2023-05-10 14:56:27
Why Monteverdi is more gripping and pertinent than ever.
为何蒙泰韦尔迪比以往更瞩目，更重要
Gardiner, who launched his career with Monteverdi, likens him to Shakespeare.
加德纳的职业生涯从表演蒙泰韦尔迪的作品开启，。
Which music-theatre works of today will play to sold-out houses in the twenty-fifth century? Such is the challenge issued by Claudio Monteverdi, the former maestro di cappella at the Basilica di San Marco, in Venice, who, four hundred and fifty years after his birth, still has a knack for putting butts in seats. In October, the British conductor John Eliot Gardiner led vital performances of Monteverdi’s three surviving operas—“Orfeo,” “The Return of Ulysses,” and “The Coronation of Poppea”—at Alice Tully Hall. Once again, this ancient music worked its wiles on posterity. We thrilled to the lustrous brass fanfares, swooned at the liquid lyric lines, laughed at the bawdy jokes, and grew tense at moments whose outcome was not in doubt.When Orpheus cast his fatal glance back at Eurydice, there was an audible gasp from the audience, even though no dramatic situation could be less suspenseful.
当今哪部剧场音乐剧在25世纪上演时还会满座？这是威尼斯圣马可大教堂的前任指挥家克劳迪奥.蒙泰韦尔迪提出的挑战。在诞生250年后，蒙泰韦尔迪的作品仍然可以牢牢吸引住现场观众。今年十月份，英国指挥家约翰.艾略特.加德纳在爱丽丝杜莉厅领衔上演了蒙泰韦尔迪的三部至关重要、依然活跃的歌剧——《奥菲欧》、《尤利西斯归来》和《波佩亚的加冕》。这古老的音乐再一次向后人展现了魔力。光滑明亮的铜号声使人兴奋不已，流水般的唱词令人着迷，黄色笑话让我们捧腹大笑，当确信无疑的结尾到来时我们紧张万分。当俄耳甫斯回眸向欧律狄刻投出无限痴情的一瞥，观众席里的喘息声清晰可闻，即便是充满戏剧性的情境也不会令人如此惴惴不安。
Gardiner has likened Monteverdi to Shakespeare—a comparison that has become routine. Both artists give fathomless depth to familiar tales; both maneuver adroitly between high and low. In a way, Monteverdi’s feat is more remarkable, since opera had been invented only a decade before he first addressed the genre, with “Orfeo,” in 1607. The breakthrough comes in the aria “Possente spirito”—the plea for mercy that Orpheus delivers to Charon, the ferryman of Hades. Orpheus’ vocal lines are typical of the period, with florid ornamentation unfolding within narrow intervals. But the music moves at an unusually deliberate, meditative pace. Pairs of instruments play spectral ascending and descending scales, with the second part sounding as an echo. The harp echoes itself. Monteverdi is relaxing his grip on the narrative and delving deep into his character’s condition. This is the opportunity afforded by the evening-length structure of opera. The clock slows; the horizon widens; we go walking in the landscape of Orpheus’ soul.
，人们对此已经习以为常。两位艺术家都给家喻户晓的故事赋予极其深刻的内涵，都熟练地把控上层与下层阶级之间的品味差异。蒙泰韦尔迪于1607年推出《奥菲欧》，这是他的第一部歌剧。这一艺术类型在此之前十年才产生，因此蒙泰韦尔迪的成就在某种程度上更为引人注目。该剧第三幕的咏叹调《强大的精神》在艺术表现上是一个突破，表现的是俄耳甫斯向冥府渡神卡戎乞求怜悯。俄耳甫斯在短暂的间隙里呈现出绚丽的装饰音，这种声线在当时具有典型性，但音乐的处理却是如此从容、令人沉思，显得不同寻常。成对的乐器演奏出如同光谱般上升和下降的乐音，其第二部分听起来就像是一个回声，而竖琴则自言自语。蒙泰韦尔迪以放松的方式来阐述情节，对角色的身份进行深入的探究。时钟变慢了，地平线开阔起来，我们在俄耳甫斯的灵魂里漫步，这就是长达一整夜的歌剧带给我们的感受。
Monteverdi’s resonance today is not just a matter of compositional mastery. His protagonists become expressive individuals, yet they inhabit a world where hierarchies are fixed and freedom scircum scribed. “Nothing delightful here below endures,” Apollo tells Orpheus, advising him to give up on life and go to Heaven. In “Poppea,” which is set at the court of Nero, the virtuous are punished and the wicked are rewarded. In Neronian America, such undeceived realism seems more modern than the idealism of so many Romantic-era operas. “The Return of Ulysses” is the happiest of Monteverdi’s stories, because its characters elude the grasp of fate. When Ulysses comes home to Penelope, he exits the nightmare of history.
蒙泰韦尔迪不仅仅是作为一位作曲大师在当今引起反响，他塑造的主要人物成为了一个个有表现力的个体，他们占据了一个等级固化、自由受限的世界。阿波罗告诉俄耳甫斯“在此处唯有忍耐才能享受欢愉”，怂恿他放弃生命、进入天堂。《波佩亚》一剧展现了尼禄的法庭，善良的人们在那里受到惩罚，邪恶的人们得到奖赏。貌似在腐败、暴虐的美洲，这种令人觉醒的现实主义歌剧比众多浪漫时期的歌剧更具有现代性。在蒙泰韦尔迪讲述的故事里，《尤利西斯归来》最为欢快，因为剧中人物机智地避开了厄运。当尤利西斯回到家中与妻子佩内洛普团聚，他就此走出了历史的梦魇。
Gardiner launched his career with Monteverdi. In 1964, while he was studying at Cambridge University, he organized a performance of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers. From that event arose the Monteverdi Choir, which has been at the core of Gardiner’s activities ever since. Recently, he has been known more for his Bach—above all, for his epic traversal of the complete cantatas and forhis formidable book “Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven.” This year, he returned to his point of departure, touring Europe and America with “staged concert” versions of the Monteverdi operas. He had recorded “Orfeo” and “Poppea” but had never conducted “Ulysses.” The stint at Tully, involving the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, and nineteen solo singers,marked the end of a seven-month, sixteen-city journey.
加德纳的职业生涯从表演蒙泰韦尔迪的作品开启。1964年，他就读于剑桥大学，组织了一场1610年的蒙泰韦尔迪晚祷，蒙泰韦尔迪唱诗班就此成立，从那之后，加德纳的系列活动都是以唱诗班为中心来展开。最近，他对巴赫的研究——尤其是他对康塔塔全集所作的史诗般的全面解读，以及他那令人敬畏的著作《巴赫：天堂城堡里的音乐》——使得他更为知名。今年他回到起点，在欧洲和美洲进行巡演，以“舞台音乐剧”的形式演绎蒙泰韦尔迪歌剧。他录制了《奥菲欧》和《波佩亚》，但从未担任过《尤利西斯》的指挥。这次巡演为期七个月，足迹遍布十六个城市，最后一站是塔利，在这里表演了蒙泰韦尔迪晚祷，参演的有来自英国的巴洛克式独奏家和十九名独唱歌手。
At seventy-four, Gardiner is undiminished in energy. On this occasion,he served not only as conductor but also as co-director, along side Elsa Rooke.The productions had no sets or props, but costumes, lighting, and stage movement gave sufficient life to the dramas. Singers appeared on all sides of the orchestra and often in its midst. They also popped up in the hall’s balconies and entered through the doors leading to the lobby. At times, as in Peter Sellars’s dramatizations of the Bach Passions, the instrumentalists were drawn into the field of action. Gwyneth Wentink, the harpist, had two memorable moments. During “Possente spirito,”Krystian Adam, as Orpheus, held his hand above Wentink’s instrument, as if summoning music from it. And in “Ulysses,” during the uproarious lament by the clownish Iro, Robert Burt, aveteran of the role, began frantically strumming the harp strings, prompting Wentink to bop him over the head with her score. Monteverdi’s quicksilver changes of tone, from comic to tragic and back again,were handled with fluidity and grace. “Orfeo,” in particular, was an organic, riveting piece of theatre.
74岁的加德纳精力并未衰减，他不仅是此次演出的指挥，还与艾尔莎.卢克联合执导。舞台上没有装置，也没有道具，只有化妆、灯光和表演，这些就足以给戏剧注入灵魂。歌手环绕在交响乐团四周，时不时还步入乐团当中。他们还突然出现在表演大厅的包厢里，并且穿过通往休息室的门廊。就像彼得.塞拉斯将巴赫的《受难曲》进行戏剧化处理那样，演奏家们有时也会加入到表演之中。竖琴师格温妮丝.文婷珂经历了两个值得回味的时刻——在咏叹调《强大的精神》里，俄耳甫斯的扮演者克里斯汀.亚当把他的手举过竖琴，似乎在召唤音乐；在《尤利西斯》里，当小丑艾洛唱起令人捧腹的挽歌时，艾洛的扮演者罗伯特.波特（他经常出演这一角色）开始狂暴地拨弄竖琴琴弦，这惹得文婷珂用乐谱拍打他的脑袋。蒙泰韦尔迪的音调变化恰如水银的流淌，从喜剧到悲剧，然后又回到喜剧，这些变化被处理得灵动而优雅。生机勃勃的《奥菲欧》尤为突出，是一个引人入胜的戏院剧目。
Although Gardiner specializes in early music, he has also explored nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century repertory, from Beethoven to Stravinsky. His current approach to Monteverdi seems to reflect his wider experience. When, after Eurydice’s death, the chorus sings “Ahi caso acerbo” (“Alas, fell chance”), the affect was almost Expressionistic, with sharp attacks and flaring crescendos. In “Ulysses,” when the chorus comments on the gods’ decision to forgive the long-suffering hero the tempo slowed to a majestic crawl,with eerie harmonies foregrounded. Elsewhere, Gardiner did not skimp on the kind of rollicking rhythms favored by early-music revivalists such as René Jacobs and Jordi Savall; the chorus augmented the wedding rites of Orpheus and Eurydice with syncopated handclaps and foot stomps. A phalanx of cornetti and sackbuts provided glints of courtly splendor. Before the start of “Orfeo,” the brass players greeted the audience by blaring the work’s famous Toccata from a balcony above the lobby—a touch reminiscent of the outdoor Wagner fanfares that resound at the Bayreuth Festival.
尽管加德纳专攻早期音乐，但他也对从贝多芬到斯特拉文斯基的19世纪和20世纪初期的剧目进行了探索。目前他对蒙泰韦尔迪的研究方式似乎令他那更为深厚的经验得以体现。剧中的欧律狄刻死后，当合唱队唱起“Ahi caso acerbo（译者注：意大利语）”（“唉，机会来了”），大火熊熊燃烧般的渐强人声带来强烈的冲击感，产生了几乎就是表现主义的效果。在《尤利西斯》里，当神决定原谅那位长期忍受痛苦的英雄时，合唱的节拍放慢，缓缓行进，显得庄严而宏伟，最突出的则是那奇特的和声。另一方面，对于那些早期音乐复兴者们——譬如勒内.雅各布斯和乔迪.萨瓦尔——所钟爱的那种欢快韵律，加德纳也不吝花费时间精力来研究。在俄耳甫斯和欧律狄刻的婚礼上，合唱队员们用切分节奏拍手并跺脚，以此增强效果。密集的短号和萨克布号令宫廷熠熠生辉、光彩照人。在《奥菲欧》开始之前，铜管乐器演奏者们在休息室上方的包厢里使劲吹奏这一剧目里著名的托卡塔曲（译者注：一种形式自由、速度很快的即兴风琴曲或钢琴曲），以此向观众致意。这是一种对瓦格纳室外吹奏乐华彩的怀旧，如今在拜罗伊特音乐节上再度响起。
Among the singers, the big discovery was the young Italian bass Gianluca Buratto, whose huge, rich, finely focussed voice made rows of music professionals sit up and scrutinize their programs. As Charon in “Orfeo,” Buratto unleashed stentorian, black-clad tones, suitable for the Commendatore in “Don Giovanni.” (A video clip available online hints that he is already hair-raising in that role.) He reaches down tolow C, yet sings with plaintive beauty two octaves higher. His performance as the noble, doomed Seneca, in “Poppea,” was the vocal pinnacle of the cycle. Buratto clearly has a major career before him, one that may soon take him to the Met. His energetic banging of a hand drum during the “Orfeo” prelude suggested that he could find side work as a percussionist.
来自意大利的青年男低音歌手Gianluca Buratto在众多歌手中引人注目，他的嗓音浑厚有力、线条清晰，令许多作曲家兴奋不已，打算为他谱曲。Buratto在《奥菲欧》扮演冥府渡神卡戎，他的歌声无拘无束、低沉且极具穿透力，很适合演绎《堂.乔瓦尼》里的骑士长（一段在线视频显示他正在为出演这一角色而蓄长发）。他能唱到低音C，还能用凄美的声音唱到两个高八度。Buratto在《波佩亚》中饰演高贵的、注定难逃厄运的塞内卡，其歌声达到了顶峰状态。很显然，Buratto的职业前景一片光明，他很快就会进入纽约大都会艺术博物馆。在《奥菲欧》的序曲里，他用强劲的手法击打手鼓，这意味着他可以把打击乐手作为副业。
The cast had few weak links, though I’ve heard several of the parts sung better over the years. Adam tackled the tenor roles of Orpheus and Telemachus with unflagging vigor, despite some fuzziness in the lower register. Furio Zanasi, as Ulysses, lacked penetrating power but showed immaculate style. Hana Blažíková was refined and agile in the roles of Eurydice, Poppea, and Minerva; she also accompanied herself expertly on the harp when she took the role of La Musica in “Orfeo.”Marianna Pizzolato brought plushness of tone to Penelope in “Ulysses” and Ottavia in “Poppea.” The countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim gave a ferocious, gender-ambiguous edge to the decadent Nero. Anna Dennis made a sultry set piece out of Melanto’s aria in “Ulysses.”
尽管我听说有些人在过去几年中演唱得更为出色，但这次的演出阵容还是几乎无可挑剔。男高音亚当的低音区有些许毛刺，但他还是凭借其旺盛不衰的精力出演俄耳甫斯和忒勒马科斯。出演尤利西斯的法里奥.扎纳西的嗓音穿透力略有欠缺，但他的表演风格完美无瑕。汉娜.布拉兹克娃将欧律狄刻、波佩亚和密涅瓦（译者注：智慧女神，即希腊神话中的雅典娜）演绎得精准、敏捷、活泼；在扮演《奥菲欧》里的La Musica这一角色时，她用专业手法弹奏竖琴为自己伴奏。玛丽安娜.皮佐勒托用她那华贵的嗓音演绎了《尤利西斯》里的佩内洛普和《波佩亚》里的奥塔维亚。假声男高音康敏·贾斯汀·金出演颓废的尼禄，他的演唱难度惊人，令人莫辨雌雄。安娜.丹尼斯在演唱《尤利西斯》里的梅兰托咏叹调时表现得十分，成功地再现了这一精彩片段。
At the end of “Poppea,”and of the cycle, came the duet “Pur ti miro” (“I gaze at you”)—the loveliest Monteverdi music that Monteverdi probably did not write. “Poppea” had its première in early 1643, during the Venice Carnival; the composer died that November. He may well have fallen ill while at work on the score, and turned to colleagues for help. In any case, scholars have detected the stylistic finger prints of other composers in more than one passage of the opera. The late scholar-conductor Alan Curtis believed that “Pur ti miro” was the creation of either Francesco Sacrati or Benedetto Ferrari, who, along with Francesco Cavalli, were younger stars of the fertile Venetian scene.Gardiner insists that the duet is entirely Monteverdi. Uncertainties about authorship remind us that the cult of the individual genius long post dates Monteverdi. Seventeenth-century Italy witnessed a grand fusion of musical traditions, élite and popular alike, which powers the genre of opera to this day. What we celebrate in these three magnificent works is not only the genius of a man but also the genius of a place, the genius of an era.
二重奏Pur ti miro（《我凝视着你》）出现在《波佩亚》的结尾处，而且也时刻在剧中闪现，这是最可爱的蒙泰韦尔迪音乐，但其作者很可能并非蒙泰韦尔迪。《波佩亚》于1643年年初在威尼斯狂欢节上首演，其作者死于当年11月。他很可能在配乐时罹患重病，从而求助于同僚。无论如何，学者们已经发现该剧中的一些段落都带有其他作曲家的风格。后来的学者型指挥家阿兰.柯蒂斯认为《我凝视着你》是由佛朗西斯科.撒克拉底或本尼迪克特.法拉利与兴盛时期的威尼斯派后起之秀佛朗西斯科.卡瓦里共同创作，但加德纳坚信它的作者只有蒙泰韦尔迪一人。这一著作权的不确定性让我们意识到人们对这位在蒙泰韦尔迪死后很久才出现独特的天才是如此狂热。十七世纪的意大利见证了音乐传统的融合，这种宏伟壮丽的融合包含了精英音乐和平民音乐，至今仍在驱动歌剧这一艺术类型向前发展。通过这三部华丽的作品，我们要赞美的不仅是一个天赋之人，而且是一个天赋之地，以及一个天赋的时代。
Alex Ross has been contributing to The New Yorker since 1993, and he became the magazine’s music critic in 1996.
艾利克斯.罗斯自1993年至今都在为《纽约客》供稿，并于1996年成为该杂志的乐评人。