High Life Issue #4

品 82 #4 2017 年 1 月 米 沙·麦斯基本应是一名足球运动员。“这是真 的，我的偶像是比利。八岁之前，除了踢足球， 我什么也没做，”他微笑着说。但有一天麦斯基突然开 了窍，宣布他要学习大提琴，全家都感到讶异。 “我母亲一心想要「正常」的孩子。她已经有另外 两个孩子玩乐器，因此她本想着我不要给她带来太多麻 烦。” 此时房间里安静了片刻，我们停下笔记。麦斯基， 世界上最杰出的大提琴演奏家之一，朝着女儿莉莉看 去，一个天赋异禀的钢琴家。两人是完美的父女二重奏 组合。他大胆而富有魅力，身着传统的中式丝质外套， 佩戴一条美丽的印度金项链；她或许更加内敛，穿着牛 仔裤和运动鞋。 他一头散乱蓬松的银发，有爱因斯坦的风格；而她 梳着利落的低马尾。后来在音乐会上，我们也看到她长 发飘飘的张扬一面，但此刻，整齐而低调。 他微笑着，讲话很有耐心。可以看出来，他已经多 次被问及这些话题，但似乎并不介意。 “对于学习乐器而言，八岁其实不小了，”他 说。“但我经常告诉别人，我是在戒烟的同时开始学 的。”面对身边一个个不解的表情，他澄清道，“老 实说，我大概五岁就开始吸烟，但当我决定学乐器时 就放弃了。” 麦斯基于1942年出生于拉脱维亚里加，经历过苏联 历史上最可怕的政权之一。与那个时代大多数有才华的 年轻人一样，他被送去列宁格勒的寄宿学校，并最终在 17岁时进入莫斯科音乐学院。 “我有幸和最好的老师研习琴艺，”他回忆道， 比如像罗斯特罗波维奇这样被他视为「第二个父亲」的 大提琴巨匠。令人意外的是，他还将自己22岁那年因政 治原因而身陷囹圄的经历，看作是人生旅途上的重要章 节。 “这是人格教育，”麦斯基解释说。“一位伟大的 艺术家不只需要才华和技巧，他还需要灵魂。” 正因如此，麦斯基意识到他与莉莉之间的独特纽 带，以及能够同台演奏是多么难得的机会。 “这是我一开始就有的梦想，”他说。“我很幸 运，和世界上一些最顶级的音乐家有过密切合作，其中 一些是亲密的友人。但和自己的孩子同台献艺就更加不 寻常了。” 莉莉坚称，她从未感受到承继家庭传统的任何压 力。“老实说，我从来没这么觉得。对孩子来说，学习 乐器总是很难，你需要有真正的渴望和极大的投入。但 我从未有额外的压力，对我来说是自然发生的。” 这个父女二人组同样也是自然形成。“我们很少 在音乐表达上有不同意见，”莉莉解释说。 M ischa Maiskywas supposed to be a football player. “It’s true, my idol was Pelé and until I was eight I did nothing but play football,” he says smiling. But something clicked inside Maisky and it came as quite a surprise to his whole familywhen he suddenly announced that he wanted to play the cello. “My mother wanted nothing more than to have ‘normal’ children,” he continues. “She had two other kids who played, so she was hoping I would not give her too much trouble.” We stop taking notes for a minute. The room is silent as Maisky, one of the world’s most respected cellists, looks towards his daughter Lily – a talented pianist in her own right. The two make the perfect duo. He is bold and charismatic, wearing a traditional Chinese silkminap and a beautiful Indian-gold necklace. She, perhaps more shy, is wearing jeans and sneakers. His silver hair is loose, going everywhere in an Einstein kind of way; hers is neatly arranged in a low pony-tail. Later, during the concert, we would see it flying too but, for now, it is neat and discreet. He smiles and speaks patiently – we can tell he has been asked these questions several times before but he doesn’t seem to mind. “No, eight is actually not that young an age to start playing an instrument,” he says. “But I often explain that I started playing at the same time I quit smoking.” To the surprise of the smiling faces around the room, he clarifies, “Honestly, I started smoking when I was about five, but gave it up when I decided to play.” Born in Riga, Latvia in 1942, Maisky lived through one of the most terrifying regimes known to history in the Soviet Union. Like most talented young minds of his time, the cellist was sent to study at a boarding school in Leningrad and eventually entered theMoscow Conservatory at the tender age of 17. “I was blessed with the opportunity to study with the best,” he recalls, reciting names such as Rostropovich whomhe sees as a paternal figure. Surprisingly, he also sees his arrest at the age of 22 for political reasons as playing an important part in his journey as well. “It is all personal education,” Maisky explains. “An