2011年考研英语一阅读 Text 1 原文翻译及答案解析

The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2009. For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least. "Hooray! At last!" wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober sided classical-music critic.

纽约爱乐乐团决定聘请艾伦·吉尔伯特担任下一任音乐总监，自2009年突然宣布这一任命以来，这一直是古典音乐界的热门话题。总体而言，反应至少可以说是积极的。“好哇！终于来了！”安东尼·托马西尼写道，他是一位严肃的古典音乐评论家。

One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known. Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert's appointment in the Times, calls him "an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him." As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise.

然而，这一任命如此令人惊讶的原因之一是吉尔伯特相对不太知名。即使是托马西尼——他曾在《纽约时报》上倡导吉尔伯特的任命——也称他为“一位谦逊的音乐家，没有那种令人生畏的指挥家气质。”对于一个迄今一直由像古斯塔夫·马勒和皮埃尔·布列兹这样的音乐家领导的乐团来说，这种描述可能至少让一些《纽约时报》的读者觉得是含蓄的赞扬。

For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one. To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music. All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes.

就我而言，我不知道吉尔伯特是否是一位伟大的指挥家，甚至不知道他是否是一位好指挥家。诚然，他演奏了令人印象深刻的多样有趣作品，但我不需要去艾弗里·费雪厅或其他任何地方听有趣的管弦乐。我只需要走到我的CD架前，或者启动电脑，从iTunes下载更多的录制音乐。

Devoted concertgoers who reply that recordings are no substitute for live performance are missing the point. For the time, attention, and money of the art loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses, dance troupes, theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of the great classical musicians of the 20th century. These recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today's live performances; moreover, they can be "consumed" at a time and place of the listener's choosing. The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert.

那些坚持认为录音无法替代现场表演的忠实音乐会观众忽略了重点。为了赢得艺术爱好公众的时间、注意力和金钱，古典乐器演奏家不仅要与歌剧院、舞蹈团、剧团和博物馆竞争，还要与20世纪伟大古典音乐家的录制表演竞争。这些录音便宜、随处可得，而且艺术质量往往比今天的现场表演高得多；此外，它们可以在听众选择的时间和地点“消费”。因此，这些录音的广泛可用性已经给传统古典音乐会制度带来了危机。

One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on record. Gilbert's own interest in new music has been widely noted: Alex Ross, a classical-music critic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into "a markedly different, more vibrant organization." But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely expanding the orchestra's repertoire will not be enough. If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must first change the relationship between America's oldest orchestra and the new audience it hopes to attract.

一种可能的回应是让古典演奏家编排尚未录制的新颖有吸引力的音乐。吉尔伯特对新音乐的兴趣已被广泛注意：古典音乐评论家亚历克斯·罗斯形容他为一个能够将爱乐乐团变成“一个截然不同、更具活力的组织”的人。但那种差异的本质会是什么？仅仅扩大乐团的曲目是不够的。如果吉尔伯特和爱乐乐团要成功，他们必须首先改变美国最古老的乐团与它希望吸引的新观众之间的关系。

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