《魁惑岛》:一场世界首演的“大杂烩”

The Enchanted Island:World premiere of a new pastiche

巴洛克歌剧是不是已经过时?照原样演是不是会让今天的观众打瞌睡?有没有什么新的手法可以提高观众的兴趣?这是本季两出最受瞩目的巴洛克歌剧表演完后,留下的话题。大都会歌剧院的《魅惑岛》,顶着世界首演的招牌,不过这个"首演"就要看怎么解释了,因为这出歌剧确实从来没演过,但是里面的音乐。

To present Baroque opera in a way that is engaging and entertaining to a modern audience is on the mind of many opera companies' impresarios.It certainly is on the mind of Peter Gelb, the general manger of the Metropolitan Opera House.That is why he commissioned a new 'pastiche' for the house.The result is The Enchanted Island—a Collection of music of Handel,Vivaldi,Rameau, Purcell,among others,strung onto a storyline that is in itself a 'pastiche'—a combination of Shakespeare's Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream.The excellent music performance and production cannot compensate tor the lack of theatrical engagement.Perhaps the Metropolitan Opera should have trusted the audience more.As the re-mounting at Brooklyn Academy of Music of the legendary 1986 Les Arts Florissants production of Atys earlier in the season demonstrated,Baroque opera,presented with sensitivity and intelligence,can certainly stand on its own.