歌劇中的木偶

小瓊：我覺得自己很幸運，能夠在香港藝術節上觀看了由兩個大洲的藝術家們帶來的克勞迪奧·蒙特威爾第《尤利西斯歸鄉記》的最后一場演出。

小薇：我在網上看到，這不僅僅是這部巴洛克早期經典作品的現場表演，并且這部歌劇的角色都由木偶飾演。該制作由世界著名導演威廉·肯特里奇于1998 年創作首演。在那段時間里，肯特里奇迷上了解剖學，尤其是人體血液循環的概念。他與南非木偶劇團的創始人阿德里安·科勒和巴茲爾·瓊斯密切合作，創作出了富有表現力的、栩栩如生的木偶。肯特里奇還與菲利普·皮埃羅協商，將音樂進行了明智而審慎的剪輯，因此整場演出時長只有100 分鐘（這無疑使戲劇發展得更快）。

小瓊：來自南非木偶劇團的五名成員遠道而來，還有獨唱歌手和比利時里切卡爾古樂團的七名成員。我發現最具啟發性的是，歌劇中的每個角色——不管是人或是神——都是用木偶來表現的，木偶出現在舞臺上，歌手們在其身旁表演，創造出一種完整的藝術體驗。此外，舞臺還設置有電影投影，從視覺上重現了故事的背景、角色，甚至是情感。

小薇：我看到木偶師們還舉辦了一個名為“呼吸使木偶栩栩如生”的講座演示，向感興趣的觀眾近距離展示他們的木偶技藝。

小瓊：事實上，我很慶幸能及時趕到香港參加這場講座。這確實是一個非常有趣的藝術假設。

木偶不需要呼吸；然而，歌手們需要。如何呈現一場讓木偶看起來像是在呼吸的表演？設想一下木偶們胸部的細小起伏，這樣不僅類似呼吸的動作，也更接近歌唱時的狀態！這顯然需要很多技巧和大量的訓練。

小薇：的確，歌劇和舞臺的魔力就在于能將我們帶入一個想象的世界里。威廉·肯特里奇將這個故事現代化了（故事從尤利西斯躺在約翰內斯堡一家現代醫院的病床上開始），所有關于他“回到”妻子佩內洛普身邊的事情都只存在于他的夢里。

小瓊：能夠在現實中呈現一個夢，也能在夢中展現現實故事，這代表了至高無上的藝術。我真的希望更多的亞洲觀眾能看到這個節目并受到啟發！

Joan： I count myself lucky to have caught the finalperformance of Claudio Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisseat the Hong Kong Arts Festival with visiting artists fromtwo continents.

Valery： I read on the web it’s not just any live performanceof this early Baroque classic， but the opera’s charactersare all puppets. This was a production first created by theworld-renowned director William Kentridge in 1998. Duringthat time， he was fascinated with anatomy， especially theidea of the body’s blood circulation. Working closely withAdrian Kohler and Basil Jones， founders of the HandspringPuppet Company， they created puppets that wereexpressive and totally life-like. Kentridge also collaboratedwith Philippe Pierlot in making judicious cuts， so theentire performance lasts only 100 minutes （which certainlymakes the drama move much faster）.

Joan： Five members from South Africa’s HandspringPuppet Company came all the way to Hong Kong， alongwith solo singers and seven members of Belgium’sRicercar Consort. What I found most illuminating ishow each character in the opera—human or deity—isrepresented by a puppet， and puppets appear on stagewith the singers performing in close proximity to createa total artistic experience. In addition， there’s a film"projection that visually represents place and people， aswell as feelings.

Valery： I see the puppeteers also hosted a lecture anddemonstration entitled “Breathing brings Puppets toLife，” showing interested audience members up-closehow they practice their art.

Joan： Indeed， I was lucky to have arrived in Hong Kongin time for the workshop. This is indeed a very interestingartistic premise. Puppets don’t need to breathe; singersdo， however. How do you present a performance inwhich the puppets literally look like they’re breathing？Think of the minute movements of the chest rising andfalling， thus approximating not only breathing， but alsosinging！ This clearly takes a lot of skill and training.

Valery： The magic of opera and stage is to transportus into an imaginary and imaginative world. WilliamKentridge has updated the story （it starts with Ulysseslying in bed， in a modern hospital in Johannesburg） andeverything concerning his “return” to his wife Penelopeonly exists in his dream.

Joan： Being able to present a dream in reality， andalso reality in a dream represents supreme artistry.I do hope even more audiences in Asia can see thisshow and be inspired！