文：司馬勤（Ken Smith） 編譯：李正欣

從職業(yè)生涯規(guī)劃的角度來(lái)看，離開一個(gè)已建立超過(guò)百年的、規(guī)模龐大且歷史悠久的機(jī)構(gòu)，單憑直覺(jué)轉(zhuǎn)職至一個(gè)“文化沙漠”中的新設(shè)施，有點(diǎn)不可思議?？墒牵?jīng)過(guò)三年的光景及六百多場(chǎng)演出，賈斯帕· 霍普（Jaspar Hope）對(duì)于離開倫敦皇家阿爾伯特音樂(lè)廳（Royal Albert Hall），走進(jìn)新建成的兩千座的迪拜歌劇院擔(dān)任其首位行政執(zhí)行官的這個(gè)決定，完全不后悔。其實(shí)，皇家阿爾伯特音樂(lè)廳多年來(lái)一直是古典音樂(lè)與商業(yè)項(xiàng)目兼容并蓄，將這個(gè)備受英國(guó)人愛(ài)戴的運(yùn)營(yíng)方式套用到迪拜歌劇院上，也是再好不過(guò)。迪拜除了本地人以外，還有不少來(lái)自世界各國(guó)旅居當(dāng)?shù)氐娜巳?，也可算是一個(gè)國(guó)際舞臺(tái)。

同樣，霍普也擁有勝任迪拜歌劇院領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的背景與關(guān)系。他出生于南非，父親是著名小說(shuō)家克里斯托弗· 霍普（Christopher Hope）。年少的賈斯帕跟隨父母移居歐洲，母親后來(lái)?yè)?dān)任傳奇小提琴家兼指揮家耶胡迪·梅紐因（Yehudi Menuhin）的私人經(jīng)紀(jì)人?；羝盏男值苁切√崆偌遥ㄗ罱矒?dān)綱指揮一職）丹尼爾· 霍普，丹尼爾也曾登上迪拜歌劇院舞臺(tái)獻(xiàn)藝。自迪拜歌劇院開門迎客來(lái)，從多明戈擔(dān)任主角的開幕盛典，到《悲慘世界》進(jìn)駐劇院作三周巡演秀的每一場(chǎng)演出，都是連接迪拜與世界的橋梁。

雖然迪拜歌劇院是一個(gè)純粹的商業(yè)機(jī)構(gòu)，這一點(diǎn)不需任何辯解——整座劇院由伊瑪爾房地產(chǎn)公司（Emaar Properties）建造及營(yíng)運(yùn)，毗鄰迪拜購(gòu)物中心（Dubai Mall）。但盡管歌劇院是作為商業(yè)架構(gòu)來(lái)運(yùn)營(yíng)，卻一點(diǎn)都沒(méi)有減少它的國(guó)際精神?；羝找坏降习?，就引進(jìn)了BBC 逍遙音樂(lè)會(huì)到這個(gè)中東據(jù)點(diǎn)——該項(xiàng)目與他之前在皇家阿爾伯特音樂(lè)廳的工作關(guān)系密切，因此引進(jìn)工作易如反掌。當(dāng)然，他也費(fèi)盡心思，關(guān)注迪拜的其他族群。比如，請(qǐng)來(lái)了以倫敦為基地的西塔琴高手安諾舒卡·香卡（Anoushka Shankar，拉維·香卡的女兒）登臺(tái)，服務(wù)于當(dāng)?shù)氐挠《茸逡?；還邀請(qǐng)了百老匯大明星麗婭·薩隆加（Lea Salonga），靈感應(yīng)當(dāng)是來(lái)自迪拜的菲律賓居民。

至于策劃歌劇方面，霍普深知他的觀眾群可能是第一次看那些經(jīng)典劇目，因此他懷著開放的心態(tài)與國(guó)際精神，把眼光投放于歐洲這個(gè)音樂(lè)中心以外的“遠(yuǎn)方”。上海歌劇院在迪拜做客的日子里，霍普騰出一段安靜的空當(dāng)，詳細(xì)談到他從中國(guó)邀請(qǐng)到歌劇團(tuán)隊(duì)作迪拜《圖蘭朵》首演的緣由。

你為何邀請(qǐng)上海歌劇院到迪拜歌劇院演出？

三年前，迪拜歌劇院舉行開幕盛典之后，我就希望引進(jìn)一個(gè)《圖蘭朵》的制作。可惜，這是一個(gè)十分復(fù)雜的議題。首先，這部歌劇需要眾多演職人員的參與。老實(shí)說(shuō)，這部歌劇在全世界有很多不同版本的制作，但它們都達(dá)不到我所要求的、值得把《圖蘭朵》首次帶上迪拜歌劇院舞臺(tái)的質(zhì)量。我花了很多時(shí)間，最終在上海歌劇院找到了我理想的合作伙伴。上海歌劇院的制作很棒，為迪拜歌劇院的第四個(gè)演出季拉開帷幕，真的再合適不過(guò)。

我猜，對(duì)你來(lái)講，請(qǐng)一家中國(guó)歌劇院來(lái)搬演一個(gè)講述中國(guó)故事的作品，具有絕佳的優(yōu)勢(shì)吧。

是的，我們成功地邀請(qǐng)一家中國(guó)歌劇院演出《圖蘭朵》，這點(diǎn)非常重要。但是，雖然這講述了一個(gè)中國(guó)故事，作曲家卻來(lái)自西方，所以這部作品從誕生之初就在東西方之間建立起了連接。再者，世界上還有哪個(gè)地方能比迪拜更合適來(lái)呈獻(xiàn)這個(gè)制作呢？起碼我們是這樣想的。迪拜剛好位于東西方之間，在絲綢之路上也剛好連接起歐洲與亞洲。

首演那天，歌劇院座無(wú)虛席。你們一直以來(lái)都擁有這么熱情的觀眾嗎？

《圖蘭朵》三場(chǎng)演出的票房都十分理想，我覺(jué)得很欣喜。每當(dāng)你啟動(dòng)一個(gè)新項(xiàng)目時(shí)，都無(wú)法預(yù)料到最后關(guān)頭，觀眾會(huì)不會(huì)踴躍購(gòu)票，演出會(huì)不會(huì)深受歡迎。在過(guò)去的三年里，我們不懈努力，成功地建立起熱衷于西方歌劇的觀眾群。倘若《圖蘭朵》的首演當(dāng)晚不是座無(wú)虛席，我才一定會(huì)感到驚訝。

你曾經(jīng)帶領(lǐng)過(guò)搬演世界級(jí)水平歌劇演出的劇院。請(qǐng)問(wèn)，上海歌劇院的制作包含了什么元素，令你確信這是最適合迪拜觀眾群的《圖蘭朵》制作？

當(dāng)我第一次在迪拜歌劇院里看到上海歌劇院的團(tuán)隊(duì)進(jìn)行排練時(shí)，有很多東西令我印象深刻。首先，歌劇制作的規(guī)模之大令人贊嘆——舞臺(tái)上有很多演員。除了演職人員的數(shù)量外，我覺(jué)得上海歌劇院版《圖蘭朵》所用的布景既簡(jiǎn)單又漂亮。轉(zhuǎn)換場(chǎng)景時(shí)所用的投影效果，也確實(shí)增強(qiáng)了戲劇的敘事性。這是一個(gè)很聰明的處理手法，把復(fù)雜的劇情用簡(jiǎn)單的方式陳述出來(lái)。我敢肯定，當(dāng)?shù)习莸挠^眾首次欣賞這部歌劇時(shí)，他們會(huì)被這個(gè)制作的很多方面所吸引，更容易將情感投入于其中。在整個(gè)演出過(guò)程中，我的眼球被舞臺(tái)上的不同事物所吸引：投映的影像、色彩奪目的服裝，以及聚焦于舞臺(tái)上人物與布景的燈光設(shè)計(jì)。當(dāng)然，你還有機(jī)會(huì)欣賞到普契尼那具有魔力的音樂(lè)，并沉浸于洪亮的歌聲之中。從視覺(jué)效果上來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)歌劇制作壯觀至極——那是最令我興奮的一點(diǎn)。

上海歌劇院版《圖蘭朵》在迪拜歌劇院首演那天，劇院座無(wú)虛席（攝影：蔣海瑛）

很明顯，這個(gè)合作關(guān)系需要很長(zhǎng)的準(zhǔn)備時(shí)間。這個(gè)過(guò)程是怎樣推進(jìn)的？

我們雙方都進(jìn)行了的多方面的努力。上海方面的團(tuán)隊(duì)很早就來(lái)迪拜歌劇院進(jìn)行了考察，大家討論劇目、研究歌劇演出多少場(chǎng)次才更適當(dāng)；接著，我們探討運(yùn)作的細(xì)節(jié)問(wèn)題。去年，我也到訪了上海，除了在世界城市文化論壇講演外，我還與上海歌劇院進(jìn)一步探討了巡演的各種事宜。整個(gè)過(guò)程當(dāng)然復(fù)雜，但我必須聲明，有機(jī)會(huì)與上海歌劇院這個(gè)專業(yè)且具有多年巡演經(jīng)驗(yàn)的團(tuán)隊(duì)合作，我覺(jué)得很興奮。因?yàn)槊慨?dāng)問(wèn)題出現(xiàn)，都需要很大的信心與多年累積的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，才能將這些問(wèn)題順利化解。此次雙方的合作過(guò)程非常順暢，我們也希望為將來(lái)的合作奠定良好的工作關(guān)系。

迪拜歌劇院所策劃的劇目，除古典音樂(lè)外，還涉及不少商演項(xiàng)目。迄今為止，你們呈獻(xiàn)過(guò)多少部西方歌劇制作？

到現(xiàn)在為止，我記得應(yīng)該是10 套歌劇。開幕大戲是《采珠人》，然后——我不太記得順序了——有《塞維利亞理發(fā)師》、莫扎特—達(dá)· 蓬特的經(jīng)典三部曲（《費(fèi)加羅的婚禮》《唐喬瓦尼》《女人心》），隨后是《蝴蝶夫人》《波希米亞人》《卡門》《阿依達(dá)》，今年則是《圖蘭朵》。到訪的歌劇院團(tuán)方面——沒(méi)有特別順序——我們?cè)?jīng)請(qǐng)來(lái)波蘭國(guó)家歌劇院、威爾士國(guó)家歌劇院等。2020 年3 月，來(lái)自基輔的烏克蘭國(guó)家歌劇院將搬演《茶花女》。

迪拜歌劇院每年度搬演不同種類的演出，“西方歌劇”在演出季中扮演什么樣的角色？

對(duì)我們來(lái)講，歌劇所擔(dān)當(dāng)?shù)慕巧e足輕重，盡管我們不可能以總量作為衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這里的觀眾很棒，他們是迪拜歌劇院的擁躉，踴躍參與我們搬演的各種節(jié)目中——不只是歌劇，還有芭蕾舞與古典音樂(lè)。可是，迪拜的人口數(shù)量不足以支撐歌劇院只搬演歌劇，甚至在演出季中策劃一系列的歌劇制作。因此，我們?cè)谝荒昀镏荒苤鬓k兩輪歌劇演出，每輪安排一兩套劇目——通常在二三月份，還有九月份。根據(jù)制作規(guī)模大小，平常來(lái)訪的歌劇院團(tuán)都會(huì)帶上兩套作品。上海歌劇院此次帶來(lái)了兩個(gè)制作，另外的一部是舞劇《早春二月》。

啊，我想起來(lái)了，我們也演過(guò)《葉甫蓋尼·奧涅金》，所以《圖蘭朵》是迪拜歌劇院呈獻(xiàn)的第11 套歌劇。我必須重申，這里沒(méi)有龐大的觀眾群。我盼望將來(lái)有機(jī)會(huì)在甄選劇目方面增加一點(diǎn)冒險(xiǎn)性。但請(qǐng)你不要忘記，這里的一切都是從零開始的。在迪拜歌劇院建成之前，這里沒(méi)有任何的劇院。直到今天，除了迪拜歌劇院，也沒(méi)有其他劇院。因此，我們只能從經(jīng)典作品開始，一步一步前進(jìn)，這點(diǎn)毋庸置疑。

迪拜歌劇院到現(xiàn)在為止搬演歌劇的名單中，唯一欠缺的“經(jīng)典”是《托斯卡》。這是有意為之嗎？我知道，阿曼蘇丹國(guó)那里對(duì)宗教相當(dāng)敏感，《托斯卡》因?yàn)楹刑熘鹘桃庀螅虼瞬荒茉隈R斯喀特皇家歌劇院演出。

迪拜是個(gè)伊斯蘭國(guó)家，當(dāng)然在宗教問(wèn)題方面也是有所避諱的。但是，我們正在籌備亨德?tīng)柕摹稄涃悂啞方衲昴甑自诟鑴≡旱难莩?。這個(gè)地方對(duì)歐洲文化十分包容。我在這里雖然沒(méi)有住上很多年，但根據(jù)我有限的親身經(jīng)驗(yàn)，無(wú)論什么類型的文化，在迪拜都同樣受歡迎。這個(gè)情況與中東的其他國(guó)家不一樣。在這里，演出一部具有普世文化、含有宗教意味、流傳幾百年的音樂(lè)經(jīng)典，完全不是問(wèn)題。

誰(shuí)會(huì)來(lái)演出亨德?tīng)栠@部清唱?jiǎng)。?/p>

我們將合并幾個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)。這幾年，我們一直在支持迪拜本地的合唱團(tuán)：當(dāng)年BBC 逍遙音樂(lè)會(huì)到訪迪拜，我們便成立了迪拜歌劇院節(jié)日合唱團(tuán)參與演出。合唱團(tuán)曾兩次到訪倫敦，因?yàn)槲覀兒芟胙莩笠?guī)模的曲目。今年，我們?cè)俅螀⒓恿薆BC 逍遙音樂(lè)會(huì)，演出貝多芬的《第九交響曲》?？梢哉f(shuō)，這里已經(jīng)有屬于我們自己的合唱團(tuán)了。至于樂(lè)團(tuán)方面，今年12月的第一周，歌劇院將請(qǐng)來(lái)圣彼得堡的《胡桃?jiàn)A子》。芭蕾舞演罷，我們會(huì)先把舞者送回去，讓樂(lè)團(tuán)留下來(lái)。今年，我們的觀眾有機(jī)會(huì)觀看亨德?tīng)柵c柴可夫斯基兩位偉大作曲家的“節(jié)日經(jīng)典”。

你率先成立合唱團(tuán)，這是一個(gè)頗費(fèi)心思的策略。你有沒(méi)有考慮過(guò)，為迪拜歌劇院建立其他演出團(tuán)隊(duì)？

沒(méi)有。這不是因?yàn)槲也幌虢⑵渌麍F(tuán)隊(duì)。你也明白，要建立演出團(tuán)隊(duì)，需要很多成熟的外在因素，這些都是我無(wú)法控制的。比如說(shuō)，迪拜沒(méi)有音樂(lè)學(xué)院——這里的音樂(lè)教育水平與其他國(guó)家不一樣，包括業(yè)余音樂(lè)活動(dòng)。情況是否有機(jī)會(huì)改變？我當(dāng)然希望有所改善；建立歌劇院是為了推動(dòng)藝術(shù)生活嗎？絕對(duì)是；我們已經(jīng)開始著手改變了嗎？剛才我已經(jīng)提到過(guò)歌劇院的節(jié)日合唱團(tuán)了；未來(lái)可以建立樂(lè)團(tuán)嗎？我不知道，但這個(gè)過(guò)程只能循序漸進(jìn)。如果有人創(chuàng)辦了音樂(lè)學(xué)校，我們就可以進(jìn)一步推出我們的計(jì)劃。我不愿意刻意地“買”一個(gè)樂(lè)團(tuán)，把它引進(jìn)迪拜，因?yàn)檫@種情況對(duì)于本地所需的文化發(fā)展無(wú)法起到推動(dòng)作用。我們或許可以建立與某些演出團(tuán)隊(duì)的合作關(guān)系，這類合作的可行性當(dāng)然值得探索。但對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，讓一切有機(jī)地成長(zhǎng)與發(fā)展才是最關(guān)鍵所在。

我們剛才討論到迪拜歌劇院觀眾群的數(shù)量。那么，觀眾的素質(zhì)又如何？

觀眾群的來(lái)源很廣。來(lái)看歌劇演出的觀眾，很有可能比看其他劇目的穿得更時(shí)髦，但都是同一批人。你會(huì)碰到企業(yè)管理層人士，還有很多專業(yè)人士，他們來(lái)自世界各地，都非常國(guó)際化。有些人是聽(tīng)說(shuō)了迪拜歌劇院，好奇這里所呈獻(xiàn)的演出，于是親自到來(lái)看個(gè)究竟。迪拜的人口流動(dòng)性很大，新居民會(huì)陸續(xù)到來(lái)，因此我們從不欠缺有心參與迪拜文化節(jié)目的、眼光獨(dú)到的新觀眾群?？锤鑴〉臅r(shí)候，你會(huì)發(fā)覺(jué)人群中沒(méi)有那些經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富的歌劇迷。很多人——或者屬于大部分——未必熟知歌劇的故事情節(jié)。他們可能知道“今夜無(wú)人入睡”，但對(duì)于歌劇的其他細(xì)節(jié)比較陌生。有些人甚至不知道這部歌劇分為三幕，發(fā)現(xiàn)有兩次中場(chǎng)休息時(shí)會(huì)感到驚訝。但我不覺(jué)得這些是問(wèn)題。我希望他們享受看歌劇的整個(gè)過(guò)程。如果這是他們的第一次，那就再好不過(guò)了。

迪拜歌劇院夜景

上海歌劇院此次到訪迪拜，還帶來(lái)了一部原創(chuàng)舞劇《早春二月》（攝影：蔣海瑛）

It was perhaps not the most intuitive career move,forsaking a long-established institution for a start-up in the cultural desert, but after three years and some 600 performances, Jasper Hope sill has no misgivings in leaving London’s Royal Albert Hall to become the inaugural CEO of the 2,000-seat Dubai Opera House.If anything, the mix of classical and populist offerings that made the RAH so beloved in British culture was precisely the right card to play in Dubai, where the territory’s particular mix of local residents and cosmopolitan work force is getting its first taste of the international stage.

Hope certainly came with the right background and connections for the job. Born in South Africa the son of novelist Christopher Hope, the young Jasper made his way to Europe with his family, his mother eventually becoming the personal manager of legendary violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. His brother, the violinist (and recently turned conductor) Daniel Hope,has lately been known to grace the Dubai Opera stage.From its opening in 2016, each evening at the Dubai Opera, from Plácido Domingo’s opening gala to a three-week run ofLes Misérables, has become not just a performance but a way of linking Dubai with the rest of the world.

Though the Dubai Opera is an unapologetically commercial venture—the facility was built and managed by the real estate developer Emaar Properties and is located next to the Dubai Mall—its mercantilist nature in no way dilutes its internationalist spirit. For Hope, his early step in setting up an Arabian outpost of the BBC Proms—a key part of his old job at the RAH—was simply picking the proverbial lowhanging fruit. A more thoughtful look at Dubai’s population has led to such bookings as the Londonbased sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi Shankar), giving a nod to the territory’s Indian residents, and Broadway star Lea Salonga, inspired by Dubai’s Filipino community.

When it comes to presenting opera, though, Hope iswell aware that much of his audience will be seeing the work for the first time. That openness, combined with Hope’s expanding internationalist spirit, has brought him to look well beyond the obvious European capitals. In a quiet moment during the Shanghai Opera House’s recent residency in Dubai, Hope explains why he looked to China for the territory’s first Turandot.

How did you come to invite the Shanghai Opera House to Dubai?

I’ve wanted to do a production of Turandot ever since opening Dubai Opera three years ago, but it’s a very complicated show. The opera requires a lot of people, and to be perfectly honest there are many productions around the world which aren’t of the right quality for me to bring Turandot to the stage in Dubai for the very first time. It took me a while, but eventually I found the right partners in the Shanghai Opera House. They had a fantastic production, which was also quite suitable to open our fourth season.

It is, I suppose, quite an advantage for you to be presenting a Chinese story done by a Chinese opera company.

Yes, I think it’s extremely important that we’re having a Chinese opera company do Turandot. But although the story is Chinese, the composer was Western, so the piece already has a link between East and West.And where better—at least we think—to present that production than in Dubai? Right in the middle,somewhere on the Silk Road between Europe and Asia.

There was a substantial turnout for opening night.Has the response here always been like that here?

I was delighted with the audience we had for all three nights of this production. You never know when you start out whether something will be popular or not, but for three years we’ve built a fabulous audience for Western opera. I would’ve been surprised on opening night to find an empty seat in the house.

迪拜歌劇院方面對(duì)此次上海歌劇院的演出劇目所做的宣傳

You’ve worked in many places where operatic standards are world-class. What was it about the Shanghai Opera House’s production that convinced you that this was the right Turandot for your audience?

When I first saw this production in rehearsal, many things struck me. First of all, the scale of it is fantastic:There are so many people on stage. But apart from the sheer numbers, what struck me was that the set itself is actually quite simple and beautiful. The use of projections to keep the scene visually interesting also helps in telling the story. It’s a very clever device that presents a complicated story in a simple way. I’m sure Dubai audiences, when they saw this opera forthe first time, were completely taken in. All the way through, my eyes kept being drawn to different things:the projections, the colors of the costumes, the way the lighting design works to illuminate everything on stage. Of course, you get Puccini’s magical music and the singing, but visually it’s just an enormous spectacle. That’s what I was most excited about.

Clearly it took a long time to plan a collaboration like this. What was the process like?

It took a great deal of effort on both sides. The Shanghai team conducted a very extensive visit a long time ago to discuss repertory and how many performances there should be. Then we began the logistical discussions. I visited Shanghai last year, not only to speak at the World Cities Culture Forum but also to continue discussions with the company. The process was complicated, but I have to say that it was a pleasure to work with such a professional company that had this much history with touring. Whenever you run into problems, you need a good deal of confidence and experience to solve them. It was a fantastic collaboration and we hope to have a successful relationship in the future

You have a very broad mix of classical music and commercial events at the Dubai Opera House. How many Western operas have you presented?

I believe it’s 10 so far. We opened withThe Pearl Fishers, and then—I don’t quite remember the order—there was alsoThe Barber of Seville, the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas [The Marriage of Figaro,Don GiovanniandCosì fan tutte],Madame Butterfly,La Bohème,Carmen, Aida, and nowTurandot. In terms of companies—again, in no particular order—we’ve had the Polish National Opera, the Welsh National Opera,and coming up in March we have a production ofLa Traviatafrom the Ukrainian National Opera in Kiev.

So in the mix of everything you present here, whatrole would you say Western opera holds?

We find it tremendously important, though not necessarily in terms of volume. The audience here is great and supportive. They come to see everything we offer—not just opera but also ballet and classical music.But there’s simply not enough of a population in Dubai for us to do only opera, or even a full opera series every season. So it tends to be one or two titles, a couple of times a year—usually in February or March, and again in September. Depending on the size of the production,we usually have two titles per company. The Shanghai Opera House did two productions, of course, but one of them was the dance pieceEarly Spring.

Ah, I just remembered—we’ve also doneEugene Onegin, soTurandotis our 11thopera. Again, I have a small audience. I hope we’ll all get more adventurous in time, but we started from nothing. There was no theatre here before, and there’s still nothing else now.The way we want to proceed, I make no bones about it, is to start with the classics.

The only big omission I see on your list so far is Tosca. Was that a conscious decision? I recall that the show’s Catholic imagery had been a barrier at the Royal Opera House in Muscat because of the religious sensitivities in Oman.

Of course, we’re in a Muslim country, and there are sensitivities. But that said, we have Handel’sMessiahcoming later this year. We have European standards of tolerance. In my limited experience here, I’ve found that Dubai welcomes everything. Other countries in the region are different, but here the idea that you can’t perform a famous piece of sacred music that’s been part of the broader culture around the world for hundreds of years is simply not an issue.

Who will you have performing Handel?

It’s a mix of forces. There’s a local chorus we’ve been supporting: the Dubai Opera Festival Chorus,that I started with the BBC Proms performances here.This year for the Proms we did Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. So we have the chorus already. For the orchestra, we have a production ofThe Nutcrackercoming from St. Petersburg in the first week of December. At the end of that run, I’m sending the dance company home but keeping the orchestra. So this year, our audiences will get the usual holiday double bill of Handel and Tchaikovsky.

霍普表示，上海歌劇院是一個(gè)專業(yè)且具有多年巡演經(jīng)驗(yàn)的團(tuán)隊(duì)（攝影：蔣海瑛）

It is interesting that you started with a chorus.Have you thought about developing other resident companies under Dubai Opera House?

No, but not because I wouldn’t want that to happen.As you know, in order to develop things like that we would need a lot of other things in place that are way beyond my control. We don’t have a conservatory in this country, for one thing. We don’t have the same standards of musical education, even at the amateur level. Will that change? Yes, I hope so. Is the purpose of an opera house here in part to inspire some of these things? Absolutely. Have we started? Yes, with the chorus I just mentioned. Can we eventually do an orchestra? I don’t know, but the process is one of stages. If someone establishes a music school then we can start to put more of our ideas in place. I don’t want to just buy an orchestra and import it. That would not be developing what we need locally. We could establish something like that as a partnership, and there are certainly some options in that regard we could look at. But for me, it’s important develop things like this organically.

We were discussing the size of the audience a few minutes ago, but what about the quality? What are they like?

We have all kinds. The opera audience is likely to dress a bit smarter, but it will largely be the same people. You have the usual corporate types,mostly professional people, and predominantly an international population. And then you have people who’ve heard about us and what’s going on here and think, well, let’s give it a go. In that way, the transient nature of Dubai often helps us, because you always have people coming in and looking with fresh eyes at what the city has to offer. What you willnotsee is a hugely experienced opera audience. Many of them—perhaps most—will not know the story. They might knowNessun Dorma, but they won’t know the rest of the music. Some of them might be surprised to find there are two intervals. But I don’t have a problem with that. I want them to enjoy the experience. And if it’s their first time…well, that’s even better.