PBS高端访谈:马友友通过音乐加深两国联系（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: He has recorded more than 100 albums, performed in every marquee concert hall around the world, and played for eight U.S. presidents. But, this weekend, renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma played two outdoor concerts, one in Laredo, Texas, the other just across the bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. His intention? To highlight the connection between the two countries, regardless of the current policies and politics of the border. The performances were also part of Ma's ongoing Bach project. He is playing Johann Sebastian Bach's six Cello Suites in 36 countries around the world. Tonight, for our ongoing Canvas series, Yo-Yo Ma shares his Humble Opinion on why culture matters.

YO-YO MA, Musician: I am 63 years old, and I have been playing this four-stringed instrument for 59 years. The prelude to Bach's first Cello Suite is the first piece I ever learned. And I still love it. I was 4 years old at the time, one measure each day. As a child, the simple accomplishment of being able to play a whole song was very satisfying. But over the years, I have come to see that this music has a different force. It can heal, it can inspire, it can create wonder. And it was written 300 years ago by a man who never traveled more than a few hundred miles from the place where he was born. But whenever I play it for an audience, I see that it still speaks to us, no matter what year we're living in, where we are, and what language we speak. This isn't just Bach. Food, art, science, storytelling, they all help us to understand ourselves, each other, and our environment, through head and heart. This is culture. By calling on the imagination and the powers of observation we all have, culture helps us to tell our story, just as Bach did 300 years ago, just as his music does today. Culture tells a story that's about us, about our neighbors, about our country, our planet, our universe, a story that brings all of us together as a species. I believe that culture is essential to our survival. It is how we invent, how we bring the new and the old together, how we can all imagine a better future. I used to say that culture needs a seat at the table, an equal part in our economic and political conversation. I now believe that it is the ground on which everything else is built. It is where the global and local, rural and urban, present and future confront one another. Culture turns the other into us, and it does this through trust, imagination, and empathy. So, let's tell each other our stories and make it our epic, one for the ages.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Such a powerful message for all of us to think about.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：他已经录制过100多张专辑了，也在世界各地的巨型音乐厅里进行过表演，还曾为8任美国总统演奏。不过，本周末，这位知名的大提琴家马友友进行了2场室外演唱会，一场在德克萨斯州项目的拉雷多；另一场在墨西哥新拉雷多的桥上。他的目的是什么呢？是为了强调两国间的联系，而无视当前的边境政策和边境政治。这两场表演也是马友友“巴赫”项目的内容。他目前正在全球的36个国家里演奏约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫的六组无伴奏大提琴组曲。今晚，在我们《帆布》系列中，马友友将带来他关于文化重要性的《我之拙见》。

马友友，音乐家：我今年63岁了，我演奏大提琴这种四弦的乐器已有59年的时光。巴赫的第一个无伴奏大提琴组曲前奏是我听过的第一只大提琴曲。我至今依然非常喜欢。那时候，4岁的我，每天都听。还是孩子的我，对于能演奏一整首歌曲的小小成就感感到十分满足。不过，过去这些年里的演奏经历让大提琴曲对我产生了不同的力量。这首大提琴曲能治愈人心，能给人灵感，能创造奇迹。它是300年前一个男人所做的曲子，这名男子一生从未远游，而且他也来自我出生的地方。但无论何时我为观众演奏这首曲子的时候，我能感受到它依然在向我们诉说，这种诉说可以跨越年代，跨越空间甚至超越语言的障碍。不只是巴赫的音乐有这样的力量。食物、艺术、科学、故事，这些都能帮助我们彼此理解，了解环境，其方式都是通过大脑和心灵。这就是文化。通过召唤人类与生俱来的想象力和观察力，文化帮助我们讲述自己的故事，就像300年前巴赫所做的那样，就像如今巴赫的音乐所做的那样。文化叙述着与我们、我们的邻居、我们的祖国、我们的星球、宇宙有关的故事，这故事让我们以人类的身份连结在一起。我认为，文化对于人类能存活至今至关重要。文化是我们创造的方式，是我们将新旧连结起来的方式，是我们想象更美好未来的方式。

我以前常说：文化需要有一席之地，文化在经济对话和政治对话中有同等的作用。而我现在认为，文化是万事万物的基础。文化是全球与地方、农村与城市、现在与未来对接的地方。文化通过信任、想象力、同理心让人类彼此交融。所以，让我们向彼此讲述自己的故事，让这故事成为史诗，亘古流传。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：感谢您带来如此有力量的分享，供我们思考。