导言：黎卓宇无疑是一位幸运儿，11岁时就已经在卡内基音乐厅首次登台。15岁受邀到白宫为奥巴马总统和默克尔总理表演。在古典音乐领域，鲜少有华人能走出国门取得国际声誉。中国如何能培养出一代享誉世界的音乐家，是新时代音乐教育面临的问题。
The interview with George Li
钢琴家黎卓宇访谈
By Elijah Ho
A native of Boston, Massachusets, George Li made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of eleven. In June of 2011, the tenth-grader was invited to perform for President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House. The Washington Post said, “There is no question 16-year-old pianist George Li has prodigious talent…he combines staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression,”. An early appearance on the Martha Stewart Show can be found here. Below is a transcript of our January 26, 2012 conversation with pianistGeorge Li.
黎卓宇，出生于美国波士顿，11岁时已经在卡内基音乐厅首次登台。2011年6月，这位高中一年级学生被邀请到白宫为奥巴马总统和默克尔总理表演。《华盛顿邮报》评论：“毫无疑问，16岁的钢琴家黎卓宇是个天才……他身上兼具着令人难以置信的技巧、感悟力和演绎能力。”就像早前他在玛莎·斯图尔特秀上所展示的。以下是2012年1月26日，钢琴家黎卓宇的访谈记录。
EH: What is your musical background ?
EH:请问你在音乐上的成长背景是怎样的？
Li: My parents grew up in China. In those days, they didn’t have the opportunities to play the piano or learn any other musical instruments. But they had a real love for music and they wanted me to learn to play the piano and play music. They said, ‘Let’s try and see what happens’. And that’s how I got started. Once I got started, I did not stop. Now, in my family, not only me, but my younger brother, who is five years younger, plays both the violin and the piano. I play only the piano (laughs). I don’t really remember this, but my mother tells me that she used to put me to bed with the classical music radio on.
黎:我父母出生在中国，在那个年代，他们没有机会弹钢琴或者学习其他乐器，但他们却十分热爱音乐，希望我可以学习音乐和钢琴，他们说：“让我们试试看”，我的音乐生涯就这样开始了，然后就停不下来了，在我家，现在不单止我，我五岁的弟弟也学习小提琴和钢琴，我却只弹钢琴(大笑)。我妈妈告诉我，我小时候她经常打开收音机让古典音乐伴我入睡。
EH: When did you realize that you were different from other children ?
EH: 你从什么时候开始意识到自己和其他学乐器的小朋友不一样？
Li: Well, before I learned the alphabet, it was easy for me to read notes from music scores and play them on the piano. I guess my rhythmic sense was also pretty good. My mom told me that when I first auditioned with my first piano teacher - I was four and a half - I was able to play simple tunes accompanied by my teacher. When she played fast and slow, I was able to follow her. My parents told me that after my first recital, parents of other kids told them that I had ‘a feel for the music’. Other than that, I don’t think I was all that different from other kids. My love for the instrument did grow, however. I wasn’t one of those kids who wanted to give up after five years. I really wanted to learn more and more pieces.
黎：当我学习字母之前，我就已经会看音符并且在钢琴上弹出来，我想我的节奏感也是相当不错的。我妈妈告诉我，在我四岁半的时候，第一任钢琴老师试课的时候，我已经可以在老师伴奏下弹奏简单的乐曲，并且我也能跟着老师的快慢变化而变化。父母告诉我，在我第一次独奏之后，其他家长告诉他们我很有音乐感，除此之外，我没有和别的小孩有什么不同，然而我对钢琴的爱确实一直在增长，并没有像其他小孩子一样在学习五年后就放弃，我真的很想学习越来越多的乐曲。
EH: Were there any difficulties you encountered as a prodigy ?
EH:作为一个天才，你有没有遇到一些特别的困难呢？
Li: To be honest, I don’t really consider myself a prodigy. Learning the piano, I have encountered some difficulties. There are many challenges in playing and I’ve grown frustrated at times. When I was very young and learning a Chopin etude, for example, it could take months to learn. My parents kept encouraging me. But because I like to play the piano, I never thought of giving up. I was always able to overcome difficulties in pianistic techniques. Yes, there might be some ‘traffic lights’, but they all turned ‘green’.
老实说，我真的不觉得自己是个天才。不过学习钢琴确实遇到一些困难，遇到许多挑战，我也曾经很沮丧，例如在我小时候学习肖邦练习曲，那需要用几个月的时候去练习。不过我的父母一直鼓励我，我也从未想过放弃，我通常都能够克服那些钢琴技术上的困难。就像开车时，你可能会遇到许多交通灯，可是它们都是绿灯。
My first teacher was Dorothy Shi, a private teacher who helped me with the basics and helped me build a solid technical foundation. After this, I had a teacher in New York, Mr. Chengzong Yin, whom I studied with for two or three years. He taught me about music, how to phrase and deal with more abstract ideas. Now, I’m studying with Ms. Wha Kyung Byun, who teaches at the New England Conservatory. She teaches me everything about music making, both the techniques of piano playing and the interpretation and phrasing of music as well. It was after studying with her that my musical talent started to bloom. Her teaching and her spirit inspire me to make and recreate music.
我的第一位钢琴教师史老师（Dornthy Shi），是一位私人教师，她教我基础知识也帮助我建立了很好的技术基础。之后在美国，我的教师殷承忠先生教了我两三年，他教我如何分乐句以及表达乐曲的内涵。现在，我在跟Ms.Wha Kyung Byun学习，她任教于美国新英格兰音乐学院，她教会我所有关于音乐的知识，也包括钢琴技巧以及乐句划分和演绎，从我开始跟随她学习，我的音乐才华开始不断升华，她的教导和她的内涵鼓舞着我制作和二度创作音乐。
EH: At what age did you finally begin thinking about the problem of piano technique?
EH: 在哪个年龄你开始感觉到自己钢琴技术遇到困难？
Li: I have not had much of a problem with technique, which is owed to my first piano teacher, Mrs. Shi. I built my technique from a very young age - think at age five. Every day, I practiced scales and arpeggios, Hannon and Czerny exercises. When I was seven, I started to learn the Chopin etudes. My teacher always made sure that I truly mastered the techniques in each etude before she would let me pass. I had to practice long hours.
在技巧上，我没有遇到过十分的困难，这归功于我的第一位钢琴教师，史老师。从我十分年幼就开始训练我的技巧，那时我大约5岁，我每天练习音阶琶音，哈农和车尔尼练习曲。当我大约7岁，我开始学习肖邦练习曲，我的老师会确认我真正掌握了每一条练习曲的技巧才会让我通过，我为此需要长时间练琴。
At age four, I was practicing maybe an hour a day. From age five to seven, it was maybe two to three hours a day. From seven to nine, it was three to five hours, maybe an hour more on weekends. Now I practice four hours a day on school days, seven hours on weekends and holidays. Do I like practicing? Yes, I think it’s fun. Sometimes, it can be frustrating, but you have to always work to realize the sound and the feelings that you want to convey.
4岁的时候，我每日练琴约一小时；5至7岁，每日练琴2至3小时；7至9岁，每日练琴3至5小时，周末时增加1小时。现在，上学的日子每天练琴4小时，周末和假期练琴7小时。你问我喜欢练琴吗？是的，我喜欢，我觉得很有趣。有时会受挫，不过你必须持续弹奏才会知道哪个音色和感觉是你所想要表达的。
EH: Which Chopin Etude is the most difficult for your hand?
EH: 哪一首肖邦练习曲是你觉得最难的？
Li: I haven’t played all of them yet, but there’s the one in A minor, Op. 25 No. 4, which is very difficult in the left-hand, and also, Op. 10 No. 2, which I started when I was seven. Back then, I practiced the piece phrase by phrase in order to overcome the problem of finger 4 crossing finger 5. It was a very slow process at that time, but I managed to get it. Later, I learned that it was fortunate that I did it at such young age, when my hands were very flexible.
我还没有弹完所有肖邦练习曲，不过其中有一首，作品25第4首《a小调练习曲》，左手非常难，还有作品10第2首，那时我7岁开始学，我分段练习以求攻克4指跨越5指的转指技巧，那时进程十分慢，但我还是设法克服，后来我知道也庆幸自己在年幼手指十分柔软的时候学习了这些。
EH: I’m surprised to hear you mention the latter; there’s an impressive video of you playing Op. 10 No. 2 at an early age.
EH: 我很惊奇你提到后面的这首作品10第2首，曾经有一个令人印象深刻的视频是你幼年时弹奏这首作品的。
Li: I first had to develop the 3-4-5 fingers, so I’d go four bars or so every week. After that, I would add the thumb and the index finger, which play the chords in the right-hand. To get it to a high level, it took two years. But after I mastered it, everything became easier, and I was able to play more difficult pieces. There are different types of technique, and it’s something that you always need to work on. Without technique, it doesn’t matter what your ideas are, you won’t be able to do what you want. It’s also important to never forget the feeling for the music, the imagination.
我先练习3、4、5指，每周只练习大概4小节左右，然后才加上拇指和食指就是右手弹奏的那些和弦，为了达到一个更高的水平，我用了两年时间才完成。不过在我掌握它之后，所有其他的都变得更容易了，我能够弹奏更难的曲子了。有不同的技术类型，你必须时刻去攻克它，没有技术，无论你的想法如何，也表达不出来，同样重要的还有乐感，也就是想象力。
EH: How is your musical memory ?
EH:你的音乐记忆力里如何？
Li: I have a reliable musical memory. It takes me some time to master a piece. When I first play a piece, note-wise, it takes at least a day or a couple of days to learn the piece, maybe a week. After that, there’s a process to master it. When I first learn a piece, musically, it’s impulsive, there’s a lack of detail, etc. But once I work through it to understand and carry out the details, and deeply feel the music, I can remember it for a long time. The work-through process takes the knowledge of details, theory and phrasing combined with the feelings.
黎：我有十分可靠的音乐记忆力，我需要一些时间去掌握一首乐曲。当我第一次弹一首乐曲，熟悉音符大概需要一天或者几天时间，有时甚至一周。之后我需要吃透它，当我第一次弹一首乐曲，音乐表现得很草率、不够细致，但当我完全明白这首乐曲，细致地发挥，深刻地感受，我会很长时间都记得它。这个过程是细节、理论和乐句这三方面与乐感相结合。
EH: Have you ever had to deal with stage fright?
EH：你曾经怯场吗？
Li: I’ve always loved performing. It was always very exciting for me. I don’t get too nervous when I’m playing, but on every stage, it’s a little different. I’m always excited, but sometimes, the level of  anxiety to perform is greater. At times, when everything is connecting during a performance, I feel the adrenaline, I feel that everything is one thing. Other times, I don’t feel this connection, so it varies.
黎：我一直都很爱演奏，这经常让我很兴奋，演奏时我不会太过紧张，不过每次上台感受都有少许差异，我通常都会很兴奋，有时越紧张越会让演奏更出色。有些时候，很微妙地，在演奏中感觉所有事情都有联结，我会感受到我的肾上腺素，我会感受万物成为一体。有些时候，我并没有感觉到这种联结，所有每次会有差异。
I have a routine before concerts. I usually wake up a bit later, I eat more for lunch and then I take a nap. I then go over the music, and this usually calms me down and gets me ready for the concert. When I am on stage, the excitement and anxiety drops, I’m geared-up for the performance and I am in another world. (laughs)
音乐会之前我有个习惯，我通常迟一点点起床，午餐吃多点，然后小睡一下。我会复习一下曲子，这通常让我冷静下来，为音乐会做好准备。当我在台上演奏，兴奋度和肾上腺素激增，像上了发条似的，像在另一个世界。(大笑)
EH: Who are some of the Golden Age pianists whose recordings you find yourself constantly returning to ?
EH：有哪位黄金时期钢琴家的演奏录音会让你不断地反复听吗？
Li: I really love listening to Horowitz. I listen to as many of his recordings as possible. Maybe the one I listen to the most is his 1965 return to Carnegie Hall. I think the most special thing is his sense of timing, his colors, excitement, and the way he draws your attention unexpectedly. He’ll play a piece normally, and all of a sudden, something beautiful happens and you are absolutely enchanted.
我非常喜欢听霍诺维茨(Horowitz)的弹奏，并尽可能多听，听得最多的是他1965年重返卡耐基音乐厅，我觉得最特别的地方是他的时空感、色彩、激情，并且用出乎意外的方式吸引你，正当他普通地弹奏时，忽然有一些特别美妙的演绎，绝对会让着迷。
Cortot and Rachmaninoff are also wonderful. The ways of their playing are so individual. They both have rich sound, but on top of that, there is so much color and nuance, and their dynamic range is humungous. I love Rachmaninoff’s recordings of his own concertos and Cortot’s piano rolls.
柯尔托(Cortot)和拉赫玛尼诺夫(Rachmaninoff)也同样出色。他们有着各自独特的演奏方式，虽然都是华丽的音色，但在此之上有更多的色彩和细微之处，张力上也有很多变化。我喜欢拉赫玛尼诺夫的协奏曲和柯尔托的钢琴曲集。
EH: There are some who believe that today’s young pianists are lacking a certain quality in their playing, elements that were once common amongst the older generation of pianists. What are your thoughts on this ?
EH: 有些人说当今年轻钢琴家缺乏一定的演奏素质，就是那些老一辈演奏家都普遍具有的素质。你如何看待这点？
Li: I think their playing is at a very high level. It’s very refined and they all have a great sound. But I guess I would like to see more individuality in their playing. Of pianists today, I look up to Mr. Russell Sherman. I admire his playing because he is creative. Every time he plays a piece, it’s completely different. There is so much color and individuality. I really enjoy his performances. Also, I like Martha Argerich for her fearlessness, her brilliant technique, and her daring. She takes many risks, which I like.
我觉得他们的演奏水准非常高，十分精致，也有很棒的音色，不过我更想看到他们的演奏能有独特之处。当今钢琴家中，我比较欣赏罗素·谢尔曼(Russell Sherman)，我欣赏他的创造性，每次演奏都完全不一样，充满色彩，十分独特，我很欣赏他的演奏。我也喜欢马塔·阿格里奇(Martha Argerich)的无畏惧，她的超强技巧，她的勇于冒险，我都很喜欢。
EH: What are your thoughts on music competitions ? Are you considering any in the near future ?
EH：你如何看待音乐比赛？近排有打算参加吗？
Li: I think it depends on how you think about it. If you want to win badly, you might fall into the stereotype. If you play the way you are feeling the music, there might be jury members who like it, others who don’t. Unless you play straight and are technically perfect, you have a lesser chance of winning the competition. So if one has to conform to a certain taste, he or she might lose their individuality and imagination. But if you don’t really care about winning the competitions and think of them as chances to learn from the experience, they would become good ways to learn about others and yourself. Competitions are also stages where one becomes known to the public.
我想那基于你的想法如何，如果你非常想赢得比赛，你可能会堕入固有的模式里面。如果你用心感受音乐而演奏，或许有些评委喜欢，有些不喜欢。除非你整齐地演奏或者技术完美，否则你很少机会会赢得比赛。所以如果要符合大众口味，他/她将会失去个人的独特性和想象力。但若你不十分在乎输赢，并将它看为一个获得经验的机会，那将会是一个很好的学习渠道，比赛也是让公众认识的方式。
I’m not thinking of entering at this point. Winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2010 has brought me quite a few engagements, and they are giving me good guidance for my career.
我暂时没有打算参加比赛。2010年在青年音乐家协会(Young Concert Artists)国际面试中获胜，给了我很大的鼓舞，而且在我的事业上给了我很好的指引。
EH: As a performer, what is the ideal impression that you would like to leave with your audience?
作为一个演奏家，你理想中希望留给你的听众什么印象？
Li: I guess long-term, I want them to know that I have something to say about the music I play. And I also want them to feel that the music I play can refresh them, taking them away from the ordinary daily life and transport them to the world of music. I also want to be able to communicate with them through the piano. I want to share with my audience how I feel about the music.
长远的话，我希望他们明白我的音乐在说话，我也希望我的音乐能够使他们振作，将他们从平凡的日常生活中带出来并且进入到音乐的世界里，我也想透过音乐和他们对话，我想和我的听众分享我对音乐的想法。
EH: Earlier in 2011, you had the chance to play for President Obama. What were your first impressions of him ?
EH：早前在2011年，你有机会为奥巴马总统演奏，你对他的第一印象是怎样的？
Li: I actually talked to him for a bit. My family and I had a picture taken with him, the First Lady and the German Chancellor. I really liked his presence. We didn’t have time to speak about classical music, but he’s warm and very humane. He’s also pretty funny and witty.
黎：我有跟他倾谈了一会儿，我的家人和我跟他还有总统夫人以及德国总理一起拍了合照，我真的很喜欢他的风度，我们没有时间谈到古典音乐，不过他很热情慈爱，而且非常风趣幽默。
EH: Are you satisfied as a musician ?
EH：作为音乐家，你对自己满意吗？
Li: I am sure that a life in music is much more than what I have experienced so far. From what I know, music is an unpredictable road. There is no straight way, which is why it is attractive to me, to some extent. I don’t know what will happen in the future. But so far, I feel I’ve been extremely blessed. I have had great teachers from whom I have learnt a lot about music making. I have had many opportunities to perform. I’ve been guided by mentors and Young Concert Artists. I have supportive family and audience who cheer me on.
我相信一个真正活在音乐里的生命比我现在已经经历的会更加丰盛，音乐是一条不可预测的路，没法直达，这在某种程度上吸引着我。我觉得自己很蒙福，我有很棒的老师，我从他们那里学到非常多关于制作音乐的知识，我也有机会演出，亦得到导师们和青年音乐家协会(Young Concert Artists)的指引，我的家人很支持我，听众也在为我加油。
I love what I’ve been doing. I wouldn’t be who I am if I didn’t make music or play the piano. It has influenced me in a very positive way, even though I don’t always get to hang out with friends or do exactly what I feel like doing. I like to play baseball, I like sports in general. I read and watch TV when I don’t practice or perform. My parents have helped me reach a balance with school, piano, and the time to have fun, like a normal kid. But learning and performing music have been rewarding, both physically and mentally. They helped me to mature and grow as a person.
我很爱我现在正在做的事情，若我不制作音乐或者弹钢琴，我不会成为真正的自己，音乐激励我前进，虽然我没有经常和朋友在一起或者做一些我觉得喜欢做的事，我喜欢打棒球，我喜欢运动，当我不用练习或者演出时我会看书和看电视。我的父母帮助我平衡学业、钢琴、娱乐，就像普通小孩子一样，但音乐学习和演奏于身体和心灵都很有价值，帮助我成长和成熟。
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