天使之聲（三）

小瓊：我們聊到歌劇中的兒童合唱這個話題已經有一段時間了，但這次我想聚焦在歌劇中那些因為孩子們的出現而使得故事更加戲劇化的時刻。

小薇：你是指，當歌劇舞臺上出現孩子的身影，正是他們改變了故事情節或使其更具吸引力？我能想到一個對故事起到至關重要作用的孩子：巧巧桑和平克爾頓的兒子。在歌詞中，他的名字是多洛雷，字面詞義可以被翻譯為“痛苦”“麻煩”或“悲傷”，所以我們永遠無法確定這是否是他的真名（這使得這個悲劇故事更加凄美）。雖然多洛雷的角色是沉默的，但他的出現放大了故事最后時刻的悲劇色彩，巧巧桑自殺了。

小瓊：我記得我很小的時候看過《蝴蝶夫人》，在最后一幕的悲劇中看到一個孩子在舞臺上真的很感人。在中國，我們有句諺語是“此處無聲勝有聲”。這個孩子在舞臺上既不說話也不唱歌，但是他的存在構成了一出偉大的戲劇。

小薇：這么多的孩子都出演過這個角色。這些過于年輕的演員必須接受訓練，才能安靜地坐著，有時還要玩玩玩具。但我想這個角色最著名的非人類表演之一是在安東尼·明格拉的作品中（這一版本首先是在英國國家歌劇院首演，后來是大都會歌劇院，通過高清視頻直播而聞名全球）。這個制作甚至曾遠赴廣州。

小瓊：那個“孩子”是一個受日本文樂木偶戲啟發而制成的木偶，文樂木偶戲是一種戲劇藝術形式，可以追溯到17世紀的大阪。在那里，木偶戲演員要經過多年的訓練才能成為大師。

小薇：我聽說《蝴蝶夫人》中的文樂木偶男孩和真人一樣大小，由三個訓練有素的木偶師操縱，每個人負責不同的身體部位，觀眾能夠看到他們小心謹慎地操作著。

小瓊：木偶師們都穿著黑色衣服，所以過了一段時間，觀眾就會習慣（甚至忘記了）木偶師們的存在，把注意力集中在木偶本身上。這太神奇了。

小薇：對于任何看過這部作品的人來說，高品質的電影畫面——尤其是木偶的特寫鏡頭——為歌劇本色增色不少。我想說，大都會的這部《蝴蝶夫人》的高清制作仍然是所有歌劇電影中最好的視頻范例。已故的安東尼·明格拉在這部作品中真正將電影和舞臺的精華結合在一起，而出生杭州的服裝設計師韓楓設計的服裝如此豐富多彩，也為其錦上添花。

Joan： We’ve been talking about children’s choruses in opera for a while， but now I want to highlight those moments in opera when the appearance of children makes the story all the more dramatic.

Valery： You mean when children appear on stage and their presence changes the plot or makes it more compelling？ I can think of one child that’s absolutely pivotal to the story： the son of Cio-CioSan and Pinkerton. In the libretto his name is Dolore， which is translated variously as “Pain” or “Trouble”or “Sorrow，” so we’re never sure if he even has a real name （that makes the story even more poignant）. Although his role is silent， his appearance amplifies the impact of the story’s final moments， with Cio-CioSan committing suicide.

Joan： I remember seeing Madama Butterfly when I was quite young， when seeing a child on stage at the final tragedy was really moving. In Chinese， we have the saying “Silence is better than sound.” Neither speaking nor singing， the child’s presence makes for great drama.

Valery： So many young children have been cast in that role. Such young actors have to be trained to sit quietly， sometimes playing with toys. But I guess one of the most famous non-human performances of that role was in Anthony Minghella’s production（first at English National Opera， later the Metropolitan Opera， when it became famous worldwide through HD broadcasts）. That production even came to Guangzhou.

Joan： That child was a puppet inspired by Japanese bunraku puppetry， a theatrical artform dating from 17th-century Osaka， where puppeteers go through years of training before they are considered masters.

Valery： I read that the bunraku puppet boy in Butterfly is life-size， operated by three highly-trained puppeteers， each responsible for a different body part and discreetly visible to the audience.

Joan： They all wear black， so after a while， the audience gets used to （even forgets） their presence and concentrates on the puppet itself. It’s magical.

Valery： For anyone who’s seen the production， the cinematic quality—especially close-ups of the puppet—add so much to that experience. I’d say this HD production of Madama Butterfly still ranks as the best such video presentations of any opera. It does help that the costumes by Hangzhou-born Han Feng are so colorful， and that the late Anthony Minghella truly combined the best of film and stage in this production.