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(*)(Translated by Don Kenny, with an introduction by Earle Ernst) (★)(A stage without scenery, a minimum of properties, a studied rejection of realism --these seemingly untheatrical aspects of the Noh drama are actually the basis for producing an astonishingly effective theatrical illusion. Noh is unquestionably the most refined of Japan´s dramatic arts : a distillation, in fact, of all that dramatic art seeks to convey. Ritualistic in form and highly stylized in presentation, it offers its audiences a remarkable psychological and emotional experience. Many of its attractions are purely physical --the gorgeous costumes, the masks, the stately dancing, the exotic music and chanting-- but the essence of Noh lies in the total effect of otherworldly magic that it creates. The plays themselves, though quite unrealistic in technique, present a fascinating range of characters and situations : feudal warriors, tragic lovers, revengeful or repentant ghosts, deities in disguise, exploits of famous heroes, love affairs between noblemen and commoners, exile in desolate places, possession by evil spirits. Each play, in its own fashion, generates a mysterious spell that carries the spectator beyond the limits of the real world. This book introduces Noh from the viewpoint of the intelligent amateur who wishes to know the basic facts about it. The approach is largely a visual one, as the generous selection of illustrations makes clear. Character types, masks, costumes, properties, scenes from representative plays, drawings and paintings from Noh history --all these complement a text that traces the development of Noh, explains its techniques, interprets its aesthetics, and re-creates the atmosphere of the theater in which it is performed. ◆Yasuo Nakamura follows the dual and rather paradoxical career of teacher of mathematics and scholar of the Noh drama. He is the author of three books on Noh in addition to the present one, serves as a lecturer for the Society for the Cultivation of Noh and as a member of the Commission for the Protection of Cultural Properties, and is a regular contributor to several magazines dealing with Noh research. His home is in Kyoto. Earle Ernst is Senior Professor and Chairman, Department of Drama and Theater, University of Hawaii. He has directed some hundred productions of operas and plays, including a number of first productions in English of Oriental plays. In addition to various articles published in the ´Encyclopaedia Britannica´ and elsewhere, his writings include two books : ´The Kabuki Theatre´ and ´Three Japanese Plays from the Traditional Theatre.´) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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