闲言少叙，今天想说说德沃夏克（Antonín Dvořák）。Dvořák这个名字怎样读，是一个有意思的问题。有位新加坡朋友信誓旦旦地说：名字中的“D”不发音，所以要读成“沃夏克”。然而纽约古典音乐电台WQXR说到Dvořák时，“D”还是要发音的，而维基百科Dvořák词条的注音也是如此。所以，还是叫德沃夏克吧。德沃夏克作为一个有演奏天分的乡下孩子，经过不懈的努力成为大作曲家，这本身就是一个励志的故事。然而真正使他誉满天下的，却是他在美国居住期间创作的第九交响曲“From the New Wolrd”（中文通常译作“自新大陆”或“新世界”）。那时，老德在纽约的国立美国音乐学院当院长。在挥之不去的乡愁中，印第安人和黑人的一些民歌小调深深感动了他。适逢纽约爱乐乐团委托老德创作一首交响曲，他就把这些民歌的元素融合进交响曲中，从而谱成这曲感动世界120余年的佳作。
至于老卡的这张“新世界”CD，演奏则是一如既往的严谨认真。虽然有些乐评认为这次的演奏不如他以前录制的版本，但音响效果却是所有版本中最好的。拜数码录音之赐，这张CD音域宽广而细节丰富。高音清晰而不刺耳（按发烧友的说法，是“not too bright”），低音深沉而不飘散（即“very tight”），更难得的是其适度的中音效果（“warmth”），一扫早期数码录音的干涩感。所以，我越听越喜欢，如今已经听了不下50遍，还想听。另外，这张CD上还有斯美塔那的交响诗《我的祖国》中的“沃尔塔瓦河”（Vltava），演奏极其出色。闭上眼睛，音乐似乎已经幻化为波光粼粼，水声潺潺，令人神往不已。
Goin' home, goin' home,
I'm a goin' home;
Quiet-like, some still day,
I'm jes' goin' home.
It's not far, jes' close by,
Through an open door;
Work all done, care laid by,
Goin' to fear no more.
Mother's there 'spectin' me,
Father's waitin' too;
Lots o' folks gather'd there,
All the friends I knew,
All the friends I knew.
Home, I'm goin' home!
……
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多年前到纽约，事先知道位于林肯中心附近的有一家卖音乐CD的塔楼连锁店。据说那家店是美东地区最大的一家，进去之后发觉果然名不虚传。它的二层楼上有一半的楼面是卖古典音乐的，估计它的面积超过上千平方英尺，其中又专门辟出一个单间，里面专卖歌剧。每次在塔楼里花几个小时是很容易的事情，尽管最后只买了自己看中的、最想买的中的一点点（主要是觉得这样太奢侈，因为这些不是生活的必需品。）CD或者DVD，但是在那扒拉的过程里，在那做想把所有的古典音像制品买全的梦中，实在是非常非常陶醉的事情。在07年7月他们关门之前，每次到曼哈顿，塔楼连锁店我是必去无疑。另外在曼哈顿中城的J&R Music Center、在世贸中心对面的一家音乐制品店也是每次必到，一般都不会空手离开。
