The ballet that incited a riot - Iseult Gillespie

翻译人员: Yanyan Hong 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

We typically think of ballet as harmonious, graceful and polished–

我们一般会认为芭蕾是 和谐、优美和典雅的——

hardly features that would trigger a riot.

不太可能和引发暴乱产生联系。

But at the first performance of Igor Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring,"

但在伊戈尔·斯特拉文斯基（Igor Stravinsky） 《春之祭》的首场演出中，

audience members were so outraged that they drowned out the orchestra.

观众极其愤怒， 吵闹声甚至压过了管弦乐团。

Accounts of the event include people hurling objects at the stage,

对该事件的记述包括： 观众往台上扔东西，

challenging each other to fights, and getting arrested–

互相挑起争执并打作一团， 随后多人被逮捕——

all on what started as a sophisticated night at the ballet.

一切都开始于 理应雅致的芭蕾舞之夜。

First performed in May 1913

1913 年 5 月，

at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris,

《春之祭》在巴黎香榭丽舍剧院 进行了首场演出，

"The Rite of Spring" is set in prehistoric times.

整部剧背景设定是在史前时期。

The narrative follows an ancient Pagan community

故事讲述的是 一个古老的异教徒团体

worshipping the Earth and preparing for the sacrifice of a woman

正在膜拜地球， 并且准备献祭一位女性，

希望能改变季节的变化。

intended to bring about the change of seasons.

But the ballet is much more concerned with the violent relationship

但是这场芭蕾着重表现的是

between humans, nature, and culture

人类、自然与文化之间的暴力联系，

than with character or plot.

而不是角色或是情节。

These themes manifest in a truly upsetting production

这些主题充斥着令人烦乱的场景，

which combines harsh music, jerky dancing, and uncanny staging.

像是刺耳的音乐、 急促的舞步和怪诞的舞台。

It opens with dancers awakening to a solo bassoon,

开幕时，舞者在怪诞的

playing in an eerily high register.

高音域大管独奏中醒来。

This gives way to discordant strings, punctured by unexpected pauses

紧随其后的是极不协调的管弦乐， 穿插着各种出其不意的停顿，

while the dancers twitch to the music.

同时，舞者随着音乐颤动身体。

These frightening figures enact the ballet’s brutal premise,

这些令人毛骨悚然的身影 揭示了芭蕾舞暴力的预设，

which set audiences on edge

让观众紧张不安，

and shattered the conventions of classical music.

并打破了古典音乐的传统韵律。

除此之外，《春之祭》还通过多种方式

In these ways and many more,

"The Rite of Spring" challenged the orchestral traditions

挑战了 19 世纪的

of the 19th century.

管弦乐传统。

Composed on the cusp of both the first World War

创作于第一次世界大战

and the Russian revolution,

与俄罗斯革命的关口，

"The Rite of Spring" seethes with urgency.

《春之祭》点燃了一种急迫感。

This tension is reflected in various formal experiments,

这种紧张感反映在了多种演奏尝试中，

including innovative uses of syncopation, or irregular rhythm;

包括出其不意的停顿， 或是不规则的节奏；

无调性或是单音缺失，

atonality or the lack of a single key,

and the presence of multiple time signatures.

以及使用多种节拍记号。

Alongside these strikingly modern features,

除了这些非常现代的特征之外，

Stravinsky spliced in aspects of Russian folk music–

斯特拉文斯基还结合了 俄罗斯民间音乐——

这种结合有意打消了

a combination that deliberately disrupted

the expectations of his sophisticated, urban audience.

经验丰富的城市观众 对他的期待。

This wasn’t Stravinsky’s first use of folk music.

这并不是斯特拉文斯基 首次使用民间音乐。

Born in a small town outside of St. Petersburg in 1882,

1882 年出生在圣彼得堡外 一个小镇的斯特拉文斯基

Stravinsky’s reputation was cemented with the lush ballet "The Firebird."

用华丽的芭蕾舞巨作《火鸟》 奠定了他的名声。

Based on a Russian fairytale,

这部作品取材于一个俄罗斯童话，

this production was steeped in Stravinsky’s fascination

内容充分体现了斯特拉文斯基

对民俗文化的着迷。

with folk culture.

But he plotted a wilder project in "The Rite of Spring,"

但他在《春之祭》中 策划了更狂野的设想，

pushing folk and musical boundaries to draw out the rawness of pagan ritual.

挑战了民俗和音乐的界限， 以呈现异教形式的原始性。

Stravinsky brought this reverie to life

通过和艺术家 尼古拉斯·洛里奇（Nicholas Roerich）合作，

in collaboration with artist Nicholas Roerich.

斯特拉文斯基得以让幻想成真。

Roerich was obsessed with prehistoric times.

洛里奇很迷恋 文字记载出现之前的时代，

He had published essays about human sacrifice

他发表过一些关于活人祭的文章，

and worked on excavations of Slavic tombs

并参与了斯拉夫墓的发掘工作。

in addition to set and costume design.

此外，他还从事布景和时装设计。

在《春之祭》中， 他参考俄国中世纪艺术

For "The Rite of Spring," he drew from Russian medieval art

and peasant garments to create costumes that hung awkwardly

和农民的服饰，设计出了

舞者身上简陋的服饰。

on the dancers’ bodies.

洛里奇还将它们 搭配上了原始生动的布景——

Roerich set them against vivid backdrops of primeval nature;

full of jagged rocks, looming trees and nightmarish colors.

满是岩石，若隐若现的树木， 和噩梦般的色彩。

Along with its dazzling sets and searing score,

炫目的布景以及刺耳的配乐

the original choreography for "The Rite of Spring"

让《春之祭》的原版编舞

was highly provocative.

时刻挑战着观众的神经。

This was the doing of legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky,

这是传奇舞者 瓦斯拉夫·尼金斯基 （Vaslav Nijinsky）的杰作，

who developed dances to rethink “the roots of movement itself.”

他创作了让人反思 “动作之根本”的舞蹈。

Although Stravinsky later expressed frustration

虽然斯特拉文斯基随后

with Nijinsky’s demanding rehearsals

因尼金斯基对排练要求苛刻，

and single-minded interpretations of the music,

且只对音乐做单一的诠释 而心生不满，

his choreography proved as pioneering as Stravinsky’s composition.

但就如同斯特拉文斯基的作曲， 尼金斯基的编舞也极具开创性。

He contorted traditional ballet–

他打破了传统的芭蕾——

to both the awe and horror of his audience,

许多期待在作品中 体验优雅和浪漫的观众

many of whom expected the refinement and romance of the genre.

感觉到的却是敬畏和恐惧。

The dancing in "The Rite of Spring" is agitated and uneven,

《春之祭》的舞蹈很激烈、无序，

with performers cowering, writhing and leaping about as if possessed.

表演者像是中了邪一样， 不停蜷缩、扭曲、来回跳跃。

Often, the dancers are not one with the music

通常，舞者们没有与音乐合二为一，

but rather seem to struggle against it.

反而像是挣扎着摆脱音乐。

Nijinsky instructed them to turn their toes inwards

尼金斯基要求 他们把脚趾转向内测，

and land heavily after jumps, often off the beat.

跳跃之后要重重落地， 而非踩在节拍上。

For the final, frenzied scene,

在疯狂的最后一幕，

a woman dances herself to death to loud bangs and jarring strings.

一名女子在震耳欲聋的 管弦乐中独舞至死。

The ballet ends abruptly on a harsh, haunting chord.

这部芭蕾舞剧在刺耳、 恼人的和弦中唐突结束。

今天，《春之祭》

Today, "The Rite of Spring"

remains as chilling as its controversial debut,

仍然和当年的首演一样 让人汗毛倒竖，

but the shockwaves of the original work continue to resound and inspire.

但原作震撼人心的余波 仍然在久久回荡，启迪人心。

You can hear Stravinsky’s influence in modern jazz’s dueling rhythms,

受到斯特拉文斯基影响的 现代爵士乐中的决斗节奏、

folky classical music, and even film scores for horror movies,

很多民间古典音乐， 甚至是恐怖电影的配乐，

仍然会在观众席中引发一阵骚动。

which still illicit a riotous audience response.