紐時賞析／疫情重創票房慘 大都會劇院動用老本轉攻當代歌劇

Pandemic Woes Lead Met Opera to Tap Endowment and Embrace New Work

疫情重創 大都會歌劇院動用老本 轉攻當代歌劇

Hit hard by a cash shortfall and lackluster ticket sales as it tries to lure audiences back amid the pandemic, the Metropolitan Opera said that it would withdraw up to $30 million from its endowment, give fewer performances next season and accelerate its embrace of contemporary works, which, in a shift, have been outselling the classics.

疫情期間，美國大都會歌劇院試圖喚回觀眾，卻面臨現金短缺與票房慘澹的雙重打擊，如今表示將從捐款基金提領3000萬美元、減少下一季演出，並加速推出票房已逐漸超越經典歌劇的當代作品。

The dramatic financial and artistic moves show the extent to which the pandemic and its aftermath continue to roil the Met, the premier opera company in the United States.

財政與演出內容上的重大轉變，顯示疫情及其後果持續撼動這座美國頂尖的歌劇機構。

“The challenges are greater than ever,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager. “The only path forward is reinvention.”

大都會歌劇院總經理蓋爾伯表示：「我們正面臨前所未有的巨大挑戰，前進的唯一途徑是改造。」

Nonprofit organizations try to dip into their endowments only as a last resort, since the funds are meant to grow over time while producing a steady source of investment income. The Met’s endowment, which was valued at $306 million, was considered small for an institution of its size. This season it is turning to the endowment to cover operating expenses, and to help offset weak ticket sales and a cash shortfall that emerged as some donors were reluctant to accelerate pledged gifts amid the stock market downturn. As more cash gifts materialize, the company hopes to replenish the endowment.

非政府組織通常將動用捐款基金當成最後手段，因為這類基金是為了隨著時間成長，成為投資收入的穩定來源。大都會歌劇院的捐款資金價值約3億600萬美元，就這個組職的規模而言算少。大都會歌劇院決定在這一季提領捐款基金支付行政開銷、彌補慘澹票房，及應對股市下跌期間部分捐款人無意加速認捐導致的現金短缺。歌劇院期許在捐款逐漸落實後，捐款基金能獲得補充。

To further cut costs, the company, which is giving 215 performances this season, is planning to reduce the number of performances next season by close to 10%.

大都會歌劇院這季共推出215場表演，為了進一步撙節開支，計畫下一季將減少近10%場次。

The Met’s decision to stage significantly more contemporary operas is a remarkable turnabout for the company, which largely avoided newer works for many decades because its conservative audience base seemed to prefer war horses like Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème,” Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” and Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.”

大幅增加當代劇碼是大都會歌劇院一大政策改變。數十年來，大都會歌劇院極少上演當代作品，這是因為保守的主要觀眾群似乎較偏愛經典劇碼，如普契尼的「波西米亞人」、威爾第的「阿伊達」與比才的「卡門」。

But as the Met staged more new work in recent years, that dynamic has begun to shift, a change that has grown more pronounced since the pandemic: While attendance has been generally anemic, contemporary works including Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” last season and Kevin Puts’ “The Hours” this season drew sellout crowds.

但近年來，隨著大都會歌劇院推出更多當代歌劇，情況已有所轉變，疫情以來變化更加顯著：儘管總體票房欠佳，幾齣當代歌劇的門票卻銷售一空，包括上一季布蘭查德的「焚燒的火困在我骨中」與這一季普茲的「時時刻刻」。

From now on, Gelb said, the Met will open each season with a new production of a contemporary work.

蓋爾伯指出，從今以後，大都會歌劇院每季演出都會以一檔新的當代歌劇製作揭開序幕。

Gelb said that the company’s change in strategy was possible in part because major stars are increasingly interested in performing music by living composers.

蓋爾伯表示，歌劇院改變政策，部分原因可能在於大明星們愈來愈有意願演出在世作曲家的音樂。

文／Javier C. Hernández　譯／陳曉慈