小瓊:暑假過(guò)后,我回到了紐約,刻意避開(kāi)歌劇領(lǐng)域,去了很多博物館看展覽。但當(dāng)我來(lái)到大都會(huì)藝術(shù)博物館,在去往著名的印象派畫(huà)廊的路上時(shí), 一尊奧古斯特·羅丹的大理石雕塑吸引了我的眼球, 讓我突然又想起了歌?。?/p>
小薇:藝術(shù)都是相互關(guān)聯(lián)的。兩個(gè)世紀(jì)前,歌德說(shuō)過(guò)“音樂(lè)是流動(dòng)的建筑,建筑是凝固的音樂(lè)”, 所以你看到雕塑會(huì)想到歌劇是完全合理的。是的, 我在你的照片中看到了歌劇史上的兩位杰出人物: 奧菲歐和優(yōu)麗迪茜。
小瓊:是的,這個(gè)來(lái)自希臘神話的悲傷愛(ài)情故事確實(shí)讓人類的脆弱永記史書(shū):奧菲歐按照指引帶著優(yōu)麗迪茜走出冥界,卻最終忍不住回頭看看她是否還跟在身后。從蒙特威爾第(1607 年)到格魯克(1762 年),甚至是離現(xiàn)在更近一些的馬修·奧庫(kù)安(2020 年),他們筆下創(chuàng)作出的音樂(lè),讓觀眾對(duì)這兩個(gè)角色產(chǎn)生了巨大的共鳴。希臘神話真實(shí)地概括了人類的行為,正如中國(guó)神話告訴我們世界是如何形成的那樣。
小薇:畢竟,奧菲歐作為音樂(lè)之神,顯然是藝術(shù)領(lǐng)域的重要人物。羅丹的這件雕塑(創(chuàng)作于1893 年)生動(dòng)地捕捉到一個(gè)非常戲劇性的瞬間。
小瓊:當(dāng)我們談?wù)撘魳?lè)能夠通過(guò)聲音講述故事這個(gè)問(wèn)題時(shí),羅丹的雕塑捕捉到了一個(gè)關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻, 強(qiáng)調(diào)了優(yōu)麗迪茜的失重狀態(tài),仿佛飄浮在空中,她的頭發(fā)與洞穴的墻壁交織在一起。你可以清晰地看到奧菲歐在入口處猶豫不決,并用手捂住了眼睛(遵照冥王哈迪斯的指示,在他們返回人間的路上奧菲歐不能看他的妻子)。
小薇:但這個(gè)悲劇的結(jié)局是如此著名:奧菲歐最終忍不住轉(zhuǎn)身,而優(yōu)麗迪茜永遠(yuǎn)消失了。在這座雕塑中,你可以看到奧菲歐的身體有開(kāi)始轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)的意圖,而他遮在眼上的手也開(kāi)始放松。
小瓊:優(yōu)麗迪茜看起來(lái)還沒(méi)有完全走出洞穴(就像大理石背景中一樣),但整體是具有失重感的。
小薇:這正好證明了偉大的故事能激發(fā)藝術(shù)家的創(chuàng)作。我們很幸運(yùn)能看到這么多分享同一個(gè)主題的作品,并跨越了這么多不同的藝術(shù)媒介。
小瓊:下次參觀大都會(huì)藝術(shù)博物館時(shí),請(qǐng)?jiān)?0 號(hào)展廳停下來(lái),近距離地仔細(xì)看看這座羅丹的雕塑。它絕不會(huì)令人失望的!
Joan: I’ve been back in New York City after the summer holidays, avoiding opera and going to a lot of museum exhibitions. But while I was visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on my way to the famous Impressionist galleries, an Auguste Rodin marble sculpture caught my eye and suddenly I was thinking about opera again!
Valery: The arts are all interrelated. Two centuries ago, Goethe said that “music is liquid architecture; architecture is frozen music,” so it makes perfect sense regarding opera and sculpture. And yes, I see in your photos two prominent figures in operatic history: Orpheus and Euridice.
Joan: Yes, this sad love story from Greek mythology literally immortalized human frailty: Orpheus guiding Euridice out of the underworld, unable to resist turning around to check if she is still there. Musical settings from Monteverdi (1607) to Gluck (1762)— or even more recently by Matthew Aucoin (2020)— create tremendous audience empathy for these two characters. Greek myths truly encapsulate human behavior, just as Chinese myths teach us about how our world is formed.
Valery: After all, Orpheus is the god of music, clearly an important figure in the arts. And this sculpture by Rodin (dating from 1893) expressively captures a very dramatic moment.
Joan: When we talk about music being able to tell stories through sound, Rodin’s sculpture captures a crucial moment emphasizing the weightlessness of Euridice, as if floating in air, her hair enmeshed with the cave walls. And you see Orpheus at the entrance hesitating, his hand over his eyes (following the instructions of Hades not to look at his wife on their way back to earth).
Valery: But the tragic ending is so famous: he turns around and she disappears forever. In this sculpture, you can see his body beginning to turn, and the grip of his hand on his brow also beginning to loosen.
Joan: Euridice looks like she’s not quite out of the cave (as in the marble background), yet there’s no sense of weight.
Valery: It just goes to prove that great stories inspire artists. We are so fortunate to see so many works that share the same subject, across so many different artistic media.
Joan: Next time anyone visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art, please stop by Gallery 80 and have a close look at this Rodin sculpture. You will not be disappointed!