Robert Gupta: Music is medicine, music is sanity

譯者: Fumin Chiu 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

One day, Los Angeles Times columnist

有一天, 洛杉磯時代專欄的作者

Steve Lopez was walking along

史帝夫.羅培茲正走在

the streets of downtown Los Angeles

洛杉磯市中心的街上

when he heard beautiful music.

他聽見美妙的音樂,

And the source was a man,

這音樂來自

an African-American man,

一位非裔美籍男士,

charming, rugged, homeless,

這外貌清秀, 卻衣衫儖縷, 樣似流浪漢的男子,

playing a violin that only had two strings.

正在拉奏著只有兩根絃的小提琴.

And I'm telling a story that many of you know,

我剛剛說的故事, 在座的你們多已知道,

because Steve's columns became the basis

因為史提夫的專欄故事已經被

for a book, which was turned into a movie,

寫成一本書, 也被拍成一部電影,

with Robert Downey Jr. acting as Steve Lopez,

小勞勃道尼飾演史提夫羅培茲,

and Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Anthony Ayers,

傑米法克斯則飾演納坦尼艾爾斯,

the Juilliard-trained double bassist

曾在茱莉亞學院受過低音大提琴訓練

whose promising career was cut short

前程看好, 卻未能完成學業

by a tragic affliction with paranoid schizophrenia.

因他患有惱人的精神分裂症,而被迫放棄學習.

Nathaniel dropped out of Juilliard, he suffered a complete breakdown,

納坦尼離開茱莉亞音樂學院後, 飽受病情折磨,

and 30 years later he was living homeless

三十年後他淪落為流浪漢

on the streets of Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.

遊蕩在洛杉磯市街頭.

I encourage all of you to read Steve's book or to watch the movie

我鼓勵各位閱讀史提夫的書, 或看這部電影

to understand not only the beautiful bond

進而瞭解這段美妙的友誼

that formed between these two men,

如何在這兩位男人之間發生,

but how music helped shape that bond,

及音樂在其間扮演的角色,

and ultimately was instrumental -- if you'll pardon the pun --

最終則是因為所謂樂器 請恕我直言,

in helping Nathaniel get off the streets.

而幫助納坦尼脫離街友生涯的.

I met Mr. Ayers in 2008,

我個人是在 2008 年, 遇見艾爾斯先生

two years ago, at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

兩年前, 於華德迪斯奈演奏廳,

He had just heard a performance of Beethoven's First and Fourth symphonies,

他是在聽完貝多芬第一及第四交響曲的表演後

and came backstage and introduced himself.

到後台來自我介紹.

He was speaking in a very jovial and gregarious way

他爽朗熱情的談論著

about Yo-Yo Ma and Hillary Clinton

有關馬友友, 及希拉蕊克林頓,

and how the Dodgers were never going to make the World Series,

以及道奇隊絕不可能贏得世界大賽冠軍等等,

all because of the treacherous first violin passage work

這一切都緣自第一小提琴所拉奏出的曲折情節

in the last movement of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony.

貝多芬第四交響樂最後樂章時

And we got talking about music, and I got an email from Steve a few days later

我們也聊了音樂, 幾天後, 史提夫寄來一份電子郵件,

saying that Nathaniel was interested in a violin lesson with me.

提起納坦尼有興趣來上我的小提琴課.

Now, I should mention that Nathaniel refuses treatment

現在, 我必須說明為何納坦尼拒絕他的治療,

because when he was treated it was with shock therapy

是因為之前他所受的療法, 包括電擊休克療法

and Thorazine and handcuffs,

藥物氯丙嗪 及使用手銬

and that scar has stayed with him for his entire life.

這些已在他身上烙出永久的傷痕.

But as a result now, he is prone to

而至今, 他仍在與精神病症掙扎

these schizophrenic episodes,

病情起伏不定.

the worst of which can manifest themselves as

糟糕時, 當病情發作時

him exploding

讓他抓狂,

and then disappearing for days,

他會消失幾天,

wandering the streets of Skid Row,

遊蕩市區街頭,

exposed to its horrors, with the torment of his own mind

身受恐懼, 精神分裂的煎熬.

unleashed upon him.

重複的殘迫他.

And Nathaniel was in such a state of agitation

當時他正是處在這種混淆狀態

when we started our first lesson at Walt Disney Concert Hall --

當我們首次在華德迪斯奈演奏廳見面時

he had a kind of manic glint in his eyes,

他眼神閃爍,

he was lost.

看似迷失了,

And he was talking about

他說了些

invisible demons and smoke,

無影的魔鬼, 煙霧,

and how someone was poisoning him in his sleep.

及別人如何趁他睡覺時,向他下毒, 等等.

And I was afraid,

我當時是有點害怕,

not for myself, but I was afraid

並不是為我自己, 而是害怕

that I was going to lose him,

即將失去他,

that he was going to sink into one of his states,

他將又陷入那糟糕的狀況,

and that I would ruin his relationship with the violin

將會破壞他和小提琴間奇妙的感情

if I started talking about scales

若我盡聊些音階,

and arpeggios and other exciting forms of

琶音, 或許其他有趣的

didactic violin pedagogy.

教條式小提琴教學之類的

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So, I just started playing.

所以我當時是拉起小提琴

And I played the first movement of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

拉的是貝多芬小提琴協奏曲第一樂章

And as I played,

當我拉奏時

I understood that there was a profound change

我注意到起了深刻變化

occurring in Nathaniel's eyes.

就在納坦尼的眼神之中.

It was as if he was in the grip of some invisible pharmaceutical,

就像是服了仙丹,

a chemical reaction, for which my playing the music

起了化學變化, 我演奏的音樂就

was its catalyst.

如催化劑般.

And Nathaniel's manic rage

把納坦尼閃爍憤怒的眼神

was transformed into understanding,

轉化成善解人意的

a quiet curiosity and grace.

溫和好奇, 優雅的

And in a miracle, he lifted his own violin

此時奇蹟般的 他拿起他自己的小提琴

and he started playing, by ear,

拉奏起剛聽到的

certain snippets of violin concertos

小提琴協奏曲的片段

which he then asked me to complete -- Mendelssohn,

然後要我完成整曲, 另有孟德爾頌,

Tchaikovsky, Sibelius.

柴可夫斯基, 西貝流

And we started talking about music, from Bach

我們談起音樂, 從巴哈

to Beethoven and Brahms,

貝多芬, 布拉姆斯

Bruckner, all the B's,

布喀納, 所有的B開頭的

from Bartók, all the way up to Esa-Pekka Salonen.

從巴托克, 到伊薩-沛卡 薩羅南.

And I understood that he not only

我了解他不僅

had an encyclopedic knowledge of music,

對音樂有全面性的認識,

but he related to this music at a personal level.

更有個人特殊的感情成份.

He spoke about it with the kind of passion

他談話的那種熱情, 就如

and understanding that I share with my colleagues

我在和團員分享音樂的熱情

in the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

也就是洛杉磯交響樂團, 是一樣的.

And through playing music and talking about music,

而經由演奏音樂, 談論音樂

this man had transformed

他整個人就像兌變了

from the paranoid, disturbed man

從一個瘋癲

that had just come from walking the streets

晃蕩街頭

of downtown Los Angeles

的市區街友,

to the charming, erudite,

變成和善, 博學,

brilliant, Juilliard-trained musician.

開朗的, 受過茱莉亞學院教育的音樂家.

Music is medicine. Music changes us.

音樂是良藥, 音樂改變我們.

And for Nathaniel, music is sanity.

至於納坦尼音, 音樂是理智.

Because music allows him to take his thoughts

因為音樂讓他進行思考,

and delusions and shape them

釐清幻想, 認清事實,

through his imagination and his creativity,

並經由自由創作

into reality.

而回歸現實.

And that is an escape

那也正是他逃離的管道,

from his tormented state.

逃離精神困境.

And I understood that this was the very essence of art.

我瞭解這就是藝術的精粹.

This was the very reason why we made music,

這也是為什麼會創作音樂,

that we take something that exists within all of us

音樂在你我生活之中.

at our very fundamental core,

就存在我們日常生活中,

our emotions,

情感裏,

and through our artistic lens,

透過我們的藝術眼光

through our creativity, we're able to shape those emotions into reality.

透過創作, 讓我們能釐清情緒進入現實.

And the reality of that expression

透過真實的表達

reaches all of us

感觸我們,

and moves us, inspires and unites us.

我們才能受感動, 受激勵, 才能一同感受.

And for Nathaniel,

至於納坦尼,

music brought him back into a fold of friends.

音樂為他帶來一群朋友

The redemptive power of music brought him back

音樂已神奇的帶領他

into a family of musicians

進入音樂家的大家族

that understood him,

讓人瞭解他,

that recognized his talents

認識他的天賦

and respected him.

也尊崇他.

And I will always make music with Nathaniel,

至於我 我永遠會和他一起創作音樂

whether we're at Walt Disney Concert Hall

不論我們是在華德迪斯奈音樂廳,

or on Skid Row, because he reminds me

或在洛杉磯街頭, 因為他提醒我.

why I became a musician.

為何我之成為音樂家.

Thank you.

謝謝大家.

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Bruno Giussani: Thank you. Thanks.

布魯諾 : 謝謝大家. 謝謝你...

Robert Gupta.

羅伯特.古普塔.

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Robert Gupta: I'm going to play something that I shamelessly stole from cellists.

接下來的演奏片段擷自大提琴的樂曲.

So, please forgive me.

用小提琴演奏還請見諒.

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Music)

(音樂)

(Applause)

(掌聲)