2015-06-07

【Aiden in English】

        It’s not every day that a kid can go to Carnegie Hall and perform in NYC, but a lucky few like me are able to go. It is an amazing experience, and the very history of it is the evidence. 

        Standing at West 57^th St. on 7th Ave., Carnegie Hall is a name known worldwide. Presenting an average of 250 performances in a year, this place has world class artists show their talent. Now that last sentence had two things that weren’t true to me. I’m not a world class artist and I don’t have skills. Considering people like me were allowed to play the piano, the audition wouldn’t be the main hall. We got Weill Recital Hall, a tiny branching area that contained about 100 seats. This performance was the Golden Key Recital, and I’ve been here three years in a row. So my emotions were as cool as ice. The performers were usually led to a waiting room, and then put in order. And the room looked anything but grand. I guess these people spent their entire budget on the stage and didn’t care about the backstage. 

        I played Sonata in G Major Op. 49, No. 2: Allegro ma non troppo by L. van Beethoven. The music was supposed to sound like a child’s composition, sweet and light, no accents. Scales ran up and down, giving my arm a real workout. Scale after scale I played, and guess what? I played even more scales. The child had forced me to play with jolly sensation, but “jolly” was to one emotion I wasn’t feeling.

        Unlike my feelings, the performance didn’t come out as smoothly as I played. It’s not just because of me, but also because of the piano. The variation on it was huge! Try playing a quiet note, and nothing came out. Try playing it a tiny bit harder, and the sound was kicked up so much. It seemed as if someone put a microphone up to it. Nearly everyone winced at their first note. During my song throughout many sections, I messed up a little. But I, coming through an acting camp, kept a straight face through the entire piece. No one could tell my thoughts, so I could’ve been winning the lottery for all they know. Even those who were listening in the waiting room said that I went flawless. To me, I felt as if I were wining it. I swung my arms to the beat, slightly bobbed my head, lifted my arms on rests, and came down smoothly like a sheet of ice. What was really funny was how different skills helped each other. And that’s what I called a poker face.

        Coming here the 3^rd time earned me a trophy. Considering how much time I spent, I deserved it. The song proved annoying at times, and my teacher’s pursuit to perfection was relentless. The hard work always makes the thing taste sweeter.  

【红霞译文】

        一般的少年儿童难得走进纽约卡内基音乐厅表演艺术，恐怕只有为数不多的人才像我这么运气，可以切身感受震撼时刻，并能亲自捕捉历史瞬间。

        卡内基音乐厅坐落在第七大道和五十七西街上，是闻名全球的音乐殿堂，平均每年上演250场次，世界各地首屈一指的艺术家竞相来这里施展才华。话说至此，我必须郑重声明，本人既非艺术名流又无演奏技巧，既然不知天高地厚跻身卡内基音乐厅，像我这般水准的钢琴手绝无资格到主台亮相，撑死了只能呆在容纳一百来号观众的小型威尔演奏厅凑份热闹。尽我已经连续三次被选拔到卡内基音乐厅参加“金钥匙艺术节”汇报演出，但内心深处仍然激动不已。通常演员们先被领进后台按顺序做好出场准备，后台不及前台辉煌宏大，让我觉得人们把钱全部用到了耀眼的地方。

        这次我带来的是贝多芬G大调奏鸣曲作品49第二号：不太快的快板，该首曲子听起来应该像顽童的作品，心情愉快节奏轻松，没有什么重音，音阶上下滑奏，手臂来回移动。我弹完一遍音阶，接着弹另一遍音阶，知道下面要干什么吗？继续再弹更多的音阶，这个淘气包害得我呼哧带喘，反而没法子开心。

        光自我感觉良好不成，本次演出进展得并非顺利，主要不是个人问题，而是钢琴问题，其力度太难把握！如果轻轻按键，那么什么琴声都听出不来；假如弹得稍微重了一点，音量又吵得要命，好像有人特意用麦克风把声音放大，因此几乎没人能弹好第一个音。演奏期间，我出现了小小的失误，但以前有过戏剧夏令营训练基础，即使出错也要坚持弹完全部曲子，好像什么都没发生，这样观众才不至于察觉出任何异常，还以为我表演得出色，就连等候在后台的同伴都夸我弹得不错。这下可好，说我胖我果真喘了起来，手臂随着节奏自然摆动，甚至挥到跟头部差不多高；遇见休止符的地方，胳膊刚好抬起，然后再优雅地放回原处。最有趣的是，动作与动作之间配合得竟然天衣无缝，与此同时，自己始终保持神情自若。

        因为第三次赢得殊荣前来表演，所以我多得了一个奖杯，比起过去所花的心血，自己的努力总算有所回报。这首曲子有时真叫我感到枯燥，而老师偏偏又毫不客气地追求艺术完美，着实让我饱尝苦尽甜来的滋味。