[節譯] Brendel on Furtwangler

[eaquson (海鮮雙手捲)]

"Furtwängler"
From Music Sounded Out
ISBN 0-374-21651-7
Alfred Brendel


Wilhelm Furtwängler was the performing musician who, more than any other,
provided me with the criteria for judging a performance. Not that I knew him
personally; my career had just begun when Furtwängler's ended, and
partnership with a great conductor of his age would have been no easy matter
for a youngster anyway. But I had heard several of his concerts in Vienna,
Salzburg, and Lucerne, as well as a number of opera performances. These, and
the records and tapes which since that time have kept me in touch with his
conducting, have remained for me a most important source of reference as to
what music-making is about.

是Wilhelm Furtwangler，而不是其他音樂演奏者，提供我檢驗演出的標準。並非我個人
認識他；我的演出生涯在他的演出生涯結束時才剛開始，而與他那個年紀偉大的指揮家合
作對一個年輕人而言無論如何是不容易的。但是我曾經在維也納，薩爾茨堡，與盧賽恩聽
過幾場他的音樂會，以及幾場歌劇演出。這些演出以及唱片，錄音帶自那時開始就使我持
續接觸他的指揮，對我來說一直是如何作音樂的重要參考。

The greatness of Furtwängler the conductor is, I think, best appreciated if
one disregards Furtwängler the composer, the writer of essays, letters or
diaries, the thinker (outside of the purely musical sphere), the German
patriot, as well as the person 'political' and 'non-political', childish and
sophisticated, magnetic and absurdly irritable. Those who believe that the
character of a musician has to be as elevating as the best of his
music-making need read no further -- a lot of great music will elude them. A
young intellectual who, in conversation with Alban Berg, complained about
Wagner's character was told by Berg: 'For you, as a non-musician, nothing
could be easier than to condemn him.' Unlike Wagner, Furtwängler hardly
qualifies as a villain. Yet I shall have to dissociate myself from some of
his views, above all from his obsession with the overwhelming importance of
German soul and spirit -- that conviction about being chosen which, according
to the eminent Zionist leader Nahum Goldmann, was, ironically, for some time
a belief common to both Germans and Jews. ['Both peoples have been of
importance in world history; but they have also felt, and feel, their own
importance to an unusual degree. Being excessively aware of their importance,
they take pride in it as well.' (Nahum Goldmann, 'Warum der Nazi-Schock nicht
enden darf', Die Zeit, 2 February 1979.)]


Then there is Furtwängler's belief, derived from Goethe, that 'the very
great is never new', and his clinging to tonal harmony, to the heritage of
the classical and romantic symphony, to popular intelligibility -- even in
the case of new compositions -- which in the end blinded him to the
achievements of twentieth-century music, and made him overestimate his own.
His definition of a composer as 'one who can write his own folksong' suggests
a dangerous affinity with those who regard music as a controllable political
tool.


Furtwängler considered himself primarily a composer, and repeatedly spoke of
the day when he would finally stop conducting in order to do something truly
worthwhile. But it was not merely a matter of chance that this wish remained
unfulfilled. There was, of course, the fact that Furtwängler had been
successful as a conductor, whereas he remained relatively unnoticed as a
composer; but there must also have been a critical instinct within him which
told him that, notwithstanding his belief in himself as a composer,
conducting was where his powers of persuasion lay. All we need to know about
his compositions is that they helped him to look at the works he conducted
from a composer's point of view.


To those of us who do not seek access to music via the detour of literature,
philosophy or ideology, Furtwängler remains indispensable. If Furtwängler
had not existed, we would have had to invent him. He was the conductor under
whose guidance a piece of music emerged as something complete, alive in all
its layers, every detail justified by its breathing relevance to the whole.
The prejudice among some English-speaking critics that Furtwängler, carried
away by the musical moment, sacrificed unity and cohesion, is more untrue of
him than of anybody else. No conductor was, in his greatest performances,
freer yet less eccentric. No other musician in my experience conveyed so
strongly the feeling that the fate of the piece (and of its performance) was
sealed with its first bar, and that its destiny would be fulfilled by the
last. Spontaneously varied as Furtwängler's performances sometimes were,
they always seemed to grow from the seed of their beginning: they sounded
'natural', if one grants that the artist proceeds in a manner analogous to
nature.


In an age such as ours which is fascinated by language and linguistics it is
easy to forget that organized thinking is possible without the help of words.
On his own purely musical grounds, Furtwängler the conductor strikes me as a
'thinker' second to none; as a writer on music, on the other hand, I rarely
find him satisfying. 'I cannot,' as he says himself, 'get involved with a
work in order to demonstrate it reasonably and with love -- and at the same
time talk about it.' Yet there are a few instances where his words do reflect
his musical task.



It is necessary that both the detail and the whole have gone through the
performer's emotions. There are some who can feel a single phrase; only a few
who can grasp the complete line of an extended melody; and nearly none who
can do justice to the total context of that veritable whole which every
masterpiece represents. There is, however, a way of dealing with compositions
-- overly practical and therefore universally adopted these days -- which
does not even attempt emotional involvement. It presents the bare facts
without their meaning.

讓細節與整體通過演奏者的情感來表現是必要的。有些人可以對一個樂句有感覺；只有
少數人可以抓住延展弦律的整個線；而幾乎沒有人可以充份了解偉大作品所展現的，整個
文本中真正的整體。然而，有一種對待作品的方式－－如此實用以至於在今天普遍被採取
－－即是甚至不去嘗試讓情感牽涉其中。這只展現了已存在的事實而沒有展現出它們的意
義。

Another clue to the character of his conducting is contained in a letter to
his childhood mentor and lifelong friend Ludwig Curtius. He writes: 'The work
of art should be a mirror not only of one's nerves, of the acuteness of one's
observation, the consequence, coldness and sincerity of one's conclusions, or
of the refinement of one's senses, but of the whole man.'

另一個他指揮特質的線索可以在一封給他童年心靈導師與一生的朋友Ludwig Curtius的信
中看出。他寫下:
"藝術作品應該成為一個鏡子，不只反映一個人的意識，一個人觀察的敏銳，其結果，一
個人冷靜而真誠的結論，或是一個人精鍊過後的感覺，而是這整個人。"

Lean, bent slightly backwards, and with an elongated neck, Furtwängler in
front of an orchestra gave the impression of overlooking vast spaces. His
beat had very little in common with that of present-day conductors.
In stretches of pianissimo it could be minute and extremely precise;
elsewhere, outstretched arms undulated downwards in total physical
relaxation, so that the orchestra had to guess where the beat should be.

稍微後傾的身子與細長的脖子，福特萬格勒在樂團面前給人眺望著廣大空間的印象。他的
拍子與今天的指揮家極少有相同的地方。在樂曲柔弱的部份他的指示瑣細而極為精確。在
樂曲其他地方，伸展的手臂完全放鬆地向下擺動，使樂團必須猜測節拍應該在何處。

The sounds thus produced could be of an elemental intensity that I have not
experienced since. The image of 'Jupiter tonans' was what came to me then:
Furtwängler's thunder was always preceded by lightning-shaped movements,
which made the orchestra play considerably after the beat (if there was a
beat), and induced double-basses and cellos to prepare the ground for the
sonorities by discreetly anticipating their entry.

這樣創造出來的聲音如此地自然飽滿是我在那之後從未經驗過的。那時，對我來說那是宙
斯的形象。福特萬格勒的雷聲總是在閃電形狀的手部動作之後，這使樂團跟在拍子之後認
真地演奏(如果有拍子存在的話)，誘導低音提琴與大提琴準備給響量聲音的基底，慎重地
期待響量聲音的加入。

Arthur Nikisch, according to Furtwängler, was the only conductor who
presented a thoroughly unforced appearance; Furtwängler regarded himself, in
this respect, as Nikisch's pupil, and believed that any contraction of muscle
on the part of the conductor would show up in the sound of the orchestra as
if reproduced on a photographic plate.

Arthur Nikisch，根據Furtwangler所言，是唯一在演出時使樂團感到毫不受迫的指揮家
；在這方面，身為Nikisch的學生，Furtwangler自認，指揮家任何肌肉上的收縮都會表現
在樂團的聲音上，如同影像在底片重現。

Furtwängler's technique, though seemingly unfocused and impractical, was in
fact well considered. Not only did it help to anticipate the quality of
sonorities and the delay of an important beat: it also foreshadowed changes
of atmosphere or the gradual modification of tempo.

Furtwangler的技巧，雖然看起來沒有重點也不實際，事實上卻是深思熟慮之後的結果。
這不只可以幫助準備響亮聲音的品質，以及一個重要節拍的延後:這也預先醞釀了氣氛的
改變與節拍的逐漸修改。

And this leads us to Furtwängler's particular strength: he was the great
connector, the grand master of transition. What makes Furtwängler's
transitions so memorable? They are moulded with the greatest care, yet one
cannot isolate them. They are not patchwork, inserted to link two ideas of a
different nature. They grow out of something and lead into something. They
are areas of transformation.

而這使我們來到Furtwangler獨特的力量:他是偉大的連結者，轉換的大師。什麼使得
Furtwangler的轉換如此地值得紀念?他們以最大的關注被塑造，而彼此無法獨立出來。那
不是拼湊出來，插在中間以連結兩個不同本質的理念。他們從什麼地方生出來而導致什麼
，這其中有一個轉換的區域。

If we observe them minutely, we notice that, at first almost imperceptibly,
they start to affect the tempo, usually a great deal earlier than is the case
with other conductors, until their impact finally makes itself felt. Even
where I disagree with the amplitude of Furtwängler's tempo modifications --
as in the first movement of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony -- I do not know what
to admire more: the urgency of his feeling or the acuteness of his control.

如果我們逐時的觀察這些手法，我們注意到，首先在幾乎無法察覺地，它們開始影響節拍
，通常是在遠比其他指揮家為早的時候，直到它們的影響終於使自己被察覺。即使在我不
同意Furtwangler改變節拍幅度的地方－－例如在貝多芬第四交響曲的第一樂章－－我不
知道要比較崇敬那一點：他情感的迫切或者是他控制的敏銳。

Tempo modifications are merciless indicators of musical weakness. With Furtwä
ngler, as often with Casals, Cortot or Callas, they give evidence of supreme
rhythmical strength. It would, however, be misleading to look at rhythm, or
any other musical element, by itself.

節拍的調整是對音樂上弱點無情的指標。在Furtwangler身上，如同常見於Casals，
Cortot或Callas，他們給出超凡的韻律的力量。然而從節拍本身去考慮節拍，或是從某個
音樂要素本身去考慮它自己，都會使我們誤入歧途。

If rhythm is to be more than an abstract scheme or a crude obsession it must
be influenced by articulation, character and colour. It must be affected by
the performer's reactions to harmonic events and -- a particular rarity these
days -- by that feeling for cantabile which permeates music in the widest
possible sense.

如果節奏能夠不僅只於抽象的計畫或是單純的意念，它必須為發聲，特性與色彩所影響。
它必須為演奏者對和聲情況的反應以及－在今天尤其很少見到的－為最廣汎意義上滲透音
樂的那種歌唱性所影響。

Furtwängler made one aware of the interdependence of these and other musical
factors. What is called 'structure' emerged as a sum of all the parts.
Consequently Furtwängler's performances were often less idiosyncratic than
those of his fellow conductors, and more varied.

Furtwangler使人警覺到這些音樂要素的內在關連性。所謂"結構"以所有部份的總和而浮
現出來。因此Furtwangler的演奏通常比他同時代的指揮家較沒有一定的特徵，而較多變
化。

Listen to his recording of Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3 with the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra, with its astonishing variety of colour and
atmosphere, tempo and dynamics, character and meaning. Yet the music is never
burdened by 'expression' from outside. Energies within the piece are
released, the essence of the entire opera comes to life without the need for
words. Ecstasy and strategy are perfectly matched, combining to produce the
big line.

聽他與維也納愛樂合作的貝多芬萊奧諾拉序曲第三號，那種音色與氣氛，節奏與動態，性
格與意義的驚人變化。同時音樂從未被來自外在的"表現"所打擾，潛藏在作品中的力量被
釋放，整個歌劇的精華就這樣甦醒過來而無需言語。在狂喜與策略完美的搭配之下，一同
創造出大線。

Furtwängler's big line is not a kind of long-sightedness, presenting the
larger contours while the details of characterization are lost. It is one of
Furtwängler's distinguishing features that, at least within the repertory he
excelled in, each musical character is conveyed with a superior clarity of
vision, and with the mastery of the superior professional. Even where the
music seems to be left alone, where apparently 'nothing happens' during
several bars of the softest playing, as in the cello tune of Schubert's
Unfinished Symphony, conviction alone would not deliver such stillness. It
had to be conducted and rehearsed.

Furtwangler的大線並不是一種遠視，表現出較大的輪廓的同時細節的塑造則被失去。福
特萬格勒的一種與眾不同的特徵是，至少在他擅長的曲目中可以看到，每一個音樂特性都
被以卓越的澄明視野以及對專業的卓越精通傳達出來。即使在音樂似乎被單獨的留在哪裡
，似乎在最柔軟的"沒有什麼事發生"的小節，以舒伯特未完成交響曲的大提琴聲響為例，
只是意念無法傳達這樣的寂靜，那必須經過指揮與排練。

It had, incidentally, to be recorded as well. There is a widespread belief
that Furtwängler's genius was only present in live performances -- a belief
kindled by the maestro himself, who disliked recording sessions. The glorious
Unfinished Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic, a performance as perfect as
any I know, is only one of a number of studio recordings that refutes this
opinion. On nearly all counts it seems to me more satisfying than the live
recordings I have heard. Equally outstanding are Schubert's Great C major
Symphony (Berlin) and Beethoven's Leonore No. 3 (Vienna) which, judged as a
whole, stand up to any recorded live performance. And the studio recording of
Tristan seemed to have pleased even Furtwängler himself who, for once,
admitted that a record can have musical merits. I wish Furtwängler could
have known how much his performances still mean to many of us today.

這種演出也曾經，偶然地被錄下。一般相信Furtwangler的才華只在現場演出中顯現－一
種被這位不喜歡錄音計畫的大師激發的信念。與維也納愛樂演出的榮耀的未完成交響曲，
一個與我所知任何其他演出相比都十分完美的演出，是這幾個錄音室唱片中唯一能駁倒這
個意見的。在各方面這張唱片都比我曾聽過的現場錄音還來得令人滿意。同樣傑出的是舒
伯特的C大調交響曲"偉大"以及貝多芬的萊奧諾拉序曲第三號，這些唱片，從整體上判斷
，經得起所有現場錄音唱片的考驗。而崔斯坦與伊索德的錄音室唱片似乎取悅了甚至福特
萬格勒自己，使他一度承認一張唱片可以有音樂上的優點，我希望福特萬格勒可以知道他
的演出在今天對我們依然有多麼大的意義。


At the beginning of these notes I wrote of my debt to Furtwängler for
providing me with criteria by which to judge a performance. Looking back over
my remarks, I find I must add some afterthoughts.

在這些筆記的開頭我寫下了Furtwangler提供我如何判斷演出的標準。回頭看我記下的文
字，我發現我必須加上一些事後的想法。

I have mentioned the variety of musical factors and their interdependence.
Let me add an example. Furtwängler's pianissimo, extremely remote, yet
without a meaningless moment, was more than a degree of dynamic quietness; it
was a matter of colour, and Furtwängler's colour -- even at its most
sensuous or nervously refined -- was always a matter of emotion. Thus
pianissimo and misterioso were often identical.

我提到音樂要素的變化與他們的內在關連性。讓我加上一個例子。Furtwangler的柔版，
非常的遙遠，而依然絲毫沒有無意義的時刻，不只是某種程度上動態的寧靜;那是一種色
彩，而福特萬格勒的色彩－－即使是最官能的或是最意識上的精鍊－－總是一種情感的表
現。因此柔弱的時刻與神祕常是相同的。

I have hinted at the decisive importance of the very opening of a piece, its
dominating impact over what is to follow -- the way in which it reveals a
particular musical vista, causing one to enter a stage set for an inevitable
dramatic action. I have yet to declare my admiration for some of Furtwä
ngler's codas. In the concluding sections of the first movement of Mozart's G
minor Symphony or of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, he managed to make us feel
that the life of a piece had been lived through, and that the coda expressed
the tragic summation.

我暗示了作品最開頭決定性的重要，它對接下來音樂的主導性的影響－－它顯出特定音樂
視線的方式，使人進入為必然戲劇性動作而準備的舞台。我還未表達我對福特萬格勒一些
尾奏的敬佩。在莫扎特G小調交響曲第一樂章或貝多芬第九交響曲的第一樂章的尾奏，他
使我們感到這部作品的已經走過了他的生命歷程，然後尾奏表現了悲劇性的總結。

I have also referred to his ability to characterize, and to change the
chemistry of character and atmosphere during transitions. One of my early
piano teachers told me, with a smile, that performers can either play
beautiful themes or beautiful transitions, but rarely both. Furtwängler made
nonsense of that theory. He seems to me the exact opposite of Charlie Chaplin
in one of his early films. Chaplin the watchmaker carefully takes an alarm
clock apart under the eyes of its owner; finally, when every single component
lies spread out on the counter, he sweeps the lot into the owner's hat.

我也提到他描繪時的特性，以及在轉換中改變特性與氣氛的能力。我早年的一位鋼琴老師
訴我，帶著一種微笑，表演只能表現出美妙的弦律或美妙的詮釋，但很少兩者皆得。福特
萬格勒使這種說法變得沒有道理。他似乎是桌別林在他一部早期電影中演出的相反。造
錶人卓別林，小心的在擁有鬧鐘的人面前拆開鬧鐘；最後，當每一個零件布滿了櫃臺，他
把它們全部掃到客人的帽子裡。


--
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◆ From: 140.113.139.220
※ 編輯: eaquson         來自: 140.113.139.220      (04/21 11:18)
推 dewenhsu:冒昧問一下 : 請問這是您自己翻譯的還是用翻譯機翻的
→ dewenhsu:總覺得中文的語法怪怪的...
→ dewenhsu:有得罪之處請見諒
推 percus:我想原po只是接近逐字翻啦，所以是英文文法跟斷句..:P
→ percus:推認真!
→ eaquson:我也覺得翻的很怪。。。。。
※ 編輯: eaquson         來自: 140.113.139.220      (04/26 14:40)