【Aiden in English】

        The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia is somewhat of a legendary dream to all young artists. Because I’ve only seen the stage a few times in performance, it feels like an area of performance I’ll never reach.

        However, Pennbrook’s Wind Ensemble, as part of the USBands concert series, has given its members the opportunity to perform on stage at Verizon Hall of the Kimmel, one of the most prestigious concert venues in the nation.

        We were not the only school today. The entire North Penn district sent multiple bands from the middle and high schools. Other bands from all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey came to demonstrate their skills.

        The focus is not on their performance, but it’s on our show. Even as a performer, one still can be awed.

        The Verizon Hall was something I’ve never experienced in the past. Before even mentioning sound quality, the giant organ pipes in the background of the band already stunned me. The balconies stretched up so high, I felt like a mouse in an enormous maze. And the bright lights made me want to crawl into a ball and disappear.

        And then we were playing. I’m not going to dwell much on the songs, as I’m sure they have become repetitive in my drafts. One can’t come to the Verizon Hall and talk about what was prepared beforehand. No! One lives in the moment.

        At the moment, the largest standout to the qualities of the Kimmel would be the acoustics. During the short amount of time on stage, the sound quality made a major impact. To all those experienced to music, you can tell the distinct difference of the ringing tone after each note, especially the extreme accents and fermatas. Other than the beautiful tone quality and the amazing sound changing architecture of the hall, we had a regular performance.

        I think the entire size of the stage itself contributed to the sound perceived. Being cramped in a small band room at school, the sound always bounced back on the walls, making all noise louder than it actually sounded. When the walls expand and the ceiling rises up, you suddenly feel small. However, the grandiose Kimmel happens to have this lessening effect on the performers. Not only do we feel small, we physically sound smaller, and therefore, we are truly smaller.

        This show was the debut of “Pavane” by Gabriel Fauré, a beautiful piece of literature. I bring this up because the slow, slur of the song went well with the ring and echoing of the hall. Also, the trumpet dropped a mute, but it’s the performing arts. Anything is possible.  Pavane illustrates a dance of peacefulness, which is the contrast of our other songs. The swings in mode, I think, highlight the list of songs in our repertoire.

        The Kimmel Center symbolizes much for this band. Because the middle school Wind Ensemble is very, very new, the step to the next level is important to all.

        This band performance here will be the first of many to come.

【红霞译文】

        费城金梅尔表演艺术中心可谓所有年轻艺人向往的地方，我只来过几次观看节目，似乎从未奢求有朝一日到这里登台献艺。

        然而，作为美国乐队系列音乐会参与者，宾溪中学管乐队有幸在全美最负盛名的艺术圣殿之一威瑞森音乐厅亮相。

        今天我们并不是唯一出场的乐队，整个北宾州学区四所初高中学校派来了好几支乐队，另外还有宾州及新州其它乐队也纷纷集结于此尽展风采。

        本次演出关键在于我们如何表现，而不是别人怎样发挥。即便身为演员，谁都会被如此壮观场面所震撼。

        过去我从未有过威瑞森音乐厅演出经历，暂且不谈其音质效果，光是乐队后面大型风琴管足以叫我瞠目结舌，观众席层层叠叠伸向高空，我犹如身陷巨型迷宫的耗子，一见到镁光灯就巴不得钻进圆球逃之夭夭。

        接下来我们开始演奏，在此毋庸一一赘述，毕竟我曾连篇累牍报道过相关细节，人们亲临威瑞森音乐厅何必谈论事先如何准备，不！活在当下。

        说起金梅尔表演艺术中心，其最为突出的特点应首推声学效果，短短上场走台过程中，音质好坏起主要作用。对于具有音乐造诣的人来说，一下子就能甄别各个音符的回音，特别是强重音和延音，多亏音乐厅建筑构造变换出优美的音色以及绝妙的音调，我们总算发挥了正常水平。

        我认为音乐魅力取决于舞台本身的大小。平常呆在学校空间狭窄的练功房吹吹打打，音乐经墙壁反射，回声反馈的各种噪音盖过实际音量。当把墙壁向远方推移并将天篷往高处伸展，你突然发觉自己渺小起来，而宏大的金梅尔表演艺术中心着实让演员缩微，我们不仅显得小，而且看上去更小，无形之中真的变得微乎其微。

        本次演出先以加布里埃尔·佛瑞的华彩作品《帕凡舞曲》拉开序幕，我之所以强调它是因为这首乐曲缓慢平稳兼有铃声伴奏及回音效果，其间小号误失静音器，有悖表演艺术唯美精神，正所谓世事难料。帕凡是一种音调和谐的舞曲，与本乐队演奏的其它曲目形成了鲜明对照，我觉得这恰好反映出我们在表演风格上变化多样。

        在我们看来，金梅尔表演艺术中心意味深远，毕竟初中管乐队经验非常浅薄，外出学习交流对于提高演艺实力非常重要。

        这回金梅尔中心管乐会演将是我们迈向未来的第一步。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2014: PSSA Fifth Grade Writing(宾州五年级写作统考)

Crosslink(相关博文):

Salute to Vienna @ Kimmel Center(费城金梅尔“向维也纳致敬”)