本文原始出處是我最古老的新聞台:音樂劇傳期‧傳奇音樂劇，發文時間是2007年12月11日，由於那邊已經被我關台，因此我將原文轉到這邊!
這是部難得一見的歌劇好片。說來我跟它淵源也挺深的！
1994年我還是國中生，雖然未成年小孩不能進電影院觀看這種限制級電影，不過在MTV卻是可以輕易看到。所以我算是這片一下檔沒多久我就看了，夥同幾位喜好國外藝術電影的同學一同到MTV看這部片。
當時在MTV就看了兩回，
多年後在大學修歌劇賞析的課堂上又再度看了一回，
之後偶然間購得這部影片的VCD，再度看了幾遍，
上了碩士班後還是意猶未盡又看了數回。
究竟看了幾遍我也不清楚了...
只能說這部電影真的相當相當的棒，
才能讓我十幾年之中不斷的重溫舊夢。[跟阿瑪迪斯都是絕佳的音樂電影]
當年這部片上映時在國際上造成相當大的轟動，沒在注意國外電影的朋友也許並不曉得，不過只要對國外影展之類的藝術電影有接觸的人，對當年《絕代艷姬》引發的喧嘩一定不陌生。
這部聳動艷情的閹伶電影，改編自歷史上最偉大的閹伶--Farinelli費里尼利傳奇的一生，其中不乏限制級的鏡頭：兩兄弟一同享用女人的香豔場面、小男童被閹割的畫面[當然不是真的拍出來啦]....但是別忘了，這部片最重要的就是音樂，不管是Farinelli絕美非凡的演唱、韓德爾大師級的演奏、兄弟間可以說是用音樂構築了整部精采戲劇，宛如片中隨處可見的斑斕場景，絕對是一場視覺與聽覺的極致饗宴！
本片的主要男角色有三人，皆有相當傑出的表現：
第一位當然就是中心人物Farinelli，以他為主軸拉出許多分支，
其中跟他最直接相關的就屬兄長Riccardo和巴洛克神劇大師韓德爾。這部片主要是法語，因為在一次世界大戰前法語算是當時世界的官方語言，不過兩兄弟之間的對話卻是義大利文，而韓德爾在英國和劇院商人交談時用的是英語。演員們靈活的運用不同語言，除了欣賞其中歌劇之美，同時也充滿了美妙的法語聲韻，和華麗璀璨的巴洛克文化相映成趣！
這部片描述男人之間複雜無比情感，不論是幾近乎畸形的兄弟愛，還是韓德爾和Farinelli之間既互敬又互怨的矛盾，伯爵夫人身殘的小兒子對Farinelli近乎神的崇拜，Farinelli的師長對其嚴苛的教導與熱切的期待，來自其他正常男性的輕蔑，以及Farinelli本身對其兄、其父，和自身想要成為夫親與正常男性的極致渴望...種種男人世界錯綜複雜的衝突，排山倒海、極具毀滅性的情感，讓女人的角色褪居次位，除了作為性愛的戰利品[眾多送上門來的女人]，就是作為愛情的奴隸[為愛犧牲一切的癡情女Alexandra]
女人真的是愛情的動物，
每每看到歷史上偉大男性的傳記時，
不乏為愛犧牲的渾身是傷的女人，
她們都會有同樣的囈語，就是”沒有你我會死”。這句話到是較少出自男性之口，也很少聽到哪位偉大的女藝術家背後也有默默支持奉獻一切的偉大男性。可以說基本上女人沒有愛情會窒息的人不在少數，
男人沒有事業會因此而死的機率遠比沒有愛情要大的多。→題外話
PS：前陣子上映的畫家電影Modiliani女主角也是同一位女星飾演的，
這位為Modiliani而自殺的女性，片中再度響起”沒有他我會死”這句話...
巴洛克之所以被稱作巴洛克，
主要是跟前代的文藝復興其均衡典雅相比，
巴洛克的衝突感明顯增加，「變形的珍珠」意即不同傳統的反差之美。
在繪畫上，文藝復興的穩定感較強，以德國學者沃夫林所說的藝術史五大原則來說，
文藝復興的藝術屬於線性，巴洛克則屬繪畫性，
文藝復興的藝術屬於平面，巴洛克則屬後退，
文藝復興的藝術屬於閉鎖，巴洛克則屬開放，
其他像是多樣與統合、清晰與不清晰。
藉由美術領域的說法，套用在音樂上的巴洛克就成了華麗崎嶇的裝飾音樂，
表演者極盡所能的炫技，
一連串華而不實的裝飾音從閹伶非男非女的絕妙嗓音中唱出，
帶點墮落與紅塵的享樂味道，
就像男士們華麗的蕾絲袖口和女士們誇張的衣飾與假髮一般，
誇張、絢麗、強烈，
可以說這些都算在巴洛克的時代特色之內。
幾百年前尚未有所謂的電影明星、搖滾巨星，
卻不減人們對於偶像崇拜的本能渴望。
唯一不會因時代而消逝的就屬身為眾所矚目的偶像，
其風光的背後一缸子不為人知的心酸與寂寞。
閹伶的出現滿足了那年頭男女老少對於完美之人的嚮往，
這種擁有魔幻女高音與渾厚男低音的超完美歌喉的發聲器，
擁有遠比女人還要更大的肺活量，
因閹割部份生殖器，
讓他成為廣受宮廷貴婦歡迎的最佳情人。
由於不會讓女人懷孕，卻又能滿足所有投懷送抱的女性，
閹伶在名媛貴婦之間如何受寵可想而知。
Farinelli就是史上最知名的閹伶聲樂家，
他相貌清秀俊逸，
因閹割之故使他相較正常男性而言更為清麗修長，
遠比其他男性多了份纖細美感，
此種陰柔之美給人有種雌雄同體的錯覺，
閹伶散發迷幻的神秘感，
較之正常男性，
對女人來說更具性的吸引力。
由於身為聲樂表演者，
濃妝豔抹是必要手段，
也正因藝術家遠較常人心思細膩，
對美尤其敏銳，
不論是音樂美還是外貌之美，
登台前完美厚重的裝束、下台後一絲不苟的保養，
讓每一次登台演出都儘可能做到美的極致。
即使到了21世紀的今日，
人們對於雌雄同體的演藝人員依舊著迷，
或許他們就是融合男女兩性的優勢，
美的撲朔迷離，美的神秘，
歷代也輕易可見此種陰柔風不斷出現：18世紀的洛可可，到了20世紀的後半期的歐美樂壇，像是大衛鮑伊之類的藝人依舊獨占噱頭，更別說後來日本的視覺系和寶塚歌舞劇。
電影裡的Farinelli一舉手一投足皆是美的出類拔萃，
一個眼神一個微笑都可讓崇拜他的女人們發狂，
更別說那副華麗萬分的歌喉，聲線之清晰爽脆，
若說他是那個年代的搖滾巨星也不為過。
在如此縱欲荒誕的生活之下，
以另一個角度來看，俊美的閹伶也不過是名媛心中的頂級男妓，
他和這些女人也算是一種買與賣的關係。
表面上看來似乎他可以和上至貴婦下至民女的所有女性相好，
但是女人們全看上他無法生育的”優點”儘可能的利用，
玩歸玩，
會跟閹伶認真的女人少之又少，
要不然就不會發生片中狠心拒絕Farinelli求婚的貴婦人，
以及忍不住發出的那一連串輕蔑的笑聲了...[即使她對他有好感，基於正常男女婚配的原則，她也丟不起這種臉，無法選擇和一位閹伶結婚~]
因此，
閹伶的可悲可想而知，
明明身為男兒，
身體卻擺明有著殘缺，
「閹伶」的稱號十分刺耳，
除了被譏為唱歌的機器，亦是男女老少揶揄的最佳對象。
要不是音樂的救贖，
單論男性自尊而言，
被踐踏的程度實在難以想像。
Farinelli渴望擁有踏實的愛情，
渴望擁有婚姻，
渴望作為人父，
然而所謂再正常也不過的凡俗事，
對他而言卻難如登天。
因此劇中他與他兄長的心結就出在這裡，
兄長奪走了他的男性尊嚴、奪走了他作為正常男人的權利，
都只為了一個目的--就是保存他美麗的童聲。
閹伶風光的背後，
只能算是被殘忍的人們刀俎的魚肉。
古今中外人類對自己同胞的殘害例子從未少過。
人們為了追求時代流行，追求在當時被視為極致美麗的象徵，
不惜冒著生命危險，
不惜運用種種荒謬且病態的手法，達到當時的審美標準：
中國的裹小腳、西洋的束腰，
以及當今最為流行的排骨精美人，
影視名人動輒數千萬整形回春，
男性為延續雄風喝鹿血、吃虎鞭........不少人因此而命喪黃泉。
當追求美好已成一種酷刑，那已經失去美的意義，而是一種永無止盡的虐刑。
跟大家分享電影的片段：
Farinelli Movie Clip和韓德爾結怨
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUfBTsAMluA看出哥哥是什麼料之後，Farinelli告訴兄長他永遠完成不了當初答應的那部歌劇，兄弟至此產生裂痕
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8t_WySo414&feature=related在登台演出前經由韓德爾口中得知閹割自己的是哥哥後，
Farinelli痛苦的倒在台上...然而之後卻唱出讓韓德爾暈眩的天籟之音！
1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWMOmBohlTEJaroussky and Farinelli: Cara Sposa (Handel)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8HuTVSB4Yw精采片段收錄
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOUXSe3fQgk官方出品的電影預告
Farinelli Il Castrato→Castrato就是閹伶的意思
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuaC-s51aswVivica Genaux sing the aria for Farinelli女高音Vivica Genaux 錄音時情景
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcFLh9t4RJY提到男高音，當然不可忘記21世紀當紅的鬼魅男高音--Vitas！他真的是外星人，這高音實在可怕。他也具備我所說的那種陰柔的性感~~^^b
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjO_VXHxsRw
閹伶自小接受閹割，
長大後身型修長纖細，
光從外型就可輕易辨識。
據大學所上的歌劇賞析教授所述，
閹伶的美並非一輩子，
往往過了中年後就會迅速發福，
尤其又比一般男人缺少男性賀爾蒙，
中年後的閹伶身材容易變成類似肥胖女性的臃腫體態。
而沒有婚配對象的閹伶，
或是失寵、過氣的閹伶，
就像是敗柳殘花，
其晚景會有多悽涼顯而易見。
這幅素描就是當年的Farinelli，
他算是閹伶裡晚景最好的一位，
不但有真心愛他的女人，
也有娶妻，
電影中還安排Alexandra這位偉大女性為愛奉獻一切，
甘願為Farineli生小孩[怎麼生呢？就是交給其兄長代勞，看過電影的人才能明白]
由此可見一個女人可以為愛情犧牲到什麼樣的地步。
閹伶在過去百年的歐洲樂壇內紅極一時，
許多音樂家都聘用過閹伶為其演唱，
就連莫札特也曾請用過閹伶。
只是音樂史上一直有個慣例，
演奏家都不如作曲家要來的重要，
在過去尤其明顯，
許多偉大的聲樂家與表演家常常因時代變動而銷聲匿跡。不像20世紀後因錄音設備的發明，
才能將此種演出性質的現場給保留下來。
閹伶的傳統一直到了一次大戰左右才劃下句點，
理由是慘無人道，不再被人們所讚頌，
二來是歌唱技術較百年前大為精進，不需要閹割也可唱出魔幻般的高音。
印象中史上最後一位閹伶到了20世紀初有灌錄黑膠唱片，
大學時在課堂上有聽過，
想不到真的聽到閹伶歌聲時，
讓我有種不寒而慄的感受....
也許是不同電影的真實案例，
再加上近百年前黑膠唱片模糊的錄音，
讓我有種時空錯置的感覺，
同時又為閹伶的最後絕響所哀悼吧....
以下是Farinelli的生平，
給各位參考：
本名：CARLO BROSCHI
Known as FARINELLI
(1705 - 1782)
Farinelli was the most famous singer of his century and he is arguably one of the greatest singers of all time. His reputation and fame has lasted despite the disappearance of castrato singers and the unique musical style dedicated to them known as ”opera seria.”
Farinelli enjoyed a quasi-mythical status, even in his own life-time. The main reason for this was his exceptional voice, although his androgynous beauty clearly contributed. Farinelli was a highly skilled performer, much praised for the beauty of his sound, the breadth of his range, the purity of his intonation and his breath control and agility. It has been recorded that the range of his voice covered more than three and a half octaves. Some accounts of his life state that he could produce 250 notes in a single breath and sustain a note for more than a minute.
”Farinelli,” says Charles Burney, the leading music historian of the period, ”could hold his notes for such a long time that those who heard him believed that it was impossible to do so naturally. They believed he hid a special instrument which maintained the sound of his voice whilst he took another breath.”
Despite his unusual gifts, Farinelli decided early on in his career to try and steer clear of compositions which merely enabled him to show off the range of his voice. He preferred pieces which were more restrained and purer.
Farinelli’s particular destiny also became part of his legend: a huge star (as were other castrato singers such as Caffarelli or Senesino), Farinelli, at the age of only thirty two, chose to retire from the limelight at the height of his success so he could sing exclusively for King Philip V of Spain who was known to have been severely depressed for many years.
According to Charles Burney: ”Upon the arrival of Farinelli ... Queen Isabella contrived that there should be a concert in a room adjoining the King’s apartments, in which this singer performed one of his most captivating songs. Philip appeared at first surprised, then moved: and at the end of the second air, made the virtuoso enter the royal apartment, loading him with compliments and caresses. He asked him how he could sufficiently reward such talents and assured him that he would refuse him nothing. Farinelli, previously instructed, begged that His Majesty would permit his attendants to shave and dress him, and asked that he would endeavor to appear in council as usual. From then on the king’s disease was treated medically, and the singer was considered responsible for curing him.”
Thus began Farinelli’s remarkable Spanish career, spanning more than two decades in the service of Philip V (1700-46) and Ferdinand VI (1746-59).
The fact that Farinelli retired from public performance early in his career was unquestionably significant since Farinelli remained a success in the public imagination whilst many other castrato singers fell from their pedestals while still in the public eye. Furthermore, it is said that in addition to his talent, physical beauty and wisdom, Farinelli possessed great humility.
For all the above qualities he was frequently referred to as ”the Divine Farinelli.”
A YOUNG PRODIGY
Carlo Broschi was born in Andrea, Naples in 1705. He had one brother, Riccardo, eight years his senior who composed several operas for him. Contrary to the majority of castrati who came from lowly origin, Farinelli belonged to a lesser noble family. His father, Salvatore, was governor of Maratea and Cisternino between 1706 and 1709.
Castrated somewhere between the ages of seven and eight, Carlo became a pupil of the famous teacher of castrati, Porpora, considered today to be one of the most important music teachers of all time. During his musical studies in Naples, Carlo became the prodigy of the Farina brothers. To acknowledge this he adopted, according to the custom of the time, the name of ’Farinelli’.
His first appearance on the public scene came in 1720 when he was fifteen years old, at the Palace of the Prince of Torella. Farinelli had a role in ”Angelika and Medoro,” an opera written by his teacher Porpora with a libretto written by the poet Metastase, a very prolific writer of ”opera seria.” Farinelli met Metastase on this occasion and they became close friends, corresponding until his death in 1782.
A EUROPEAN STAR
Italy is where Farinelli first became famous. He made his name first in Naples, then Rome and Bologna. His first performance in Venice was in 1728 at the fashionable San Giovanni Grisotomo theatre. The twenty three year- old singer received a rapturous reception. He then proceeded to tour Europe, earning the title ”Singer of Kings.”
Farinelli performed at all the main courts of Europe and was even requested to sing for King Louis XV of France at the Queen’s apartments, for which he received a rare and distinguished honor: a portrait of the King embossed with diamonds, and a fee of 500 livres.
When Farinelli performed at Popora’s theatre he was also regarded as extremely important by the English theatre going public. He was in fact offered the huge sum of 1,500 livres a season to perform and was also given numerous presents by rich admirers. Despite his success in England, historians feel that the enormous rivalry between the Covent Garden Opera House run by Handel and the Nobles Theatre put Farinelli under a considerable amount of pressure and encouraged him to accept the King of Spain’s offer.
A VOICE WHICH HEALS (Music Therapy)
There is a theory which maintains that sounds made by the human voice can be perceived by parts of the body which correspond to pressure points used in Chinese acupuncture. This assertion has not been proven, however, it is known that the human voice can calm and hypnotise. It appears that King Philip V of Spain was one of the first people suffering from severe depression, to try this cure.
King Philip was apparently so affected by Farinelli’s first audition for him in 1737 that the young man immediately decided to devote his life to the King. He thereby ended his illustrious singing career at the age of 32 but began his career as a prominent and influential courtier. Before long he was Private Counsellor to the King, receiving foreign guests, reorganizing the Madrid Opera, directing music at the royal chapel and stimulating the artistic life of Madrid in countless different ways. In 1750, he was knighted in the order of Calatrava which has led subsequent writers to speculate that his influence extended beyond the limits of his musical competence to matters of domestic politics and foreign affairs.
THE RETURN TO ITALY
With the death of Ferdinand VI and the accession of Charles III in autumn 1759, Farinelli was granted a generous pension but was asked to leave Spain. He returned to Italy and settled in Bologna where he lived a life devoted to spiritual exercise, music and receiving illustrious guests such as the composers Mozart and Gluck as well as the Emperor Joseph II.
Farinelli’s generosity impressed his contemporaries. He frequently helped Spanish families in need and even founded an institute to organize concerts, the proceeds of which went to orphans. A little before his death, he bestowed all his belongings upon his nephews and the servants who had looked after him.
Farinelli died in 1782 and was buried at his request on a hillside in Bologna. His tomb no longer exists today as it was destroyed by Napoleon’s armies.
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http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/farinelli/about/ffarinelli.html
這就是Farinelli本人的肖像，
據說他後來必須以衣物掩飾逐漸隆起的胸部。
Farinelli, Citizen of Honour
By Maria Chiara Mazzi
Philharmonic academician in 1730, he obtained the citizenship of honour in 1732.
Among the numerous musicians to have spent time in Bologna and whose presence has often influenced travellers and music lovers to remain in the city to learn to know them, one certainly has caught our imagination for his exceptional image and for his universal recognition as being the most famous and the best castrato of the eighteenth century: Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli.
The castrato singers were male singers with a voice of contralto (contraltos) or soprano (sopranistas) particularly involved in sacred music. However, because of their extraordinary gifts, they established themselves as well in theater from the end of the seventeenth to a good part of the following century acquiring fame, honours and wealth on the whole continent. They possessed an outstanding vocal range and flexibility, an absolutely unreal pure tone impossible to reproduce today (for obvious reasons).
Carlo Broschi was born in Naples in 1705, but his link with Bologna developed early in theater where he performed already in 1727. He then became philharmonic academician in 1730 and achieved the citizenship of honour in 1732. His extraordinary talent was known outside of Italy; he was admired by everyone who listened to him as is described in this testimony: ”The director of the opera orchestra realized that the four musicians who accompanied Farinelli were not following him, but in a daze as if struck by lightning. They later confessed that they were unable to accompany him not only because they felt incapable of following such exceptional wonder, but also because they were overwhelmed by his talent.” In his old age, after having achieved extraordinary fame and wealth, Farinelli came back to Bologna where he alternated between the city’s residence (in Via Santa Margherita) and the villa outside Porta Lame of which is preserved a small chapel recently restored by the Fameja Bulgneisa.
It was this villa about which wrote English traveller Charles Burney at the end of the eighteenth century (he had lived in Bologna to meet notorious personalities while on his musical journey) ”we could enjoy a very beautiful view of Bologna and of the hills around it”, a true setting of art treasures. Burney described it to us: ”On the walls of the large living room are hanging portraits of other personalities, almost all royalties who have been his protectors. An in other rooms, I saw beautiful paintings by Ximenes, Murillo and Spagnoletto. He owns a great number of harpsichords fabricated in various countries and a strange British pendulum clock with figurines that play together the guitar, the violin and the cello and whose arms and fingers are put in motion by the pendulum itself.”
Farinelli’s possessions and extraordinary archives were dispersed upon his death in 1782 even if, to this day, there remains in Bologna other traces of the singer.
The State’s archives probably has one of the best portraits of the singer as well as his will and the inventory of his immense wealth. His correspondence with Metastasio can be found at the University Library of Bologna, and some autographed pieces of music are at the Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale and, most of all, his tomb is preserved in the city.
Indeed, Farinelli, as a performer of the arts, had given precise information in his will concerning his funeral: ”I wish for a simple funeral with an accompaniment of 50 poor people each holding a wax candle, and to whom it is to be given a coin after having accompagnied my body to the Chiesa dei Padri Cappuccini where I choose to have my sepulchre.”
The Church of Santa Croce was annexed to the convent of the monks which, with the arrival of the French at the end of the eighteenth century, was removed to make room for the Villa Revedin. However in 1810, the remains of the musician were transfered to the monastery of Bologna where can be found his funeral monument dating back to 1845.
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www.cavazza.it/vedereoltre/2004-2/mazzi.en.html
這位就是為《絕代艷姬》這片中的Farinelli配音演唱的女聲樂家Vivica Genaux！
The career of the young Alaskan mezzo-soprano has been greeted by unanimous critical acclaim. Her extraordinary vocal range, technical excellence and artistic committment have led to rave reviews, both in Europe and America.
After establishing her reputation singing Rossini, Vivica Genaux has concentrated on earlier music. Arias for Farinelli, her recording of rarely-performed Baroque arias made with René Jacobs and the Academie für Alte Musik Berlin, has been one of this year’s most successful new CDs in Europe. It will be released in America on September 10.
Opera japonica’s Maria Nockin corresponded with her in July, when the singer was preparing the title role in Handel’s Rinaldo for René Jacobs both at the Montpellier and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. They discussed her approach to Baroque music, and the demands of her booming career.
Maria Nockin: Are you the first successful singer from Alaska? Where did you study?
Vivica GENAUX: I don’t think I’m the first successful singer from Alaska. There are a few of us out there, including the pop singer Jewel! My family and also the entire community of Fairbanks, Alaska, where I grew up, was very involved and appreciative of the arts. In addition to singing with two classical choirs, two jazz choirs and a stage band, I studied piano, violin, ballet, modern and jazz dance.
I only decided to study voice seriously after two years at the university studying biology. At that point it became clear to me that I really missed singing and that I needed to make it my first priority. I then transferred to Indiana University where I worked with both Virginia Zeani and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and, afterwards, met my current teacher, Claudia Pinza, at a program she runs in Oderzo, Italy for American opera students. I returned to study in her EPCASO (Ezio Pinza Council for American Singers of Opera) program for several summers, and continue to go back whenever my schedule allows.
Nockin: What was your major breakthrough?
GENAUX: I don’t know that I’ve had any one breakthrough. My career has always progressed quite rapidly, and the challenge has always been to keep up with each new level. Dresden was certainly a personal breakthrough for me as it was my first Cenerentola, my first season of singing as a professional, and I had only four rehearsals to prepare for the five performances! Although today that would be a completely normal and an easy scenario for me to deal with, as a young singer in her first season it was quite daunting!
http://www.operajaponica.org/interviews/vivicagenaux.htm文章定位：
