou Wun’s Naamyam in the 1950s. In the 1970s, Naamyam went downhill and became a lost art amidst the prevalence of European and western music. In 1975, Professor Bell Yung came to Hong Kong to make recordings of Dou’s performance. To fully reflect the artistic merits of Dou and to be truthful to the originality of Naamyam, Yung made the live recordings in Fu Loong Teahouse. The outcomes became a treasure. In 2019, Zuni restores the recordings of Dou using audio and imaging technologies of the theatre to relive the audio-visual space of Deishui Naamyam.

Creative Team

Artistic Consultant Bell Yung

Curator & Designer Mathias Woo

Music Director Yu Yat-yiu @PMPS

Performance David Yeung

Ticketing

$200, *$100

*Full-time students

Seat Plan

T&C

Running time approximately 60 minutes with no intermission
In Cantonese
No latecomers will be admitted, until a suitable break in the performance.
Zuni Icosahedron reserves the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists and/ or vary advertised programmes and seating arrangements.

Ticketing

18

8:00pm

Auditorium, Tai Po Civic Centre

Ticketing

19

8:00pm

Auditorium, Tai Po Civic Centre

Ticketing

“

The audience is given a chance to appreciate the song-art of Naamyam, which takes them through episodes of Hong Kong history.

Ting Yu / Veteran art critic

“

Blind Musician Dou Wun, creates a space that transcends time and space to relive the sound and images of Dou Wun. Through his Naamyam singing, Dou Wun recounted the story of his own legendary life. We can vividly feel that Dou Wun presented himself in flesh and blood as the protagonist of the story, and gave real shapes to all the people he encounted in life.

Chow Fan-fu / veteran art critic

“

The ancient Cantonese Naamyam has been transformed into a show that is so high-tech, innovative and full of fun. The experience is like enjoying a cup of bitter tea while being unaware of the drops of honey in it. Truly fascinating.

Maurice Lee Wai-man / Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Arts Development Council

About Dou Wun

Dou Wun (1910-1979) is considered the last master of Deishui Naamyam (southern tone) in Hong Kong. In the 1950s, he performed naamyam, sometimes an impromptu with references to current affairs, at Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). In 1972, Dou’s programme was put to a halt alongside the decline of other traditional cultural programmes at RTHK. The audience took delight in his artistry, appreciating the way he played the paiban with his left hand and guzheng with his right, whilst singing simultaneously.

In 1974, the Goethe-Institut invited Dou to perform Sorrow Of The Traveller, Mourning for My Lady, etc. In 1975, Bell Yung, Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh, recorded 16 numbers of Dou’s naamyam singing at a teahouse. Dou also performed at the Hong Kong City Hall and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since Dou died in 1979, deishui naamyam has become a legend.

Blind Musician Dou Wun

Adapted from:

Blind Dou Wun Remembers His Past: 50 Years of Singing Naamyam in Hong Kong

A Blind Singer’s Story : 50 years of Life and Work in Hong Kong

Writer and Singer: Dou Wun

Music:

Blowin’ In the Wind (Mono Version)

Written by: Bob Dylan

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor Opus 30 – I – Allegro Ma Non Tanto

Composed by: Sergei Rachmaninoff

Creative Team

Artistic Advisor and Photographer (Dou Wun photos)：Bell Yung

Artistic Director cum Director, Spatial & Visual Designer: Mathias Woo

Music Director: Yu Yat-yiu @PMPS

Performer: David Yeung

Visual/ Digital Images: Dan Fong

Pupper Design & Making: Lai Tat Tat Wing

Assistant Artistic Director: Cedric Chan

Production Team

Production Managers: Carmen Cheng, Chow Chun-yin

Sound System Designers: Can.Ha; d&b audiotechnik – Alex Poon, Allen Tin

Sound Designer: Can.HA

Lighting Designer: Alice Kwong

Stage Manager: Satina Shum

Deputy Stage Manager: Charmaine Cheng

Assistant Stage Manager: Chan On-ki

Video Operator: Johnny Sze

Set Assistant: Venus Lee

Stage Crews: Ray Chan, Chim Man-lung

Technical Partner: d&b audiotechnik

Graphics: Rachel Chak

Graphic Design Assistant: Coco Cheung

Promotional Video: Wing Chan

Translation (Promotion): Vicky Leong

International Exchange Director, Producer: Wong Yuewai

Company Manager (Administration and Finance): Jacky Chan

Company Manager (Programme): Doris Kan

Assistant Artistic Director: Cedric Chan

Senior Programme Manager: Bowie Chow

Public Relations and Publicity: Luka Wong

Programme Manager: Ho Yin-hei

Assistant Programme Manager: Ricky Cheng

Programme and Art Administration Trainees: Megan Hung, Stephy Yeung

Blind Dou Wun Remembers His Past 50 Years of Singing Naamyam in Hong Kong – 6 Audio CD

Singer: Dou Wun

Publisher: Chinese Music Archive, Music Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Editors and Original Concept: Bell Yung, Sonia Ng

Producer: Yu Siu-wah

Assistant Producer: Tse Chun-yan

Field Researcher: Bell Yung

Editors of Song Lyrics: Sonia Ng, Bell Yung, Erica Lee

Copy Editor: Lulu Chiu

Open Reel Restoration & Digitalization: Guo Jin

A Blind Singer’s Story : 50 years of Life and Work in Hong Kong – DVD

Project Management: Bell Yung, Hong Kong Museum of History Leisure and Cultural Services Department Hong Kong SAR, Music Department University of Hong Kong

Producer: Bell Yung

Director: Ringo Tang

Scriptwriters: Bell Yung, Erica Lee

English Translation: Bell Yung

Experiment Naamyam Hong Kong