鄭琳

在美國(guó)加州圣馬力諾亨廷頓圖書(shū)館，人們聚集到中國(guó)園林里，等待一場(chǎng)別開(kāi)生面的音樂(lè)會(huì)開(kāi)場(chǎng)。

這是全美最大的私人圖書(shū)館，收藏有莎士比亞早期作品、華盛頓簽署的文件、雪萊的手稿等稀世珍品。它同時(shí)擁有一個(gè)龐大的植物園，收藏著風(fēng)格迥異的10多座園林，被稱為“世界園林”。其中，就有一個(gè)“空降”的蘇州園林，一石一瓦都從中國(guó)江南空運(yùn)而來(lái)，由蘇州工匠親自打造。

這一天，這座風(fēng)味純正的中國(guó)園林，迎來(lái)了一批來(lái)自中國(guó)江南的藝術(shù)家——浙江音樂(lè)學(xué)院赴美巡演團(tuán)。

對(duì)加州當(dāng)?shù)氐闹髁魃鐣?huì)而言，這是一場(chǎng)規(guī)格極高的文化交流盛事。首演當(dāng)晚，財(cái)團(tuán)老板、銀行家、企業(yè)家們穿著正裝出席，就像去大都會(huì)欣賞歌劇一樣。

還有幾位著長(zhǎng)衫、戴禮帽、穿旗袍的華裔，他們?cè)跐M場(chǎng)金發(fā)碧眼的觀眾席里十分顯眼，仿佛從民國(guó)穿越而來(lái)。

“我們感受到了美國(guó)觀眾對(duì)東方藝術(shù)的一種敬畏。”浙音聲歌系副主任張建化說(shuō)。

江南絲竹走進(jìn)美國(guó)

這次赴美巡演，浙江音樂(lè)學(xué)院藝術(shù)團(tuán)受駐美國(guó)洛杉磯總領(lǐng)館和美國(guó)“魅力中國(guó)”電視臺(tái)的邀請(qǐng)，一行39人于1月28日至2月5日進(jìn)行了為期9天的交流演出。演出活動(dòng)集民族器樂(lè)演奏、越劇、舞蹈、爵士等各種藝術(shù)形式為一體，中西合璧。

9天中，巡演團(tuán)從加州州立大學(xué)、亨廷頓圖書(shū)館到南加州亞太博物館、駐洛杉磯總領(lǐng)事館、道尼劇院、南海岸廣場(chǎng)，每天都在奔波中，吸引了上萬(wàn)觀眾觀看演出，并同時(shí)通過(guò)“魅力中國(guó)”電視臺(tái)進(jìn)行全球直播，當(dāng)?shù)孛襟w全程紀(jì)實(shí)跟拍。

由于演出的時(shí)段恰逢中國(guó)春節(jié)，來(lái)自杭州的藝術(shù)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，中國(guó)的春節(jié)文化已經(jīng)在美國(guó)盛行。

不論是亨廷頓圖書(shū)館的銀行家們，還是加州最大購(gòu)物中心南海岸廣場(chǎng)的普通民眾，都對(duì)中國(guó)春節(jié)的各種習(xí)俗耳熟能詳。

隨后，藝術(shù)團(tuán)受邀來(lái)到駐洛杉磯總領(lǐng)館。中國(guó)駐洛杉磯總領(lǐng)館總領(lǐng)事張平及其夫人、美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)眾議員、加州眾議員和參議員等，以及南加州近600多位中美各界人士觀看了演出。

演出在充滿中國(guó)江南韻味的民樂(lè)合奏《采茶舞曲》中拉開(kāi)帷幕。江南絲竹優(yōu)雅華麗、流暢委婉的音色和旋律，把杭州西子湖畔的春風(fēng)帶到了招待會(huì)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)。隨后《敦煌新語(yǔ)》的旋律響起，透過(guò)悠揚(yáng)琴聲，全場(chǎng)仿佛置身茫茫大漠，遠(yuǎn)處的駝鈴聲聲，緩緩講述著“一帶一路”新的輝煌。

民樂(lè)作品之后，藝術(shù)團(tuán)還帶去為本次赴美文化交流專門創(chuàng)作改編的爵士樂(lè)《茉莉花》，把中國(guó)流傳最廣的民間曲調(diào)和美國(guó)本土的爵士樂(lè)節(jié)奏完美結(jié)合，相融交織，交響輝映。

演職人員富有中國(guó)特色的服裝，以及節(jié)目中熟悉的民間曲調(diào)，讓現(xiàn)場(chǎng)觀眾感受到純正的中國(guó)風(fēng)和濃郁的中國(guó)年味。

演出的幾天時(shí)逢大雨，但并未阻擋美國(guó)觀眾的熱情。在亨廷頓圖書(shū)館的3場(chǎng)演出，500座音樂(lè)廳座無(wú)虛席。

演出由亨廷頓圖書(shū)館中國(guó)園林館長(zhǎng)Phillip Bloom博士主持。這位博士是個(gè)中國(guó)通，他認(rèn)真地向觀眾解釋每一個(gè)表演節(jié)目涉及到的中國(guó)歷史和文化。

“他的博學(xué)讓我印象深刻?！睆埥ɑf(shuō)，“我注意到他講解的內(nèi)容，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)了我們事先提供給他的材料。在表演《梁?！返臅r(shí)候，他把整個(gè)戲劇性的故事都為觀眾講了一遍?！?/p>

Bloom博士則說(shuō)，亨廷頓圖書(shū)館舉辦的有關(guān)中國(guó)文化的系列活動(dòng)中，浙江音樂(lè)學(xué)院藝術(shù)團(tuán)的演出是“重中之重”，他對(duì)藝術(shù)團(tuán)的中西合璧及具有浙江地方特色的表演給予了高度評(píng)價(jià)。

音樂(lè)老師帶整班學(xué)生來(lái)看演出

很久以來(lái)，外國(guó)人對(duì)“中國(guó)歌劇”的了解僅限于京劇。所以，當(dāng)講述梁山伯和祝英臺(tái)故事的《十八相送》出現(xiàn)在美國(guó)舞臺(tái)上的時(shí)候，它勾起了大量觀眾的好奇心。每次演出結(jié)束，媒體都會(huì)饒有興致地圍著那兩個(gè)越劇演員。

“兩位演員都是女性，然而祝英臺(tái)是女性，梁山伯是男性，那么為什么他們穿的衣服款式卻一樣呢？”顯然，不少老外被這個(gè)女扮男裝的復(fù)雜戲曲劇情搞暈了。

但細(xì)心的觀眾還是看出了兩位演員的不同，祝英臺(tái)的服裝是粉色的，她的唱腔也更婉轉(zhuǎn)嬌嫩，她的動(dòng)作似乎也更女性化。

“其實(shí)這里還有更多的門道，祝英臺(tái)面對(duì)梁山伯的時(shí)候是男兒態(tài)，背過(guò)身去就是女兒態(tài)。當(dāng)然，第一次看越劇的外國(guó)人，是很難體會(huì)到的。”張建化說(shuō)，“但他們依然能感受到這種藝術(shù)的魅力，比如兩人在一個(gè)虛擬的橋上來(lái)回走，表達(dá)出依依不舍的情感，觀眾都能體會(huì)得到。”

“我們帶去了純正的中國(guó)音樂(lè)，并且是中國(guó)江南絲竹?！睆埥ɑf(shuō)，“如今的美國(guó)人對(duì)中國(guó)的了解早已超過(guò)從前，他們?cè)诒镜匾材苈?tīng)到中國(guó)音樂(lè)。所以，當(dāng)中國(guó)的藝術(shù)家來(lái)到美國(guó)，需要給他們提供更有特色的東西?！?/p>

在加州州立大學(xué)北嶺分校音樂(lè)系進(jìn)行交流演出的時(shí)候，一位教世界音樂(lè)的老師，干脆帶著一整個(gè)班的學(xué)生跑來(lái)看演出。這場(chǎng)中國(guó)音樂(lè)會(huì)，成了學(xué)生們最生動(dòng)的課堂。

要說(shuō)最“水土不服”的，居然是演奏家的樂(lè)器們。

中國(guó)的江南氣候濕潤(rùn)，美國(guó)加州太干燥，有一次，一位演奏家的琵琶竟然在演出前斷了琴頸。

“琴弦的拉力很大，琵琶忽然遇到干燥天氣，裂了?！睆埥ɑf(shuō)，“后來(lái)我們用502膠粘上，拿電吹風(fēng)吹干。演出全程都很緊張，生怕琵琶在臺(tái)上斷掉。所幸，一切順利。”

除了樂(lè)器“水土不服”，演奏家們還要適應(yīng)不同場(chǎng)地的演出?！捌綍r(shí)大家都在設(shè)備高檔的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)音樂(lè)廳里表演，去美國(guó)的時(shí)候卻要面對(duì)一些聲學(xué)環(huán)境并不理想的場(chǎng)所，例如購(gòu)物中心，甚至露天。有的場(chǎng)地沒(méi)有反聽(tīng)，我們準(zhǔn)備的一些節(jié)目就無(wú)法演出。每到一個(gè)新的地方，我們都需要臨時(shí)調(diào)整演出曲目，這對(duì)我們的考驗(yàn)很大?！?/p>

但這次短暫的美國(guó)巡演，讓浙音藝術(shù)團(tuán)的師生們感到充實(shí)和喜悅。

“7天9場(chǎng)演出，來(lái)不及倒時(shí)差，甚至來(lái)不及多走一遍臺(tái)，卻為美國(guó)觀眾及遠(yuǎn)在海外的祖國(guó)同胞帶去了來(lái)自祖國(guó)的問(wèn)候。有的觀眾甚至全程跟隨藝術(shù)團(tuán)，每場(chǎng)不落。每次演出過(guò)后，聽(tīng)到觀眾的歡呼，看到數(shù)次謝幕也久久不肯離開(kāi)的觀眾，我們心中的感動(dòng)與喜悅早將演出的疲憊、時(shí)差不適一掃而光?！睆埥ɑf(shuō)。

ZJCM Student Artists Tour California in Celebration of Chinese New Year

By Zheng Lin

At the invitation of Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles and Charming China IPTV， a delegation of 39 musicians， Yueju Opera performers， and dancers from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music visited California， United States from January 28 to February 5， 2019. The group mounted performances in celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year， which fell on February 5 this year. All the performances were broadcast live on Charming China IPTV.

The first show was held on January 29 at the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles. VIPs present at the show were Chinese officials of the consulate， senators at state and county levels， local government officials， and business leaders.

Three performances were given at the 500-seat concert hall at the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library， Art Collections and Botanic Gardens in San Marino in southern California. The library is the largest private library in the United States. Its collections boast some very precious historical documents such as the early works of Williams Shakespeare and manuscripts of Percy Bysshe Shelley， a document signed by George Washington. The botanic gardens are amazing. The Chinese Garden， one of the 15 gardens there， was built by artisans from Suzhou， China. They spent about six months constructing the first phase of the 12-acre garden， with all the building materials shipped from China.

The three shows at the Chinese Garden were all emceed by Dr. Phillip Bloom， curator of the Chinese Garden and Director of the Center for East Asian Garden Studies at the Huntington Library， Art Collections， and Botanical Gardens. “I am deeply impressed by his erudition，” recalls Zhang Jianhua， vice director of the Vocal Arts and Opera Department of ZJCM. “I noticed what he said to the audience at the performances were much more than the information we had given him in advance. He actually gave a relatively full account of the tragic romance of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.”

The student artists in this delegation were from different departments of ZJCM， including dancers， jazz musicians， Yueju Opera performers， and traditional Chinese instrumentalists. This arrangement was designed to offer a bright and delightful insight into Chinese culture in general and Zhejiang in particular.

The show started with ， a traditional Chinese music composition by Zhou Dafeng （1923-2015）， a celebrated composer based in Zhejiang. This composition is widely considered the representative musical symbol of the province and is played in important events and activities associated with Zhejiang. A dance was especially choreographed and presented on the basis of this musical masterpiece at a stunning G20 summit night gala on the West Lake on the 4th September， 2016 to entertain the world state heads attending the summit.

The young players from the orchestral department of ZJCM played in Jazz style ， a traditional folksong from the south of the Yangtze River Delta. The piece was especially adapted for this show in California.

or? as best known to the west audience， was probably the most fascinating part of the show. When a show was over， audiences usually came forward to see the two young female Yueju Opera performers who interpreted the tragic romance on the stage. Some audience members wondered why two females performed a romance between a woman and a man. Explanations are in many things： the folk story which can be traced back to hundreds of years ago in Zhejiang， the Yueju Opera which originated in Zhejiang over 100 years ago， the Yueju Opera presentation of the romance， one of the most popular in the operas repertoire. Some audiences noticed the details that differentiate the two butterfly lovers.

This Yueju Opera showpiece is something rarely seen in the United States. That explains why it was presented on this road show. Another showpiece in this program was .

“Nowadays Americans know much more about China than ever. They have access to Chinese music. We need something original and authentic to show. Thats why we brought? music to the United States，” explains Zhang Jianhua. Jiangnan is the traditional name for the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in southern Jiangsu， Shanghai， and northern Zhejiang. ， literally "silk and bamboo，" refers to string and wind musical instruments.

This strategy worked. When the ZJCM artists staged a show on the campus of California State University， Northridge， a scholar who taught world music brought the whole class to the performance. For these students， it was a rare opportunity to watch Chinese musicians play Chinese music.

The artists found it amazing that they needed to adapt themselves in the United States. Accidents happened. As California is relatively dry and the Jiangnan in China is relatively humid， the traditional Chinese instruments were affected by the dry weather. The neck of a ， a four-string pluck instrument that resembles the guitar， snapped before the show started. The neck was glued back and the glue was dried with an electric drier. The player worried all the time while playing on the stage. Fortunately， the fix worked and the? was okay.

Show venues varied on their road trip. They played even outdoors. Accustomed to the perfect performing environment back in China， the artists found it a little bit difficult to adjust to the different venues. But they made necessary changes in programs to create the best performance.

Altogether， the artists were happy to see their nine performances in seven days were a huge success. Some audience members followed the artists on their tour and attended all the nine shows. The student artists thought it a great joy to see audience applaud and they enjoyed standing ovations.