Joanna C. Lee

主持：Joanna C. Lee編譯：本刊

從門外漢到歌劇通

How to become an opera expert

It's time for Christmas operas again！

小瓊：我們又迎來了年終假期季，屆時許多適合合家歡的節(jié)目將在世界各地上演。最著名的“圣誕節(jié)”劇目之一當數(shù)《胡桃夾子》了。這部由柴可夫斯基配樂的芭蕾舞劇，于1892年首演。

小薇：故事講述了一個小女孩收到胡桃夾子為圣誕禮物，后來胡桃夾子變活了，并與邪惡的老鼠王作戰(zhàn)。因為這個故事發(fā)生在圣誕節(jié)前夕，讓一切都變得有意義！芭蕾舞劇中最令人難忘的場景之一是那巨大的圣誕樹，還有代表不同國家的舞蹈段落使該節(jié)目對新老觀眾都具吸引力。此外，柴可夫斯基的胡桃夾子組曲在音樂廳的舞臺上也很受歡迎。

小瓊：正如預(yù)期的那樣，幾乎每個芭蕾舞團都會在節(jié)日期間表演這部劇目，每個管弦樂團也會將其納入他們的假期編排中。但是“圣誕節(jié)”歌劇呢？在過去的幾年里，我們曾經(jīng)討論過吉安·卡洛·梅諾蒂的《阿馬爾與夜訪者》（1951），可更現(xiàn)代的歌劇呢？

小薇：我記得你曾提過馬克·阿達莫的《圣誕老人成長記》，他同時創(chuàng)作了歌詞和音樂。這部兩幕歌劇于2015年12月在達拉斯歌劇院舉行了全球首演。

Joan：Welcome to the end-of-the-year holiday season，when many shows suitable for the entire family are presented all over the world. One of the most famous “Christmas”shows has to be The Nutcracker. a ballet with music by Tchaikovsky，which premiered in 1892.

Valery：That makes perfect sense，considering that the story takes place on Christmas eve，when a young girl befriends a nutcracker that comes to life and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King！One of the ballets most memorable scenes has a giant Christmas tree. And having dances representing different nationalities make the show appealing to audiences old and new. Furthermore，Tchaikovskys Nutcracker Suite is also popular on the concert stage. Joan：As expected，almost every ballet company performs this work during the holiday season，and every orchestra includes this on their holiday programs. But what about “Christmas”operas？In past years，weve discussed Gian Carlo Menottis Amahl and the Night Visitors from 1951，but what about more contemporary operas？

Valery：I remember you mentioned Becoming Santa Claus by Mark Adamo，who wrote both the librettoand the music. That two-act opera received its world premiere at Dallas Opera in December 2015.

小瓊：進行全球首演總是很容易的。然而，作品需要繼續(xù)有新制作才顯現(xiàn)出其真正的價值。首先，我很高興地向大家報告，《圣誕老人成長記》幾年前就被制作成DVD并在全球發(fā)行。而后，在本月早些時候，這部歌劇剛剛在芝加哥歌劇院進行了第二次制作。

小薇：這個故事是關(guān)于克勞斯王子（住在北極附近）的生日聚會，聚會上他的父親和他的三個叔叔（“三王”）都沒有出現(xiàn)?！叭酢备S著一顆璀璨星星的指引前往伯利恒，星星預(yù)示的是一個新生兒的誕生。

小瓊：克勞斯王子如何回應(yīng)這件事呢？他相當積極，讓他的精靈們?yōu)檫@個孩子制作了許多神奇的玩具。但是當他們到達伯利恒的時候，嬰兒耶穌已經(jīng)離開幾天了。接下來就是我們現(xiàn)在所知的圣誕老人的“轉(zhuǎn)變”。

小薇：多么令人著迷的故事！阿達莫設(shè)法將基督教圣經(jīng)故事的一部分與世俗傳說結(jié)合起來。每個人都知道并感謝圣誕老人！

Joan：Its always easy to put on a world premiere. The work only reveals its true value，though，when it receives new productions. First of all，Im happy to report that Becoming Santa Claus was made into a DVD several years ago and distributed worldwide. And now this opera just received its second production earlier this month at the Chicago Opera Theater.

Valery：The story is about a birthday party for Prince Claus （who lives near the North Pole）in which neither his father nor his three uncles （the “three kings”）turn up. The three kings are otherwise occupied，on their way to Bethlehem following the bright star shining over the city announcing a newborn baby.

Joan：How does Prince Claus respond？He is proactive：he has his elves make many amazing toys for the child. But when they travel to see the baby Jesus，they miss him by a few days. And what follows is a “transformation”of what we now know as Santa Claus. Valery：What an enchanting story！Adamo manages to combine part of the Christian biblical story with secular legends. Everyone knows and appreciates Santa Claus！