美国国家公共电台 NPR--Pianist Chad Lawson seeks to heal in new album

Pianist Chad Lawson seeks to heal in new album

Transcript¹

Can music improve mental health? Pianist and composer Chad Lawson thinks so.

His new double album, breathe, released Friday to coincide with National Suicide Prevention and Awareness² Month. Recorded at the legendary³ Beatles studio Abbey Road, it features members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, violinist Esther Yoo and cellist-composer Peter Gregson. These collaborative pieces form the first part of the album, with the rest comprised of solo piano versions of the same works, as well as additional ones.

"Irreplaceable," which came out as an EP earlier this year, opens the Decca Records U.S. release. "It's not a void that you're trying to fill. It's something that you're trying to cherish," Lawson told Morning Edition host Rachel Martin after playing the piece in NPR's performance studio. "The idea of remembering what's irreplaceable in your life to get us through those hard seasons."

It's an invitation to hit pause on the hustle⁴ and bustle⁵ of life, to reflect. "It's amazing that it took a pandemic for us to actually stop and realize what life am I living right now," Lawson said. "It's all about being able to be present in that moment."

Lawson, who aims to make his music accessible, said his biggest audience sits in the 18 to 28 age group, and his work has already been streamed some 500 million times worldwide. Amateur pianists can even download the sheet music for some of his pieces to try to give it a go at their keyboard or piano at home.

Lawson described his composition process as centered around a given melody per piece, stepping away for about a month, then listening to the music again while reading, which gives him fresh inspiration. "So usually the song will tell me what the story is afterwards," he said.

In the case of "fields of forever," the throughline came to him during the recording⁶ session with Gregson and Yoo. Lawson recalled: "The red light is on. We're recording this song. And then all of a sudden, I started getting memories, these images of my mom and dad... just everyday moments, be it a picnic or maybe just driving on the parkway."

When Lawson's performances got cancelled during the pandemic, he turned to his work as a yoga instructor⁷ and breathing coach, launching the meditation⁸ podcast Calm It Down after fans said his music helped them cope with their anxiety and struggles. "Music is meant to heal," he explained. "The music that I do is something that's going to be able to calm someone with whatever they're going through."

Lawson has no training as a therapist, but his listeners reach out with stories of major mental health struggles, from sexual abuse to suicide.

"Even though I'm not licensed⁹, I'm not a doctor by any stretch, I am conversational," Lawson said. "And I think that's what people are looking for right now. I think they're looking for something that isn't too too heavy, that isn't a burden to listen to, that offers a little bit of hope."

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 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 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。

4 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

5 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

8 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

9 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？