2019年经济学人 阿曼马斯喀特皇家歌剧院(1)（在线收听）

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 Gulf 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 laments his daughter’s affair with a British officer. The patriarch’s view of forbidden love has a special piquancy 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 venue 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 ousted 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 infrastructure and its image. The sultan is an autocrat (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 grandeur.

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 transcends Oman. Dubai opened a glass-cased opera house in the shadow of the world’s tallest skyscraper 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 fad is economic. Qaboos wants to create jobs for Omanis and diversify beyond oil, including by boosting tourism. The ROHM has reputedly become Muscat’s second-most-popular sight, after the Grand Mosque; 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 diplomacy 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。