Messiaen: Visions de l’amen
Alexandre Rabinovitch, Martha Argerich (pianos) (Warner)
(scroll down for English review)
阿嘉莉殊即將80大壽，趁此機會介紹她一張比較少人聽的舊錄音：梅湘雙鋼琴作品《阿門幻象》。阿嘉莉殊很少演奏當代曲目，但有時和人夥拍就會彈些特別樂曲。她在這裏彈第二鋼琴，是不是她退居次席呢？也不是，梅湘寫這作品時，是讓他的學生、日後成為第二任梅湘夫人的Yvonne Loriod彈第一鋼琴，梅湘自己彈第二鋼琴。第一鋼琴較多墊底的工作，第二鋼琴的旋律較明顯，但也需要較大的力量去彈，不過力度這一點不會難倒阿嘉莉殊。
問題是，聽唱片沒有畫面，哪個是第二鋼琴呢？其實真的聽不出來，你不如當成兩部鋼琴都是阿嘉莉殊彈，心理上會好過些，不過第二樂章從頭到1:10是第二鋼琴獨奏，如果要肯定聽到阿嘉莉殊才心息就聽這兒吧。其實沒有胃口啃梅湘的朋友，在第二樂章開始也好，已能聽到全曲其中一種情感，如果從樂章名稱「星宿及有環星球的阿門」去想，就是一種宇宙或造物的能量。 七個樂章中其實第四樂章「欲望的阿門」才是全曲核心，這裏的欲望沒甚麼鹹濕成分，較像是一種盼望，這個也是典型的梅湘式慢板，極度緩慢及靜默。另外第七樂章「圓滿的阿門」是全曲的集大成，喜悅洋溢，這裏第二鋼琴卻是退居次席，較高音的音符多是第一鋼琴彈的。
Martha Argerich is having her 80th birthday so I took this chance to introduce a little known gem in her massive discography: Messiaen’s Visions de l’amen for two pianos. She was no champion of modern music but her music partners would get her to join them on some special repertoire. She played second piano on this but that didn’t mean she was playing second fiddle. Messiaen reserved this part, which was more melodic and prominent, for himself. The first piano part, played by Yvonne Loriod at the first performance, has more padding work to do. The second part also demanded very forceful playing (banging in some instances) but Argerich’s prowess was quite well known.
The problem is, how can one tell which one was Argerich? There’s no video. Perhaps you’ll feel better making believe it was Argerich playing both parts. But if you really must have Argerich on her own, the first one minute ten seconds of the second movement was a solo of second piano. The second movement is also a good place to start if you can’t really stomach Messiaen. Its title, Amen of the Stars and the Winged Planets, suggested a cosmic power or the Creation. Actually the fourth movement “Amen of Desire” is the crux of this seven-movement work. Desire didn’t have any erotic notion here; it was more of a yearning. It’s a typical super-slow Messiaen meditative movement. The seventh movement “Amen of Consummation” is an energetic and joyful finale, now the second piano is more in the background, the higher notes are mostly played by the first piano.