從門外漢到歌劇通

主持：Joanna C. Lee 編譯：辛時雨

臺上轉圈圈

Round and round we go

小瓊：我又一次被舞臺技術打動了，這次倒是因為一種頗為舊式的東西：旋轉舞臺。這種簡易的設備（幾個世紀前所發明的）在21世紀依然能給人啟發。

小薇：旋轉舞臺可能算是最古老的舞臺機械之一了。我在查詢其相關資料時得知，已知最早的可以完全旋轉的舞臺建于1617年，用于在盧浮宮舉辦精美的音樂及舞蹈盛會。發明者是托馬索·弗拉齊尼，一位來自佛羅倫薩的水利工程師。

小瓊：你知道弗拉齊尼本來是因何出名的嗎？園林設計，還有華麗的噴泉！到了19世紀末，旋轉舞臺才開始由電力驅動。首個電動的旋轉舞臺在維也納的王宮劇院建成，用于制作莫扎特的歌劇《唐喬瓦尼》。

小薇：很高興知道歌劇總是處于舞臺藝術的最前沿！

小瓊：啟發我的是上個月在巴塞羅那利索大劇院上演的一場亨德爾的《羅德琳達》，由克勞斯·古特執導。如上圖所示，這部巴洛克歌劇完全被重新設定在了現代背景下，所有的情節都發生在一所豪宅內，將王公貴族的故事移植為一場家庭式的戲劇。

Joan:I've been very impressed by stage technology again, but this time it's actually something quite old-fashioned: the turntable. A simple device(invented centuries ago) still remains inspiring even in the 21stcentury.

Valery:The turntable is probably one of the oldest stage mechanisms. I was reading about it and found out the earliest-known fully revolving set was constructed in 1617 for an elaborate music and dance pageant at the Louvre. The inventor was Tommaso Francini, a hydraulics engineer from Florence.

Joan:Did you know what Francini was originally famous for? Garden designs with fancy water fountains!By the late 19thcentury, revolving stages were powered by electricity. The first one was built in Vienna's Residenz Theatre for a production of Mozart'sDon Giovanni.

Valery:Good to know that opera was always at the forefront of stagecraft!

Joan:What I saw that inspired me was a performance of Handel'sRodelindadirected by Claus Guth last month at Barcelona's Gran Teatre di Liceu. As you can see in the photos, this Baroque opera is completely reset to modern time, all of the action taking place in a mansion, turning a story of kings and ministers into a domestic drama.

巴塞羅那利索大劇院上演的《羅德琳達》劇照

小薇：有趣的是，演出使用的轉臺，臺面上是圓形的，裝置本身卻是方形的。我們有時看到的是主入口的正面，有時是上下樓層的房間，甚至是一個大樓梯。看上去有充足的空間供演員們四處走動。

小瓊：關鍵是還具有連續性！即便需要增添或減少道具，舞臺人員可以在“幕后”進行操作，讓轉場的過程更加平滑，不會浪費任何時間。

小薇：我注意到，整個房子都被漆成了白色，這樣投影設計師就可以創新地“創造”空間或增加圖像來改變舞臺上的氣氛。有張照片上的投影密集得好似歌手站在森林中，而另一張則繪著夜空星辰。

小瓊：差點就忘了表揚一下本次制作中聲樂及器樂的精湛演出。這部《羅德琳達》是視聽結合創造歌劇魔力的絕佳典范。

Valery:It's really interesting knowing that the turntable on stage is round, but the sets themselves are square. Sometimes we see the fa?ade of the main entrance, at other times rooms on both levels, or even a grand staircase. There seems to be ample space for the actors to move around.

Joan:Continuity is the key! And even if props had to be added or subtracted, stagehands could handle them “behind the scenes,” thus rendering very smooth transitions without wasting any time.

Valery:I notice the entire house is painted white,so that the projection designer can be innovative in“creating” spaces or adding images to change the mood on stage. One photo shows such dense projection as if the singer is standing in the middle of a forest, while another includes drawings of nighttime stars.

Joan:I'd be remiss if I didn't also praise the production for superb singing and orchestral playing.ThisRodelindais a great example of how the perfect combination of what we see and hear makes the operatic experience pure magic.