美国国家公共电台 NPR Hammered: Pounding Out The Excess In Mahler's Sixth Symphony

Hammered: Pounding Out The Excess In Mahler's Sixth Symphony

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0007:37repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. (SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: 

In a week in which many people were shocked and surprised by a news event, maestra Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler's 6th Symphony, replete² with cowbells and hammer blows. Marin Alsop joins us now from the studios of WYPR in Baltimore. Marin, thanks very much for being back with us.

MARIN ALSOP: Great to be here, Scott. Thanks.

SIMON: And you are joined, I understand, by the distinguished³ BSO percussion⁴ player John Locke.

JOHN LOCKE: Thank you for inviting⁵ me.

SIMON: And nice to meet you, Mr. Locke. Could we hear a cowbell?

(SOUNDBITE OF COWBELL)

SIMON: Thank you. Thank you. We'll get to that explanation. We were just listening to a recording⁶ of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. Do you think, Marin, that Mahler's 6th just somehow fits our times?

ALSOP: It couldn't be more perfect, especially for this week, where we've had so much upheaval⁷, so much conflict. And we've come to a place that we didn't expect at all. And that's what this Mahler symphony is all about.

SIMON: John Locke, how do cowbells come into the symphony?

LOCKE: Well, the cowbells are placed in a bucolic⁸ passage. You have the imagery of this small town in the distance. And there are church bells ringing. Then the cowbells enter and bring the listener to this very special place.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

ALSOP: A hundred years ago, I think this would've immediately brought people into their childhoods or, you know, an afternoon out in the country if they didn't live in the country. And so it was a reference, I think, to a better life or an idyllic⁹ existence.

SIMON: And, John Locke, I guess I've been kidding you a bit about the cowbells. But they're still musical instruments - the way you use them, right? You just can't stand up and - forgive me - shake it.

LOCKE: Well, that's been one of the problems. If they're not shaken properly and not imitative enough, it sounds like the junk man coming down the road...

SIMON: (Laughter).

LOCKE: ...Rather than this beautiful scene out in a meadow.

SIMON: Let's listen to a bit of the second movement now.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

ALSOP: I think the beauty of Mahler was his ability to really splice¹⁰ moods. So this movement, the scherzo movement, goes from this very demonic kind of orchestration and approach to this very lighthearted, almost party-like atmosphere.

SIMON: We will move ahead to the last movement 'cause this is where the hammer blows are.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

SIMON: John Locke, do we know what Mahler had in mind when he scored this?

LOCKE: Mahler suggested that it was to imitate the sound of an axe¹¹ striking a piece of wood or lightning striking a tree. Those are great images. But the actual act of doing those things does not produce the sound that Mahler wanted.

In the first performance, in rehearsals¹², he went backstage and, you know, smacked¹³ the box a couple of times and was furious and stormed off into his dressing¹⁴ room, saying, this isn't what I want. This is - I need a bigger sound. I need more.

ALSOP: But I think he'd get what he wanted this week for sure (laughter).

LOCKE: Well, I tried to do that.

ALSOP: So John actually built this, Scott.

SIMON: It's a box.

ALSOP: He built the box.

LOCKE: It's a box. But it's made of maple¹⁵. It's 3 feet by 3 feet by about a meter tall. And it has a port in it like a subwoofer would have - basically shakes the entire symphony hall.

SIMON: And you have a - you have a hammer artist there, I gather.

ALSOP: I do. I brought my star percussionist¹⁶. This is Brian Prechtl.

SIMON: How do you do, Mr. Prechtl?

BRIAN PRECHTL: Very good. Thanks for having me.

SIMON: And you tell people, yeah, I play the hammer for Marin Alsop?

(LAUGHTER)

PRECHTL: That's right. That's my soul-calling card. No, as percussionists, we're called on to do a variety of things. That's actually one of the greatest things about being a percussionist.

SIMON: How do you go about performing?

PRECHTL: This particular spot is incredibly climactic. So there is a lot of energy in the room. I'd say there's a lot of adrenaline, too, because, you know, you know you're the focal point. And, basically, everybody on the stage, short of 100 people, are going to come together at this one moment.

It's an interesting moment because I'm used to always following whatever Marin does. But I know when I get that ax going that she's kind of - we're kind of doing this together...

ALSOP: Yeah.

PRECHTL: ...Because, you know, there's no way for me to make a slight adjustment. Once you start this long arc, you know, when it hits - we've been right on the money so far this week. So it's a very easy moment, actually, to play in terms of executing. But, you know, there's some exposure.

ALSOP: (Laughter) Yeah, no kidding.

SIMON: I understand our friends at the BSO have provided us with a recording. So let's hear the hammer.

(SOUNDBITE OF HAMMER BLOW)

SIMON: Ah. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: It just...

PRECHTL: It sounds far louder than that when you're standing¹⁷ next to it, I can assure you.

SIMON: I gather we also have a recording of the Vienna Philharmonic. And here's how they used, I guess, another hammer.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

ALSOP: For Mahler, every symphony he wrote - he said it had to contain the world. And this is a symphony to me about fate and the inescapability ability of fate. You know, we all face the ultimate fate. We will all die. And Mahler is already thinking about that, even though he's only 36 years old.

And I think the fact that these hammer blows - you know, because he couldn't express enough. I mean, we've got 120 people on stage. And we're making a lot of noise. But even in 1906, it wasn't enough. He can't get our attention enough. It's a very depressed¹⁸ kind of ending with sort of one last shock...

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

ALSOP: ...One last outcry in a way. I think it's something that we can all relate to in the world we live in today because we live in a world that is filled with spectacle and fear. And, you know, because we have these nuclear weapons, I have that sense that Mahler knew this was coming.

SIMON: Marin Alsop is music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - also joined by John Locke, who's a percussionist, and Brian Prechtl, who is the hammer.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMON: The BSO will perform Mahler's 6th Symphony tonight. Thanks very much for being with us.

ALSOP: Pleasure, Scott. It's always great to talk to you. And thanks to my percussion section for joining me.

PRECHTL: Thank you for having us.

LOCKE: Thank you. Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S "SYMPHONY NO. 6")

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 replete   

adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁

参考例句：

• He was replete with food and drink.他吃喝得饱饱的。
• This immense space may be replete with happiness and glory.这巨大的空间可能充满了幸福和光荣。

3 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

4 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

5 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

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 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

8 bucolic   

adj.乡村的；牧羊的

参考例句：

• It is a bucolic refuge in the midst of a great bustling city.它是处在繁华的大城市之中的世外桃源。
• She turns into a sweet country girl surrounded by family,chickens and a bucolic landscape.她变成了被家人、鸡与乡村景象所围绕的甜美乡村姑娘。

9 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

10 splice   

v.接合，衔接；n.胶接处，粘接处

参考例句：

• He taught me to edit and splice film.他教我剪辑和粘接胶片。
• The film will be spliced with footage of Cypress Hill to be filmed in America.这部电影要和将在美国拍摄的柏树山乐队的音乐片段粘接在一起。

11 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

12 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 smacked   

拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smacked his lips but did not utter a word. 他吧嗒两下嘴，一声也不言语。
• She smacked a child's bottom. 她打孩子的屁股。

14 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

15 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

16 percussionist   

n.打击乐器演奏者

参考例句：

• She overcame her deafness and eventually became a successful percussionist. 她克服了耳聋的毛病，最后当了打击乐队敲打手。 来自辞典例句
• For many years I practiced these techniques as a professional percussionist in jazz and new music. 许多年来作为一个职业的爵士乐和新音乐演奏者我不断实践着。 来自互联网

17 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

18 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。