I went to the National Concert Hall for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. It has been so long since the last time I listened to them live. Recalling the time when I was still in New York, I used to get the rush tickets of the Met Opera for La Boheme starred by Vittorio Grigolo, or the Vienna Philhamonic in the Carnegie Hall. The times when opera tenors or sopranos having meeting events at the opera house were so valuable that I was always there to get a photo with the brilliant artists.
I always love the New York Philharmonic, and I am obsessed with its sense of metropolitan, the acceptance and performance of the new musicians. New York Philharmonic also uses the new technology to broadcast concerts live to the public these years to show the passion for classic music in more innovative ways. This oldest classical music orchestra in the US attracts more than fifty million fans all over the world every season, talented musicians and conductors are always eager to cooperate with them for creating a memorable performance. This time in Taipei, we had not only the New York Philharmonic, but also the solo pianist Yuja Wang.
上週末去聽紐約愛樂交響樂團的演出，很久沒聽一場現場演出了，記得以前總是會搶rush tickets 去大都會歌劇院看一場Vittorio Grigolo演出的La Boheme；或是卡內基音樂廳的維也納愛樂，偶而有歌劇演唱家或是音樂家在劇院舉辦簽名會，那更是難能可貴，可以一睹大明星風采的機會，我也因此收藏許多跟明星的合照。
一直以來對紐約愛樂的情感是不減反增，尤其喜歡它充滿都會感，歷史以來對於新音樂家的接納與演繹，近年來也透過高科技，舉辦直播音樂會，希望以更多方式表達對古典音樂的熱情，這支美國最古老的古典樂團，每個樂季都吸引超過五千萬名樂迷齊聚，名家指揮與演奏家，更是爭相與其合作，這次台北的音樂會，紐約愛樂帶來普羅高菲夫與馬勒，還有王羽佳擔任鋼琴獨奏。
Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev
It was already exciting to know that the New York Philharmonic is coming, and it had become more intriguing to know that Yuja Wang is the solo pianist.
Yuja Wang wore a golden sparkling dress with a pair of golden Louboutin heels, which perfectly and gracefully showed her back and legs, and her edgy short hair made her look even more gorgeous. She sat in front of the piano, her blazing music made her like coming from the heaven, with devil’s music in hands.
The conductor Jaap van Zweden was passionate, Prokofiev’s third piano concerto was famous for its difficulty. The pianist needed extraordinary talent and energy to perform the skillfulness and magnificence of the concerto. Under the conduction of Jaap van Zweden, the chemistry between Yuja Wang and the orchestra was perfect, the brilliant music played by the orchestra and the piano melody burned through the whole concerto, started from sparks kindles the fire on the ground, and ended in applause of the audience.
知道是紐約愛樂就已經夠讓人興奮了，看到王羽佳更是讓人驚艷不已。
王羽佳身穿一襲金色亮片緊身短洋裝，從鎖骨挖空到胸前，露出美背長腿，穿著一雙紅底金色高跟鞋，她的短髮俐落輕盈，整個人看起來耀眼奪目，氣勢非凡，她坐在鋼琴前，熾熱的琴聲讓她彷彿是來自天堂，帶著魔鬼般琴音的女神。
指揮梵志豋表現熱情，普羅高菲夫的第三號鋼琴協奏曲是有名困難的曲子，鋼琴家需要高超的技巧與體力，才可能表現出曲子的炫技與燦爛。而梵志豋的指揮帶領樂團與王羽佳展現出絕佳默契，樂團的出色表現與王羽佳如火光般的琴音，在台上如燎原之火般燃燒整個樂章，然後在聽眾無止盡的掌聲中落幕。
Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler
The following repertoire was Mahler’s Symphony No.5. In fact, I was not familiar with Mahler. I enjoyed Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and recently Brahms, and they are all more of the classical and romantic repertoire. This was the first time I listened to Mahler live.
Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic made Mahler stunning and heart shaking.
If Beethoven represents the continuous pain and bloom of the short life, then Mahler is the whole life.
Jaap van Zweden spent all his energy. He touched the melody gently, let the notes flew and drifted through the stage through the entire hall. He jumped for the excitement, pushed the concert by his whole body. Then he pushed the climax of the music and let the sound shake the bottom of our hearts. He led the peace of the music with grief, let the chapter go on solemnly. His emotion represented the concert’s, is the expression of the symphony, and the life of Mahler.
Pain and grief, tenderness and solemn, passion and wild, gain and lose, satisfaction and heartbreaks, these are the entire emotions of human, and the recall and reflection of a person who had passed through a hard life.
After the ups and downs for an hour, Mahler used a majestic ending for his life, this is Mahler’s pain, and also our resonance. We are sorry for the happiness and sadness of life, and delighted of being human. This is Mahler’s symphony, and our life story.
There is no denying that I have fallen in love with Mahler’s Symphony No.5. I believe this love will be just like my obsession for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which has become more and will last forever. I think the most touching achievement of the tenor is to make an aria known by people for his voice, and for an orchestra, is to shake the world by a symphony, and leave the unforgettable memories for the audience, which also teaches us to engrave these beautiful melodies from Maestros deeply in hearts even after centuries.
下半場是馬勒的第五號交響曲，其實馬勒我並不熟悉，從小喜歡莫札特、韋瓦第、貝多芬和最近的布拉姆斯，似乎都是比較古典浪漫的作曲家，馬勒我是第一次聽到現場演出。
不過，梵志豋與紐約愛樂把馬勒的第五號交響曲演奏的震懾人心。
如果說，貝多芬代表的是短暫人生中無止盡的痛苦與綻放，那馬勒代表的就是整個人生。
梵志豋用盡全力，輕柔地用雙手撥動溫柔的旋律，讓音符緩緩流瀉過舞台，流瀉過整個音樂廳；他在激動處跳躍起來，用全身的力量推動樂團，推動樂章的高潮，讓音樂的力量撼動人的內心深處；他用緩緩的悲傷帶動音樂的莊嚴，讓樂曲穩重的行進；他的喜怒哀樂，就是樂團的喜怒哀樂，是交響曲的表情，也是馬勒的人生。
痛苦與悲傷，溫柔與莊重，激情與狂野，歡樂與喜悅，收穫與失落，滿足與惆悵，這是人類所有的情緒，也是一個人歷經千辛萬苦，歷經成敗後的反思與回想。
一個多小時的高低起伏之後，馬勒用一個壯麗的結尾為人生作結，這是馬勒的痛苦，也是我們的共鳴，我們為人生的悲歡離合而惋惜，也因生而為人感到喜悅，這是馬勒的交響曲，也是我們的人生。
不可否認，我已經深切地愛上馬勒第五號交響曲，我相信這份情感會像我愛紐約愛樂一般，越來越多，畢竟，我始終認為，一位男高音最讓人感動的成就是讓一首原本不受歡迎的詠嘆調因他的歌聲而名垂千古，而一個樂團與指揮的最高成就則是讓一首曲子撼動世界，讓音樂在世人的內心留下不可抹滅的印記，讓百年以後的我們，依舊對大師傑作刻骨銘心。
Walked out from the National Concert Hall, the perfect performance of the New York Philharmonic was still near me. I am not sure when will be the next time to listen to them live. Jaap van Zweden brought the beautiful music and his passion back to New York. Now I can only now listen to the album to expect the next meeting with them.
However, Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic had already given the audience many blessings in three hours. Their music made us realize: Life is not easy. But once you are willing to listen to Mahler, maybe you will find a confidant.
走出國家音樂廳，紐約愛樂的完美演出依然在中正紀念堂迴盪，要再一次在台北聽到紐約愛樂的演出不知道是幾年之後了，梵志豋把美好的音樂與他熱情的表現帶回紐約，我只能聽著專輯再次等待下一次與紐約愛樂的相遇。
不過，梵志豋與紐約愛樂在短短的三個小時已經帶給聽眾許多祝福，他們的演出讓人知道：人生本來就不容易，只要你願意聽聽馬勒，或許，你會找到知音。
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