美国国家公共电台 NPR--For pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Ukraine war adds urgency to his most personal work

For pianist Vadim Neselovskyi, Ukraine war adds urgency to his most personal work

Transcript¹

During his first few years in the United States, as a virtuoso² pianist and composer studying at the Berklee College of Music two decades ago, Vadim Neselovskyi was often asked about his origins. "I would say, 'I'm from Odesa,' or even 'I'm from Russia,' " he recalls, "because nobody knew what Ukraine was."

His evocative new solo piano suite³, Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary⁴ City, enters the world at quite a different moment. Mostly recorded in 2020, long before the current Russian invasion, it's an elegant love letter to his father, a Ukrainian Jew who was dying of cancer as Neselovskyi composed the music. Because it's also a portrait of the culturally rich city of his youth, currently the target of a Russian naval⁵ blockade, the album has other reasons to resonate in a poignant⁶ key.

Neselovskyi was born in Odesa, the Southern Ukrainian port city, one month after the 1977 Constitution of the Soviet⁷ Union was ratified⁸ by the Communist party under Leonid Brezhnev. "I grew up basically in a dictatorship," Neselovskyi tells NPR, speaking over video from his mother's home in Dortmund, Germany, where his family moved when he was 17. His early life in Odesa, a cosmopolitan⁹ city on the Black Sea, had shaped his foundation as a classical piano prodigy¹⁰. "Waltz of Odesa Conservatory," a piece on the new album, recalls his experience as the youngest student in that institution's venerable history.

As he settled into life in the west, Neselovskyi began to understand the freedoms, both civic¹¹ and creative, that he had never known. By the time he arrived at Berklee, he was as serious about jazz improvisation¹² as he was about classical composition. His synthesis of those two elements, at that stage in his development, instantly caught the ear of Gary Burton, an illustrious vibraphonist who was Berklee's Dean of Curriculum at the time. Burton, a former child prodigy himself, came up in the 1960s alongside future piano titans Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett. Even against that imposing¹³ yardstick¹⁴, he says, Neselovskyi stood out: "He's able to drift back and forth¹⁵ between classical and jazz more seamlessly than anyone I have heard before."

Burton formed a group around the considerable talents of Neselovskyi and several other Berklee students at the time: guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer James Williams. This quintet released a 2005 album, Next Generation, under Burton's name. When I caught the band at Birdland the following year, I took note of Neselovskyi's delicate touch at the piano, along with his deft¹⁶ hand as an arranger.

At the time, Ukraine was in the midst of a groundswell of democratic protests known as the Orange Revolution. Neselovskyi was paying close attention from afar, and he noticed that others were, too. "I remember, I had a duo concert with Esperanza Spalding at the Sony Center in New York," he says, "and at the reception, that was the first time that people were saying: 'So, you're from Ukraine.' I started to realize that Ukraine is becoming something more than just this obscure post-Soviet Republic, you know? And then I started coming to Ukraine regularly, and I saw that my friends were experiencing something very new — this feeling that democracy means having something to say about the way the country is going."

Neselovskyi continued his studies at the Thelonious Monk¹⁷ Institute for Jazz Performance, working with mentors¹⁸ like Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock. And he amassed¹⁹ other prominent admirers — like Fred Hersch, who produced his 2013 solo piano album, Music For September, declaring him "one of the greatest pianist/composers out there right now."

By that time, Neselovskyi had established a deeper relationship with his homeland, as well as a position on the piano faculty²⁰ at Berklee. When Russia invaded and annexed²¹ Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, he recalls, "I happened to have a student at Berklee whose father is the main opposition²² journalist in Ukraine. So I would get the news firsthand. And my God, I really got involved." He sees this as the moment "where I perhaps really became Ukrainian."

Neselovskyi's new suite reflects this heightened cultural identification, sometimes in autobiographical terms; a piece titled "My First Rock Concert" is about precisely²³ that, incorporating a scrap²⁴ of melody by the Russian rock star Viktor Tsoi, whom Neselovskyi saw as a teenager in Odesa's Shevchenko Park. Elsewhere the references are less personal, as in "Potemkin Stairs," a frenetically humming composition inspired not only by the landmark²⁵ stairway in Odesa but also the iconic sequence in Sergei Eisenstein's film Battleship Potemkin.

Another piece, "Odesa 1941," evokes²⁶ a moment with chilling parallels to our own. "Back in 1941, Odesa was occupied by Romanian troops under the guidance of the SS, the Nazis," Neselovskyi says. "And now the city has been attacked from the other side — but the feelings, the emotions are the same. The only difference is that we were looking at black-and-white photography, and now we're looking at the video footage." He brings this conflict to life with a thunderous sweep of atonal²⁷ explosions at the piano, tapering²⁸ off to an eerie²⁹, decaying calm.

As a Ukrainian watching horrific events unfold over the last several months, Neselovskyi felt the understandable urge to go home, take up arms and join the fight. "Then I realized that by playing one concert and sometimes raising 50,000 euros, I can do more than I would as a very inexperienced soldier," he says. Neselovskyi has donated the proceeds from his new album and concert revenue to humanitarian³⁰ relief in Ukraine. Since the war began, he has performed dozens of benefits in the United States and in Europe, where his bookings have ranged from jazz clubs to churches to refugee centers. "Everywhere, Ukrainian refugees always came to me with tears," he says. "Because for them, this was the music about what they just experienced."

As a result of his commitment, Neselovskyi has raised north of $100,000 and counting, all before the album's release this Friday. It's a remarkable³¹ sum for a jazz pianist to contribute, but he's aware of how dire³² the need is, and will continue to be.

"I know that it's 'before' and 'after' for me right now," he says. "It might as well take basically the rest of my life — and processing what's happened will take all of us the rest of our lives, I think."

Vadim Neselovskyi will perform on Friday at the Salmagundi Club in New York, and on Saturday at the David Friend Recital³³ Hall in Boston; see his website for details.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 virtuoso   

n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家，行家里手

参考例句：

• He was gaining a reputation as a remarkable virtuoso.作为一位技艺非凡的大师，他声誉日隆。
• His father was a virtuoso horn player who belonged to the court orchestra.他的父亲是宫廷乐队中一个技巧精湛的圆号演奏家。

3 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

4 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

9 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

10 prodigy   

n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆

参考例句：

• She was a child prodigy on the violin.她是神童小提琴手。
• He was always a Negro prodigy who played barbarously and wonderfully.他始终是一个黑人的奇才，这种奇才弹奏起来粗野而惊人。

11 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

12 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。

13 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

14 yardstick   

n.计算标准，尺度；评价标准

参考例句：

• This is a yardstick for measuring whether a person is really progressive.这是衡量一个人是否真正进步的标准。
• She was a yardstick against which I could measure my achievements.她是一个我可以用来衡量我的成就的准绳。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 deft   

adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手）

参考例句：

• The pianist has deft fingers.钢琴家有灵巧的双手。
• This bird,sharp of eye and deft of beak,can accurately peck the flying insects in the air.这只鸟眼疾嘴快，能准确地把空中的飞虫啄住。

17 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

18 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网

19 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

21 annexed   

[法] 附加的，附属的

参考例句：

• Germany annexed Austria in 1938. 1938年德国吞并了奥地利。
• The outlying villages were formally annexed by the town last year. 那些偏远的村庄于去年正式被并入该镇。

22 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

23 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

24 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

25 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

26 evokes   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• Each type evokes antibodies which protect against the homologous. 每一种类型都能产生抗同种病毒的抗体。

27 atonal   

adj.无调的

参考例句：

• The majority always turn an unfavorable attitude towards atonal composition.大多数人对无调性作品的态度往往是不能接受的。
• People did not accept atonal music at that time.那时，人们还不接受无调性音乐。

28 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

29 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

30 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

31 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

32 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

33 recital   

n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会

参考例句：

• She is going to give a piano recital.她即将举行钢琴独奏会。
• I had their total attention during the thirty-five minutes that my recital took.在我叙述的35分钟内，他们完全被我吸引了。