艱巨的任務(wù)：把巴赫《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 纺コ筛鑴?/h1>
2024-05-08 16:24:48司馬勤
歌劇 2024年4期
司馬勤
您曾在看歌劇時(shí)打瞌睡嗎？我在紐約最鐘愛(ài)的小歌劇團(tuán)之一似乎找到了解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題的訣竅：演出期間，何不找個(gè)借口為觀眾送上含有咖啡因的飲料？
當(dāng)然，這個(gè)案例比較特別：（1）演出的作品是巴赫的《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 罚–offee Cantata）；（2）整部作品時(shí)長(zhǎng)只有半個(gè)小時(shí)；（3）現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院（On Site Opera）是個(gè)到處“游蕩”的歌劇團(tuán)，沒(méi)有固定演出場(chǎng)所；（4）這場(chǎng)演出是在一家咖啡館里舉行。
很多事情醞釀許久。讓我們先單一地溯源這個(gè)項(xiàng)目吧。我們?cè)缜耙呀?jīng)討論過(guò)巴赫究竟有沒(méi)有創(chuàng)作過(guò)歌劇這個(gè)議題。傳統(tǒng)音樂(lè)學(xué)界肯定會(huì)給出否定的觀點(diǎn)，因?yàn)椤笆茈y曲”（巴赫聲樂(lè)作品中最富有“歌劇性”的作品）這一體裁的基礎(chǔ)是宗教主題，實(shí)質(zhì)上是為教會(huì)所創(chuàng)作的。但是，去年11月在香港舞臺(tái)上搬演的、具有戲劇元素的《圣約翰受難曲》（St. John Passion），卻讓事情變得復(fù)雜起來(lái)。
而《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 返某霈F(xiàn)，則讓局面變得更為復(fù)雜。這部作品（創(chuàng)作年代大約是1732年到1735年之間）沒(méi)有宗教意味，也不是為了教會(huì)所作。沒(méi)有人可以確定其首演的年份與地點(diǎn)。但我們知道，巴赫除了在萊比錫圣托馬斯教堂任職外，還在一家名叫齊默爾曼的咖啡館領(lǐng)導(dǎo)過(guò)一個(gè)小樂(lè)團(tuán)（樂(lè)團(tuán)的創(chuàng)始人是同期作曲家泰勒曼）。
這部清唱?jiǎng)】梢哉f(shuō)正是一杯泡沫多多的調(diào)制飲料。一開(kāi)始，敘事者向觀眾介紹故事中的兩位主角：父親，以及嗜咖啡如命的女兒。父親擔(dān)心女兒喝太多咖啡，二人發(fā)生了爭(zhēng)執(zhí)，女兒唱出一首歌頌咖啡的詠嘆調(diào)。父親威脅女兒，如果她不戒掉咖啡，那么將切斷她的經(jīng)濟(jì)來(lái)源，他甚至不允許她結(jié)婚。可是，女兒卻警告所有她的愛(ài)慕者，想要追求她，就必須要接納她對(duì)咖啡的嗜好。
以德國(guó)歌劇的普遍風(fēng)格來(lái)衡量，這部作品相當(dāng)滑稽。作品的正式曲名是《安靜點(diǎn)，別講話》（Schweigt stille， plaudert nicht），聽(tīng)上去非常嚴(yán)肅——但唱出這一句的并不是父親而是敘述者，顯然他是希望那些喝了不少咖啡的顧客停止喧嘩——這部清唱?jiǎng)“押瓤Х犬?dāng)成一件舉足輕重的大事件。女兒把咖啡比作一千個(gè)熱吻：要是戒掉它，她就會(huì)變成一只“干涸的山羊”?；蛘咭魳?lè)學(xué)家們的看法是對(duì)的：其實(shí)這部作品跟歌劇無(wú)關(guān)，它只是個(gè)推銷咖啡的廣告。
然而，隱藏在文本之下的是一種有趣的社會(huì)動(dòng)態(tài)。當(dāng)年，像齊默爾曼咖啡館這種地方是不允許女士進(jìn)入的——除了觀看演出或參加公開(kāi)的活動(dòng)以外。巴赫與編劇家兼詩(shī)人克里斯蒂安·弗里德里?！ず嗬锲妫–hristian Friedrich Henrici）利用女士可以參與咖啡館活動(dòng)的場(chǎng)合，巧妙地探討兩性之間角力的話題。
無(wú)論我們用什么標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)看，《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 范际且徊肯哺鑴。M管它更像是幕間曲——位于更龐大、更嚴(yán)肅、寓意更“重要的”的作品幕休間的小品。眾所周知，音樂(lè)學(xué)家與喜劇或社會(huì)活動(dòng)沒(méi)什么直接關(guān)系，我不肯定為什么他們抗拒重新定義《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 罚且驗(yàn)橐粋€(gè)路德教會(huì)中德高望重的人物竟然挑戰(zhàn)傳統(tǒng)道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，還是因?yàn)檫@位大家都公認(rèn)為縝密嚴(yán)格的作曲家會(huì)創(chuàng)作出一部那么有趣的作品？
你必須承認(rèn)，要把那位看起來(lái)十分嚴(yán)肅、帶著灰色假發(fā)的作曲家與《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 仿?lián)系在一起，的確有點(diǎn)困難。我個(gè)人認(rèn)為，全都是咖啡惹的禍。
現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院將這個(gè)制作的推廣賣點(diǎn)定位為“沉浸式體驗(yàn)”——這個(gè)描述或者更適合于下午茶，盡管它成功地捕捉到這場(chǎng)演出獨(dú)特的“風(fēng)味”。最重要的是，歌劇院選擇了一個(gè)貨真價(jià)實(shí)的咖啡館當(dāng)演出場(chǎng)地——這家名為“Lost Draft”的咖啡店位于曼哈頓下城區(qū)，環(huán)境可謂合適之極。想光顧的顧客就算沒(méi)有留意到大門口擺放著“私人活動(dòng)，謝絕光臨”的告示而誤入其中，他們也不會(huì)覺(jué)得詫異。
在演出前，四位樂(lè)手（分別演奏小提琴、長(zhǎng)笛、大提琴和吉他）已經(jīng)坐在剛好位于大門入口附近的小桌邊聊天。進(jìn)來(lái)的顧客——他們很快就會(huì)變成“觀眾”——被安排坐在一列位于墻邊的桌椅，大家一律面向咖啡吧臺(tái)。要是有人試圖坐在前面的小桌或是在吧臺(tái)旁的高椅上，服務(wù)員很快就會(huì)把他請(qǐng)走。
為什么？答案很快就揭曉。貝爾納德·赫爾庫(kù)姆（Bernard Holcomb）飾演的敘述者——在這里，角色設(shè)定為咖啡師——站在吧臺(tái)后演唱。當(dāng)菲利普·科克里諾斯（Philip Kokorinos）飾演的父親與克里斯汀·里昂斯（Christine Lyons）飾演的女兒在吧臺(tái)前的椅子上坐定，演出正式開(kāi)始。（劇透警告：咖啡師最終贏得了女兒的芳心。）
演出期間還穿插了三種咖啡的品嘗環(huán)節(jié)：Moma Mina（來(lái)自尼加拉瓜，帶有水果芬芳、味道濃郁的咖啡）、Kahawa Chungu（含有玉桂、豆蔻與丁香的低因咖啡）與“女王之杯”（Queens Cup，埃塞俄比亞咖啡與伯爵女王茶的混合飲料）。出演咖啡師的敘事者負(fù)責(zé)介紹，咖啡館服務(wù)員把杯子送到每一位觀眾面前。因此，《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 分械摹翱Х取辈糠职言瓉?lái)時(shí)長(zhǎng)25分鐘的“清唱?jiǎng) 毖娱L(zhǎng)至45分鐘的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)體驗(yàn)。
要是深層次思考一下，我們就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這場(chǎng)演出剛好把最初的商業(yè)模式反了一反：在18世紀(jì)，只要顧客愿意點(diǎn)上一兩杯咖啡，咖啡館里的演出全部免費(fèi)；而在今天，當(dāng)你買了歌劇門票后，便可品嘗到免費(fèi)咖啡。極具現(xiàn)代自由度的處理手法也出現(xiàn)在縮小的樂(lè)隊(duì)編制以及充滿俚語(yǔ)的英文唱詞中。父親唱的第一句唱詞是“要養(yǎng)大女兒，絕不是野餐”（注：“野餐”這個(gè)詞的俚語(yǔ)寓意是“愉快的時(shí)間，輕松的工作”）。無(wú)論是樂(lè)隊(duì)改編還是唱詞翻譯，都要?dú)w功于杰弗里·麥克唐納（Geoffrey McDonald）。
導(dǎo)演莎拉·梅耶斯（Sarah Meyers）富有創(chuàng)意，她善用吧臺(tái)前后極為狹窄的有限空間。麥克唐納的歌詞字幕也可以傳送至每位觀眾的手機(jī)——每張桌子上更配有小小的手機(jī)支架，讓演出環(huán)境與真實(shí)情況相吻合。但是，大部分時(shí)間我都不需要看手機(jī)，因?yàn)檠輪T近在咫尺，咬字發(fā)音也十分到位。
自從去年2月整個(gè)制作問(wèn)世以來(lái)，我不僅在音樂(lè)界與戲劇界看到了對(duì)這部作品的評(píng)論——這兩者的關(guān)注都在情理之中，而且在飲食界的行業(yè)出版物上也看到了相關(guān)報(bào)道，評(píng)論家們對(duì)于場(chǎng)地的使用感到好奇。如果現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院的宗旨是要拓展新觀眾，那他們成績(jī)斐然，簡(jiǎn)直超出預(yù)期。
盡管如此，我認(rèn)為這個(gè)概念仍有不少可拓展的空間。只要找來(lái)相宜的餐飲合作伙伴，一個(gè)有進(jìn)取心的歌劇院甚至可以編排出整個(gè)演出季——或者，如果他們真的很有野心，還能構(gòu)建出一個(gè)涵蓋吃喝玩樂(lè)的漫長(zhǎng)夜晚。喝罷咖啡，觀眾可以品嘗甜品并觀看李·霍伊比（Lee Hoiby）的歌劇《祝你好胃口》（Bon Appetit）：那是傳奇廚神茱莉亞·切爾德（Julia Child）教人烤巧克力蛋糕的電視烹飪節(jié)目的歌劇版。最后，大家再喝點(diǎn)烈酒并欣賞亨利·莫利科內(nèi)（Henry Mollicone）的歌劇《酒吧地板上的面孔》（The Face on the Barroom Floor）：酒徒即席揮毫，以繪畫抵償欠下的賬單。這幾部歌劇都是時(shí)長(zhǎng)30分鐘左右。你甚至可以在同一個(gè)街區(qū)里就找到適合這三臺(tái)劇目的不同場(chǎng)地。
只是我的一個(gè)念頭而已……
Ever have trouble staying awake at the opera？ I think one of my favorite little companies in New York has solved the problem： keep audiences caffeinated during the show.
Of course， it helped in this case that （1） the work in question is Bachs Coffee Cantata， （2） the show itself is only 30 minutes， （3） On Site Opera is a nomadic， free-range troupe with no central venue， and （4） they actually staged this production in a coffee house.
Theres a lot brewing here， so lets go back to the source （single origin）. I know weve already discussed whether or not Bach wrote any operas. Conventional musicology offers a hard no， since the Passions （the most “operatic” of his vocal works） were based on religious themes and actually written for the church. But staging them in a theater with all the dramatic trimmings， as the St. John Passion was in Hong Kong last November， rather complicates things.
The Coffee Cantata makes it even murkier. The piece （written sometime between 1732 and 1735） is neither religious nor written with the church in mind. No one is sure exactly when or where it was first performed， but we do know that Bach， in addition to his musical duties at St. Thomas Church， also directed an ensemble originally founded by Telemann at Zimmermans Coffeehouse in Leipzig.
The piece itself is a rather frothy concoction. A Narrator introduces the audience to a Father wor- ried about his Daughters coffee consumption. The Daughter， amidst their arguments， sings a love aria to coffee. The Father threatens to cut her off financially and even forbids her to marry unless she gives up coffee， but the Daughter warns all her suitors that if they really want her， the coffee comes along.
Particularly given the standards of German opera， the show is quite charming. Once past the severity of its official title， Schweigt stille， plaudert nicht（“Be quiet， stop chattering”）—sung not by the Father but rather the Narrator to hush the caffeinated audience—the show makes coffee-drinking a high-stakes endeavor. The Daughter compares coffee to a thousand kisses； giving it up would turn her into “a shriveled-up goat.” Maybe the musicologists have a point： this isnt an opera， its a coffee commercial.
Lying beneath the text， though， is an intriguing social dynamic. At that time， coffeehouses like Zimmermans forbade woman from entering the premises—except during performances and public events. Bach and his librettist， the poet Christian Friedrich Henrici， turned one of the few moments that women could be in the audience into a musical discourse on gender politics.
By nearly any standards， the Coffee Cantata is a comic opera， if only a brief intermezzo to fit between the acts of larger， more serious—and therefore more“important”—works. Since musicologists are not exactly known for either comedy or social activism， Im not sure if their resistance came from disbelief that such a distinguished figure in the Lutheran establish- ment would challenge moral conventions， or that a composer of such disciplined intellectual rigor could write something so genuinely funny？
You have to admit， its rather hard to reconcile the work itself with the stern， gray-wigged composer in the portrait. Personally， I think it was the coffee.
***
On Site Opera called their production an “immersive experience”—a description probably more appropriate for tea， though it did capture the evenings general， um， flavor. The point was to stage the piece in a real café—this one was called the Lost Draft， in downtown Manhattan—in as natural a setting as possible. If potential customers didnt see the sign outside warning that the place was closed for a private event， very little wouldve suggested anything out of the ordinary.
Before the show， a quartet of musicians （violin，flute， cello and guitar） were already sitting and chatting around a table near the entrance. Customers—soon to be audience members—were seated at in a row of tables near the side wall facing the bar. Anyone trying to sit at the bar or the table in front was quickly ushered away.
The reason soon became obvious when the Narrator （Bernard Holcomb）—or in this case， the Barista—calls people to attention from behind the bar. Once the Father （Philip Kokorinos） and Daughter （Christine Lyons） took their seats in front， the show was underway. （Spoiler alert： in this version， the Barista finally gets the girl.）
Interspersed during the performance were tastings of three different beverages： Moma Mina （a fruity， full-bodied coffee of Nicaraguan origin）， Kahawa Chungu （a decaffeinated coffee with hints of cinnamon， cardamon and clove） and the Queens Cup （a mix of Ethiopian coffee with Queen of Earl tea）， each introduced by the Barista and served by the cafés real baristas. The “coffee” portion of the evening expanded the “cantata” from 25 minutes of music to a 45-minute experience.
The presentation， if you think about it， was a quirky inverse of the original business model： In the 1700s， the performance wouldve been free for the price of a coffee or two； today， the coffee was free with the purchase of a concert ticket. Modern liberties also surfaced both in the clever reduction of the score and a highly vernacular English translation of the text （the Fathers first line was rendered as “Raising daughters in no picnic”）， both of which were credited to Geoffrey McDonald.
Sarah Meyerss inventive staging made efficient use of limited space both in front of and behind the bar. McDonalds translation was streamable on mobile phones—phone racks on every table being yet another component of the shows realistic setting—but remained mostly unneeded， given the fine articulation and close proximity of the cast.
Since this production appeared last February， Ive seen reviews not only in music and theatre outlets—both of which would be expected—but also in food and beverage publications， which were intrigued by the creative use of the venues. If On Site Operas goal was to reach new audiences， the company outdid itself.
Still， though， I think the idea has plenty of room to grow. With the right restaurant partners， an enterprising opera company could plan a full season—or if theyre really ambitious， a long night out. After cof- fee， audiences could head for dessert with Lee Hoibys Bon Appetit （an operatic setting of a Julia Child cooking show on how to bake a chocolate cake）， then end with drinks at Henry Mollicones The Face on the Barroom Floor （where a customer pays his bar tab by painting a womans face on the premises）. Each opera is about 30 minutes long， and in the right neighborhood you could probably find three suitable venues on the same block.
Just a thought….
猜你喜歡
韓國(guó)Teri咖啡館現(xiàn)代裝飾(2022年4期)2022-08-31 01:40:08 Be a Helper in the Meow Cafe貓咪咖啡館的小幫手閱讀(快樂(lè)英語(yǔ)高年級(jí))(2021年3期)2021-06-01 22:25:14 巴赫少年漫畫(藝術(shù)創(chuàng)想)(2020年6期)2020-10-23 09:20:44 差咖啡館作文·小學(xué)低年級(jí)(2020年11期)2020-03-18 03:26:31 上海歌劇院精彩演出搶先看歌劇(2017年11期)2018-01-23 03:41:29 OEHLBACH(奧勒巴赫)MATRIX EVOLUTION家庭影院技術(shù)(2017年11期)2017-12-20 08:10:55 上海歌劇院精彩演出搶先看歌劇(2017年7期)2017-09-08 13:09:37 上海歌劇院精彩演出搶先看歌劇(2017年4期)2017-05-17 04:07:33 上海歌劇院精彩演出搶先看歌劇(2017年3期)2017-05-17 04:06:50 西方近代音樂(lè)之父巴赫啟蒙(3-7歲)(2016年12期)2016-03-11 17:46:53
司馬勤
您曾在看歌劇時(shí)打瞌睡嗎？我在紐約最鐘愛(ài)的小歌劇團(tuán)之一似乎找到了解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題的訣竅：演出期間，何不找個(gè)借口為觀眾送上含有咖啡因的飲料？
當(dāng)然，這個(gè)案例比較特別：（1）演出的作品是巴赫的《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 罚–offee Cantata）；（2）整部作品時(shí)長(zhǎng)只有半個(gè)小時(shí)；（3）現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院（On Site Opera）是個(gè)到處“游蕩”的歌劇團(tuán)，沒(méi)有固定演出場(chǎng)所；（4）這場(chǎng)演出是在一家咖啡館里舉行。
很多事情醞釀許久。讓我們先單一地溯源這個(gè)項(xiàng)目吧。我們?cè)缜耙呀?jīng)討論過(guò)巴赫究竟有沒(méi)有創(chuàng)作過(guò)歌劇這個(gè)議題。傳統(tǒng)音樂(lè)學(xué)界肯定會(huì)給出否定的觀點(diǎn)，因?yàn)椤笆茈y曲”（巴赫聲樂(lè)作品中最富有“歌劇性”的作品）這一體裁的基礎(chǔ)是宗教主題，實(shí)質(zhì)上是為教會(huì)所創(chuàng)作的。但是，去年11月在香港舞臺(tái)上搬演的、具有戲劇元素的《圣約翰受難曲》（St. John Passion），卻讓事情變得復(fù)雜起來(lái)。
而《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 返某霈F(xiàn)，則讓局面變得更為復(fù)雜。這部作品（創(chuàng)作年代大約是1732年到1735年之間）沒(méi)有宗教意味，也不是為了教會(huì)所作。沒(méi)有人可以確定其首演的年份與地點(diǎn)。但我們知道，巴赫除了在萊比錫圣托馬斯教堂任職外，還在一家名叫齊默爾曼的咖啡館領(lǐng)導(dǎo)過(guò)一個(gè)小樂(lè)團(tuán)（樂(lè)團(tuán)的創(chuàng)始人是同期作曲家泰勒曼）。
這部清唱?jiǎng)】梢哉f(shuō)正是一杯泡沫多多的調(diào)制飲料。一開(kāi)始，敘事者向觀眾介紹故事中的兩位主角：父親，以及嗜咖啡如命的女兒。父親擔(dān)心女兒喝太多咖啡，二人發(fā)生了爭(zhēng)執(zhí)，女兒唱出一首歌頌咖啡的詠嘆調(diào)。父親威脅女兒，如果她不戒掉咖啡，那么將切斷她的經(jīng)濟(jì)來(lái)源，他甚至不允許她結(jié)婚。可是，女兒卻警告所有她的愛(ài)慕者，想要追求她，就必須要接納她對(duì)咖啡的嗜好。
以德國(guó)歌劇的普遍風(fēng)格來(lái)衡量，這部作品相當(dāng)滑稽。作品的正式曲名是《安靜點(diǎn)，別講話》（Schweigt stille， plaudert nicht），聽(tīng)上去非常嚴(yán)肅——但唱出這一句的并不是父親而是敘述者，顯然他是希望那些喝了不少咖啡的顧客停止喧嘩——這部清唱?jiǎng)“押瓤Х犬?dāng)成一件舉足輕重的大事件。女兒把咖啡比作一千個(gè)熱吻：要是戒掉它，她就會(huì)變成一只“干涸的山羊”?；蛘咭魳?lè)學(xué)家們的看法是對(duì)的：其實(shí)這部作品跟歌劇無(wú)關(guān)，它只是個(gè)推銷咖啡的廣告。
然而，隱藏在文本之下的是一種有趣的社會(huì)動(dòng)態(tài)。當(dāng)年，像齊默爾曼咖啡館這種地方是不允許女士進(jìn)入的——除了觀看演出或參加公開(kāi)的活動(dòng)以外。巴赫與編劇家兼詩(shī)人克里斯蒂安·弗里德里?！ず嗬锲妫–hristian Friedrich Henrici）利用女士可以參與咖啡館活動(dòng)的場(chǎng)合，巧妙地探討兩性之間角力的話題。
無(wú)論我們用什么標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來(lái)看，《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 范际且徊肯哺鑴。M管它更像是幕間曲——位于更龐大、更嚴(yán)肅、寓意更“重要的”的作品幕休間的小品。眾所周知，音樂(lè)學(xué)家與喜劇或社會(huì)活動(dòng)沒(méi)什么直接關(guān)系，我不肯定為什么他們抗拒重新定義《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 罚且驗(yàn)橐粋€(gè)路德教會(huì)中德高望重的人物竟然挑戰(zhàn)傳統(tǒng)道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，還是因?yàn)檫@位大家都公認(rèn)為縝密嚴(yán)格的作曲家會(huì)創(chuàng)作出一部那么有趣的作品？
你必須承認(rèn)，要把那位看起來(lái)十分嚴(yán)肅、帶著灰色假發(fā)的作曲家與《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 仿?lián)系在一起，的確有點(diǎn)困難。我個(gè)人認(rèn)為，全都是咖啡惹的禍。
現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院將這個(gè)制作的推廣賣點(diǎn)定位為“沉浸式體驗(yàn)”——這個(gè)描述或者更適合于下午茶，盡管它成功地捕捉到這場(chǎng)演出獨(dú)特的“風(fēng)味”。最重要的是，歌劇院選擇了一個(gè)貨真價(jià)實(shí)的咖啡館當(dāng)演出場(chǎng)地——這家名為“Lost Draft”的咖啡店位于曼哈頓下城區(qū)，環(huán)境可謂合適之極。想光顧的顧客就算沒(méi)有留意到大門口擺放著“私人活動(dòng)，謝絕光臨”的告示而誤入其中，他們也不會(huì)覺(jué)得詫異。
在演出前，四位樂(lè)手（分別演奏小提琴、長(zhǎng)笛、大提琴和吉他）已經(jīng)坐在剛好位于大門入口附近的小桌邊聊天。進(jìn)來(lái)的顧客——他們很快就會(huì)變成“觀眾”——被安排坐在一列位于墻邊的桌椅，大家一律面向咖啡吧臺(tái)。要是有人試圖坐在前面的小桌或是在吧臺(tái)旁的高椅上，服務(wù)員很快就會(huì)把他請(qǐng)走。
為什么？答案很快就揭曉。貝爾納德·赫爾庫(kù)姆（Bernard Holcomb）飾演的敘述者——在這里，角色設(shè)定為咖啡師——站在吧臺(tái)后演唱。當(dāng)菲利普·科克里諾斯（Philip Kokorinos）飾演的父親與克里斯汀·里昂斯（Christine Lyons）飾演的女兒在吧臺(tái)前的椅子上坐定，演出正式開(kāi)始。（劇透警告：咖啡師最終贏得了女兒的芳心。）
演出期間還穿插了三種咖啡的品嘗環(huán)節(jié)：Moma Mina（來(lái)自尼加拉瓜，帶有水果芬芳、味道濃郁的咖啡）、Kahawa Chungu（含有玉桂、豆蔻與丁香的低因咖啡）與“女王之杯”（Queens Cup，埃塞俄比亞咖啡與伯爵女王茶的混合飲料）。出演咖啡師的敘事者負(fù)責(zé)介紹，咖啡館服務(wù)員把杯子送到每一位觀眾面前。因此，《咖啡清唱?jiǎng) 分械摹翱Х取辈糠职言瓉?lái)時(shí)長(zhǎng)25分鐘的“清唱?jiǎng) 毖娱L(zhǎng)至45分鐘的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)體驗(yàn)。
要是深層次思考一下，我們就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這場(chǎng)演出剛好把最初的商業(yè)模式反了一反：在18世紀(jì)，只要顧客愿意點(diǎn)上一兩杯咖啡，咖啡館里的演出全部免費(fèi)；而在今天，當(dāng)你買了歌劇門票后，便可品嘗到免費(fèi)咖啡。極具現(xiàn)代自由度的處理手法也出現(xiàn)在縮小的樂(lè)隊(duì)編制以及充滿俚語(yǔ)的英文唱詞中。父親唱的第一句唱詞是“要養(yǎng)大女兒，絕不是野餐”（注：“野餐”這個(gè)詞的俚語(yǔ)寓意是“愉快的時(shí)間，輕松的工作”）。無(wú)論是樂(lè)隊(duì)改編還是唱詞翻譯，都要?dú)w功于杰弗里·麥克唐納（Geoffrey McDonald）。
導(dǎo)演莎拉·梅耶斯（Sarah Meyers）富有創(chuàng)意，她善用吧臺(tái)前后極為狹窄的有限空間。麥克唐納的歌詞字幕也可以傳送至每位觀眾的手機(jī)——每張桌子上更配有小小的手機(jī)支架，讓演出環(huán)境與真實(shí)情況相吻合。但是，大部分時(shí)間我都不需要看手機(jī)，因?yàn)檠輪T近在咫尺，咬字發(fā)音也十分到位。
自從去年2月整個(gè)制作問(wèn)世以來(lái)，我不僅在音樂(lè)界與戲劇界看到了對(duì)這部作品的評(píng)論——這兩者的關(guān)注都在情理之中，而且在飲食界的行業(yè)出版物上也看到了相關(guān)報(bào)道，評(píng)論家們對(duì)于場(chǎng)地的使用感到好奇。如果現(xiàn)場(chǎng)歌劇院的宗旨是要拓展新觀眾，那他們成績(jī)斐然，簡(jiǎn)直超出預(yù)期。
盡管如此，我認(rèn)為這個(gè)概念仍有不少可拓展的空間。只要找來(lái)相宜的餐飲合作伙伴，一個(gè)有進(jìn)取心的歌劇院甚至可以編排出整個(gè)演出季——或者，如果他們真的很有野心，還能構(gòu)建出一個(gè)涵蓋吃喝玩樂(lè)的漫長(zhǎng)夜晚。喝罷咖啡，觀眾可以品嘗甜品并觀看李·霍伊比（Lee Hoiby）的歌劇《祝你好胃口》（Bon Appetit）：那是傳奇廚神茱莉亞·切爾德（Julia Child）教人烤巧克力蛋糕的電視烹飪節(jié)目的歌劇版。最后，大家再喝點(diǎn)烈酒并欣賞亨利·莫利科內(nèi)（Henry Mollicone）的歌劇《酒吧地板上的面孔》（The Face on the Barroom Floor）：酒徒即席揮毫，以繪畫抵償欠下的賬單。這幾部歌劇都是時(shí)長(zhǎng)30分鐘左右。你甚至可以在同一個(gè)街區(qū)里就找到適合這三臺(tái)劇目的不同場(chǎng)地。
只是我的一個(gè)念頭而已……
Ever have trouble staying awake at the opera？ I think one of my favorite little companies in New York has solved the problem： keep audiences caffeinated during the show.
Of course， it helped in this case that （1） the work in question is Bachs Coffee Cantata， （2） the show itself is only 30 minutes， （3） On Site Opera is a nomadic， free-range troupe with no central venue， and （4） they actually staged this production in a coffee house.
Theres a lot brewing here， so lets go back to the source （single origin）. I know weve already discussed whether or not Bach wrote any operas. Conventional musicology offers a hard no， since the Passions （the most “operatic” of his vocal works） were based on religious themes and actually written for the church. But staging them in a theater with all the dramatic trimmings， as the St. John Passion was in Hong Kong last November， rather complicates things.
The Coffee Cantata makes it even murkier. The piece （written sometime between 1732 and 1735） is neither religious nor written with the church in mind. No one is sure exactly when or where it was first performed， but we do know that Bach， in addition to his musical duties at St. Thomas Church， also directed an ensemble originally founded by Telemann at Zimmermans Coffeehouse in Leipzig.
The piece itself is a rather frothy concoction. A Narrator introduces the audience to a Father wor- ried about his Daughters coffee consumption. The Daughter， amidst their arguments， sings a love aria to coffee. The Father threatens to cut her off financially and even forbids her to marry unless she gives up coffee， but the Daughter warns all her suitors that if they really want her， the coffee comes along.
Particularly given the standards of German opera， the show is quite charming. Once past the severity of its official title， Schweigt stille， plaudert nicht（“Be quiet， stop chattering”）—sung not by the Father but rather the Narrator to hush the caffeinated audience—the show makes coffee-drinking a high-stakes endeavor. The Daughter compares coffee to a thousand kisses； giving it up would turn her into “a shriveled-up goat.” Maybe the musicologists have a point： this isnt an opera， its a coffee commercial.
Lying beneath the text， though， is an intriguing social dynamic. At that time， coffeehouses like Zimmermans forbade woman from entering the premises—except during performances and public events. Bach and his librettist， the poet Christian Friedrich Henrici， turned one of the few moments that women could be in the audience into a musical discourse on gender politics.
By nearly any standards， the Coffee Cantata is a comic opera， if only a brief intermezzo to fit between the acts of larger， more serious—and therefore more“important”—works. Since musicologists are not exactly known for either comedy or social activism， Im not sure if their resistance came from disbelief that such a distinguished figure in the Lutheran establish- ment would challenge moral conventions， or that a composer of such disciplined intellectual rigor could write something so genuinely funny？
You have to admit， its rather hard to reconcile the work itself with the stern， gray-wigged composer in the portrait. Personally， I think it was the coffee.
***
On Site Opera called their production an “immersive experience”—a description probably more appropriate for tea， though it did capture the evenings general， um， flavor. The point was to stage the piece in a real café—this one was called the Lost Draft， in downtown Manhattan—in as natural a setting as possible. If potential customers didnt see the sign outside warning that the place was closed for a private event， very little wouldve suggested anything out of the ordinary.
Before the show， a quartet of musicians （violin，flute， cello and guitar） were already sitting and chatting around a table near the entrance. Customers—soon to be audience members—were seated at in a row of tables near the side wall facing the bar. Anyone trying to sit at the bar or the table in front was quickly ushered away.
The reason soon became obvious when the Narrator （Bernard Holcomb）—or in this case， the Barista—calls people to attention from behind the bar. Once the Father （Philip Kokorinos） and Daughter （Christine Lyons） took their seats in front， the show was underway. （Spoiler alert： in this version， the Barista finally gets the girl.）
Interspersed during the performance were tastings of three different beverages： Moma Mina （a fruity， full-bodied coffee of Nicaraguan origin）， Kahawa Chungu （a decaffeinated coffee with hints of cinnamon， cardamon and clove） and the Queens Cup （a mix of Ethiopian coffee with Queen of Earl tea）， each introduced by the Barista and served by the cafés real baristas. The “coffee” portion of the evening expanded the “cantata” from 25 minutes of music to a 45-minute experience.
The presentation， if you think about it， was a quirky inverse of the original business model： In the 1700s， the performance wouldve been free for the price of a coffee or two； today， the coffee was free with the purchase of a concert ticket. Modern liberties also surfaced both in the clever reduction of the score and a highly vernacular English translation of the text （the Fathers first line was rendered as “Raising daughters in no picnic”）， both of which were credited to Geoffrey McDonald.
Sarah Meyerss inventive staging made efficient use of limited space both in front of and behind the bar. McDonalds translation was streamable on mobile phones—phone racks on every table being yet another component of the shows realistic setting—but remained mostly unneeded， given the fine articulation and close proximity of the cast.
Since this production appeared last February， Ive seen reviews not only in music and theatre outlets—both of which would be expected—but also in food and beverage publications， which were intrigued by the creative use of the venues. If On Site Operas goal was to reach new audiences， the company outdid itself.
Still， though， I think the idea has plenty of room to grow. With the right restaurant partners， an enterprising opera company could plan a full season—or if theyre really ambitious， a long night out. After cof- fee， audiences could head for dessert with Lee Hoibys Bon Appetit （an operatic setting of a Julia Child cooking show on how to bake a chocolate cake）， then end with drinks at Henry Mollicones The Face on the Barroom Floor （where a customer pays his bar tab by painting a womans face on the premises）. Each opera is about 30 minutes long， and in the right neighborhood you could probably find three suitable venues on the same block.
Just a thought….
猜你喜歡
現(xiàn)代裝飾(2022年4期)2022-08-31 01:40:08
閱讀(快樂(lè)英語(yǔ)高年級(jí))(2021年3期)2021-06-01 22:25:14
少年漫畫(藝術(shù)創(chuàng)想)(2020年6期)2020-10-23 09:20:44
作文·小學(xué)低年級(jí)(2020年11期)2020-03-18 03:26:31
歌劇(2017年11期)2018-01-23 03:41:29
家庭影院技術(shù)(2017年11期)2017-12-20 08:10:55
歌劇(2017年7期)2017-09-08 13:09:37
歌劇(2017年4期)2017-05-17 04:07:33
歌劇(2017年3期)2017-05-17 04:06:50
啟蒙(3-7歲)(2016年12期)2016-03-11 17:46:53
