http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/OPI4/5186077.shtml
焦元溥：人生，沒有加退選
【聯合報╱焦元溥】 2009.10.10 03:34 am
世上男中音很多，男中音明星卻相對少有。男中音能成歌劇頭牌，甚至唱貝爾格十二音列歌劇《伍采克》（Wozzeck）也能全場賣光的，更是鳳毛麟角。但是至少在英國，金利賽德（Simon Keenlyside）就是如此罕見例子。
這絕非浪得虛名。金利賽德聲音好，頭腦也好；我聽過他唱英、法、德、義各國語言，全都咬字清晰且詮釋精確，是嚴謹自律的智慧型演唱家。但在唱技之外，金利賽德還有其他歌手望塵莫及的本領：他演技出色還矯健靈活，不但跑跳拋接易如反掌，更不吝惜展露猛男身材讓觀眾瞠目結舌，堪稱十項全能。
My comments: Shame on me. As a music lover, I've never heard his name. However, it's good that I learned something new. You can see his photos on the following web page.
http://images.google.com.tw/imgres?imgurl=http://operachic.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/25/simon_fire.jpg&imgrefurl=http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2008/04/celeste-zenaida.html&usg=__iChisPVkSLLUcz3ldV7_Nqf-_uQ=&h=339&w=400&sz=159&hl=zh-TW&start=5&um=1&tbnid=RFgnZrjfPePnAM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Simon%2BKeenlyside%2522%26hl%3Dzh-TW%26rlz%3D1T4GGLJ_zh-TWTW249TW250%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1
想水到渠成 必不辭涓滴細流
究竟是什麼樣的訓練，才能造就出這樣的歌唱家？音樂學院雖然提供戲劇指導，難道也開設健身課程打造肌肉線條？看看金利賽德的學經歷，答案卻再也清楚不過———雖然從小在兒童合唱團學唱，基於對鳥類的熱愛，他在劍橋大學主修人類學和動物學，之後才專研聲樂。念書唱歌之外，金利賽德也參加橄欖球隊與跑步社團，讀書與運動至今都是不變的生活娛樂。
就現今成果來看，金利賽德所有學習無一不幫助他成為全面歌劇人才。但我絕對相信，他當初並非出於功利思考，為獲得分析歌詞音韻的智慧才鑽研人類學與動物學，為擁有傲人身材身手才在球場與跑道上鍛鍊。金利賽德之所以傑出，在於他珍惜每一個學習機會，順應興趣而以學習增進自己的能力。當他最後決定成為專業歌手，那些來自課堂與操場的知識與技能，也就和他一起在音樂廳與歌劇院發光發熱。
My comments: Follow your heart. Do what you love. As Steve Jobs' said, "...you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
Oprah Winfrey's words in her Stanford speech also echoes in my mind: " When you're doing the work you're meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid.
It's true. And how do you know when you're doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so. What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life."
若想水到渠成，必先不辭細流。「修這門課，又有什麼用？」許多學生與家長眼中只有短線功利考量，連大學教育甚至都被視為技職訓練。然而教育的可貴或許從來不在學以致用。無論所學為何，藉由嚴密的知識系統培養理性分析，最後自能觸類旁通，在繽紛事物中看出共通之道。
My comments: Remember the address "Have a Good Four Years"? The purposes of college education are not to send students to graduate school or ensure them a good job. Every college student should read that article more than once.
價值與意義 非當下可以評斷
即便是音樂這門養成教育甚為漫長，許多樂器更需從小訓練演奏技巧的學科，太多知名音樂家也非只修音樂一科，甚至還非「科班出身」。想當指揮家，應該念音樂而非心理，但看看呂紹嘉，誰又能說他真的曾經誤入歧途？站在指揮台上當然要有指揮技巧，但一位台灣音樂家能夠帶領德國樂團演奏貝多芬，教導法國樂手表現德布西，還能讓人心悅誠服，關鍵或許就在那些音樂學院沒教的事情裡。
劍橋大學有歷史悠久的音樂系，但在今年逍遙音樂節八百歲校慶音樂會上引吭高歌的代表，卻是動物系畢業的金利賽德。台灣大學甚至沒有音樂系，竟也出了呂紹嘉這位傑出校友。人生可沒有加退選；別以當下時空考量任何一項知識是否有用，更不要驕傲地宣判任何一門學問的價值與意義。謙虛認真，你終會擁有自己的舞台。
My comments: Learning for the sake of learning.
（作者為倫敦國王學院音樂學博士候選人）
Notes:
1. Steve Jobs' Commencement address "You've Got to Find What You Love" at Stanford, June 12, 2005:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505
2. Oprah Winfrey's speech at Stanford's Commencement ceremony, Sunday, June 15, 2008:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/june18/como-061808.html
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