New-York based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra embarked on a whirlwind Asia tour this month (April 2019) with Nobuyuki Tsujii as guest soloist. They performed in Hong Kong & Taiwan on April 13, 14 and 16. News, photos and comments about those performances can be found at Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan, April 2019
The following amusing article appeared on the 立場新聞 “Standing Room News,” a "non-profit news website" based in Hong Kong.
The original article, in Chinese, was accessed here on April 18.
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2019/4/17 — 18:28
日本鋼琴家辻井伸行上星期 (4月13日) 作客香港大學，與近年積極在錄音市場大展拳腳的奧菲斯室樂團 (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) ，聯手演繹蕭邦第二鋼琴協奏曲。傳媒極喜以「失明鋼琴家」作招徠的頭銜，吸引大眾眼球，欲給辻井一些同情分似的。不，他不需要，靠他異常靈敏的觸感，演繹樂思相當細緻的蕭邦作品，委實綽綽有餘。說實話，不少鋼琴家雙目健全，分分秒秒看着八十八個黑白鍵，都不及他稍作綻露的音樂感。且說琴藝精者絕對不少，演繹具備特色，又不乖離曲目原意和構想的藝術家也有很多，但說到感染力，沒得騙人，你要聽聽辻井伸行。
Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii was a guest at the Hong Kong University last week (April 13) with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which has been actively making a big impact in the recording market in recent years. They performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2. The media was extremely pleased to use the label of "Blind Pianist" to promote public interest, and to convey some sympathy to Tsujii. He doesn’t need it. Thanks to his unusual sensitivity, he performed a very nuanced Chopin work, which is really more than enough. To be honest, many pianists with perfect eyesight, who can see the 88 keys every minute and every second, do not demonstrate nearly as much musical sense as him. I would say there are absolutely no lack of virtuosos who can make interpretations; there are also many artists who don’t deviate from the original intentions and ideas. But when it comes to appeal, no lie, you have to listen to Tsujii.
卻說有讀過筆者劣作的朋友，都知小弟最喜冷門，最愛關心鎂光燈亮不起的那一隅人，好，既然傳媒一路以來的聚光燈都打在辻井輕曳自若的身軀上，這次倒不如說說令我喜出望外的奧菲斯室樂團。
However, my readers know that I prefer to focus on the less popular, the ones who can't afford the magnifying light. Well, since the spotlights of the media have been shining on the body of Tsujii, I will turn my attention to talk about the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, who gave me much joy ….
[The rest of the article, in Chinese, follows below. The writer goes into the history, the conductor-less approach and the many accomplishments of the Orpheus. My limited translation ability would not do justice to the narrative -- I leave that to the professional translators for the Orpheus ^_^]
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RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan, April 2019
The following amusing article appeared on the 立場新聞 “Standing Room News,” a "non-profit news website" based in Hong Kong.
The original article, in Chinese, was accessed here on April 18.
淺談奧菲斯室樂團／瀧澤勳
Talking about the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra by Yan Zexun
2019/4/17 — 18:28
日本鋼琴家辻井伸行上星期 (4月13日) 作客香港大學，與近年積極在錄音市場大展拳腳的奧菲斯室樂團 (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) ，聯手演繹蕭邦第二鋼琴協奏曲。傳媒極喜以「失明鋼琴家」作招徠的頭銜，吸引大眾眼球，欲給辻井一些同情分似的。不，他不需要，靠他異常靈敏的觸感，演繹樂思相當細緻的蕭邦作品，委實綽綽有餘。說實話，不少鋼琴家雙目健全，分分秒秒看着八十八個黑白鍵，都不及他稍作綻露的音樂感。且說琴藝精者絕對不少，演繹具備特色，又不乖離曲目原意和構想的藝術家也有很多，但說到感染力，沒得騙人，你要聽聽辻井伸行。
Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii was a guest at the Hong Kong University last week (April 13) with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which has been actively making a big impact in the recording market in recent years. They performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2. The media was extremely pleased to use the label of "Blind Pianist" to promote public interest, and to convey some sympathy to Tsujii. He doesn’t need it. Thanks to his unusual sensitivity, he performed a very nuanced Chopin work, which is really more than enough. To be honest, many pianists with perfect eyesight, who can see the 88 keys every minute and every second, do not demonstrate nearly as much musical sense as him. I would say there are absolutely no lack of virtuosos who can make interpretations; there are also many artists who don’t deviate from the original intentions and ideas. But when it comes to appeal, no lie, you have to listen to Tsujii.
卻說有讀過筆者劣作的朋友，都知小弟最喜冷門，最愛關心鎂光燈亮不起的那一隅人，好，既然傳媒一路以來的聚光燈都打在辻井輕曳自若的身軀上，這次倒不如說說令我喜出望外的奧菲斯室樂團。
However, my readers know that I prefer to focus on the less popular, the ones who can't afford the magnifying light. Well, since the spotlights of the media have been shining on the body of Tsujii, I will turn my attention to talk about the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, who gave me much joy ….
[The rest of the article, in Chinese, follows below. The writer goes into the history, the conductor-less approach and the many accomplishments of the Orpheus. My limited translation ability would not do justice to the narrative -- I leave that to the professional translators for the Orpheus ^_^]
奧菲斯的組成1972年成立，奧菲斯是以紐約為出發點的室樂團，由獨當一面的音樂家組合以成，全團二十七人，演繹作品流派廣泛，古典、浪漫，甚至當代作品俱佳，與多個著名音樂廠牌合作，而德意志留聲機廠牌下的錄音作品更獲格萊美獎。今年於歐美和亞洲舉行巡迴演出，香港則是台灣之後的一站。
不少初聽錄音的朋友，都會想聽那位樂手或那個樂團的現場演繹，因為錄音可以化妝，現場不可以，我們的耳朵都是一面照妖鏡，而今次，這面鏡沒有令奧菲斯打回原形，音色反而令聽眾忘懷。
音色與力度
先聲奪人是奧菲斯的同義詞，易放易收，氣勢吞吐自如，一呼一吸之間，往往很快將聽眾拉入意境。值得一提的，則是大提琴。柴可夫斯基的大提琴音色，一向有點粗獷，不論在交響曲還是弦樂四重奏中，它總帶點暴烈，卻絕非粗糙。奧菲斯三位大提琴手很會這一點，尤其是室樂交響曲的第四樂章，三個人能奏出十個人的氣氛，卻又不會犧牲溫度，猶顯技藝精湛。而銅管樂器一直是俄國民族音樂一個鮮明的表徵，當晚演繹兩首老柴，團中僅有的兩位法國號手，乃成為另一焦點。就着營造樂隊的重力而言，力度還是相當滿意，但音色則不夠溫厚，與其他樂部比較，也只是美中不足而已。
室樂團樂器較少，樂師質素高低比龐大的交響、管弦或愛樂樂團更無所遁形，而器樂中間的融和，也是一面照妖鏡。顯然，奧菲斯統統都不是「鏡中妖邪」，皆因全團的準繩和穩定，都已達國際水準，榮獲格萊美的原由也思過半矣。筆者很喜歡小提琴不過份陰柔脆弱，低音樂器的鋪墊絕非尤其厚重，故甚少器樂間的競爭，令聽者非常舒適。
室樂之平衡
筆者不是專業音樂人，勉強說得上是有經驗的聽眾和樂迷，有幸聽過不少極富水準演出，而作為習樂之人，接觸一門手藝多年，筆者卻實不諳為何奧菲斯區區二十七人，當晚竟可奏出五六十人交響樂團的聲量和氣勢，教人眼前一亮。正如上文提及，若然樂手刻意增加聲量的比例，同時需要處理突強突弱兼具的樂段時，稍為學藝不精，execution就會粗糙。
不過，奧菲斯使聽眾讚嘆之處，乃落在樂手對音型的理解，以至與室樂搭檔溝通：哪些時候要厚實、堅定、明亮，哪些樂段要薄弱、柔軟、暗淡，他們的視野是全團的output，不是每個樂部的execution。好像很容易吧，但請記住，室樂團一般都沒有指揮家安排⸺當然你可以說首席或許會pick up這個崗位⸺但若失卻其餘二十六人的默契和手藝，音色絕對不會一致起來。例如小提琴手Adelya Nartadjieva，則是一位在九歲便開個人獨奏會的人才，可見人琴早已結緣。然後大家可以想像一下，室樂團中的每人，本身都是獨當一面的獨奏家；聚首一團，竟然沒有獨領風騷，反而呈現作品的和諧配器，這是多麼的難能可貴？
也許有不少現場聽樂經驗的樂迷都會同意，當我們聽到一場相當滿意、相當到位的作品演奏，那份滿足感，那些在腦內遺留的音樂，皆可維持上數個星期吧。對了，現在，筆者就有這種感覺。誠然，香港大學李兆基會議中心大會堂的場地音響，比本地其他音樂演出場地更有保證，更能呈現樂器的細緻變化，自然更能將二十七部樂器的聲色平衡傳播，應記一功。
講多無謂，聽聽奧菲斯的錄音作品，筆者可以保證，這批音樂家的現場演繹，夠你記住他們。
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RELATED ARTICLES
Nobuyuki Tsujii & Orpheus in Hong Kong & Taiwan, April 2019