经济学人396:沙滩上的爱因斯坦

 　　Books and Arts; Opera review; Einstein on the beach;

　　文艺；歌剧评论；沙滩上的爱因斯坦；

　　Breaking the waves; An avant-garde opera on a rare world tour.

　　乘风破浪；一部先锋歌剧正在进行世界巡演，机会难得。

　　THE music of “Einstein on the Beach” is so grand and epic—yet so mesmerising and repetitive—that it feels as if it were the soundscape of a dream. Indeed, much of this odd and wondrous¹ opera, the work of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, with some transcendent choreography from Lucinda Childs, seems to inhabit a liminal space, eerie² and otherworldly. Clocking in at nearly five hours without an interval³ (viewers can come and go as they please), the production is less a work of entertainment than an experience.

　　“沙滩上的爱因斯坦”的音乐如史诗般宏伟壮丽——同时循环重复，引人入胜——让人有置身梦中之感。这部由菲利普·格拉斯和罗伯特·威尔逊共同创作，经露辛达·蔡尔兹出色编排的奇特而绝妙的歌剧，在很大程度上仿佛令人真的来到了一个奇异的超凡的朦胧世界。演出时间几乎五个小时，中间没有休息（观众可以随意进出）。观赏这部作品与其说是娱乐，倒不如说是一种体验。

　　“Einstein” stunned⁴ audiences at the opera’s premiere in Avignon 36 years ago; its narrative-free mesh⁵ of music, dance and drama inspired many to feel that they were witnessing something unprecedented⁶. Word of mouth ensured “Einstein” enjoyed a sell-out tour in Europe, and then a hero’s welcome home in New York in late 1976, where the show filled every seat at the Metropolitan⁷ Opera. “The avant-garde has become official,” exclaimed a Met producer at the time.

　　三十六年前，“爱因斯坦”在阿维尼翁的首演震惊了观众；它摆脱叙事的形式，将音乐、舞蹈和戏剧融为一体，这样的表演形式让很多人觉得自己正在观看一部前所未有的杰作。有了人们的口口相传，“爱因斯坦”在欧洲的巡演场场爆满。接着在1976年末，“爱因斯坦”到纽约演出，受到了凯旋英雄般的礼遇，大都会歌剧院座无虚席。“这部先锋歌剧已受到正式认可，”当时歌剧院的一位制作人激动地说。

　　But the opera’s success did not mean it was profitable. As it happens, few operas make money and “Einstein” is quite a spectacle—even though it is often described as a landmark⁸ of minimalism. Its inaugural⁹ run may have made Messrs Glass and Wilson famous, but it also left them bankrupt. Not long after their Met triumph, Mr Glass went back to cab-driving in New York, struggling to make ends meet. This ordeal¹⁰, together with the fact that this opera is uniquely demanding on performers and audience-members alike, has ensured that “Einstein” productions are rare.

　　但是演出大获成功不代表这部歌剧有利可图。事实证明，很少有歌剧能赚钱，而“爱因斯塔”正是一个奇特的典型——尽管它经常被形容为“极简主义”的里程碑。这部歌剧的首演或许让格拉斯先生和威尔逊先生声名大噪，却也让他们潦倒破产。在大都会歌剧院演出取得巨大成功后不久，格拉斯先生回到纽约开起了出租车，努力维持日常开销。这种艰苦的生活，再加上这部歌剧对表演者和观众的要求极高，使得“爱因斯坦”的演出次数非常少。

　　So it is impressive that a new production of this unwieldy classic—the first in 20 years—is now making its way around the world, as part of a year-long celebration of Mr Glass’s 75th birthday. After appearances in France, Italy and Britain (where it was performed at the Barbican as part of the London 2012 Festival), its next stop is Toronto’s Sony Centre from June 8th to 10th.

　　因此令人激动的是，这部制作庞大的经典之作，将作为格拉斯先生75岁生日为期一年的庆典活动的一部分，展开新一轮全球巡演，这是二十年来的第一次。结束了在法国、意大利和英国（在巴比肯作为伦敦2012年奥运会庆典活动的一部分进行演出）的演出之后，下一站它将在多伦多索尼索尼中心剧院演出，时间从6月8日到6月10日。

　　Watching the show now, some of the scripted moments feel a little absurd. And Mr Wilson’s extravagant¹¹ staging reinforces the opera’s reputation as a money pit. But the two extended dance segments are irrepressibly uplifting. And the meditative¹² music, which is so technically¹³ challenging that Mr Glass originally had trouble finding performers for it, washes over listeners, as coolly vast and mysterious as the sea itself.

　　现在看这部歌剧，一些有台词的场景会显得有点突兀。同时威尔逊先生奢华的舞台布景也验证了该剧耗资庞大的名声不虚。但增加的两场舞蹈让人无法抑制激动的心情。还有那冥思的音乐对技术有极大的挑战，一开始格拉斯先生为寻找合适的演奏者颇费了一番周折。人们听着这音乐，仿佛置身于一片平静浩瀚而又神秘的大海之中。

1 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

2 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

3 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

8 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

9 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

10 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

11 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

12 meditative   

adj.沉思的，冥想的

参考例句：

• A stupid fellow is talkative;a wise man is meditative.蠢人饶舌，智者思虑。
• Music can induce a meditative state in the listener.音乐能够引导倾听者沉思。

13 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。