High Life Issue #5

HIGH LIFE #5 February 2017 93 每每歌剧启幕之前，寂静中总有一种难以言喻的期待。随 着观众入席，灯光调暗，管弦乐团轻微的紧张情绪亦会感染到 观众，所有人都屏息凝神。随即大幕升起，音乐奏响。 《卡门》被注释为喜歌剧，其旋律脍炙人口，如果音乐大 师允许这样形容的话。据历史学家称，《卡门》首演仅几日之 后，比才就惊讶地看到斗牛士在街头吹口哨。不过作为一部歌 剧，《卡门》真正受到热捧，是在19世纪比才去世数年之后。 四幕歌剧发生在西班牙，美丽的吉普赛 女孩卡门爱上年轻虔诚的士兵荷西。荷 西亦坠入情网，舍弃了家乡的未婚妻米 凯拉，并离开军队。然而，天性自由的 卡门很快又爱上斗牛士埃斯卡米洛。妒 火中烧的荷西在最后一幕杀死了卡门。 尽管置身于香港大会堂音乐厅， 但舞台上的旋律和卡门的猩红长裙将我 们带到了加利西亚。在音乐总监廖国敏 的出色带领下，管弦乐团让观众沉浸在 爱、恐惧，甚至仇恨之中。这位指挥家 的才华已举世公认，如今担任该管弦乐 队的亚洲常驻艺术顾问和指挥。整个演 出阵容实力超凡，尤其是由本地女中音 连皓忻饰演的年轻卡门，以及为荷西增 添不少悲剧色彩的阿洛·古玛，但整晚 真正的惊喜，是饰演米凯拉的林颖颖。 这位女高音的两段独唱触动人心。她不 仅嗓音迷人，并且在山上找寻荷西时， 将米凯拉的痛苦演绎得入木三分。当她意识到自己的爱永远消 逝之时，观众都与她感同身受。 《卡门》的每一个诠释都有所不同，剧本在原版基础上历 经多次改变。每一位倔强大胆、身着醒目猩红长裙的女主角出 现在舞台上，都让人兴致勃勃。廖国敏和监制及导演卢景文成 功地挑战不可能，将浓烈的西班牙氛围带进了亚州的音乐厅。 There is a special kind of magic that goes hand in hand with any evening at the Opera. The lights dim as ladies and gentlemen rest in their chairs and a slight nervousness from the orchestra contaminates the audience, who collectively hold their breath. The curtain goes up … and music happens. Carmen is categorized as an Opéra-Comique, its melody is – if maestros allowed for such words – catchy. Historians tell us Bizet was surprised to see that the Toreador whistled on the streets just days after Carmen’s first performance. As an opera however, Carmen would only become truly popular a few years after Bizet’s death in the 1800s. The four acts take place in Spain, where a beautiful and exotic Gypsy girl by the name of Carmen falls in love with José – a young, God- fearing soldier. He completely falls in love with her, leaving his childhood sweetheart Micaëla and deserting the army. Carmen however, is a free spirit and soon falls in love with the brilliant Escamillo, a bullfighter. Consumed by hatred and jealousy, José kills Carmen in the last act. We are at the Hong Kong Concert hall, but the music and Carmen’s scarlet dresses take us back to Galicia. The orchestra, brilliantly led by Lio Kuokman, does amagnificent job of immersing the audience in feelings of love, fear and even hatred. The conductor has been recognized worldwide for his talent and now serves as the orchestra’s Asia Residency Artistic Advisor and Conductor.