司馬勤

大概四分之一個(gè)世紀(jì)前，喬治·斯提爾（George Steel）只用四個(gè)字就在紐約古典音樂(lè)圈中掀起了一次革命，方法極為簡(jiǎn)單。當(dāng)年他接管了哥倫比亞大學(xué)米勒劇院（Miller Theatre）后，將那個(gè)從前只搬演毫不起眼的演出季的場(chǎng)館，徹底改造為一個(gè)充滿活力、現(xiàn)代味濃厚的“無(wú)貝多芬地帶”。當(dāng)一個(gè)備受贊譽(yù)的音樂(lè)網(wǎng)站詢問(wèn)斯提爾吸引觀眾來(lái)看新作品演出的訣竅時(shí)，他回答道：“免費(fèi)酒水！”

他接著補(bǔ)充道，每一部新作品的誕生都值得慶祝，主辦方應(yīng)該為觀眾提供場(chǎng)地與時(shí)間，讓他們?cè)隈雎犙莩鲋?，還有機(jī)會(huì)高談闊論一番。因此，米勒劇院的大堂在演出前、中場(chǎng)休息時(shí)，以及演出后的大概一小時(shí)內(nèi)，都會(huì)充當(dāng)臨時(shí)酒吧，所配備的酒水種類也不俗。斯提爾私下告訴我，在街角酒鋪買酒以及聘請(qǐng)臨時(shí)酒保的費(fèi)用，比在《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》刊登廣告要便宜得多。

這個(gè)方法行得通嗎？不瞞你說(shuō)，米勒劇院當(dāng)年搬演艾略特·卡特（Elliott Carter）全套“高檔”現(xiàn)代主義的弦樂(lè)四重奏音樂(lè)會(huì)，門票一售而空，連站票都售罄。

米勒劇院那個(gè)小酒吧早已不復(fù)存在——我確信，在教學(xué)樓里供應(yīng)酒精類飲品必定違反了不少大學(xué)的規(guī)定——斯提爾后來(lái)執(zhí)掌紐約市立歌劇院，他渴望在歌劇院里設(shè)立一個(gè)類似的空間，然而他的計(jì)劃完全落空，歌劇院到了2013年更是壽終正寢。但我可以很高興地告訴你，他的這個(gè)基本概念仍然存活著。

我不確定安德魯·奧斯利（Andrew Ousley）是否曾經(jīng)在米勒劇院的大堂里喝過(guò)雞尾酒或是參與過(guò)演后討論，但他所策劃的、獨(dú)一無(wú)二的音樂(lè)會(huì)系列“古典之死”（Death of Classical），將斯提爾的“劇院酒吧”概念升華到一個(gè)新的層次。就算是在斯提爾最年少輕狂的歲月里，他也不會(huì)想到把系列音樂(lè)會(huì)命名為“天使的份額”（The Angels Share，酒廠的術(shù)語(yǔ)，泛指在木桶中陳釀時(shí)蒸發(fā)而去的那部分威士忌，如同是向上天繳納稅額一般）。

一直以來(lái)，奧斯利對(duì)于非傳統(tǒng)演出場(chǎng)地情有獨(dú)鐘，他策劃的音樂(lè)會(huì)經(jīng)常在地下室、地下墓穴或地下通道里舉行?！疤焓沟姆蓊~”是“古典之死”的第二個(gè)演出系列，地點(diǎn)正是布魯克林區(qū)著名的綠林墓園（Green-Wood Cemetery）的地下室。

請(qǐng)不要誤會(huì)，奧斯利沒(méi)有對(duì)死亡病態(tài)迷戀的癥狀。讓我們看看他關(guān)注的其他項(xiàng)目：“漢堡包俱樂(lè)部”（The Burger Club）屬于一系列在紐約舉行的快閃活動(dòng)。他在網(wǎng)上刊登的活動(dòng)宗旨很簡(jiǎn)單，就是到處尋覓最好吃的漢堡包。大家可想而知，為了提高效率，不久以后奧斯利的不同興趣就會(huì)找到共通點(diǎn)。

2019年5月，奧斯利推出了“天使的份額”第二季活動(dòng)，名為“漢堡包、波旁威士忌與貝多芬”（Burgers， Bourbon and Beethoven，簡(jiǎn)寫為BB&B）。在布魯克林弦樂(lè)樂(lè)團(tuán)演奏貝多芬《第五交響曲》之前，主辦方提供各類漢堡包的試吃環(huán)節(jié)，更有不同威士忌贊助商提供試飲。奧斯利以其特有的“謙遜”宣布BB&B是“人類史上最偉大的一宗事件”。

盡管接下來(lái)的一年——甚至是2021年——公眾場(chǎng)合的活動(dòng)幾乎等為零，奧斯利在2022年5月卷土重來(lái)，設(shè)計(jì)了一個(gè)頭韻十足的“熱狗、烈酒與亨德爾”（Hot Dogs， Hootch and Handel，簡(jiǎn)寫為HH&H）。這次搬演了亨德爾的歌劇詠嘆調(diào)與器樂(lè)作品，配搭著紐約各大熱狗店的食品與大量不同的烈酒。奧斯利聲稱，肉類配上面包的美食系列是為了紀(jì)念查爾斯·菲爾特曼（Charles Feltman）：他于1867年在紐約康尼島發(fā)明了熱狗這種小吃，而這位飲食先驅(qū)如今正是“長(zhǎng)居”于綠林墓園。

去年5月，奧斯利呈獻(xiàn)了“塔可（墨西哥卷餅）、龍舌蘭酒與塔文納”（Tacos， Tequila and Tavener，簡(jiǎn)寫為TT&T）。演出的曲目是剛?cè)ナ啦痪玫淖髑壹s翰·塔文納的《防護(hù)面紗》（Protecting Veil），由大提琴家約書亞·羅曼（Joshua Roman）與當(dāng)代樂(lè)團(tuán)（Contemporaneous Ensemble）演奏。觀賞演出前，觀眾可以品嘗多種龍舌蘭酒以及街頭餐車烹制的塔可。根據(jù)奧斯利的一貫作風(fēng)，門票包含酒水在內(nèi)，但食物是需要另購(gòu)的。（演出告示標(biāo)注得十分明確，觀眾必須符合美國(guó)法定的飲酒年齡，即21歲或以上，才可入場(chǎng)。）

不知何解——每年的情況都不一樣——這幾年來(lái)我跟奧斯利策劃的這些活動(dòng)都失之交臂。幾周前，我終于打破了這個(gè)紀(jì)錄，出席了“動(dòng)物園”（Tiergarten）這場(chǎng)歌舞秀，那正是卡內(nèi)基音樂(lè)廳“魏瑪共和國(guó)的崩解”藝術(shù)節(jié)的附屬節(jié)目。場(chǎng)地本來(lái)是一個(gè)教堂活動(dòng)室，卻被改裝為夜總會(huì)。演出除了歌唱、舞蹈、皮影戲、滑稽歌舞雜劇、還有一個(gè)臨時(shí)樂(lè)隊(duì)參演。主持是金·大衛(wèi)·史密斯（Kim David Smith），他負(fù)責(zé)將每個(gè)節(jié)目串聯(lián)在一起。奧斯利是這個(gè)制作的編劇，也是他首次擔(dān)任導(dǎo)演。

He went on to say that the birth of any new work should be a celebration， deserving of a space where people could not only hear the music but discuss it. But the Miller Theatre lobby literally sprouted an informal， respectably stocked bar before each concert， during intermission and for nearly an hour afterward. Privately， Steel told me that shopping at his corner liquor store and hiring a bartender for the night cost significantly less than a New York Times ad.

Did it work？ Lets just say that the Millers cycle of Elliott Carters high-modernist string quartets was standing room only.

The bar at the Miller is long gone—Im sure it violated reams of university regulations—and a discussion space was one of many things that Steel never managed to bring to New York City Opera as the companys final general manager before its inglorious demise in 2013. But Im happy to say， the basic idea lives on.

Im not sure if Andrew Ousley ever shared a drink or discussion in the Miller lobby， but his unique concert series Death of Classical has taken Steels concept to an entirely new level. Not even Steel， for all the bravado in his youth， named a concert series “The Angels Share” （a distillers term for the bit of whisky that evaporates while aging in the cask）.

Ousleys roots as an impresario stem from a love of non-traditional venues， mostly crypts and catacombs. The Angels Share， the second series he launched under his Death of Classical moniker， actually takes place in the chambers beneath Brooklyns Green-Wood Cemetery.

Lest you think Ousleys fixation overly morbid， lets look at his other preoccupation： The Burger Club， a series of pop-up events around New York dedicated （so its website claims） “to finding the finest burgers in all the land.” In the interest of efficiency， it was surely only a matter of time before his interests came together.

In May 2019， Ousley launched the second season of The Angels Share with “Burgers， Bourbon and Beethoven，” prefacing a performance of Beethovens Fifth Symphony by the String Orchestra of Brooklyn with a cook-off of competing hamburger recipes and a bourbon tasting facilitated by a handful of whiskey sponsors. Ousley， with characteristic humility， announced BB&B as “the single greatest event ever conceived in the history of humanity.”

Though the next year—and even 2021—was pretty much a bust for public gatherings， in May 2022 Ousley returned in full alliteration with “Hot Dogs， Hootch and Handel，” pairing a survey of the composers operatic and instrumental music with a sampling of frankfurters from various New York restaurateurs and a less focused—though more extensive—assortment of liquors. （The shift in sandwiches， he claimed， was in honor of Charles Feltman， now a “Green-Wood permanent resident，” who invented the hot dog at Coney Island in 1867）.

Last May， Ousley returned once again with “Tacos， Tequila and Tavener，” where John Taveners Protecting Veil （performed by soloist Joshua Roman and the Contemporaneous Ensemble） was flanked by a variety of mezcals and tequilas along with tacos provided by a “well-curated collection of food trucks.” Per the festivals ethos， the drinks were free； food was for purchase. （The program announcement clearly stated that audience members must be at least 21， the legal drinking age in America.）

For some reason—and its been different each year—Ive been away from New York during Ousleys events. I finally broke that perfect streak a few weeks ago with Tiergarten， a cabaret production appearing in conjunction with this years Carnegie Hall festival， Fall of the Weimar Republic. Turning a church social hall into a makeshift nightclub， the evening featured a cast of singers and dancers， shadow puppetry， burlesque， and a pick-up ensemble of musicians， all loosely held together by Kim David Smith as Master of Ceremonies. Ousley was credited as writer and， for the first time， director.

As a show， Tiergarten was typically ambitious and sprawling， opening with a juxtaposition of Vivaldis La Folia and“Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Show in a Kurt Weilllike instrumentation. That set the tone for the evening， which unfolded in a series of anachronistic episodes with labels like“Weimar Berlin，” “World War I” （a bit of a misnomer， since World War II wouldnt have occurred yet） and “American Revolution” where musical genres collided with abandon （a segment entitled“The Salem Witch Trials” combined the song “Witchcraft” with Azucenas aria from Verdis Il Trovatore）.

One description called Tiergarten “immersive，”which was rather like calling Lucky Strikes cigarettes“toasted” （since all cigarette tobacco is toasted， and any kind of nightclub setting—permanent or provisional—is by definition “immersive”）. Tiergartens doors opened an hour before the show， with a long table of hors doeuvres surrounded by various sta- tions of wine， beer and pre-mixed cocktails. Every table had a complimentary bottle of champagne.

As far as the show itself was concerned， it didnt help that some chapters in the program were either truncated or missing altogether （most likely to reduce the running time）. It also didnt help that Ousleys debut effort for Carnegie Hall was pitted in the festival alongside many other cabaret artists at the top of their game. Or that this cabaret was also competing against a revival of the musical Cabaret， which had just transferred to Broadway from Londons West End. But as an event， Ousleys evening pulled all the right levers.

Checking this months schedule， I see that Ousleys May outing at Green-Wood this year is entitled“Spring， Strings and Tasty Things.” No more alliteration or single-item menus； the program is still a bit vague， though food and free drinks remain nonnegotiable. The featured ensemble is the Baroque band Ruckus， and the evening includes free lessons in social dances from the late 1700s.

Finally， I think I can actually make it. Start chilling the glasses now. Probably the only thing that could get in the way is a rainstorm， and I see that Handels Water Music is already on the program.

***

They say “Speak of the Devil and he doth appear，”but now I realize it works for the other side as well. After months of my going on about staging oratorios， not least of which being Handels Messiah， suddenly a Messiah came my way.

It took me a while to notice， partly because it was entitled Der Messias—or rather， since it was in Barcelona， El Messies. Robert Wilson originally staged Mozarts German-language reorchestration of Handel for Salzburgs Easter Week in 2020， and this time around the production also made it to the Gran Teatre del Liceu just in time for Easter.

Although Wilson claims that he sees Messiah as less of a religious work than a spiritual journey， any further details seem rather vague. Some critics have found a certain serenity in Wilsons balance of geometric shapes and natural objects （including a tree with roots， and a floating haystack）， others in the ritual-like juxtaposition of contrasting costumes（where a barker from an English music hall seems to meet a figure from Japanese noh）. Personally， I find Wilsons visual symmetry bearing a direct—if cool and distant—connection to Handels musical structure， which unfolds in a well-chiseled balance between soloists and chorus， and among the soloists themselves.

Depending on how well you know Handels origi-nal， Mozarts version can be a bit jarring. Several choral bits get reassigned to soloists， repeats in the arias are cut entirely， the instrumental solo in “The trumpet shall sound” is rendered on the French horn. And if Handels King James English rings in your ear， best not to look at the English translations of Luthers German texts.

Alas， the biggest disconnect at the Liceu was in the performance. Of the soloists， only soprano Julia Lezhneva consistently rose to Wilsons challenge. Bass Kre？imir Stra？anac had little volume in his lower register. Tenor Richard Croft faced frequent lulls in stamina. Alto Kate Lindseys best efforts were literally misplaced， both physically， in stage positions acoustically unflattering to her voice， and musically， where much of her vocal range was overshadowed by the orchestra.

The biggest shortcomings， though， were in the Liceus orchestra and chorus. Under Josep Pons， the orchestra showed neither the rhythmic buoyancy required of Handel nor the clarity in texture demanded by Mozart. The choruss showing was even more puzzling. For a vocal ensemble that regularly traverses the operatic repertoire with confidence and grace， their performance of the most famous work in the choral repertoire was often hazy and diffuse， as if singing from behind one of Wilsons clouds.