Bourgeoisie's masquerade

帕瓦罗蒂当然是个伟大的男高音，他的声音圆润洪亮，轻轻松松地就能从脚底把一股力量提上来，在高音的领域里潇洒无比地游走飞翔。然而他的成功，至少有一半是现代音乐工业里公关炒作的功劳。永远都在宣称古典音乐已死的“末日派”乐评家诺曼·勒布莱希特，就曾在其名著《谁杀了古典音乐》里头无情地揭露了帕氏的经纪人如何费尽心思地包装、宣传帕氏。

20世纪70年代，帕瓦罗蒂曾经在一次演出里唱出了多尼采蒂（Gaetano Donizetti）《军中女郎》第二幕中，难度极高的九个连续的高音C，成为一时佳话。坦白讲，虽然不容易，但这也绝非其他男高音做不到的事。帕瓦罗蒂真正厉害的地方不在于他做得到，而在于他做得妙，一气呵成，飘逸且精准，仿佛呼吸般容易。于是他的经纪人就为他取了一个非常俗气却又很能吓倒外行人的封号：“高音C之王”。久而久之，以讹传讹，如今有些媒体竟以为这是帕瓦罗蒂的专利，似乎除他之外，世上便没有第二个男人能唱到这么高了。

对于没有多少歌剧经验的群众来讲，什么叫做唱得轻松唱得准，他们未必知道，但什么叫做音域宽广，他们却是晓得的。所以帕瓦罗蒂就变成了一个用歌喉玩杂技的艺人，不管他唱什么，也不管他的唱法变得有多油腔滑调，更不管他有没有使用麦克风犯了正统声乐的大忌，大家还是喜欢他崇拜他。一个人可以从来没听过歌剧，但照样花高价去捧他的场；一个人也可以毫不认识歌唱的艺术，但照样人云亦云称帕氏为歌王。

“真正”的乐迷透过贬视帕瓦罗蒂的晚年演出证明自己内行，一般听众则透过参加帕氏那些超越流行的“Popera”演唱会（也就是以唱歌剧的方法去唱流行歌曲）去显示自己也有品位，这其实是同一块硬币的两面。为什么是帕瓦罗蒂这么一位歌剧男高音，而非一个钢琴家或者指挥家，成了最富有、最受欢迎的古典音乐演绎者呢？答案系于歌剧的性质。

歌剧本来就是一种十分布尔乔亚的艺术，比起一般的纯器乐，它有通俗易懂的剧情，华贵的舞台，盛大的阵容，极尽视听之娱。所以从一开始，它就被许多严肃的学者和教士贬斥，视之为堕落的艺术。巧的是，歌剧史上也真不乏诱惑者的角色，从唐璜、夜后、美狄亚、图兰朵、卡门、露露一直到莎乐美，歌剧从来就有一种独特的诱惑，仿如海妖塞壬的歌声，把绅士淑女和想当绅士淑女的人一一吸引到剧院里去。歌剧院不只是一个城市夸耀财富和权势的地标，还是上流社会的交际场所，可是要入其门，却又不甚困难，难怪听歌剧成了身份的象征，彰显品位的途径。

或许歌剧今天式微了，不过能和它沾上边还是好的。在许多人看来，同样是流行悦耳的曲子，与其看一位普通流行歌星去唱经典金曲，何不欣赏穿着燕尾服的男高音那种很“艺术”的版本呢？这也恰好说明了为什么那些样貌不错的名字带点拉丁味而歌喉明显受过训练的小伙子现在会大受欢迎，他们装腔作势的流行曲等于就是19世纪末的意大利歌剧，同是文化品位的符号。在这股浪潮之前，自然会有一批乐迷跑出来拨乱反正，在“假品位”中间坚持真正的“艺术”。

Luciano Pavarotti, of course, was a great tenor, his voice so full and sonorous that he could easily lift a force from under his feet and soar effortlessly in the realm of treble. Yet he owes at least half his success to the PR hype of the modern music industry. Norman Lebrecht, the "Doomsday" critic who always proclaimed classical music dead, in his famous book, who killed classical music, he ruthlessly reveals how Pawlenty's agents have gone to great lengths to package and promote Pawlenty. In the 1970s, Luciano Pavarotti famously sang nine high C's in a row in the second act of Gaetano Donizetti's the girl in the army. To be honest, it's not easy, but it's not something that other tenors can't do. The real power of Luciano Pavarotti is not that he can do it, but that he can do it well, in a single stroke, with the grace and precision of a breath. So his agent named him the king of the high C, a title that was both tacky and intimidating to the uninitiated. Over time, it became clear that some in the press now believed it was Luciano Pavarotti's work, as if he were the only man in the world who could sing that high. To the masses, who have little experience in opera, what is easy to sing and what is accurate, they may not know, but what is broad range, they do know. So Luciano Pavarotti became a showman, no matter what he sang, no matter how glib his singing became, no matter whether or not he used a microphone to offend an orthodox vocal taboo, people still like him. They worship him. A person can never hear the opera, but still pay a high price to support his show; a person can also do not know the art of singing, but still people say that as the king of the song. The "real" fans proved themselves adept by belittling Luciano Pavarotti's later performances, the average listener shows off his or her taste by going to pop-pop "Popera" concerts (that is, by singing opera songs) , which are two sides of the same coin. Why did Luciano Pavarotti, an opera tenor, not a pianist or conductor, become the richest and most popular interpreter of classical music? The answer lies in the nature of opera. Opera itself is a very bourgeoisie art, compared to the ordinary pure instrumental music, it has a simple plot, luxurious stage, a grand lineup, do the entertainment. So from the very beginning, it was dismissed by many serious scholars and clerics as degenerate art. As it happens, there is no shortage of seducers in the history of opera, from Don Giovanni, Queen of the night, Medea, Turandot, Carmen, Lulu to Salome, Opera has always had a unique allure, like the siren's song, ladies and Gentlemen and would-be ladies and gentlemen were attracted to the theater. The opera house is not just a landmark for a city to flaunt its wealth and power. It is also a place for high society, but it is not difficult to get into. No wonder that listening to the opera has become a status symbol and a way to show off your taste. Opera may be in decline today, but it's a good thing to have something to do with it. In many people's eyes, the same pop melodies, to see an ordinary pop star to sing a classic, why not wear a tuxedo tenor that kind of "Art" version? Which is why pretty names with a Latin tinge and a clearly trained voice are now so popular, their flamboyant pop songs are synonymous with Italian opera at the end of the 19th century, and are also symbols of cultural taste. Before this tide, there will naturally be a group of music fans out to make things right, in the "fake taste" in the middle of the real "art.".

标题: 布尔乔亚的伪装趣味
作者: 梁文道
字数: 1207
简介: 帕瓦罗蒂当然是个伟大的男高音，他的声音圆润洪亮，轻轻松松地就能从脚底把一股力量提上来，在高音的领域里潇洒无比地游走飞翔。然而他的成功，至少有