樂音VI 南半球的聖誕節是夏天

基頓．克萊曼(Gidon Kremer, b. 1947)將於今年10月25日訪台，讓我想到20幾年前，我的第一張皮亞佐拉(Astor Piazzolla, 1921 - 1992)專輯正是他與波羅的海絃樂團所發行。那張錄音的標題是《八季》(Eight Seasons)，結合了巴洛克義大利作曲家韋瓦第的名曲《四季》，以及皮亞佐拉的《布宜諾斯艾利斯的四季》。
Gidon Kremer (b. 1947) is visiting Taiwan on October 25 this year, which reminds me of the first Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) album I bought over 20 years ago. It was the one he released with the Kremerata Baltica titled Eight Seasons, combining the famous Four Seasons by Baroque Italian composer Vivaldi with Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas.

那張專輯的第十二軌，是我反覆聽了無數次的《布宜諾斯艾利斯的冬天》(Invierno Porteño)，百聽不厭。後來因緣際會深入研究音樂，我有機會探討皮亞佐拉的音樂與風格。我發現，與馬友友一樣引介無數古典樂迷認識皮亞佐拉音樂的克萊曼，在《八季》中所演出《布宜諾斯艾利斯的四季》的版本是Leonid Desyatnikov改編版。該版本明顯連結了韋瓦第的《四季》與皮亞佐拉的創作：Desyatnikov在皮亞佐拉的作品中，添加了很多原曲沒有的韋瓦第元素，例如協奏曲中滾動的快速音群。這樣的設計動感十足，但卻不是原汁原味。我們知道皮亞佐拉是義大利裔，但他是阿根廷人，他的探戈充滿阿根廷的血液。
The twelfth track on that album, Invierno Porteño (Winter in Buenos Aires), is a piece I’ve listened to countless times and never tire of. Later, as I delved deeper into music, I had the opportunity to explore Piazzolla’s music and style. I discovered that, like Yo-Yo Ma who introduced countless classical music fans to Piazzolla, Kremer's performance of Estaciones Porteñas in Eight Seasons is the version arranged by Leonid Desyatnikov. This version clearly connects Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Piazzolla’s compositions: Desyatnikov added many Vivaldi elements that weren't in the original pieces, such as the runs of fast passages typical of Vivaldi's concertos. This makes the music dynamic but not quite authentic. We know Piazzolla was of Italian descent, but he was Argentinean, and his tango is filled with Argentinean blood.

然而，Desyatnikov的改編並沒有過度自由發揮。皮亞佐拉的音樂跨越了三個領域：民謠（動人的旋律）、古典（類似韋瓦第的和聲架構），以及最重要的爵士（和弦色彩與即興演奏）。某種程度上，改編的精神與巴洛克音樂類似：即興。
However, Desyatnikov’s arrangement doesn’t go overboard. Piazzolla’s music spans three domains: folk (haunting melodies), classical (harmonic structures similar to Vivaldi's), and most importantly, jazz (colors of the chords and improvisation). In a way, this spirit of improvisation is reminiscent of Baroque music.

上面這首在YouTube的錄音，是皮亞佐拉本人與他的五重奏樂團演奏《布宜諾斯艾利斯的冬天》。這首樂曲非常動聽，具備了一切要素：即興、激情、性感、動人落淚，和宛如電影配樂般的氛圍。相較Desyatnikov改編版，是不是非常不一樣？
The above recording on YouTube features Piazzolla himself with his quintet performing Invierno Porteño. It’s a captivating piece that has it all: improvisation, passion, sensuality, tear-jerking moments, and a cinematic feel. Compared to Desyatnikov's arrangement, isn't it quite different?

南半球的冬天是北半球的夏天，在皮亞佐拉的《布宜諾斯艾利斯的冬天》中，我們聽到了熾熱的火焰。
Winter in the southern hemisphere is summer in the northern hemisphere. In Piazzolla’s depiction of winter in Buenos Aires, we hear the heat of the flames.


劉明睿博士, 台灣古典吉他家、作曲家、教育家 FB: mingjuiliuguitarist
Dr. Ming-Jui Liu, Taiwanese classical guitarist, composer, and educator