High Life

本月，《品》有幸与深圳交响乐团的大提琴首席陈学青进行访谈。 High Life had the privilege of interviewing Sophie Chen, Principal Cello of Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. 演 出结束后，如痴如醉的观众意犹未尽，全场起立向乐团鼓掌致意良久，祈 盼加演环节多多益善……上述情景，大概是乐师职业生涯中较为美好的时 刻。然而，人们往往只赞叹花园之美丽，却忽略园丁之辛劳。古典音乐既为表演 艺术，剪辑、蒙太奇、推倒重来及对嘴等取巧伎俩一律与之绝缘，却每时每刻要 求乐师演奏精准无误。在日常生活上，乐师与运动员不无相同之处：遑论突破自 身水准，仅为保持良好状态，两者即需每天操练。这不仅是持之以恒的态度，更 是水滴石穿的精神，着实值得敬佩。 陈学青生于中国东北重镇沈阳（旧称奉天或盛京）一军人家庭，她音乐历程 之滥觞，如今看来仿如隔世，短短三旬前却是常态，足见中国沧海桑田的变迁。 其父为低音大提琴乐师，隶属沈阳军区空军政治部文工团。事后孔明，这可是非 一般的文工团，孕育出多位在欧美一流乐团任职的华人乐师，如白玉、侯蕾及侯 庆、郎朗、陈曦及田博年等。他们都是陈学青的邻居，住在同一个军区大院里。 R eceiving standing ovations punctuated by shouts of “bravo” and “encore” from thrilled audiences at the end of concerts may well be the more rewarding moments in a classical musician’s career, but people often marvel at the exquisite garden without adequately appreciating the gardener’s labour. Classical music being a performance art, editing, montage, retakes and – Heaven forbid – imitations are out of the question, demanding absolute perfection from performers at all times. The daily life of a classical musician is akin to that of an athlete, in that both need to practise and train every day just to maintain their form, let alone reach new heights. Such commitment and exertion deserve as much applause as any successful performance. Born into a military family in Shenyang, the largest city in Northeast China by urban population, Sophie Chen’s musical journey harks back to a recent yet unrecognizable past. Her officer father was a double bassist at Shenyang Military Region Air Force’s Art Troupe and she grew up in the same quarter, with Jennifer Bai of the Seattle Symphony, Hou Lei and Hou Qing of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and world-renowned soloists Lang Lang and Chen Xi, as well as Tian Bonian of the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne for neighbors. [PLAY]