聞.見.思.錄

《哈利波特》第六集－－「哈利波特與混血王子」（暫譯）－－的封面，終於在今天面世。左為「兒童版」，右為「成人版」。第六集的出版日期定於六月十六日，各位哈利波特迷，準備好了沒有？

The Vassels: “When Hagen, grim Hagen, with laughter can shine!”
– Götterdämmerung, Richard Wagner

Radio Blog暫時搞不成，只有學學栗子及Florence，在網誌中加入＜EMBED＞的指令，權充網誌的音樂播放站－－雖然只有一首歌。

既然說明是「Music, My Choice」，選來的當然是自已喜歡的音樂。我揀選的這首音樂，是華格勒的樂劇「諸神的黃昏」（Götterdämmerung, Twilight of the Gods）中，第二幕第三場的合唱。在這段音樂中，《指環》（Der Ring Des Nibelungen） 故事中的第二大壞旦哈根（Hagen，頭號壞旦當然是他的父親阿伯里希Alberich）吹響號角，號召季比芬格族（Gibichungs）族人出來。正 當族人以為哈根要他們「立架生」，準備「開片」時，最後發現平日不苛言笑的哈根，原來要他們為族長昆達（Gunther）準備婚禮，就齊聲大笑，還歡頌： 「我們那個古肅的哈根，還是可開玩笑的！」

特別的是，在長達十六小時的《指環》樂劇四部曲中，唯一一段合唱音樂，就這有這一段！在這首「全男班」上陣、幾乎全段都以fortissimo唱出的合唱中，那種懾人氣勢，若是在現場看的話，真的會使人興奮萬分！上圖就是去年我在澳洲所看，由南澳省歌劇團的《指環》製作的劇照，畢竟華格勒的作品，不只要聽，還要看才過癮！

至於這段音樂的版本，我選了蘇堤爵士（Sir Georg Solti）在一九六四年與維也納愛樂團（Wiener Philharmoniker）灌錄的版本，演哈根一角的是Gottlob Frick。當年迪卡唱卡公司為求「原汁原味」，根據華格勒本人的指示，用上三個打獵號角作號召族人用，而不是用三個小號的一般做法。英國廣播公司的紀錄片《黃金指環》（The Golden Ring），就有關於灌錄這段合唱的片段。

合唱的德文歌詞，可見於此。手頭上有Andrew Porter的英文版本，是可以跟著來「唱」的（這個版本是為英國國家歌劇團在七十年代的英文《指環》演出而譯的），但是時間不夠，遲點抄過來，讓大家Sing along！

三月十二日啟事：
大抵是音樂檔案太大，又可能是與freewebhost.com的連接出現問題，總之這段音樂的連結是「斷」掉了。也許日後要將檔案壓小一點，再存到一個限制沒那麼多的地方．．．

三月十四月再啟：
放棄MP3格式，將音樂轉成Windows Media，再將檔案上傳到自已ISP提供的儲存空間，應該沒有甚麼問題了吧？

終於將Andrew Porter所譯的英文歌詞，全部打出來了。可能有點長，大家不要介意．．．

HAGEN
Hoiho! Hoihohoho!
You Gibich vassals,
Answer my call.
Waken! Waken!
Hear me! Hear me!
Arm all our land!
Bring your weapons!
Mighty weapons!
Sharp and bright!
Foes are here!
Foes! Waken! Waken!
Hoiho! Hoihohoho!

THE VASSALS
I hear the horn!
Who sounds the alarm?
We come with our arms!
We come with our weapons!
Hagen! Hagen!
Hoiho! Hoiho!
What’s the danger here?
Say what foe is near!
Who comes to fight?
Is Gunther in need?
We come with our weapons,
With weapons of might.
Hoiho! Ho! Hagen!

HAGEN
Come to my call,
and arm yourselves!
Gunther soon shall return;
his wife join us today.

THE VASSALS
What is his need?
Who is his foe?

HAGEN
His proud, fiery wife
join us today.

THE VASSALS
And is he pursued
by furious kinsmen?

HAGEN
No one follows them;
they are alone.

THE VASSALS
Then his danger is past?
And his fight has been won?
Tell us all!

HAGEN
The hero has gained him
a bride;
Siegfried, his friend
saved him from harm!

ONE VASSAL
Then why have you called us together?

TEN OTHERS
Then why have we been called?

HAGEN
Sacred oxen
must be slaughtered;
on Wotan’s altar
pour forth their blood!

ONE VASSAL
Then, Hagen, what would you have us do?

EIGHT VASSALS
What would you have us do?

FOUR OTHERS
What should we do?

ALL
What would you have us do?

HAGEN
Take a boar as offering,
kill it for Froh;
and a goat in its prime
strike down for Donner!
Sheep should then
be slaughtered for Fricka,
and then she will smile on this wedding!

THE VASSELS
After these offerings,
what next should we do?

HAGEN
Your drinkhorns take,
and ask your women
to fill with wine,
until they run full!

THE VASSALS
Our drinkhorns in hand,
what ought we then to do?

HAGEN
Seize them, and drink
till you can drink no more!
So shall our gods be honoured,
and they will grant us their blessings!

THE VASSALS
Glad times have come,
come to our Rhine,
when Hagen, grim Hagen,
with laughter can shine!
Our hedge’s thorn
pricks us no more;
our bridal herald
calls us to wine!

HAGEN
Now stop your laughter,
faithful vassals!
Receive Gunther’s bride!
Brunnhilde soon shall be here!

Honour your lady,
come to her aid;
if she is wronged,
you must revenge her!

THE VASSALS
Hail! Hail!
Be welcome! Be welcome!

Be welcome, Gunther!
Hail! Hail!