Mompou: Música callada
Lilit Grigoryan (piano) (Orchid Classics)
(scroll down for English review)
再對蒙波的鋼琴音樂有興趣，是因為數月前我選映過一部西班牙電影《養鴉》，片中用了他一首鋼琴短曲《第六首歌》。這套鋼琴曲集《靜默的音樂》，或者是蒙波最為傳世的一套作品，共四冊，一共28曲，一張CD剛剛好。以前聽過兩個錄音，再聽這個Lilit Grigoryan的全集錄音，頓時覺得比以往聽的大聲：這套作品向來被人用white on white比喻，加上樂曲的名字，所以也會配上較淡薄的琴音。
但看着譜聽，Grigoryan其實也是忠於樂譜，原曲不但有不同層次的強弱音，有時也會注明要用「響亮」的琴音。Grigoryan的彈法也令我想起教堂鐘聲，看小冊子的樂曲介紹，原來蒙波的家族又真的是造鐘的。《靜默的音樂》旋律極其簡單，沒有一般鋼琴音樂多數有的伴奏音形，力求至簡至純，所以和弦成為音樂很重要一部分，Grigoryan的彈法，我覺得是務求再最少的音符的前提下，彈出最豐滿的聲響。小冊子又提到蒙波深受德布西影響，我覺得這套音樂比德布西還要素很多很多，甚至像薩提那種無厘頭。又或者說，這套音樂是新穎卻又返樸歸真的現代音樂。
聽這碟我又想起「大樂必易」這句話，不過我是不同意的，尤其是在西洋古典音樂。沒錯不少作曲家及演奏者都同意簡樸很重要，但巴哈、莫扎特、貝多芬的音樂，在他們在生時就是公認的複雜，就算是旋律性極強的蕭邦，也會用到不簡單的對位技巧及鋼琴技法，才能成就出他既易聽又層次豐富的不朽音樂。蒙波這種簡單音樂，雖然有值得玩味之處，但就遠遠去不到「大樂」的境界。西洋古典音樂中，聽來「容易」的「大樂」，我看只是奇蹟出現的寥寥幾首罷了。
I once again turned to Mompou because I was enthralled by his Cancíon No.6 used in the Spanish movie Cría cuervos…. Mompou wrote four books of Música callada and the 28 pieces fit comfortably in a single CD. When I listened to this new complete recording from Lilit Grigoryan I was surprised by the high volume and the robust piano sound. Two recordings I heard previously had a much softer sound, ostensibly giving listeners a white on white impression so tied to this piece.
But the score clearly indicates gradations from ff to ppp, sometimes Mompou expressively indicated a sonorous tone. Grigoryan’s tone reminded me of church bells, as Mompou was born into a bell making family. Mompou stripped this music of all pianistic figurations and delivered his music in the utmost economy, supporting the melodies with minutely calibrated chords. Although Mompou was heavily influenced by Debussy I felt this music is even closer to the aridity of Satie.
Then the notion of “the best music is always simple” came to my mind. This foray into Mompou reinforces my feeling AGAINST this thought. Although complex music usually wouldn’t be the best music, but Bach, Beethoven and Mozart were all thought to be complicated composers in their lifetimes. Even the direct melodies of Chopin had to go through a certain contrapunctal and pianistic process before becoming timeless music. The simplistic music of Mompou has its flavours but it never qualifies as the best music.