彭蒙惠英语：Newsworthy Clips

Newsworthy Clips

 

3

Renata Tebaldi Dies at 82

 

By David Patrick Stearns / © 2004, as originally appeared in

The Philadelphia Inquirer. KRT. Distributed by TMSI.

 

Opera star Renata Tebaldi, who died on December 19, 2004, represented more than Italian singing at its greatest. In the opera world and beyond, she was the diva of divas.

 

Even in her later years, when the long-retired Tebaldi made courtesy calls in cities of past successes, she created a stir tantamount to that of heads of state. From her 1944 debut¹ to her 1976 retirement², Tebaldi had more than 30 years in the sun.

 

Tebaldi had a musicianship and integrity that firmly places her, artistically³ speaking, in the post-World War II generation. The downside of her approach was its emotional limitation. In popular arias⁵ such as the tragic⁶ La Mamma Morta from Andrea Chénier, Tebaldi’s sun-drenched tone didn’t accommodate the despairing bleakness⁷ projected by other singers.

 

Performing artists tend to be remembered by the final third of their careers, which, in Tebaldi’s case, is unfortunate. A 1958 filming of the opera La Forza del Destino shows Tebaldi’s acting⁸ to be physically⁹ stylized with deliberate, old-school gestures.

 

A 1961 film of Tosca catches her breaking character to rearrange her dress. She’s often stationary¹⁰, and, upon singing a spot-on climactic note, she smiles with the knowledge that she has nailed it. All this is evidence of two life-changing factors: a vocal¹¹ crisis, from which she recovered, but that seemed to leave her preoccupied¹² with the mechanics of singing—and the aftereffects of her childhood affliction with polio.

 

Like many things in her life, such personal matters were not for the public to know. Though her voice seemed to be a doorway¹³ into her soul, it delivered few, if any, elements of autobiography¹⁴.

 

Vocabulary Focus

tantamount (adj) [5tAntEmaunt] being almost the same or having the same effect as

in the sun (idiom) often in the public eye; well known by the public

stylized (adj) [5stailaizd] represented in a way that simplifies details rather than trying to show naturalness or reality

old-school (adj) [5Euld5sku:l] old-fashioned; relating to traditional ideas or practices

climactic (adj) [klai5mAktik] being the most important or exciting point in a story or situation

 

Specialized¹⁵ Terms

diva (n) 名伶 a very successful and famous female singer

courtesy call (n phr) 礼节性拜访 an appearance or visit done out of politeness or consideration to someone else

aria⁴ (n) 咏叹调 a song sung by one person in an opera

 

新闻剪辑

 

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蕾娜塔·提芭蒂

歌剧名伶蕾娜塔·提芭蒂于2004年12月19日去世。她不只代表了意大利声乐的极致，在歌剧世界内外，都是名伶中的天后。

即使在晚年，当退休已久的提芭蒂到过去成功演出的城市作礼节性拜访时，也造成如同国家元首般的轰动。从1944年的初次登台到1976年退休，提芭蒂有30多年的辉煌岁月。

她的音乐才华和正直让她在二次大战后这一代的艺术界中稳稳地占有一席之地。感情表达上的受限让她的表现有所缺憾。在广受欢迎的咏叹调，如安德烈·谢尼埃的悲剧《我死去的妈妈》中，提芭蒂如同沐浴在阳光下的声音，跟其它歌者表现出来的绝望苍凉声音，显得并不协调。

一般来说，表演艺术家较会受到怀念的是他们演艺生涯的最后1/3。但对提芭蒂而言，这段时间反而是不幸的。在1958年《命运的力量》歌剧影片中，提芭蒂的演出在肢体上是制式的，动作拘谨而老套。

1961年《托斯卡》歌剧影片为了表达她极端的角色，而重新安排了她的服装。她常站着不动，唱到一个准确的高音时，她会带着知道自己已经掌握到调子的微笑。这些都证明了两个改变生命因素的存在：一个是声音有危机的迹象，虽然她已经康复了，但却似乎使她只专注于唱歌的技巧中。另一个则是童年小儿麻痹症的副作用。

如同她一生中的许多事情一样，这类私事并未公诸于世。她的声音虽然似乎能引领人进入她的心灵，其实却几乎无法展现任何她生命的真实面貌。

 

 

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

3 artistically   

adv.艺术性地

参考例句：

• The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美，装帧高雅。
• The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。

4 aria   

n.独唱曲，咏叹调

参考例句：

• This song takes off from a famous aria.这首歌仿效一首著名的咏叹调。
• The opera was marred by an awkward aria.整部歌剧毁在咏叹调部分的不够熟练。

5 arias   

n.咏叹调( aria的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you pick out the operatic arias quoted in this orchestral passage? 你能听出这段管弦乐曲里有歌剧式的咏叹调吗？ 来自辞典例句
• The actions are large and colour, there are arias and recitatives. 动作夸张而华美，有唱段也有宣叙部。 来自辞典例句

6 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

7 bleakness   

adj. 萧瑟的, 严寒的, 阴郁的

参考例句：

• It forgoes the bleakness of protest and dissent for the energizing confidence of constructive solutions. 它放弃了bleakness抗议和持不同政见者的信心，激发建设性的解决办法。
• Bertha was looking out of the window at the bleakness of the day. 伯莎望着窗外晦暗的天色。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

11 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

12 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

14 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

15 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。