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Books and Arts
來源于《圖書和藝術》版塊
Culture in the Middle East
中東的文化
The sultan’s song
蘇丹之歌
How Gulf rulers learned to love opera
海灣地區的統治者是如何愛上歌劇的
In “lakmé”, an opera by Léo Delibes, a Brahmin priest laments his daughter’s affair with a British officer. The patriarch’s view of forbidden love has a special piquancy at the Royal Opera House, Muscat (ROHM), where the work was performed earlier this year. One of the most spectacular opera houses in the world, the venue is the flagship of the art form’s swift rise across the conservative Gulf region.
在雷奧·德利勃的歌劇《拉克美》中，一位婆羅門教士為女兒與一名英國軍官的風流韻事而哀嘆。這位大牧首對禁忌之愛的看法在馬斯喀特皇家歌劇院以尖銳的形式表現出來，今年早些時候，這部作品在皇家歌劇院上演。作為世界上最壯觀的歌劇院之一，馬斯喀特皇家歌劇院是這種藝術形式在保守的海灣地區迅速崛起的旗艦。
In 1970, when Sultan Qaboos ousted his father, Oman had only two hospitals and three schools. Qaboos, now 78, has used some of the country’s oil wealth to update both its infrastructure and its image. The sultan is an autocrat (and a spendthrift), but he affects an enthusiasm for the arts. He founded the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in 1985; the ROHM opened in 2011. Its staircase and marble match the Opéra de Paris in grandeur.
1970年，當蘇丹·卡布斯更迭其父親的統治時，阿曼蘇丹國只有兩家醫院和三所學校?，F年78歲的卡布斯利用該國的部分石油財富，重建了該國的基礎設施和形象。蘇丹是一個獨裁者(也是一個揮金如土的人)，但他卻對藝術很熱忱。蘇丹于1985年創立了阿曼皇家交響樂團，馬斯喀特皇家歌劇院于2011年開始營業。歌劇院的樓梯和大理石可與宏偉的巴黎歌劇院媲美。
But the region’s opera boom transcends Oman. Dubai opened a glass-cased opera house in the shadow of the world’s tallest skyscraper in 2016. Kuwait’s glitzy new culture complex staged “The Magic Flute” last year. Meanwhile Jordan’s open-air opera festival, the region’s first, is now held each year in Amman’s Roman amphitheatre.
但當地歌劇的繁榮超越了阿曼蘇丹國。2016年，迪拜開設了一座玻璃幕墻的歌劇院，建于世界最高摩天樓的對面?？仆仂拍康男挛幕C合體去年上演了《魔笛》。同時，約旦的露天歌劇節，也是該地區第一個歌劇節，現在每年都在安曼的羅馬圓形劇場舉行。
One reason for the fad is economic. Qaboos wants to create jobs for Omanis and diversify beyond oil, including by boosting tourism. The ROHM has reputedly become Muscat’s second-most-popular sight, after the Grand Mosque; three-quarters of its staff are Omani.
流行的一個原因在于經濟?？ú妓瓜Ｍ麨榘⒙藙撛炀蜆I機會，并在石油之外實現多樣化，包括促進旅游業。據說馬斯喀特皇家歌劇院已經成為馬斯喀特第二受歡迎的景點，僅次于大清真寺；四分之三的員工是阿曼人。
Soft-power diplomacy is also part of the story. For example, a plan is afoot for Oman to fund an opera house in Beirut. A bid to recruit a Saudi minister to the board of La Scala in Milan—and for it to accept 15m Euros from the Saudi government—foundered amid an outcry over human-rights abuses. But La Scala’s academy still plans to set up an opera school for children in Riyadh.
軟實力外交也是原因之一。例如，阿曼正計劃資助貝魯特的一座歌劇院。一項為米蘭斯卡拉歌劇院董事會招募一名沙特部長的競標要接受沙特政府的1500萬歐元，最終在對侵犯人權的強烈抗議中宣告失敗。但斯卡拉歌劇院的學院仍計劃在利雅得為孩子們建立一所歌劇學校。
