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1、OnaJanuaryeveningoftheearlyseventies,ChristineNilssonwassinginginFaustattheAcademyofMusicinNewYork.70年代初一個一月的晚上,克里斯廷·尼爾森在紐約音樂院演唱歌劇《浮士德》。Thoughtherewasalreadytalkoftheerection,inremotemetropolitandistances"abovetheForties,"ofanewOperaHousewhichshouldcompeteincostlinessandspl
2、endourwiththoseofthegreatEuropeancapitals,theworldoffashionwasstillcontenttoreassembleeverywinterintheshabbyredandgoldboxesofthesociableoldAcademy.Conservativescherisheditforbeingsmallandinconvenient,andthuskeepingoutthe"newpeople"whomNewYorkwasbeginningtodreadandyetbedrawn
3、to;andthesentimentalclungtoitforitshistoricassociations,andthemusicalforitsexcellentacoustics,alwayssoproblematicaqualityinhallsbuiltforthehearingofmusic.雖然人們早就議論要在第40街以北的遠郊興建一座新的歌劇院,其造價與壯觀將和歐洲那些著名首都的歌劇院媲美,然而上流社會卻依然滿足于每年冬天在這座歷史悠久的音樂院紅黃兩色的舊包廂里進行社交聚會。保守派的人們欣賞它的窄小不便,這樣可以把紐約社會開
4、始懼怕但又為之吸引的“新人”拒之門外;多愁善感的人們因為它引起許多歷史的聯(lián)想而對它戀戀不舍;而音樂愛好者則留戀它精美的音響效果。在專為欣賞音樂而修建的廳堂中,音響效果向來都是個棘手的質(zhì)量問題。ItwasMadameNilsson'sfirstappearancethatwinter,andwhatthedailypresshadalreadylearnedtodescribeas"anexceptionallybrilliantaudience"hadgatheredtohearher,transportedthroughtheslipper
5、y,snowystreetsinprivatebroughams,inthespaciousfamilylandau,orinthehumblerbutmoreconvenient"Browncoupe"TocometotheOperainaBrowncoupewasalmostashonourableawayofarrivingasinone'sowncarriage;anddeparturebythesamemeanshadtheimmenseadvantageofenablingone(withaplayfulallusiontodem
6、ocraticprinciples)toscrambleintothefirstBrownconveyanceintheline,insteadofwaitingtillthecold-and-gincongestednoseofone'sowncoachmangleamedundertheporticooftheAcademy.Itwasoneofthegreatlivery-stableman'smostmasterlyintuitionstohavediscoveredthatAmericanswanttogetawayfromamus
7、ementevenmorequicklythantheywanttogettoit.這是尼爾森夫人當(dāng)年冬天的首場演出。那些被日報稱為“超凡脫俗的聽眾”已經(jīng)云集來聽她的演唱。他們或乘私人馬車、或乘寬敞的家庭雙篷馬車、或者乘檔次較低卻更為便利的“布朗四輪馬車”,經(jīng)過溜滑多雪的街道來到了這里。乘坐布朗馬車來聽歌劇,幾乎跟坐自己的馬車一樣體面;而且,離開劇場時還有極大的優(yōu)越性(對民主原則開一句玩笑):你可以搶先登上線路上第一輛布朗馬車,而不用等待自己的那因寒冷和烈酒而充血的紅鼻子車夫在音樂院門廊下面顯現(xiàn)。美國人想離開娛樂場所比想去的時候更加迫切,這可
8、是那位了不起的馬車行店主憑絕妙的直覺獲得的偉大發(fā)現(xiàn)。WhenNewlandArcheropenedthedooratthebackoftheclubboxthecu