2019年经济学人 阿曼马斯喀特皇家歌剧院(1)

 

Books and Arts

来源于《图书和艺术》版块

Culture in the Middle East

中东的文化

The sultan’s song

苏丹之歌

How Gulf¹ rulers learned to love opera

海湾地区的统治者是如何爱上歌剧的

In “lakmé”, an opera by Léo Delibes, a Brahmin priest laments² his daughter’s affair with a British officer. The patriarch’s view of forbidden love has a special piquancy³ at the Royal Opera House, Muscat (ROHM), where the work was performed earlier this year. One of the most spectacular opera houses in the world, the venue⁴ is the flagship of the art form’s swift rise across the conservative Gulf region.

在雷奥·德利勃的歌剧《拉克美》中，一位婆罗门教士为女儿与一名英国军官的风流韵事而哀叹。这位大牧首对禁忌之爱的看法在马斯喀特皇家歌剧院以尖锐的形式表现出来，今年早些时候，这部作品在皇家歌剧院上演。作为世界上最壮观的歌剧院之一，马斯喀特皇家歌剧院是这种艺术形式在保守的海湾地区迅速崛起的旗舰。

In 1970, when Sultan Qaboos ousted⁵ his father, Oman had only two hospitals and three schools. Qaboos, now 78, has used some of the country’s oil wealth to update both its infrastructure⁶ and its image. The sultan is an autocrat⁷ (and a spendthrift), but he affects an enthusiasm for the arts. He founded the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in 1985; the ROHM opened in 2011. Its staircase and marble match the Opéra de Paris in grandeur⁸.

1970年，当苏丹·卡布斯更迭其父亲的统治时，阿曼苏丹国只有两家医院和三所学校。现年78岁的卡布斯利用该国的部分石油财富，重建了该国的基础设施和形象。苏丹是一个独裁者(也是一个挥金如土的人)，但他却对艺术很热忱。苏丹于1985年创立了阿曼皇家交响乐团，马斯喀特皇家歌剧院于2011年开始营业。歌剧院的楼梯和大理石可与宏伟的巴黎歌剧院媲美。

But the region’s opera boom transcends⁹ Oman. Dubai opened a glass-cased opera house in the shadow of the world’s tallest skyscraper¹⁰ in 2016. Kuwait’s glitzy new culture complex staged “The Magic Flute” last year. Meanwhile Jordan’s open-air opera festival, the region’s first, is now held each year in Amman’s Roman amphitheatre.

但当地歌剧的繁荣超越了阿曼苏丹国。2016年，迪拜开设了一座玻璃幕墙的歌剧院，建于世界最高摩天楼的对面。科威特炫目的新文化综合体去年上演了《魔笛》。同时，约旦的露天歌剧节，也是该地区第一个歌剧节，现在每年都在安曼的罗马圆形剧场举行。

One reason for the fad¹¹ is economic. Qaboos wants to create jobs for Omanis and diversify¹² beyond oil, including by boosting tourism. The ROHM has reputedly become Muscat’s second-most-popular sight, after the Grand Mosque¹³; three-quarters of its staff are Omani.

流行的一个原因在于经济。卡布斯希望为阿曼人创造就业机会，并在石油之外实现多样化，包括促进旅游业。据说马斯喀特皇家歌剧院已经成为马斯喀特第二受欢迎的景点，仅次于大清真寺；四分之三的员工是阿曼人。

Soft-power diplomacy¹⁴ is also part of the story. For example, a plan is afoot for Oman to fund an opera house in Beirut. A bid to recruit a Saudi minister to the board of La Scala in Milan—and for it to accept 15m Euros from the Saudi government—foundered amid an outcry over human-rights abuses. But La Scala’s academy still plans to set up an opera school for children in Riyadh.

软实力外交也是原因之一。例如，阿曼正计划资助贝鲁特的一座歌剧院。一项为米兰斯卡拉歌剧院董事会招募一名沙特部长的竞标要接受沙特政府的1500万欧元，最终在对侵犯人权的强烈抗议中宣告失败。但斯卡拉歌剧院的学院仍计划在利雅得为孩子们建立一所歌剧学校。

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 laments   

n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside. 在那首诗里他对乡村遭到的破坏流露出悲哀。
• In this book he laments the slight interest shown in his writings. 在该书中他慨叹人们对他的著作兴趣微弱。 来自辞典例句

3 piquancy   

n.辛辣，辣味，痛快

参考例句：

• The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
• I`ve got a GOOD start,or at least,a piquancy start. 我有了一个好的开始；如果不算好，也至少是个痛快的开始。 来自互联网

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 autocrat   

n.独裁者；专横的人

参考例句：

• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。
• The nobles tried to limit the powers of the autocrat without success.贵族企图限制专制君主的权力,但没有成功。

8 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

9 transcends   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
• The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。

10 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

11 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

12 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

13 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

14 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。