從門外漢到歌劇通

主持：Joanna C. Lee 編譯：辛?xí)r雨

臺上轉(zhuǎn)圈圈

Round and round we go

小瓊：我又一次被舞臺技術(shù)打動了，這次倒是因為一種頗為舊式的東西：旋轉(zhuǎn)舞臺。這種簡易的設(shè)備（幾個世紀(jì)前所發(fā)明的）在21世紀(jì)依然能給人啟發(fā)。

小薇：旋轉(zhuǎn)舞臺可能算是最古老的舞臺機(jī)械之一了。我在查詢其相關(guān)資料時得知，已知最早的可以完全旋轉(zhuǎn)的舞臺建于1617年，用于在盧浮宮舉辦精美的音樂及舞蹈盛會。發(fā)明者是托馬索·弗拉齊尼，一位來自佛羅倫薩的水利工程師。

小瓊：你知道弗拉齊尼本來是因何出名的嗎？園林設(shè)計，還有華麗的噴泉！到了19世紀(jì)末，旋轉(zhuǎn)舞臺才開始由電力驅(qū)動。首個電動的旋轉(zhuǎn)舞臺在維也納的王宮劇院建成，用于制作莫扎特的歌劇《唐喬瓦尼》。

小薇：很高興知道歌劇總是處于舞臺藝術(shù)的最前沿！

小瓊：啟發(fā)我的是上個月在巴塞羅那利索大劇院上演的一場亨德爾的《羅德琳達(dá)》，由克勞斯·古特執(zhí)導(dǎo)。如上圖所示，這部巴洛克歌劇完全被重新設(shè)定在了現(xiàn)代背景下，所有的情節(jié)都發(fā)生在一所豪宅內(nèi)，將王公貴族的故事移植為一場家庭式的戲劇。

Joan:I've been very impressed by stage technology again, but this time it's actually something quite old-fashioned: the turntable. A simple device(invented centuries ago) still remains inspiring even in the 21stcentury.

Valery:The turntable is probably one of the oldest stage mechanisms. I was reading about it and found out the earliest-known fully revolving set was constructed in 1617 for an elaborate music and dance pageant at the Louvre. The inventor was Tommaso Francini, a hydraulics engineer from Florence.

Joan:Did you know what Francini was originally famous for? Garden designs with fancy water fountains!By the late 19thcentury, revolving stages were powered by electricity. The first one was built in Vienna's Residenz Theatre for a production of Mozart'sDon Giovanni.

Valery:Good to know that opera was always at the forefront of stagecraft!

Joan:What I saw that inspired me was a performance of Handel'sRodelindadirected by Claus Guth last month at Barcelona's Gran Teatre di Liceu. As you can see in the photos, this Baroque opera is completely reset to modern time, all of the action taking place in a mansion, turning a story of kings and ministers into a domestic drama.

巴塞羅那利索大劇院上演的《羅德琳達(dá)》劇照

小薇：有趣的是，演出使用的轉(zhuǎn)臺，臺面上是圓形的，裝置本身卻是方形的。我們有時看到的是主入口的正面，有時是上下樓層的房間，甚至是一個大樓梯?？瓷先ビ谐渥愕目臻g供演員們四處走動。

小瓊：關(guān)鍵是還具有連續(xù)性！即便需要增添或減少道具，舞臺人員可以在“幕后”進(jìn)行操作，讓轉(zhuǎn)場的過程更加平滑，不會浪費(fèi)任何時間。

小薇：我注意到，整個房子都被漆成了白色，這樣投影設(shè)計師就可以創(chuàng)新地“創(chuàng)造”空間或增加圖像來改變舞臺上的氣氛。有張照片上的投影密集得好似歌手站在森林中，而另一張則繪著夜空星辰。

小瓊：差點就忘了表揚(yáng)一下本次制作中聲樂及器樂的精湛演出。這部《羅德琳達(dá)》是視聽結(jié)合創(chuàng)造歌劇魔力的絕佳典范。

Valery:It's really interesting knowing that the turntable on stage is round, but the sets themselves are square. Sometimes we see the fa?ade of the main entrance, at other times rooms on both levels, or even a grand staircase. There seems to be ample space for the actors to move around.

Joan:Continuity is the key! And even if props had to be added or subtracted, stagehands could handle them “behind the scenes,” thus rendering very smooth transitions without wasting any time.

Valery:I notice the entire house is painted white,so that the projection designer can be innovative in“creating” spaces or adding images to change the mood on stage. One photo shows such dense projection as if the singer is standing in the middle of a forest, while another includes drawings of nighttime stars.

Joan:I'd be remiss if I didn't also praise the production for superb singing and orchestral playing.ThisRodelindais a great example of how the perfect combination of what we see and hear makes the operatic experience pure magic.