美国国家公共电台 NPR A New Orleans Company Shines A Light On Opera's Diverse History

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

For many people, New Orleans is all about jazz, but there is also a deep history of opera in the city. And OperaCreole, an opera company founded in New Orleans, is resurrecting classical and opera music written by composers of color left out of the overwhelmingly¹ male, white canon. Take a listen.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "LA FLAMENCA")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #1: (Singing in foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (Singing in foreign language).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: This is from their latest production of "La Flamenca" by Creole composer Lucien-Leon Lambert. We're joined now by OperaCreole's founder² and mezzo-soprano, Givonna Joeseph, from member station WWNO in New Orleans. Thanks so much for being with us.

GIVONNA JOSEPH: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell us about this composer, Lucien-Leon Lambert.

JOSEPH: He was born in Paris. His father was a 19th-century New Orleans free composer of color. His father, Charles, performed and wrote music here as well as South America and landed in Paris where he married a Parisian. And Lucien was born there. So Lucien had the pleasure of studying with one of the great French composers, Jules Massenet. And in 1903, Massenet opened the French opera season in Paris with a production of "Herodiade." And 10 days later, his student debuted³ his opera, "La Flamenca." And it has been essentially⁴ not performed anywhere since 1903 that I have been able to find in print and certainly not in America. And we were lucky enough to bring it home.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: "La Flamenca" is set in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. There's a unique heroine faced with a very dramatic dilemma⁵, a conflict between desire and country. Let's take a listen.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "LA FLAMENCA")

KENYA LAWRENCE JACKSON: (Singing in foreign language).

TYRONE CHAMBERS⁶: (Singing in foreign language).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what's happening here? Talk us through it.

JOSEPH: This is a scene that they are talking about the conflict between the love for each other and her determination to fight for the independence of Cuba. She says, I am a Creole, and you are a Spanish officer, and we should be enemies. And of course, they find great love with each other, and so she has to try to negotiate⁷ the independence of her country, continuing to be politically involved in that and this love relationship.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Can you hear in this music, for our audience who may have not either heard the opera or seen it performed, evidence of his Creole upbringing, evidence of his own heritage⁸ in this work?

JOSEPH: Well, the Creole heritage in 19th-century New Orleans was very much a French heritage. They all spoke⁹ French. His father would have spoken French. And so it's natural that he would have written it in French. And New Orleans is the first city of opera. We hear about the birth of jazz, but the first opera performed in America was performed here in 1796. Exactly last weekend would have been the anniversary of that. And from that point on until about 1919, we had about five opera houses. In those opera houses, free men of color were in the orchestras¹⁰. You hear some of the infusion¹¹ of the flamenco style of music that is also part of New Orleans heritage.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "LA FLAMENCA")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #2: (Vocalizing).

JOSEPH: We were such a great city where all people can come from their native land and bring their culture with them and their culture would survive. So you hear some of that in the music that he infuses with French grand opera.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You've said that works by composers of color are hidden on purpose. What did you mean by that, and why is it important to bring works like this to audiences now?

JOSEPH: Well, the opera audience is a very diverse audience. When I said it was hidden on purpose, historically is what I mean, not currently¹². We have evidence of composers all the way back to Mozart's time - le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, that upon his death someone did burn some of his music. Luckily, some things did survive, and we finally found them. And people around the country are enjoying that music. But historically, it's been an issue, keeping that part of who we are suppressed¹³. And unfortunately, for people like me, I had to grow up with people saying, well, black people don't really do that. And luckily, I didn't discourage myself, and I did not know the wealth of information that was just not there for most of us to find. And so we didn't really know what our heritage was in terms of opera in hundreds of years' worth of classical music.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Is that what you're hoping people will come away with, a newfound appreciation¹⁴ not only for opera but also for the contributions of people of color?

JOSEPH: Absolutely, absolutely. Opera is just the thing that I love, and I want everybody to love it. There's such fun and such drama in it. And so that's really great. But I think we need to have a better understanding of who we are as a country and how everyone has contributed to its greatness in so many ways that we don't know about. I especially hope that a 15-year-old doesn't have to hear the same thing of we don't do that, that we're not putting ourselves in boxes where we don't belong because we have done many, many amazing things. I'm hoping to spread the joy (laughter).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Givonna Joseph, founder of OperaCreole in New Orleans, thanks so much for being with us.

JOSEPH: Thank you, appreciate it.

(SOUNDBITE OF OPERA, "LA FLAMENCA")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (Singing in foreign language).

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Our theme music was written by BJ Leiderman. This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Thanks for listening. I'm Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

1 overwhelmingly   

adv.压倒性地；不可抵抗地

参考例句：

• They voted overwhelmingly against the proposal. 他们以压倒多数票否决了该提案。
• The local economy is overwhelmingly dependent on oil and gas extraction. 当地经济过于依赖石油和天然气的开采。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

6 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

7 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

8 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 orchestras   

管弦乐队( orchestra的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The orchestras, the choruses, the drama and opera casts, will be cut to pieces. 各个管弦乐队、合唱队、戏剧和歌剧的演员名单都将支离破碎。
• In Indonesia, gamelan orchestras play music on gongs, drums, and xylophones. 印度尼西亚，佳美兰乐队用锣、和木琴演奏音乐。

11 infusion   

n.灌输

参考例句：

• Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
• Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。

12 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

13 suppressed   

被抑制的，被忍住的

参考例句：

• The rebellion was brutally suppressed. 起义遭到了残酷的镇压。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

14 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。