又到了圣诞歌剧季！

Joanna C. Lee

主持：Joanna C. Lee編译：本刊

从门外汉到歌剧通

How to become an opera expert

It's time for Christmas operas again！

小琼：我们又迎来了年终假期季，届时许多适合合家欢的节目将在世界各地上演。最著名的“圣诞节”剧目之一当数《胡桃夹子》了。这部由柴可夫斯基配乐的芭蕾舞剧，于1892年首演。

小薇：故事讲述了一个小女孩收到胡桃夹子为圣诞礼物，后来胡桃夹子变活了，并与邪恶的老鼠王作战。因为这个故事发生在圣诞节前夕，让一切都变得有意义！芭蕾舞剧中最令人难忘的场景之一是那巨大的圣诞树，还有代表不同国家的舞蹈段落使该节目对新老观众都具吸引力。此外，柴可夫斯基的胡桃夹子组曲在音乐厅的舞台上也很受欢迎。

小琼：正如预期的那样，几乎每个芭蕾舞团都会在节日期间表演这部剧目，每个管弦乐团也会将其纳入他们的假期编排中。但是“圣诞节”歌剧呢？在过去的几年里，我们曾经讨论过吉安·卡洛·梅诺蒂的《阿马尔与夜访者》（1951），可更现代的歌剧呢？

小薇：我记得你曾提过马克·阿达莫的《圣诞老人成长记》，他同时创作了歌词和音乐。这部两幕歌剧于2015年12月在达拉斯歌剧院举行了全球首演。

Joan：Welcome to the end-of-the-year holiday season，when many shows suitable for the entire family are presented all over the world. One of the most famous “Christmas”shows has to be The Nutcracker. a ballet with music by Tchaikovsky，which premiered in 1892.

Valery：That makes perfect sense，considering that the story takes place on Christmas eve，when a young girl befriends a nutcracker that comes to life and wages a battle against the evil Mouse King！One of the ballets most memorable scenes has a giant Christmas tree. And having dances representing different nationalities make the show appealing to audiences old and new. Furthermore，Tchaikovskys Nutcracker Suite is also popular on the concert stage. Joan：As expected，almost every ballet company performs this work during the holiday season，and every orchestra includes this on their holiday programs. But what about “Christmas”operas？In past years，weve discussed Gian Carlo Menottis Amahl and the Night Visitors from 1951，but what about more contemporary operas？

Valery：I remember you mentioned Becoming Santa Claus by Mark Adamo，who wrote both the librettoand the music. That two-act opera received its world premiere at Dallas Opera in December 2015.

小琼：进行全球首演总是很容易的。然而，作品需要继续有新制作才显现出其真正的价值。首先，我很高兴地向大家报告，《圣诞老人成长记》几年前就被制作成DVD并在全球发行。而后，在本月早些时候，这部歌剧刚刚在芝加哥歌剧院进行了第二次制作。

小薇：这个故事是关于克劳斯王子（住在北极附近）的生日聚会，聚会上他的父亲和他的三个叔叔（“三王”）都没有出现。“三王”跟随着一颗璀璨星星的指引前往伯利恒，星星预示的是一个新生儿的诞生。

小琼：克劳斯王子如何回应这件事呢？他相当积极，让他的精灵们为这个孩子制作了许多神奇的玩具。但是当他们到达伯利恒的时候，婴儿耶稣已经离开几天了。接下来就是我们现在所知的圣诞老人的“转变”。

小薇：多么令人着迷的故事！阿达莫设法将基督教圣经故事的一部分与世俗传说结合起来。每个人都知道并感谢圣诞老人！

Joan：Its always easy to put on a world premiere. The work only reveals its true value，though，when it receives new productions. First of all，Im happy to report that Becoming Santa Claus was made into a DVD several years ago and distributed worldwide. And now this opera just received its second production earlier this month at the Chicago Opera Theater.

Valery：The story is about a birthday party for Prince Claus （who lives near the North Pole）in which neither his father nor his three uncles （the “three kings”）turn up. The three kings are otherwise occupied，on their way to Bethlehem following the bright star shining over the city announcing a newborn baby.

Joan：How does Prince Claus respond？He is proactive：he has his elves make many amazing toys for the child. But when they travel to see the baby Jesus，they miss him by a few days. And what follows is a “transformation”of what we now know as Santa Claus. Valery：What an enchanting story！Adamo manages to combine part of the Christian biblical story with secular legends. Everyone knows and appreciates Santa Claus！