The Twelve Days of Christmas

老早就對這首歌的歌詞感到好奇了。 以前在音樂廳當usher時，總會在Christmas time 聽到這首，而且是老少皆朗朗上口。so, here we go.....


The Twelve Days of Christmas (12 Days of Christmas)


On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

Anton Rubinstein's commend while teaching

Josef Hofmann said:
"Once I played a Liszt rhapsody pretty badly. After a little of it, Rubinstein said, "The way you play this piece would be all right for Auntie or Mamma." Then rising and coming toward me, he said, "Now let us see how we play such things."

I began again, but I had not played more than a few measures when Rubinstein said loudly, "Have you begun?" "Yes, Master, I certainly have." "Oh," said Rubinstein vaguely, "I didn't notice." ...

Rubinstein's insistence on absolute fidelity to the printed note surprised Hofmann, since he had heard his teacher take liberties himself in his concerts. When he asked Rubinstein to reconcile this paradox, Rubinstein answered, as many teachers have through the ages, "When you are as old as I am, you may do as I do." Then Rubinstein added, "If you can."

conclusion: with a Tart tongue and sharp insights, Anton Rubinstein 完全符合超機車老師的條件.

ok, now zip it, stop complain and off to bed.
short break is coming!
hang on =<

really?

已經不是第二次聽到, 但是聽到別人提出 "妳很獨立" 的說法時, 還是會小小的心驚一下. 其實是完全沒有啊.... 之前老姊才說過, 老妹這傢伙平常都ok, 只是一天到晚忘東忘西, 不過一但當機就真的是完全沒救了. 比較起來, 有可能在說同一個人嗎? (笑) 我在想這之間的差異性. 都長到這麼大了, 如果任何事都要靠別人, 甚至是叫別人作, 換言之, 沒有基本的自理能力, 如何稱之為一個完整的個體? 身旁的朋友就有這樣的狀況. 做什麼事都要找人陪, 大家熱心幫忙被認為是理所當然, 久了心裡都會不舒服. 加上又忙, 也就慢慢少了交集.

倘若今天有人說, "我不喜歡你了, 因為你沒有像當初那樣的獨立強悍, 而是滿腦子鬼靈精怪而且會該該叫." 那就表示真的是不了解對方囉~~ 獨立和強悍是在外面給別人看的, 只因試圖在這野蠻遊戲中生存下來. 但女生畢竟是女生啊! 愛哭愛撒嬌沒事咭咭叫一下卻是個性裡都有的特質. 不過這中間的只度是會去拿捏的. 若是討厭/不想去認識的人對你撒嬌, 0(*&^%$#...... 至少我會想一拳把它先貓昏再說. 而且那種有公主病的女孩子我也處不來. 一個人在外面唸書, 當然是要自己想辦法扛起來, 不然要等蜘蛛人來救嗎? (像是榔頭很自然的就抓起來釘牆壁. 沒有說的是, 在這摸索的中間, 可能會先打壞好幾打的釘子, 外加多付出幾個書櫃的代價...... XD) 很多時候會自創一套混亂法則, 至於行事對錯, 那那, 就先等我事情辦完再說吧! 很幸運的是, 常在相處的幾個人都有這樣的默契. 平常八卦照講, 嚴肅的主題也討論, 但是大家都會尊重彼此. 不過處不來的人也不會熟啦.........

you'll know me when you know it.

近日經典句:
------------------
(有人中途走進教室, 埋頭往地上看)

"what do you want? "
'I'm looking for my key.'
"which one? B-flat or D-sharp?"

(全班愣住三秒. 冷風咻咻吹過. 五秒後全體狂笑.)
(苦主依舊沒找到鑰匙.)
-------------------
"my family has two volume, loud and louder." from my big fat Greek wedding.

主觀的偏見

"because you are a small person, you need to perform large." 在某次的上課中, 老師淡淡的提起了這句話. 這學期, 我在玩耍Bach-Busoni: Choral prelude transcription. 這幾首曲子都是從Bach 清唱劇或是神劇中選出來, 以 choral 當作主體去改編的曲子. 像這樣的音樂, 原先是在教堂中由管風琴演出. 想像著聖母院那樣的空間, 莊嚴且雄偉的場景, 搭配上這樣的曲子, 真是感動到雞皮疙瘩掉滿地. 但是現在是用鋼琴來表現那樣的音色和氛圍, 有時候莊嚴有時候輕快, 如果在兩手各來的double choral, 那真的不是唉唉叫就可以形容了. 要習慣著在大廳裡演奏, 習慣著彈琴時有人在脖子後面呼吸的壓迫感, 習慣著在壓力下仍然能詮釋出妳想表達的一切; performance need to be practiced. 噢對了, 譜要先背起來再說....

一路忙到現在,只盼望著Thanksgiving的到來. 就像我對所有朋友說的一樣, Thanksgiving holiday 是拿來補眠和趕報告的. 而在瘋狂學期中能有那樣兩天的假期, 真的是感恩啊~~~~

大多時候, 都是忙的團團轉, 但其中特別有些令人不愉快的時間. 例如被分配的, 彈伴奏的工作. 要先講的是, 我是很喜歡小提琴或是其他弦樂的人. 但在這間學校, 和小提琴一起合作是件讓人即不愉快的經驗. 無論心理上或是感官上都是. 常常有股衝動想對著violinst 大吼大叫, "我會拉小提琴; 我從Cleveland 來; 我有絕對音準; 我知道好的音色是什麼!!" 但事實上是一句都不能講, 只能在心裡狂 os 然後把自己憋死. 唯一一次全講出來的機會是對著我的主修老師. 然後她大笑, 回我一句, " 我想也是..."

今年分到的是抱先生家的studio. 簡單說就是個怪人. (老師和學生都是) The end. (笑) 他常會對我和拉Beethoven的 violinst 說," 你們要像結婚多年的夫妻一樣有默契呀!". 這時我就會表面上堆起笑容, 邊點頭邊說 "對, 老師您說的是.... ", 然後心理一邊os: " 喵的我才不要跟你有任何關係咧....." 因為我們只是個assigned pianist, 最好辦法就是畢嘴乖乖彈琴. 尤其他們家都愛在晚上上課, 禮拜二三上完課我都有種要虛脫的感覺. 一方面是感嘆我怎麼能這麼虛偽, 一方面是演的好累, after 12hrs working 真的是把我的生命值耗盡. 喔我越來越有演戲的功力了.

我知道每個人都有自己的想法和意見, 這也是這個世界為什麼會有趣的原因. 如果我不同意, 大多時間可以笑笑的不表示態度, 或置之不理. 但像ensemble 這種需要極高程度,音樂上的一致性, 我卻無法就這樣置之不理. 好好的一首Beethoven Sonata 要處理的像Brahms 一樣, 妳能說什麼?

簡單的八分音符的動機, 硬要在句子中間 "take time" 或是伸展一下句子, 會是在音階中來個rubato, 第一次聽到我真的是出現小丸子的表情. 瞬間腦海中浮現恐怖片中的場景, 雷雨交加的夜晚, 貝多芬從墳墓裡伸出手爬了出來, 還借了傑克的斧頭帶在身上..... 或是沒有音準沒有節奏, 然後從頭到尾狂砍shostakovich, 八度永遠是7.53度, 我都覺得我好像在幫自己彈funeral march.

現實世界就是一連串不想遇到的事件的組合, 而我什麼都不能做, 只能在這邊機車發洩完很沒種的繼續回去 "對, 老師您說的對..." 每次要跟他們上課或合伴奏都會很鬱卒, 每每都要心理建設一翻. 我可以裝的不在乎一切, 但心理卻很清楚, 只要我卯起來不同意, 是騙不了自己的. 固執到跟恐龍有得比. 但只是懶到什麼都不想講, 愛拉怎樣就隨你去, 試著把personality 和 musical language 區隔為不一樣的狀況. 畢竟不同意他的音樂, 並不能完全否定這人本身的價值. 灰色區域太多, 而所有鮮豔的顏色卻都是調和出來的. 試著成為一個相當有 "可塑性" 的pianist, 多發掘不同的可能性. 我們有的是辦法讓人家覺得, "噢這鋼琴讚, 啊這小提琴是怎麼了...." XD

常常想起一些片段. 下午時節散著熱氣的咖啡, 透過葉隙灑落一地的陽光, 一種開懷大笑的感覺. 看世界的眼光早已注定, 音樂亦承然. 很多時候是直覺反應, 應該要這樣唱這個句子, 下一步才會解釋選擇的理由, 有些時候甚至說都說不清. 所以才說是主觀的偏見. 聽覺的接受度遠比視覺晚了五十年, 承受的極限又大大降低, 強迫自己做不喜歡的事 或是 和不喜歡的人相處, 尤其是音樂上的折磨, 是件極為痛苦的事. 所以大家都同意, 聽你彈琴五分鐘, 就知道你這人的個性了. 真的, 完全無所遁形.

想到Redemption 和Salvation 這兩個字. 一步一步, 在學習的過程中認識自己, 看見自己. 許多人透過不同方式來找尋真實的自己, 而我在音樂中找到救贖.

life

今天連彈了四堂課, 加上自己上鋼琴, teaching class, Literature, 真的是爆炸. 轟轟烈烈的過了一天, 現在完全ko. 浪跡天涯小包包也不用收了, 直接爬上床睡覺去. 一切等明天再說. 音樂果真是主導一個人的心情. Vocal/Piano music 都很不錯, 結果一到Shostakovich 就不行了. 那個小提琴, 可以音再不准一點沒關係........ ground bass 彈的我都很想一頭撞死算了.

我承認我有音樂上的偏執. 當合作的soloist 沒有責任感, 一天到晚要我視奏暴難的曲子, 沒給譜, 或是還在找不到音時, 火氣就會起來. 恩, 要豬意唷....... 可是當兩個人程度相當, 可以而且願意一起把曲子修的更好, 那會是件很幸福的事情.

當studiomate 問 要不要帶杯咖啡時? 也只能苦笑的回答, 是很需要, 但是根本沒時間喝. 歐, 明天也是這樣的行程咧. 而且另一隻小提琴預計狀況會更糟. 就不要逼我重操舊業, 好歹我也是有拉過小提琴的好嗎? 上課+ rehearsal, 我的音感即將被抹滅殆盡. 喵~

Dupleggcated

Stop Motion Bunnies for Sony Ad

life

恍神．　早上切bagle時順便加菜, 把手指頭也切下去了. 現在很了解什麼叫椎心之痛. 喵喵喵, 深即見骨, 痛到很想尖叫. 不過有個笨蛋下午有滿滿的演奏課加上伴奏, 完全有想把自己一拳貓昏的衝動. studio class 只好開始找人調下禮拜的鋼琴課了.
-----
Busoni,
老班老師非常mean的說，"music is not for dumb head...."　很殘忍，但也是事實. 然後就看他接著開玩笑說, ＂不過也要看這些演奏家的GRE & Toefl　能考多高....＂
-----
Edgar Meyer concert. 就是一個讚！！！！！泛音跟小提琴一樣高. 一看就是天生的演奏家，非常享受他在台上的時間.

encore　piece　第二首，用double bass拉Bach cello suite. 而且同樣register. (驚!)
大提琴們應該都很想去死死算了吧.....　so classic!
-----
然後同一場音樂會，樂團拉Brahms: Haydn variation. 　
沒開始之前我們對看一眼，完全不期待，想說就好好睡一下吧！ (開玩笑, 聽音樂會上半場一定要昏迷一下的啦!)　結果法國號一出來，瞬間嚇醒. 完全的out of tune, 整個變的很歡樂．最經典的是最後一個variation. 從大調變成小調！？這已經不是歡樂可以形容了．最後一個變奏，已經憋笑憋到不行了，so hilarious.
很搞笑的樂團加上超讚的solo, 還不錯的音樂會. 聽完心情很好而且很想練琴！
-----
Friday night, singer calling:
"妳該不會正在琴房吧？"
'(95%眼睛快要閉上)　對啊，幹麻？'
"來來，合伴奏唷....."
'可是我快睡著了'
"那合完就會醒了.反正妳住在琴房."
'靠.'

果然骨子裡還是改不了諧星的成份.

Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF MASTERCLASS. 1980. Edinburgh

Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF MASTERCLASS. 1980. FILM 5.



Elisabeth SCHWARZKOPF,
Roger Vignoles, piano

遠在我出生前的紀錄片, 當Roger Vignoles 還年輕時. Cool! I like the way she leads the pianist. 聲樂老師沒幾個會教pianist 的.

美好的年代啊! 我們還在學習中, 這些大師卻漸漸凋零了. 先是Soprano Bervely Hill, 再來是Mstislav Rostropóvich, Pavarotti, but we are not ready yet.

和老師聊到, musicianship 的養成. 到了博士班畢業, 只是基本的訓練而已. 而離開學校僅是踏出的第一步. 該知道的學識修養在學校裡多點到為止, 剩下的, 用一生來投入, 終身學習. when you get your doctral degree in your 20's, it's really nothing.

學歷唸的越高, 越覺得自己的渺小. 術業有專攻, 只能努力的汲取知識, 益發覺得時間的可貴了.....

Jackson Hole

Snake River, Jackson Hole,WY

1988 wildfire naturally reseeded

1988 wildfire naturally reseeded, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Midway Geyser

Midway Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Great Collaborative Pianists -- Vocal

-- Gerald Moore British, who really elevated the art of collabrative piano
-- Dalton Baldwin book:
-- Graham Johnson (most recorded)
-- Martin Katz faculty of UM
-- Warren Jones faculty of Manhattan school of Music
-- Malcolm Martineau
-- Roger Vignoles
-- Geoffrey Parssons
Critices

interesting website:
accompanying

a photographer also named Graham Johnson

"O mio babbino caro"

搞笑版親愛的爸爸, from Puccini " Gianni Schicchi "
女高音, 恩,先丟一邊去. 要講的是背後的合音天使. barber shop 這類的vocal ensemble 其實很常見, 他們強在後半段的歌詞. 螢幕上跑過的英文歌詞, 正是這首aria 的英譯. well done! :D

readings...

J.S. Bach, Solo Cantata BWV51.

1. Aria: "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!"
Soprano,Tromba, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo
2. Recitativo: "Wir beten zu dem Tempel an"
Soprano, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo
3. Aria: "Höchster, mache deine Güte"
Soprano, Continuo
4. Choral:"Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren"
Soprano, Violino I/II, Continuo
5. Aria:"Alleluja!"
Soprano, Tromba, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

Composition date: 17. September 1730
text: unbekannter Dichter; 4. Johann Gramann 1549
orchestration: Solo: S, Tromba, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo
Libretto: very likely Bach himself


The Bach Cantata

For Good

"But because I knew you
I have been changed for good"

I like it :)
=======
For Good, from musical "Wicked"

GLINDA
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

ELPHABA
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you

要記得

是的,認真唸書也要認真玩耍.
------
Life is too short and we have so many things need to learn.
------
The busier you are, more things you can do.
And I start to build up my 'Wall of Books' again.

go!

Things

1. 在極度睡眠不足+頭痛的狀況下, 剛吃飽就坐在教室中間試圖盯著鋼琴上的總譜跟協奏曲是極不健康的. (而且會很好睡.)

2. Busoni: Fantasy. performed by John Ogden. extremly horrified, but i like it. (that's why Mr. B said, if you like it, that means you are sick......xD)

3. vocal performance class:
"hey Bear, take your breath as long as you need. you're pianist is smart, she will be there anyway. " (:)驕傲~~~~~) 哈哈哈，非常開心的聽到這樣的評論.

4.然後慢慢活用: 不回電話/email = 不打算接伴奏的策略. 長這麼大, 才慢慢知道這點. 恩,很遜.

5.灰姑娘又要準備爬去琴房/圖書館 do something. 果真是一天24hrs, 快要28hrs 待在學校了.

6.被學生搞的情緒極度不佳. 自己沒來上課, 還給我理所當然的揮說看不懂syllabus上寫什麼 + 拒絕理解. 剛開始重講到第三次時,　我已經滿肚子火都生起來了．俄啊~~輸了輸了. 是怎樣啦吼, 講英文聽不懂，不然是要我用中文嗎？倒是火星話我最會了..... 後來邊考其他人quiz, 一邊整理自己的情緒. 結果是笑笑的再重講一遍，而且把火氣壓下去了．要記得，學生聽得懂，不是理所當然的.　(不過這是除了奪命連環call之外，少數會把我惹毛的狀況.)　好啦好啦我情緒管理不良啦....
　　　

lovely Sat.

今天很開心的知道所有行程通通取消. (樂!)

非常豪邁的睡飽飽, 先去買投影片, 然後準備上工.
灰姑娘預計大鐘敲十二下之前回家, 中間游離在琴房和圖書館中間.
看在明天之前能不能生出新曲子來.

然後

(T)(W)(R) 都是行程大爆炸, 從早上8:00準時上工, 一直轉到晚上, 以後即將要延長至9:30pm. 現在可是過著帶兩個便當, 話講很少, 極度恍神的狀況.
上很多課的結果, 就是上台時已經呈現神智不清恍神狀態. 好好一首Menuett 從圓舞曲變成funeral elegy. well, I just took slower tempo......

new semester

right, here comes another new semester. 通常會來個新學期新計畫之類的, 真是大頭, 不過能維持兩個禮拜就要偷笑了. 很不幸的是, 現在已經是week 3.(笑) As you know, Things are just going crazy. 先來點一下:

-- 教兩堂大班課
-- take 15 個credit. (at least 13 hrs lesson time)
Literature x 2; performance class x 2
-- singers x 3 (lesson/rehearsal/deparmental coming)
-- Violinst x 2 (lesson/rehearsal/deparmental coming)

ppl are really interested & good at mess up my schedule.

* need to be an "active" collaborative pianist in order to pass qualify of related field at the end of this semester.

Humm.... we'll see.
========================================

C 曾經說過, 當看到電影The Devil Wears Prada, 他非常有感觸. 據描述, 我就像是andy的翻版. (齁齁齁, 我也要像女主角那麼漂亮啊啊啊啊....) 不管事情再多, 功課多重, 只要是有興趣, 我都會一樣忙.

常在抱怨的是, 當我專注在手上的事, 會把身邊的人給忽略了. 不管是家人也好, 朋友也好, 就只是一個"忙"來回答而已. 當真的聽到我的schedule, 常是一臉聽到就要昏倒的表情. 剛開始聽到這樣的描述, 我只是笑笑, 因為我還不懂.

但是現在我了解了. 其實C 的comment 並不完全正確. 我的確是某部分有工作狂的傾向.(只有一點而以嘛? =D) 而我的確是個很不黏人的女生. but I didn't lost myself. 對於音樂的執酌,其實除了自己之外, 沒有人會懂得這種莫名奇妙的堅持吧! 從小練琴, 爺爺的評論永遠是女孩子家學什麼音樂, 沒出息. 一路的反對,反對念大學, 念研究所, 到現在會說 "隔壁小孩彈琴怎麼這麼難聽, 以前聽這兩隻練都不會啊......" ......... 真的是無言.(爺啊~當年的小鬼, 現在都在博士班了啊....)不是說真的啥偉大的理想抱負, 也不會成為有名的pianist, 就只是想說點什麼來滿足心裡某部分的, 昂揚伸展的渴望. 不過依舊害羞; 恐懼站上舞台.

you said eventually I'll lost people who I care for and I definitely need to stop and hold it for a while. 我會記得, 但看到現在無敵忙的狀況, how do I say, Isn't it ironic? 若要按照電影完美的結局, 女主角是會回頭重新檢視生活. but we're in real world. 大家也只能各自保重, 繼續在自己的位置上努力奮鬥, 各自朝不同方向走去.

表面上看起來很獨立, 事實上只是死撐著什麼事都自己來. 反正搞砸了, 就學著慢慢善後. 現在這個狀況, 也只能咬咬牙, 深吸一口氣一肩扛起. 還是會莫名其妙情緒一堆. 只能很man 的轉開音響/paper/file/score, 開始上工, 試圖把那個愛哭的自己一拳打昏, 丟到密室去關起來. 學著忽略別人的眼光, 堅持自己的想法, Be strong.

這是個寂寞的城市, 而我興高采烈的和自己玩耍.

Luciano Pavarotti Is Dead at 71

Ruter


CNN: Celebrating Pavarotti's vision

New York time:
Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian singer whose ringing, pristine sound set a standard for operatic tenors of the postwar era, died Thursday at his home near Modena, in northern Italy. He was 71.

His death was announced by his manager, Terri Robson. The cause was pancreatic cancer. In July 2006 he underwent surgery for the cancer in New York, and he had made no public appearances since then. He was hospitalized again this summer and released on Aug. 25.

Like Enrico Caruso and Jenny Lind before him, Mr. Pavarotti extended his presence far beyond the limits of Italian opera. He became a titan of pop culture. Millions saw him on television and found in his expansive personality, childlike charm and generous figure a link to an art form with which many had only a glancing familiarity.

Early in his career and into the 1970s he devoted himself with single-mindedness to his serious opera and recital career, quickly establishing his rich sound as the great male operatic voice of his generation — the “King of the High Cs,” as his popular nickname had it.

By the 1980s he expanded his franchise exponentially with the Three Tenors projects, in which he shared the stage with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, first in concerts associated with the World Cup and later in world tours. Most critics agreed that it was Mr. Pavarotti’s charisma that made the collaboration such a success. The Three Tenors phenomenon only broadened his already huge audience and sold millions of recordings and videos.

And in the early 1990s he began staging Pavarotti and Friends charity concerts, performing with rock stars like Elton John, Sting and Bono and making recordings from the shows.

Throughout these years, despite his busy and vocally demanding schedule, his voice remained in unusually good condition well into middle age.

Even so, as his stadium concerts and pop collaborations brought him fame well beyond what contemporary opera stars have come to expect, Mr. Pavarotti seemed increasingly willing to accept pedestrian musical standards. By the 1980s he found it difficult to learn new opera roles or even new song repertory for his recitals.

And although he planned to spend his final years performing in a grand worldwide farewell tour, he completed only about half the tour, which began in 2004. Physical ailments limited his movement on stage and regularly forced him to cancel performances. By 1995, when he was at the Metropolitan Opera singing one of his favorite roles, Tonio in Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” high notes sometimes failed him, and there were controversies over downward transpositions of a notoriously dangerous and high-flying part.

Yet his wholly natural stage manner and his wonderful way with the Italian language were completely intact. Mr. Pavarotti remained a darling of Met audiences until his retirement from that company’s roster in 2004, an occasion celebrated with a string of “Tosca” performances. At the last of them, on March 13, 2004, he received a 15-minute standing ovation and 10 curtain calls. All told, he sang 379 performances at the Met, of which 357 were in fully staged opera productions.

In the late 1960s and ’70s, when Mr. Pavarotti was at his best, he possessed a sound remarkable for its ability to penetrate large spaces easily. Yet he was able to encase that powerful sound in elegant, brilliant colors. His recordings of the Donizetti repertory are still models of natural grace and pristine sound. The clear Italian diction and his understanding of the emotional power of words in music were exemplary.

Mr. Pavarotti was perhaps the mirror opposite of his great rival among tenors, Mr. Domingo. Five years Mr. Domingo’s senior, Mr. Pavarotti had the natural range of a tenor, exposing him to the stress and wear that ruin so many tenors’ careers before they have barely started. Mr. Pavarotti’s confidence and naturalness in the face of these dangers made his longevity all the more noteworthy.

Mr. Domingo, on the other hand, began his musical life as a baritone and later manufactured a tenor range above it through hard work and scrupulous intelligence. Mr. Pavarotti, although he could find the heart of a character, was not an intellectual presence. His ability to read music in the true sense of the word was in question. Mr. Domingo, in contrast, is an excellent pianist with an analytical mind and the ability to learn and retain scores by quiet reading.

Yet in the late 1980s, when both Mr. Pavarotti and Mr. Domingo were pursuing superstardom, it was Mr. Pavarotti who showed the dominant gift for soliciting adoration from large numbers of people. He joked on talk shows, rode horses on parade and played, improbably, a sex symbol in the movie “Yes, Giorgio.” In a series of concerts, some held in stadiums, Mr. Pavarotti entertained tens of thousands and earned six-figure fees. Presenters, who were able to tie a Pavarotti appearance to a subscription package of less glamorous concerts, found him valuable.

The most enduring symbol of Mr. Pavarotti’s Midas touch, as a concert attraction and a recording artist, was the popular and profitable Three Tenors act created with Mr. Domingo and Mr. Carreras. Some praised these concerts and recordings as popularizers of opera for mass audiences. But most classical music critics dismissed them as unworthy of the performers’ talents.

Associated Press
Luciano Pavarotti as Arturo Talbo and Joan Sutherland as Elvira in dress rehearsal for the Metropolitan Opera's production of "I Puritani" in 1976.

Mr. Pavarotti had his uncomfortable moments in recent years. His proclivity for gaining weight became a topic of public discussion. He was caught lip-synching a recorded aria at a concert in Modena, his hometown. He was booed off the stage at La Scala during 1992 appearance. No one characterized his lapses as sinister; they were attributed, rather, to a happy-go-lucky style, a large ego and a certain carelessness.

His frequent withdrawals from prominent events at opera houses like the Met and Covent Garden in London, often from productions created with him in mind, caused administrative consternation in many places. A series of cancellations at Lyric Opera of Chicago — 26 out of 41 scheduled dates — moved Lyric’s general director in 1989, Ardis Krainik, to declare Mr. Pavarotti persona non grata at her company.

A similar banishment nearly happened at the Met in 2002. He was scheduled to sing two performances of “Tosca” — one a gala concert with prices as high as $1,875 a ticket, which led to reports that the performances may be a farewell. Mr. Pavarotti arrived in New York only a few days before the first, barely in time for the dress rehearsal. On the day of the first performance, though, he had developed a cold and withdrew. That was on a Wednesday.

From then until the second scheduled performance, on Saturday, everyone, from the Met’s managers to casual opera fans, debated the probability of his appearing. The New York Post ran the headline “Fat Man Won’t Sing.” The demand to see the performance was so great, however, that the Met set up 3,000 seats for a closed-circuit broadcast on the Lincoln Center Plaza. Still, at the last minute, Mr. Pavarotti stayed in bed.

Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy, on Oct. 12, 1935. His father was a baker and an amateur tenor; his mother worked at a cigar factory. As a child he listened to opera recordings, singing along with tenor stars of a previous era, like Beniamino Gigli and Tito Schipa. He professed an early weakness for the movies of Mario Lanza, whose image he would imitate before a mirror.

As a teenager he followed studies that led to a teaching position; during these student days he met his future wife. He taught for two years before deciding to become a singer. His first teachers were Arrigo Pola and Ettore Campogalliani, and his first breakthrough came in 1961, when he won an international competition at the Teatro Reggio Emilia. He made his debut as Rodolfo in Puccini’s “Bohème” later that year.

In 1963 Mr. Pavarotti’s international career began: first as Edgardo in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, and then in Vienna and Zurich. His Covent Garden debut also came in 1963, when he substituted for and Giuseppe di Stefano in “La Bohème.” His reputation in Britain grew even more the next year, when he sang at the Glyndebourne Festival, taking the part of Idamante in Mozart’s “Idomeneo.”

A turning point in Mr. Pavarotti’s career was his association with the soprano Joan Sutherland. In 1965 he joined the Sutherland-Williamson company on an Australian tour during which he sang Edgardo to Ms. Sutherland’s Lucia. He credited Ms. Sutherland’s advice, encouragement and example as a major factor in the development of his technique.

Further career milestones came in 1967, with Mr. Pavarotti’s first appearances at La Scala in Milan and his participation in a performance of the Verdi Requiem under Herbert von Karajan. He came to the Metropolitan Opera a year later, singing with Mirella Freni, a childhood friend, in “La Bohème.”

A series of recordings with London Records had also begun, and these excursions through the Italian repertory remain some of Mr. Pavarotti’s lasting contributions to his generation. The recordings included “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “La Favorita,” “Lucia di Lammermoor” and “La Fille du Régiment” by Donizetti; “Madama Butterfly,” “La Bohème,” “Tosca” and “Turandot” by Puccini; “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore,” “La Traviata” and the Requiem by Verdi; and scattered operas by Bellini, Rossini and Mascagni. There were also solo albums of arias and songs.

In 1981 Mr. Pavarotti established a voice competition in Philadelphia and was active in its operation. Young, talented singers from around the world were auditioned in preliminary rounds before the final selections. High among the prizes for winners was an appearance in a staged opera in Philadelphia in which Mr. Pavarotti would also appear.

He also gave master classes, many of which were shown on public television in the United States. Mr. Pavarotti’s forays into teaching became stage appearances in themselves, having more to do with the teacher than the students.

An Outsize Personality

In his later years Mr. Pavarotti became as much an attraction as an opera singer. Hardly a week passed in the 1990s when his name did not surface in at least two gossip columns. He could be found unveiling postage stamps depicting old opera stars or singing in Red Square in Moscow. His outsize personality remained a strong drawing card, and even his lifelong battle with his circumference guaranteed headlines: a Pavarotti diet or a Pavarotti binge provided high-octane fuel for reporters.

In 1997 Mr. Pavarotti joined Sting for the opening of the Pavarotti Music Center in war-torn Mostar, Bosnia, and Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney on a CD tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2005 he was granted Freedom of the City of London for his fund-raising concerts for the Red Cross. He also was lauded by the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, and he holds two spots in the Guinness Book of World Records: one for the greatest number of curtain calls (165), the other, held jointly with Mr. Domingo and Mr. Carreras, for the best-selling classical album of all time, the first Three Tenors album (“Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti: The Three Tenors in Concert”). But for all that, he knew where his true appeal was centered.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a musician,” he told the BBC Music Magazine in an April 1998 article about his efforts for Bosnia. “I care about giving people a place where they can go to enjoy themselves and to begin to live again. To the man you have to give the spirit, and when you give him the spirit, you have done everything.”

Mr. Pavarotti’s health became an issue in the late 1990s. His mobility onstage was sometimes severely limited because of leg problems, and at a 1997 “Turandot” performance at the Met, extras onstage surrounded him and helped him up and down steps. In January 1998, at a Met gala with two other singers, Mr. Pavarotti became lost in a trio from “Luisa Miller” despite having the music in front of him. He complained of dizziness and withdrew. Rumors flew alleging on one side a serious health problem and, on the other, a smoke screen for his unpreparedness.

The latter was not a new accusation during the 1990s. In a 1997 review for The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini accused Mr. Pavarotti of “shamelessly coasting” through a recital, using music instead of his memory, and still losing his place. Words were always a problem, and he cheerfully admitted to using cue cards as reminders.

A Box-Office Powerhouse

It was a tribute to Mr. Pavarotti’s box-office power that when, in 1997, he announced he could not or would not learn his part for a new “Forza del Destino” at the Met, the house substituted “Un Ballo in Maschera,” a piece he was ready to sing.

Around that time Mr. Pavarotti left his wife of more than three decades, Adua, to live with his 26-year-old assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani, and filing for divorce, which was finalized in October 2002. He married Ms. Mantovani in 2003. She survives him, as do three daughters from his marriage to the former Adua Veroni: Lorenza, Christina and Giuliana; and a daughter with Ms. Mantovani, Alice.

Mr. Pavarotti had a home in Manhattan but also maintained ties to his hometown, living when time permitted in a villa in Santa Maria del Mugnano, outside Modena.

He published two autobiographies, both written with William Wright: “Pavarotti: My Own Story” in 1981 and “Pavarotti: My World” in 1995.

In interviews Mr. Pavarotti could turn on a disarming charm, and if he invariably dismissed concerns about his pop projects, technical problems and even his health, he made a strong case for what his fame could do for opera itself.

“I remember when I began singing, in 1961,” he told Opera News in 1998, “one person said, ‘run quick, because opera is going to have at maximum 10 years of life.’ At the time it was really going down. But then, I was lucky enough to make the first ‘Live From the Met’ telecast. And the day after, people stopped me on the street. So I realized the importance of bringing opera to the masses. I think there were people who didn’t know what opera was before. And they say ‘Bohème,’ and of course ‘Bohème’ is so good.’ ”

About his own drawing power, his analysis was simple and on the mark.

“I think an important quality that I have is that if you turn on the radio and hear somebody sing, you know it’s me.” he said. “You don’t confuse my voice with another voice.”

給一個A

很久之前, 隨手寫下來的東西.
========================

這是一篇我很喜歡的文章,不要被主角設定的場景限制住了唷. 講音樂歸音樂方面,主要是它裡面的一些想法,不管是在任何領域都一樣,現階段的教育制度,體制雖不同,但,我們要成為什麼樣的老師呢? 即使是實習老師,(也只是實習的老師而已,)真要幫忙做什麼事,重要的都不會輪到我們手上, 當導師充其量也是輔助, 想解決問題不一定能幫上什麼. 後來才想通,不管未來如何,這一年中,既然在這裡,就想想要成為什麼樣的老師吧!和學生親近,但不失師生該有的界線,教學經驗的不足,就用其他方面來補強吧. 算是陪她們玩過這一年,但是是玩出點"特別"的想法出來.培養自己的想法,主見,那種很樂觀,努力,勇敢,積極的感覺,才是要達給學生的.給大家參考參考囉

==================================================
班傑明‧山德爾是波士頓愛樂的指揮，也是一位音樂教授。

班說：九月的一個周五午後，30名研究生在新英格蘭音樂學院集合，上這學年的第一堂課。這些學生全都是主攻器樂或聲樂，他們將開始兩個學期的探索，來更深入了解音樂演奏的藝術，其中包括可能阻礙到偉大音樂表現的心理與情緒因素。我向他們保證，只要他們定期來上我的詮釋課程，能夠學會課程裡的各項重點，那麼無論在音樂演奏上，或是自己的人生都會有重大的突破。

然而，每一堂課，學生們都因為自己的表現將遭到「測量」而感到不安，因此不願在演奏時冒一點風險。有一天晚上，我和羅絲討論起來，希望找到方法讓他們去除這種對失敗的恐懼感。

假如我們從一開始就給每個學生一個A，結果將如何？

羅絲與我預期，即使音樂學院支持我們將打分數的等級制完全廢除，結果也只會更糟。學生們會覺得自己失去了當明星的機會，而且還是會計較彼此的排名。因此我們決定給他們一個可以讓他們安心的分數，它不是一個測量的工具，而是可以讓他們開啟「潛境」的工具。

「本班修這門課的每一個學生都會拿到一個A，」我在課上宣布.「但是，你要贏得這個分數，就必須符合以下要求：在兩個星期之內，你們必須寫一封信給我，日期註明是明年五月，一開頭是這樣的：『親愛的山德爾老師，我拿到一個A，因為……』在這封信裡，你要告訴我，在明年五月之前，會有什麼事發生在你身上，因此你拿到這個高分。」

我告訴他們，在寫這封信時，他們必須將自己放在未來，回首這一年，報告他們得到什麼樣的進步或成果，彷彿他們真的做到了。每一件事都要寫成過去式。像這樣的片語「我希望」，「我打算」，或是「我將會」是不能出現的。如果學生願意的話，還可以談談他們達成了某些明確的目標，或是贏得了什麼比賽。「但是」，我告訴他們：「我最感興趣的，是到了明年五月，你們會成為什麼樣的人。我感興趣的是這個人的態度、感覺與世界觀，她希望做些什麼，他想成為什麼樣的人。」我告訴他們，我要他們狂熱地愛上自己信裡描述的這個人。

其中一封信是這樣的：

親愛的山德爾老師： 明年五月，我得到一個A，因為我有勇氣檢視自己的恐懼，了解到它們根本完全不重要。我變了，過去我是個害怕犯錯的人，擔心自己的錯誤被別人注意到，但是老師卻了解我無論在音樂或為人處事方面都有貢獻……因此一切的羞怯與對自己的不信任都消失了。同樣消失的是：過去我相信自己只是旁人眼中的一個反影，以致於我只想取悅別人...我理解到，嘗試與達成都是同樣的一回事，只要你是自己的主宰—而我就是。我發現自己有種欲望，想要將音樂傳達給別人，這個欲望強過我對自己的擔憂。我改變了，從過去渴望自己微不足道，默默無聞，到接受這樣的喜悅，因為我終於明白，我的音樂改變了世界。-- 吉賽爾．喜莉兒

所以，我總是急著想要去上每一堂課，因為這是一個包含所有A學生的班級，花一個下午和這些明星在一起，還有什麼比這更愉快呢？大多數班上的成員也都有同樣的感覺。

我們在音樂界，會從孩子還很小的時候，便無微不至的訓練這些小音樂家，敦促他們技巧要高人一等，鼓勵他們培養良好的練習習慣與演奏的價值觀。我們支持他們去參加優質的暑期活動，到海外的不同文化裡親身經驗，然後，在這一切之後，我們將他們拋進一個巨大的旋渦裡，讓他們在競爭、生存、中傷、奉承與追求社會地位的環境裡掙扎。在這個競技場，我們期待他們演奏出偉大的音樂，而偉大的音樂需要的是溫暖、高貴、赤子之心、慷慨、尊重、敏銳度、以及愛！

讓我們的音樂家如此重視競爭是很危險的，因為他們會不想冒險，而這卻是成為偉大演奏者的必備條件。音樂的藝術只能透過它的詮釋者去傳達，因此必須有表情豐富的演奏，才能呈現出活力。然而，唯有當我們在演奏中發生錯誤，才能夠讓我們留意到重點在哪裡。事實上，我主動訓練我的學生，當他們犯了錯，就舉起自己的手，笑笑地說：「好極了！」我建議每一個人都試著這麼做。

我的老師是偉大的大提琴大師卡薩多(Gaspar Cassado)，他曾經告訴我們這些學生：「我真為你們感到遺憾；你們的生活這麼安逸。你們演奏不出偉大的音樂，除非你們的心都碎了。」

在我做這個「給一個A」的實驗開始幾個星期，我問班上，帶著一個A來上課的感覺如何？我很驚訝地看到一名來自台灣的學生舉起手來。來自亞洲的學生往往都是最傑出的演奏家，但是由於天生怯於使用外國語言，因此很少在課堂上發言。在某些亞洲文化裡，傳統上非常重視對錯之分。老師永遠是對的，學生要避免出錯，最好的方法就是什麼都不說。因此當他熱切地舉手，我當然會叫他。

他說： 在台灣，我在一個七十個人的班上排名第六十八。我來波士頓，山德爾老師說我是個得到A的學生。我不懂。我到處走，三個星期，很不懂。我第六十八名，可是山德爾老師說我是個得到A的學生……我第六十八名，可是山德爾老師說我是個得到A的學生。有一天，我發現這比第六十八名快樂多了。所以我決定我是個拿A的學生。

這個學生在電光石火之間，撞見了「生命的秘密」。他明白「這全是編造而來」，只是遊戲一場。第六十八名是編造的，A也是編造的，因此我們自然也可以編造一些東西，好照亮我們自己和周遭人們的生命。 ------摘自《給一個A：開發心智潛境與領導藝術》第三章，經濟新潮社出版

--- ◆ From: 61.13.175.108

How lucky are we?

遠在出門前, 看了TLC 播出的節目. . 約略講的是在肯亞的一位女性患者. 當她臉上的腫瘤大到危極生命時, 對抗父系社會和手術治療的過程. 很真實的呈現女性在肯亞的地位, 社會體系, 當然也包括把臉皮像翻書一樣切除腫瘤的經過. (對我比較變態, 吃飯都配CSI + Cartoon Network了, 這也就還好了)

have you ever think about, how lucky we are? 全家人都健康平安, 自給自足, 只須小小的擔心生活瑣事, 很平順的過著. 真的要深深的感謝了. 不求什麼, 只要能這樣平凡過著就是種幸福. 多少人能像這樣呢? 我們又是何其幸運, 有機會這樣看看世界, 甚至是這樣的留學唸書? 當車子駛在Wyoming 的小鎮時, 我們是唯一的台灣人. 很明顯的, 大家都在看我們. 因為歪果人嘛! =D 即使在美國, 有多少人的夢想就是離開小鎮, 到大城市去? 對她們來說, 世界約等於美國這麼大了. 那其他地方呢? 有多少不同的人事物, 怎麼有機會看到呢?

所以囉, 我們是很幸福的. 即使家裡的人常搞到讓人抓狂, 想直接把他們冷凍起來; 生活中不斷的有八卦或摩擦; 機車學生/助教老是捅樓子給你去收, that's just part of life.

Be strong, be confident, and remember to raise your head.

cheer!

"Nature, the gentlest mother"

"Nature, the gentlest mother" from twelve poems of Emily Dickinson,

Nature, the gentlest mother
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest, -
Her admonition mild

In forest and the hill
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.

How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon, -
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down

Her voice among the aisles
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.

When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky,

With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere.

* poem by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
* music by Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

books

Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis, Copland: Since 1943. (New York: St.Martin’s Press, 1989.)

Larry Starr. The Dickinson Songs of Aaron Copland. (Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press., 2002.)

Margaret G. Cobb. The Poetic Debussy: A Collection of His Song Texts and Selected Letters. (Boston: Northeastern University Press., 1982.)

Carol Kimball. Song: A Guide to Style and Literature. (Redmond, Washington: PST…INC, 1996)

[補貼] Rachmaninov had big Hands

之前提過要貼, 現在來補一下.

看這個片段很有悽悽焉.....因為我也是個手不大的人. 右手最大只有八度, 左手因為練小提琴, 勉強可以撐到九度. 以鋼琴主修來說, 非常的吃虧. 像是很多曲子, Prokofiev, Ives, 甚至是很多Liszt的曲目通通得打入冷宮.

尤其上次阿弗列多開音樂會, 安東幫他伴奏, 兩支大男生乒乒乓乓的砸拉赫帕格尼尼變揍曲, 手大力氣大, 那能量真的不是我們能表現的. 即是在跟老師聊, 她也不贊成我練 Pictures at the Exhibition. 彈不到就是彈不到. :( 像是拉赫的piano concerto no.2 就是我的愛, 先偷偷練好再來跟老師說好了.....

Rachmaninoff 是出了名的大手. 我記得有到13度吧! 看紀錄片就知道, 本人的手真的很大, 加上本身是個相當好的pianist, 也難怪會寫出那樣的作品. 1892 年的Prelude in C-sharp minor Op.3 no.2一推出就大受好評. 以後只要拉赫開音樂會, 聽眾一定會要他彈這首當enco. 搞到後來作曲家本人對這首曲子極為反感. "搞辟啊, 我明明有很多很讚的作品,不要再叫我彈這首了~~~(怒!)"

片子裡的韓國人其實也算大手. 很妙的是他們自制的bar. 大家熊熊看到應該會嚇一跳, 這樣敲鋼琴不會壞掉? 放心, 這可是Stainway, 耐操的很, 加上bar上面有加damper, 是不會傷到琴鍵的. 平常連prepared piano 都在玩了, 這點小case 還好. 不然對我們這種愛琴如命的人, 早就哇哇叫了.

裡面充分運用了Rach 大手的idea和多和絃,full keyboard 的style, 有創意!

開音樂會我也要帶一支bar上台! XD

[Book] 失物之書 The book of lost things -- John Connelly

剛開始直覺想到Pan's Labyrinth. 一樣的場景設定嘛!
回頭去看推薦,哎呀不只有我這麼想啊....(笑)
但之後的情節很不一樣了.

推薦

官方網站

[old post] movie& music

Scifie & Utopia
1.
all synchronized sound score. eliminates all traditional instruments to create an entire allien sound.
2.<2001: a space Odyssey>
build up voice made a sequence.
3.
George Lucas' first film. the frame is based on USC 10 mins student project.
Music: Lalo Schfrin
sound designer & editor: Walter Murch

Violence (in type & degree)
4.
Stainly kubrick.
1)Synchromatic.
2)bluring the bundary of traditional pieces. (eg: Purcell,Beethoven)

5.
long~~long~~sequence of music. only show up in film class, not a cable film.
(It's tooooooo.... violence.)

6.
Shows LA in a TV show way.
(the endless music sequence almost drive me crazy!! \_____/@)
(你你, 快給我停下來或隨便找個一級給我轉回去! 20 mins 的dominant 7 再聽下去就要變漢尼拔小姐了!!)

7.
all electronic score.
Amish.!

--------------------------
note:
當電腦發出"痾"的一聲時表示下列幾種狀況:
1.電腦OS:你在寫什麼鬼?? 很遜喔. 我當~~~~
2.電腦OS:後!滑鼠點那麼快是要怎樣啦! 煩. 我當~~~~
3.電腦OS:從書桌移到客廳,再從地板移到沙發, 晃來晃去我暈了. 我當~~~~~~
4.電腦OS:Kukukukukuku......... 撲基茲. 我當~~~

結論: 電腦有意見時==>都是死當
------------------------------

[old post] 正港的嘰嘰叫女高音

Cluckoratura Arias--正港的嘰嘰叫女高音 XD

天啊真是笑死我了......
這個跟爆笑女高音差不多好笑，
爆笑女高音的音不是準的，這個有些音還是準的　XD

Chacun Le Sait 一開頭真的是像某種動物 XD

點左邊的按鈕可以聽，良心建議不要半夜聽。

-----------------------------------------------
現在這變成我的最新娛樂。
分析寫不下去時,開個一小段來笑笑也好~~~~

Human Tetris

怎麼辦, 我竟然也想去玩....

Algorithm March

The March of the Emperor

In France The March of the Penguins movie has been presented with the title "The March of the Emperor".



以前可能沒辦法體會這種幽默, 現在越來越可以了.
收東西搬家去, 回頭再來寫音樂部分.

---------------------------------------
為什麼會對這廣告讚賞有佳? 因為配樂和歷史典故.
對法國人來說, Emperor 就是拿破崙. 這小學生都知道. 即使他敗了, 法國人還是一樣跩. 家喻戶曉的典故都知道拿破崙翻山涉水創建疆業, 連Alps 都能跨過. 所以看到一開頭的場景我就笑了. 誰不知道那幅拿破崙最著名的肖像畫就是大軍翻越Alps? 當時短小的拿破崙騎的是騾子, 只是畫家應要求美化成駿馬.

廣告中沒有拿這點來開玩笑是其來有自的. 不然以法式幽默,怎麼會放過這個機會? 因為"March", " thousands", 所以讓皇帝自己慢慢走. 而且要成群結隊. XD

然後配樂一定要選貝多芬symphony. 讚! 恩這創意總監好歹是有唸過書的... Beethoven symphony No.3, "Eroica" 原打算獻給拿破崙, 只不過聽到他自立為帝, 它老兄老大不爽就把title page 給撕了, 改提"獻給一位偉大的英雄." 這是提到小貝交響曲時常提到的故事.

音樂家固然被批不食人間煙火, 但是文化是無法抽離的. 裡面選的是Beethoven; Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 -- II. Allegretto. 相信我, 這跟交響情人夢完全沒有關係的好咩.? 台灣因為日劇紅這首, 可人家才不是因為這樣.

這個樂章是 passacalia, bass 部分持續的出現反覆的sequence. 我們所謂, 音樂的"pause", 是很符合它想要march的感覺. 加上樂團放慢速度, 還可以倒帶, 哎唷我的天, 真的是笑瘋了. 這也是為什麼鏡頭瞬間卡住, 切換場景時, 就有一個人對著電腦笑到胃抽筋.....掌聲鼓勵鼓勵!

台語電影精華: [文藝Kuso 篇]

我很好奇誰是旁白.....XD

國家電影資料館Vlog

音樂史好站

要考listening 時請服用
Norton online listening Lab

平常上課來不及時
Concise History of Western Music
好歹也看看outline, 不然大頭們天南地北的講, 會暈.

Citation guide: 平時小報告用它就可以, 真要大文章就要認命的去圖書館抱書回來.
Chicago Manuel

hilarious commercial

Honda ad

這一定要大推一下 :D

Spongebob

跟我熟的人都知道, 基本上本人是年紀大一點的電視兒童界戰友.
大部分的卡通應該都知道. 當然也包括 Spongebob.
雖然台灣最近也流行這個, 但是翻成海綿寶寶就沒有那個感覺了啊!
尤其配音一定要聽英文版的才夠欠揍哪!

Bikini Bottom:
Are you ready?

Nick.com

it's a big ad

延伸閱讀:
閃開讓專業的來

分析你的成分

分析你的成分

戀母情結：50.14%
髒空氣：48.36%
恨：0.97%
愛：0.21%
米諾夫斯基粒子：0.18%
宿便：0.10%


戀母情結.! 喂喂, 我是女生耶.
竟然給我出現髒空氣?
然後最後還有宿便!? 真是笨到不行啦...


-------------------
然後很惡搞的輸入其他名字, 噗, 整個笑到瘋掉.
那些成分也很妙,像是細肩帶小男孩不加辣;撞豆腐自殺的勇氣;
微型黑洞;大宇宙的意志; 義理巧克力;對艦大型雷爆彈; 腦殘....

然後爺竟然有
"天下第一舉世無雙絕對無敵真正非常超越超級震古鑠今
空前絕後刀槍不入無堅不摧無所不能好厲害"....


就某種程度來說, 一部分有像啊.... 哈哈哈哈

to be or not to be

* [Summer I 剛結束; 明天即將開始Summer II]
要不要修第二個term呢? 啊~~~~ 很掙扎, 老實說, 很累.
再看吧.

禮拜五考完final, 馬上進行大動作的搬家.
目前是大家俱先過去, 小東西待我慢慢收, 有過去就慢慢搬.

最近的豪雨終於過去, 轉而變成熱死人不負責的毒辣陽光.
多虧了之前近三個禮拜的豪雨, 是很多道路不通和淹水沒錯,
路旁的黃色野花整片的怒放. 就看到去回筆直的兩條公路,剩下的,一望無際的花海.

老實說, 頂著90幾度的高溫搬家, 實在是很吃不消. 所以咧, 晚上就是個好時機了.
這兩天都像螞蟻一樣搬來搬去, 只是短短一趟搬到車上就很夠障礙了.
像是對門鄰居在前幾天回來. 為什麼知道呢.
因為屋主和屋主男朋友的車同時回來了.
而.且........ 又開始在樓梯間堆垃圾了.

白天搬家時已經看到一包堵在樓梯口,心理早就老大不高興.
一棟公寓算一個unit, 就那麼一個樓梯好幾戶共用, 是不會覺得丟臉嗎?
明擺在家門口, 不是這間不然是誰的?
即使樓上目前只有我出入, 阿是當我死人喔?
這樣堵住樓梯口, 我每次進來還要先翻過垃圾堆啊!
練輕功不是這樣練的.

再來是, 難道家裡沒有教過, 要維持門戶整齊嗎?
門一關, 我不關心裡面髒亂成什麼程度,
門外可不是. 好歹也給我維護公共區域的整齊!
喵的走個樓梯下去轉個彎丟垃圾是有那麼難嗎?
你們都兩個人四隻手, 只會買東西回家然後不會把垃圾清去丟?
走那麼一趟並不會減少你們纏綿的時間的.

平常堆另一個角落我不管, 不要檔到我走路的路權就好.
白天已經看過一包, 結果晚上變成另外一堆?
啊~~~~ 我不要跟垃圾女當鄰居!
平常我不講是給妳留點面子, 我可是很懶的管這種芝麻小事,
我連踢到另一角落我還嫌髒.
不要逼本小姐真的有動作, 那就會很難看了.

喵喵喵喵喵喵喵喵喵的.

地球是很整潔的, 妳這骯髒冥王星人快回去吧!

(明天找NC幫我搬東西好了. 反正上次她一來, 馬上高分貝的反應:
哀唷~~~~好噁心喔...... 垃圾竟然堆在門口耶!)

歐對了, 美式公寓是不太有隔音效果的.

(然後等我們鬼混回來, 對門那堆長蟲的東西就不見了.)

paper

[class time: returned last paper]

只有一晚,熊熊硬擠出來有關Francois Couperin (Le Grand),<Pieces de clavecin>. 裡面隨便抓一首來寫.
* 那時候邊寫邊靠邀的是怎麼通通都是舞曲. Allemande, Courante, Gigue, Rondeau (還一堆!@\__/)吸瞎位廖是不是....
* 好玩的是這傢伙寫了很多關於他身邊的人,事,物,很多用feminine title. 看來也是某種程度上的word depiction?.
* harpsichord collection (total 5 orders) 加上另一本 L'art de Toucher le Clavecin (the Art of Playing the harpsichord, 1717) 幾乎佔據他主要的時間, 一直到去世前幾年才完工. 當然, 其他有的沒有的也是很多.
* he called his serious dance ==> "Order", instead of "Suite." 而且幾乎每首都有title. 同一組裡面第一首和最後一首通常是相同調性, 其他自求多福.
* 不過那時候所謂的Suite genre 還未成熟, 大多只是collection, not so called "suite."
* French dev.==> German mature.

===================================
* 意外的竟然是最被看好的paper.
* Common: "When are you going to take Harpsichord?"

XD.喀麥咧.

=============================
然後我一直把e打成3. 至少3次以上.
目前逃不掉Bach Symbolism myth.
我要call 666 了啦~~~~~~

Bach: Durch Adams Fall

J.S.Bach: Choral prelude , BWV 637. ca.1716
* Chorale prelude.
-- organ/Luthernist tradition/ Eastern piece
-- doward d7th interval in pedal.
-- Functional Harmony
-- Choral melody as C.F. Choral
-- AAB bar form (from Meistersinger)
-- choral melody on top with ornaments
-- voices portrait images from poem: d7 (in pedal)interval leaps depicts Adam's fall:
from innocent into sin.
-- twisting, chromatic lines (alto)==> slithering of the serpent.
-- tenor: repeatedly slides down & struggles upward ==> resenting the pull of temptation, the sorrow of sin, and the struggle to overcome them.


延伸閱讀:
Bach-Cantata

Bach-Busoni

Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book")1708-1714

冰箱

搬家+ 期末考+ flood warning/ 雨下不停卻偏偏在搬東西時下最大+ 還是得聽考試曲子 + Spanish/Latin/Italian 傻傻分不清......

從冰箱裡清出:

* 去年十月冷凍到現在進而被遺忘的肉
* 老姊好心給我但是是過期兩年的泡麵+乾貨(唔, 那現在就過期三年)
* 兩個月的蔥
* 一個半月依舊健康如昔切了不會留眼淚的洋蔥
* 誰誰誰的慷慨贈與的chips 卻開過一次就忘記了(恩,洋芋片不是我的愛)
* 去年冰起來的牛凍.
* 以為過期, 正要丟進垃圾筒, 卻發現還有半個月才到期的cream
* 在冰果庫住很久的檸檬
* 千年不壞馬鈴薯但我也沒那勇氣去切開它

東西多的像隻倉鼠一樣.
可我偏偏只 愛玩/愛實驗 卻不愛吃. 根本就是手癢. (不然彈什麼琴?)
留學生是住在美國的新品種難民.
後來知道我是具松鼠特質的木乃伊,
正式頭銜為 化石博物館新任館長.

Silent Noon

Ian Bostridge sings Vaughan Williams: Silent Noon



Silent Noon (Sonnet XIX)

Your hands lie open in the long fresh grass,-
The finger-points look through, like rosy blooms:
Your eyes smile peace. The pasture gleams and glooms
'Neath billowing skies that scatter and amass.
All round our nest far, as the eye can pass
Are golden kingcup fields with silver edge
Where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn-hedge
'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass.

Deep in the sun searched groves, a dragon-fly
Hangs, like a blue thread loosened from the sky:-
So this winged hour is dropt to us from above.
Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower
This close-companioned inarticulate hour
When twofold silence was the song of love.

-- Dante Gabriel Rossetti
music by Ralph Vaughan Williams

[Why people lie?]

'you mean they don't tell the truth?'

[right, that's what I mean lies....]

'well, maybe because the dignity, or they are just scared.'

'but sometimes telling the truth makes them feel vulnerable......'

[:) we are not perfect.]

future

"your future base on your dream," so go to sleep.

final time.

"The tone is wistful, mostly pianissimo and the harmonic language is very much Shostakovich's own, though not a note is out of place."

吼~~~~~~~~ 這是怎樣, 阿不就跟沒有講一樣? 裝孝維.
這是最接近我聽過的火星話之二了.

第一名是這個.
'OMG, INBD.' ==> Oh my god, it's not a big deal......

喵的. (掀桌~~~)

Shrek The Third

Shrek The Third


Shrek ROCKS!

movie list

Pan's Labyrinth


Spiderman 3


FANTASTIC FOUR RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER



Meet The Robinsons


"I have a big head.....And little arms." XD

Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist and artist, dies.

Rostropovich 病逝, 享年80. What a blue April. :(

Rococo Variation part I


Rococo Variation part II

Levis'

Levis' 501, the original



這個也很妙 :

Beckmann evaluation.

呼, 鬆了一口氣。 看起來還普通, 叫我多彈琴少講話 XD...

不過piano 1 的小鬼似乎挺愛我的. 一直說要選我的piano 2.

小鬼們, ok, (under學生), 你們要自己爭氣啊! (笑.) 我老了.

題外話, 吳尊帥歸帥, 可是提到他們, ...... 看畫面看畫面

然後SHE 完全就是搞笑團體咩:) 讚! 話說我們還是同個generation 的. 嗯.

人生很不一樣啊!

Island Etude

I still want to say something.

:)

Something as crazy but based on my own.
整個四月, 一直都很悶, 很悶. 太多讓人down 的事了.
倒是給了鬱悶的四月午後打了一針強心劑.
I'm still young. I'm in my 20s with 60s eye.

http://www.truemovie.com/2007moviedata/IslandEtude.htm

busy month

這個月第三次Tornado Warning. 目前在左下角county.

-- taking shelter;
-- avoid window area(as far as your can; dont' worry to open them. that doesn't help)
-- go to the basement or lowest part of your building;
-- get flash and documents

要記得.

還好已經回家了. 但是我家上面就是屋頂啊啊啊啊........
campus 淹水就算了,
趕在拜託別touch down 呀~~~~

A Student’s Letter Home

A Student’s Letter Home
by Bryan Schamus
April 20, 2007


To my loving family and friends:

We continue to heal in Blacksburg. I look at the calendar and I see it's only been four days. It feels like months.

The outreach has been tremendous, especially at the Newman Community, Tech's Catholic Campus Ministry. We got the word out that we were providing a sanctuary for the students to come hang out. Take a look at our website for everything we are currently offering. (www.catholic.org.vt.edu) We continue to receive food, drinks, priests, counselors and people in need all the time.

We have eight priests in residence right now and they take shifts to be in the house for whomever might need help. Some people come in and just need to watch a movie. Some need to talk to a priest. Others just need a big hug.

The Bishop of Richmond is traveling to Blacksburg to say Mass on Sunday.

The convocation on Tuesday was the most moving event I've seen, and might ever see, in my life. Put all politics and personal opinion aside, President Bush was in our basketball arena to be with the Hokie Nation. He spoke from the heart and brought tears to many. Governor Kaine was “right on" with his speech as well, as he described his experience with the Hokie Nation. The ceremony ended with a now famous poem from world renowned poet and English professor here at Tech, Nikki Giovanni. This was her poem:

We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds.

We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be.

We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech.

The crowd of 12,000, with 20,000 watching in the football stadium on the video screen, responded with resounding cheers and applause which led to the most spirit-filled "LET'S GO HOKIES" chant ever to fill Cassell Coliseum.

It was my first Hokie cheer ever. Since first coming to Tech, I've worked at every home football and basketball game in a "professional" capacity. I've never cheered with my fellow Hokies. I always dreamed about one day being able to cheer from the stands but I never wanted it to be like this. It was bittersweet. But I will always remember it. LET'S GO HOKIES!!!!!

We hug everyone we see. There is so much good happening here right now. But I would give anything to go to class – to listen, take notes, without a worry in the world.

My good friend Theresa lost one of her best friends in one of the classrooms in Norris Hall. I can't even imagine. When she walked out for the ceremony next to President Bush, I didn't even know what to think.

Today I was interviewed by "Religion and Ethics", a television show on PBS.

Check your local listings to see when it airs, as it is different everywhere. They also filmed me singing Dona Nobis Pacem with some of my Newman singers.

Never, not three years ago or three days ago, could I have imagined what 4/16/07 would bring us. But in the aftermath of this tragedy, I'm reminded of all the reasons why I love with this place with all my heart. There is no other place on the face of the earth that could have dealt with such a loss in the way we have. As I told PBS today, when we gathered on the drillfield with candles and chanted, "LET'S GO---HOKIES", that was our prayer. Our ecumenical prayer as a united Hokie Nation. Thank you, Frank and Lisa McGrail for dragging me to Blacksburg three years ago. This is where I needed to be.

It will take many more days and months to heal. But I know all of you are praying and thinking of us. I apologize for not being able to return every phone call and e-mail, but please know that I read and listen to every one of them and they mean so, so much.

And I really hope that someday before I graduate, those of you that I'm writing to many miles away, can visit this campus and see what it's like without the world watching. Without the blood. Without the crime scene tape.

And without the sadness.

I am so proud to be a Hokie and I hope you are too. You all are Hokies. Wear your maroon and orange on Friday!

Please, please take a look at who this was sent to and send it on to others I may have forgotten or to those who would enjoy reading it. It's 1:30 a.m. and I'm running on fumes, so I am bound to forget people.

Keep the e-mails and calls coming and, of course, your prayers. I love you all.

HOKIE HOKIE HOKIE HI TECH TECH VPI SOLAREX, SOLARAH POLYTECH, VIRGINIA RAY, RAH, VPI TEAM TEAM TEAM

Peace and goodnight,
Bryan

http://www.planetblacksburg.com/2007/04/a_students_letter_home.php

I will survive!

這兩個人也蠻有意思的. 不能否認的是, 古典音樂的市場很早就轉型了. 一邊轉圈圈跳舞兼彈琴看起來是小意思, 轉呼拉圈兼雜耍還要比人家有創意.

有趣的是, 仔細看, 人家可是真有底子的. 看得出來是自己編曲的idea, 但是當Chopin Etude 繞出來時,整個讓我笑到不行. 妙呆了. XDDDDDD

倒是想到還蠻多這種reorgnized Chopin Etude. 像是這傢伙, 阿格麗希的學生
Sergio Timepo's Studies On Chopin Etudes


另一段有意思的是 Rachmaninoff had a big hand. 目前link被拿掉了, 不然也是休閒娛樂搞笑最佳片段. (題外話. 仔細一看, 原來"authentic" 構想者發聲, 現在有智慧財產權的問題. well, 撇開這些不談, 倒是蠻同意它下面commen中的一句話: " Because, as a creative performer, ideas are everything.")

難怪他們的網站要叫 a little nightmare music...XD
還真是音樂老師的夢魘啊~~

Berkeley Day I

從LA 玩耍回來, 空氣中漂浮的粉塵讓我開始嚴重過敏. 沒幾分鐘就完全不支倒地.
收收家裡, 先來上緊發條準備下禮拜的Midterm.
=======================
Berkeley:

(在深夜回家的路上)

"你不要小看這裡的流浪漢"

"是怎樣，他們有槍喔？"

"不是"

"有刀喔？"

"也不是…"

"那是怎樣？"

"有PhD…"

最近

要開音樂會, 狂練琴.
Deparmental 死撐著上去彈, 結果Couperin 忘譜, 早期法國Suite瞬間變Schoenberg. XD.
再來看看Ravel 會變什麼樣. 不過Toccata 倒是很像偷咖搭了...
==================
某個Saturday night, late night, 突然有人敲了敲琴房的門.
[轉頭一看, 恩, 完全不認識的老伯]
"Is it La Tombeau de Couperin?"
'Yes?'
"Thank you. :)It's beautiful."
[迅速把門帶上, 留下我還處在"蛤"? 的狀態]
====================
被老師踢去上Babayan 的Master Class.
整個剉到極點, 遜. Sucks.
還被Babayan 認出來, "哎唷, 很面熟的學生嘛!"
對啦對啦, 之前你已經看我兩年了啦!
====================
Group piano 1 的學生下課後鬼叫著, "老師來首Elton John 的@#$%^&*)...."
"哎呀這樣很丟臉啦..." (想裝死混過去, 其實是根本不知道曲子)
'阿你不是performance Major?' (一群小鬼睥睨的看著你)
==>去, 誰怕誰, 塞首SHE 的主打歌給他們, 看, 還是小莫的symphony改編的唷.
"下禮拜我課堂上要點人彈唷!" (哀嚎四起). 爽.
=====================
越來越覺得唸Performance major 像在搞自虐.
尤其要開音樂會之前, 神經希希怕忘譜又心裡吶喊著我不要開啦~~~~
神智不清+肢體不協調, 教完課到下午就意識模糊, 進入喜憨兒狀態.
重點是還得練琴.
人家至少還會做麵包, 阿我只會吃麵包而已.
=====================
I definately need to lose weight.
sigh....
=====================

[Book] 一個台客在紐約-----您好，艾波小姐

我向來不是任何人的書迷.(笑) 不過看起來這個作者要集結出書, 可以看看唷. (其實是很喜歡這篇XD).
卻莫名其妙的完全理解他大哭的心情.

作家blog:
==============================================================================
原文

<一個台客　在紐約> by 柯志遠, 皇冠出版社出版

請相信我，在曼哈頓的街頭，不小心偶遇什麼響噹當的大明星，真地不是太值得大驚小怪的事情。

到紐約居住的第一天，就在第五大道的紅綠燈底下看到席維斯史特龍，一群觀光客圍著他拍照，他索性將墨鏡摘下來，顯得十分親切。只不過一旁的保鑣高壯像長城，不給人靠近去索簽名。

逐漸，就都習以為常了。

出門租個錄影帶，可能休葛蘭正在隔壁街拍外景。

週末夜遊回來，有可能看到珊卓布拉克打著呵欠，從身旁走過。

上超級市場，也有可能跟莎拉潔西卡派克搶同一個哈蜜瓜。

即便像大衛賴特曼，那樣博學、宏觀，反應機智的了不起藝人，因為他的秀每天錄影的那個攝影棚，就在我步行上學的途中，也似乎顯得近在咫尺，毫不稀罕了。

但，我始終相信能為了某一個表演而深深對一個人著迷，那是時間和空間都壓縮過以後的爆發感動，是強烈的回憶，會是亙久的。

我一直在紐約等待那樣的一種強烈震憾的，感動。

第一次看『歌劇魅影』的時候，沒有被大象、巨燈那些特效嚇到，倒是跌進魅影渾厚到近乎悲壯的歌聲裡去。

中場要休息之前，他在歌劇院屋頂，迎風引吭『ALL I ASK OF YOU』，激動得我拼命咬住嘴唇，牙根都抖顫得痛了。

要命的是，我的朋友肯肯，那時碰巧來紐約血拼，當晚就坐我旁邊。

不早不晚，在我最最泫然欲泣的節骨眼上，他靠過來，在我的耳朵旁邊說：『他的雞雞好大！』

我一口氣當場岔到，險些內傷而死。
　
後來，再看『悲慘世界』這些男主角穿緊身褲的好戲，我始終受到損友那句話的影響，最想哭的時候，往往更想笑，實在恨得要死。

有一年，我很崇拜的女明星葛倫克洛絲，居然在百老匯擔綱，挑樑演出韋伯的歌舞劇『日落大道』，我興奮得都快瘋了。

這齣由黑白經典電影很忠實改編上舞台的戲，有我最著迷的角色演出，當年看葛洛莉亞史璜蓀，在電影的最後，已呈癡狂狀態，那麼傲然不可侵犯地說：『I am ready for my close-up.』那種深入骨髓的波瀾，是可以歷數十年，而依舊淋漓清晰的。

葛倫克洛絲的歌喉意料之外的好，已是嚇人一跳，演那樣一個典範在前的角色，居然詮釋出不同的細膩。舊角色的光芒，加上新演繹的份量，讓我決定去做一個傻傻的小影迷。

我在散戲之後，跟一些捧著花束的觀眾，去守在後臺的出入口。

地上的積雪還在，新的雪花在如晝的燈光照明中，又棉絮般飄了下來。

葛倫克洛絲比舞台上更來得年輕美麗，也貼心地給我們簽名。

聽我結巴地，述說著我對於這個版本和『史璜蓀版本』的比較，她也認真地聆聽，並且給我一個非常芳香的擁抱。

但看著她像巨星似的（她本來就是巨星），又被簇擁著上車離去，我恍然又感到失落。

那個在舞台下的震憾，其實並沒有獲得另外一層延續。

或許，那個簽名和擁抱，都太行雲流水，顯得公式化了吧？

我給了自己這樣的解釋。

終於到了某一個雪後的週末，華盛頓廣場一帶，全是讓光鮮慣了的紐約人顯得尷尬狼狽的泥濘，這樣的午后，卻有個菲律賓同學，來約我去看話劇。

是那種一張門票可以看三段戲的外百老匯舞台劇，群眾關注的重點，是壓軸的段落，那是伍迪艾倫最新的劇本。

其中的第二段，是宣傳上最不著力，劇作家的知名度似乎也是最弱的。

　戲是獨幕劇，內容是這樣的：

　大城裡有個年華老去的妓女，姑且叫她艾波小姐，她的生意，皮膚，和對人生內容的所有興趣，全部都已經大不如前，她，經常會陷入一種恍惚的狀態，不太分辨得出來，這一天，和前一天有些什麼不同。

　於是，她逐漸產生了一個決定：『反正都是一樣無味無聊地過，乾脆，就別再過了吧！』

　於是，在這個上午，街上的噪音開始甦醒過來的時候，她，決定要自殺了。

　『離開之前，我是不是應該向誰道聲再見呢？』她精神一振，這樣問著自己。

　然而，翻遍了厚厚一整本也曾經熱門搶手過的電話簿，她不認為其中的任何一個名字，有可能會在這樣的時刻，說些讓她感到快樂的話。

　『打去生命線吧！至少他們會是禮貌的。』沮喪的她，居然因為自己的聰明，小小地興奮起來。

　好巧不巧，生命線的辦公室裡，唯一值勤的，是一個第一天上班的二楞子。

　『喂…喂…，生…生命線……』

　『我是艾波小姐，今天我會一口氣吞光我所有的安眠藥。小子，如果你現在能夠很溫柔地跟我說個再見，我會非常非常感謝你的。』

　『唉呀！不…可以……死呀！人生沒那麼…糟糕……，相信我，妳這樣是十分……愚蠢的…，會讓許多人失望…』

　她沒讓他講完，破口大罵地摔了電話：『混賬！我都要死了，還要讓這樣的白癡罵我愚蠢？天啊！沒想到我活著的最後一通電話，居然是打給這樣一個笨蛋！』

　她完全放棄了，歪著嘴角嘲笑自己，覺得倒也並不意外。

　於是，她好整以暇地，開始做著她的準備。

　她，慵懶地泡了一個花香四溢的澡，重複播放少女時期最鍾愛的一首藍調，換上了最能讓她感覺驕傲的華麗禮服，甚至，她把冰箱裡一塊作料特別豐盛的披薩餅取出來，微波加熱以後，配著一整盤櫻桃吃掉。

　她把數量不多的，慎重裱在框裡的親人照片，分別親吻，擦拭，又放回原位。

　她把幾封老早已經泛黃的耶誕卡，仔細地撫摸，把那個走去好遠的名字，再一次很溫存憐惜地，在臉頰上熨貼了一會。

　然後，她鄭重地，為自己化了一個最最精緻，而且昂貴的粧。

　再然後，她敞開縷花的窗帘，讓陽光從並不是十分潔淨的窗戶射了進來。

她躺進多年來最愛的那張沙發，刻意睡成一個最優雅的姿勢。

　她豪邁地一口喝乾了那瓶始終不捨得打開的香檳，她幻想著童年時從母親手中接過的巧克力，一顆接著一顆，陸續把整瓶的安眠藥吃掉……

　請記住，這是一齣獨幕劇，也就是說，所有的觀眾都可以同時看到這兩個人物和場景的發展，是在同一個舞台上，同時進行著。

　所以，當舞台的左半部，步調舒緩地在艾波小姐的公寓裡遊移的時候，舞台的另一邊，卻是翻天覆地，手忙腳亂的另一種局面。

　那個滿臉雀班，說話結巴的大男孩，正在拼了命地嘗試著所有的努力。

　他查警察局，求電話公司，『喂…喂……！能不能告訴我上一通電話是哪裡打來的？拜託你！求求你！有一個人，正等著我去救！』

　他聲嘶力竭，揮汗如雨，甚至考慮要去撥白宮的緊急危機專線。

　總之，當艾波小姐吞光了她的白色藥丸，悠悠地正預備闔上自己疲憊的眼睛，電話鈴聲，卻在這時候響了起來。

　一個氣急敗壞的聲音，有力地吶喊著說：『艾波小姐！五分鐘！等我五分鐘，請妳務必要等我，我現在馬上趕過來！』

　劇院的場燈，在這時候不通情理地大亮了起來，而我完全認不得自己，顧不得許多中場起身休息的觀眾，就在當地，我放聲嚎啕地哭了起來。

　我可憐的菲律賓朋友被我嚇得手足無措，避在一旁不知如何是好，沒想到，倒有一位鄰座的美國太太，花白著頭髮，戴著垂下銀鍊的那種眼鏡，輕輕地過來摟住我顫抖得很厲害的肩膀，不斷地拍著，很有耐心地說：『不哭，不哭，我在這裡陪你！（Ｉ　ａｍ　ｈｅｒｅ　ｆｏｒ　ｙｏｕ！）』

那個氛圍，是如此完整，戲裡戲外，構築成一個我永世不能忘懷的回憶。

那是我第二次在戲院的後台等候演員的簽名。

那一晚，準備獻花合影的，還有許多人，但我心知肚明，除了我，他們都是衝著伍迪艾倫來的。

當然，這並不影響到我。我耐心地等著，空著手，那個手掌在發抖。

「艾波小姐」人近中年，比劇中的角色小一些，但也沒年輕太多。她一眼就認出我：『是你在哭嗎？聲音很大，我在臺上有聽到。』

我窘得面紅耳赤：『糟糕，吵了妳演出？』

『沒事沒事，離天塌下來還有一段距離呢！別忘了，我是職業演員。』她輕鬆地開著玩笑。

我們避開伍迪艾倫，順勢往蘇活區的方向轉去。我的菲律賓同伴，老早回家趕作業了。

『倒是很想聽你說說看…』艾波小姐像對待一個極熟的朋友，溫暖地把手搭上我的臂彎：『是哪個部份讓你哭成那樣…嗯…那樣傷心？』

『在寂寞中放棄等候，卻在放棄之後，瞭解其實有個人正在為妳趕來。』我真的非常沒出息，這句話，我沒辦法整個講完，那個哽咽，又塞到氣管，嗆住了，差點窒息。

她拍著我咳嗽的背，阻住了我再繼續說：『別再說了。懂了，就好了。就希望懂了以後，就能夠避開了。』

坦白講，我不是很瞭解她的後半句話。

『我留我的電話給你，倘若有一天，也有這樣的情緒發生了，你記得要打我的電話。』她微笑說著，在我的劇目表上，寫下一串號碼。

忘了當天是否我也留給她我的號碼。

但對於這個女子，不論是台上台下，這輩子，再沒有哪個偉大的明星能夠取代了。

至於那個電話號碼，我始終留著，卻一次也不曾打過。

我想，不論我或她，應該都慶幸，我們依舊努力地，生趣昂揚地，在過著我們的人生。

我們不斷在和不同的人相遇，倔強地相信著：不管是否寂寞或孤獨，每一個相遇的人，都是誠摯熱烈地，為你一路迢遙趕來的人！

實在很想再次跟妳說一聲：謝謝您！艾波小姐！


本文章刊登於2006年十一月號
皇冠雜誌　一個台客在紐約　專欄

Free Hugs

很早就看到的短片, 也是我早早收進Favorite list 的其中之一. 當初最喜歡的, 是它的歌詞.
網路上有心人特意放了完整歌詞上去.

"All the same" -- Sick Puppies

I don't mind where you come from
As long as you come to me
I don't like illusions I can't see
Them clearly

I don't care no I wouldn't dare
To fix the twist in you
You've shown me eventually
What you'll do

I don't mind…I don't care…
As long are you're here

Go ahead tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

Hours slide and days go by
Till you decide to come
And in between it always seems too long
All of a sudden

And I have the skill, yeah I have the will
To breathe you in while I can
However long you stay
Is all that I am

I don't mind…I don't care…
As long are you're here

Go ahead tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's always the same

Wrong or right
Black or white
If I close my eyes
I's all the same

In my life
The compromise
I close my eyes
It's all the same

Go ahead say it you're leaving
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

http://rodrigosoto.zaadz.com/blog/2006/10/sick_puppies_all_the_same_-_song_lyrics_to_juan_mann_video

開頭那幾句就足夠讓人家飆淚啦~~~~
"I don't mind where you come from,
As long as you come to me.........
I don't mind, I don't care, as long as you're here...."

看完影片, 有種滿滿的感動. 情緒整個都被帶上來了, 很激動但卻很溫暖. 下面的故事大約只說了一半, 他沒有提到的是 Free Hugs was Banned. 既然被禁止了, 大家就來連署吧! 鏡頭隨著人群轉動, 連署也越來越多. 民意請願最後終於成功, 連警察杯杯都來抱抱了. 我覺得令我感動的是那個過程, 大家願意為了這樣的事而停下腳步, 幫忙連署, 紀錄片忠實的呈現努力的過程, 觀者也跟著他們的腳步一起前進. Need a Hug?

=====================
無聊小事足以改變世界

大穎文化　總編輯∕Carol 謝


有一個很有趣的網站YouTube。在這裡有很多人拍了一些很有意思的短片放上去讓大家欣賞，會員來自世界各地，題材各式各樣。我時常拉著荳芽跟我一起在這個網站上看一些讓人哭的、笑的短片。

有一個短片名為「Free Hugs」，短短四分鐘左右，卻吸引了無數人目光。



影片一開始是一個嬉皮打扮的年輕人手上拿著一個牌子高高頂在頭上，向路人展示。牌子上寫的是FREE HUGS（照荳芽的翻譯是：抱一抱！免錢！）。荳芽一看到他的牌子就哈哈大笑。影片裡的年輕人這時可笑不出來，在悠揚的配樂聲中，他獨自一個人舉著牌子在來來往往的人群中踱步，沒人來跟他抱一下，有的人看他一眼、躲得遠遠的走開，有的人根本連看也不看他。後來一個矮小的老婆婆在他面前停住，高大的年輕人單膝跪下來，這才跟老婆婆一般高。一直有音樂，所以我們無法聽見老婆婆跟他說什麼，反正老婆婆就是跟他抱了！

抱一抱。老婆婆笑了。還用手輕輕捏了一下年輕人的臉頰。年輕人也笑了。一旁一個年輕小姐見了，也上來抱抱了……

之後，歌聲漸漸變得愈來愈激昂。很多經過的路人一個個都來跟年輕人抱抱。大家抱的方式都不一樣，有的擺出相撲選手的架勢後、猛撲上去抱，有的先助跑後、狠狠的跳上去抱，還有一個孩子先從遠處滑著滑板衝上來、凌空躍起、抱。每一個擁抱的人，都笑了。

後來電視來採訪了，記者們也抱一下。圍觀的群眾，當然也抱。一直抱到影片結束。我再也記不起有多少人用多少不同的方式擁抱，只深深感受到──溫暖的感動。我連結到這個年輕人的網站去看。哇！很轟動。連美國脫口秀名主持人歐普拉都請他上過節目了。

這個叫Juan Mann的年輕人是個英國人，他說有一陣子他諸事不順，他從國外搭機回倫敦，在機場，他看到很多旅人一下機就有親人朋友來接機，他們擁抱、微笑、親吻。只有他孑然一身。很孤單。

然後，他覺得他很需要一個擁抱。於是，他做了一個牌子，上面寫著「Free Hugs」，走到路上去。這就是我們後來看到的影片內容……

第一個跟他抱抱的老婆婆原來那一天也很難過，她的小狗剛剛過世了。她看到年輕人的Free Hugs牌子，也覺得自己需要跟人抱抱、被安慰一下，便上前去跟Juan說她的難過，然後抱抱。

這個「Free Hugs」現在已經變成一個在全世界進行的運動了。我看到韓國、美國、俄羅斯、巴西、菲律賓……很多國家的年輕人拍了自己的「Free Hugs」放上網去，配上不同的配樂，用自己的方式表現「Free Hugs」的友愛精神。

一個悲傷的年輕人的無聊舉動，竟演變成一股足以影響世界的力量。你能說這世界不神奇嗎？我把這個片子介紹給荳芽看，跟她說：「可不要小看妳無聊時做的一件小好事呢！」荳芽拿起我的一本無字書，看圖說故事……

她說：「有一個小孩…妳看！他很無聊、呆呆看著窗戶外面。他就去跟媽媽要錢、跑出去買麵包。才剛剛咬一口，他看到一個瘦巴巴的老爺爺躺在公園的椅子上睡覺。老爺爺好可憐，沒有家，還睡在公園。那個小孩子就把麵包放在老爺爺旁邊，回家去了。老爺爺醒了，好開心看到麵包，因為他很餓了。他吃的時候，看到小鳥，就分一點點給小鳥吃，鳥爸爸鳥媽媽就把麵包帶一點回家去餵他們的小baby，鳥baby吃了麵包就一直長大、長大……然後飛出去玩玩。鳥baby飛到公園，遇見老爺爺，老爺爺給牠一顆種子，鳥baby就飛走了，牠飛到那個小孩家的窗戶旁邊，停下來休息，種子不小心掉下去了，後來下雨了，種子就一直長大、長大，變成很漂亮的一朵花。那個很無聊的小孩看到花，就說：『哇！好漂亮！』就笑了……」

這本書，我們給它一個名字，叫《一個神奇的善意》。它一個字都沒有。你卻隱約可以聽到它用一種很溫柔的、讓人聽了會想找一個人好好抱抱的聲音，說故事……

荳芽指著這書的英文原名問我：「為什麼它叫A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS？」

人生，是一個圓。你給出去的，會再回到你身上來。所以，我的回答是：「荳芽，妳想要什麼，就先給別人什麼……」--

let it snow!

昨天晚上氣溫驟降, 走在圖書館的路上就在低咕著, 明天不知道天氣如何? 果不期然, 一覺醒來, 哇哈哈, 窗外一片雪白. 又下雪啦. :) 看起來就如同一般的冬日景色，開玩笑，我們可是住過雪地的. 昨天剛開學第一天，今天學校就很配合的停課啦.　噗. 煮了一鍋黑胡椒牛肉，　晚上再來煮和風牛暔. 　幸虧手腳快，　把所有譜啊書啊通通搬回家，　不然連圖書館都關了就真的沒戲唱了.　寒假倒是很快樂的看完交響情人夢，花樣少年少女，Hustle，Click, Night at the Museum, 4400, 現在正要邁向House 第二季. 別說要片子啊, 我也是只有一部分.這些都馬是在youtube上面看的，絕對是跟台灣同步啦~~~~　

有時想想，跟現在的老師其實是不錯的．她很嚴，超級organized, 不斷的把妳丟出去演出，一直在背後鞭策，但也鼓勵學生多交流，大家一起變更好.　像是前陣子剛彈完一場音樂會，email馬上又來了.　真的是一刻不得閒．　我知道對學音樂的人來說，紀律是絕對重要的原則. 在這個老師身上，我確實 "看見" 這樣的法則．就連她家裡和喙養的貓咪都是這樣. 所以每次打開琴房大門，洶湧的練琴聲便滔滔響起，瞬間把你淹沒. 那種找不到琴房的壓力，會一直到有琴房才暫時舒緩. 表演藝術，尤其是需要面對舞台的行業，是和其他藝術產業很不一樣的. 以前會很忿忿不平的認為，美術這東西，我畫了幾筆，模子灌好，至少它是有一部分存在.　練琴相較起來就很沒保障.　有練不一定有滿意的成果，沒練就一定沒有結果. 練一半又丟著也不會有部分成果出現，終究會兩手空空． 現在還是這樣認為啊.....(茶~~~)　根本就是自己心裡不平衡嗎！（笑　音樂家的焦慮就是得不斷不斷的練習，練習音樂，練習演出. 唯有這樣，當你面對觀眾的瞬間，才能真正的傳達你想說話.

扯遠了．不管，先去解救我家小銀再說．　這麼多天低溫，又是結冰又是下雪下雨，外面的冰都不知道結幾吋啦~~~　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Kyra Phillips of CNN on David Letterman - Top 10 List

結果剛看完感性的演講, 馬上轉為搞笑..... 哇哈哈哈, 最近還被說, 有一部分野田妹的特質...這是褒還是貶?...... I'll take that as a complement. :)reason 2, 5, 6 都很好笑, I'm so agree with her first excuse!

不知道這原由的人, 得先看過這段影片


Kyra Phillips of CNN on David Letterman - Top 10 List

Martin Luther King Holiday

Do the right things in the right day. 笑. 在學校關門, 路面結冰, 已經要把家裡打掃乾淨, 早上的太陽又消失的情況下, 來玩個網路吧順便煮個飯好了! XD. 唉呀呀, 明天要上開學, 馬上要上鋼琴, 緊張緊張啊~~~

前陣子到了DC 玩耍一下, 看到了各個著名的行政機關, 像是FBI, Capital, White House, Memorial Monument, Lincoln center, Kennedy center... 在Youtube 的加持下? 順利找到完整版本的 I have a dream. It's a really powerful and touch speech, it really can bring a country to his knee....... 有興趣的人, 大概在12'22''左右, 就是最著名的"I have a dream" 開始.

The full version of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream"

get a life. 嗯

寒假

記: 嚇使人audition, DC 走馬看花, 在老師家練琴兼看門小童,當五隻貓咪的新寵物, 音樂會, 開車亂跑, 回家.

腦袋中盤旋著太多思緒, 一本書, 一部電影, 一句對白, 一篇文章, 一首曲子, 老朋友的電話, 凌亂的物品,常恍神. 喜歡文字, 像是呼吸空氣般不要命的閱讀著. 太多思緒壓在心中, 腦袋亂轟轟的像是死大學生在開party 一樣. 一個人靜靜的走著, 就連在Walmart 這樣鬧轟轟地方也有安靜的氛圍被我營造出來. 繼續沒買到檯燈燈泡. 最好是上學期唸太認真把燈泡給燒了. 房租號稱有付cable 卻只能收到一台. 至少還有得看CSI. 啊! 嚇禮拜要上鋼琴!

然後今天從68F掉到34F, 明天最高溫是33F, 之後一路往下掉. 會下雪嘛? 先來點冰吧! 呵.