| Ferrara's archbishop gave the performance of "Il Farnace" his blessing three centuries after his predecessor exiled Vivaldi. |
近三個世紀前，著名的巴洛克作曲家安東尼奧 · 韋瓦第（Vivaldi）準備首演他的歌劇《法納撤》（Il Farnace）。 |
| Nearly three centuries ago, famed Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi was preparing to premiere his opera, “Il Farnace.” |
但是，這次演出最後沒有發生，因為這名作曲家神父當時跟教會有衝突，導致在費拉拉的首演最終被取消，更被當時的總主教流放。 |
| The performance was never to be, however, as the composer priest had run afoul of the Catholic Church and the performance was ultimately cancelled. |
現在，教會改變了當年的決定，並允許一個歌劇公司在費拉拉舉行表演。 |
| Now, the Church has revised its ruling as an opera company in Ferrara runs the show. |
表演被取消 |
| Show cancelled |
首演被取消的原因，不是因為節目內容，而是作曲家的平日作為。 |
| The cancellation was not due to the content of the show, but rather the character of the composer. |
安東尼奧 · 韋瓦第，即便在世俗享負盛名，卻同時是一名天主教神父，因此他的行為在當時受到管理神職人員機關的管轄。 |
| Antonio Vivaldi, for all his secular fame, was a Catholic priest and thus his behavior was subject to clerical authority. |
在寫好《法納撤》之時，韋瓦第已有一段時間沒有舉行彌撒，坊間亦傳聞他和受他指導的一名女歌手安娜 · 吉羅有不恰當關係。 |
| By the time “Il Farnace” was composed, Vivaldi had stopped saying Mass and there were rumors of an improper relationship with one of his star singers, Anna Giro. |
歷史學家現在能肯定的是，韋瓦第和吉羅之間絕對沒有浪漫關係。 |
| According to the Associated Press, historians now know there was no romantic connection between Vivaldi and Giro. |
他們兩人雖然花很多時間在一起，但那是因為她是他的首席女歌手，他們之間有很多歌唱排練。 |
| The two spent a lot of time together because she was his prima donna and the pair had a lot of vocal work to go over. |
韋瓦第因為不時有呼吸困難發生，吉羅亦需不時作他的護士照料他。 |
| Giro also spent more time with the composer because she acted as a nurse to Vivaldi as he struggled with his respiratory health. |
亦正正是他的呼吸困難，讓他不能每日舉行彌撒。 |
| It was this sickness too that prevented the priest from celebrating daily Mass. |
無論這些謠言背後的真相如何，教會都很難讓一名品格可疑的神父，名聲再因另一齣成功的歌劇而蒸蒸日上。 |
| Regardless of the truth behind these rumors, the Church could hardly let a priest suspected of unpriestly habits be seen running a successful opera. |
當時費拉拉的樞機主教湯馬索 · 魯福（Tommaso Ruffo）於是決定取消公演排練，並禁止韋瓦第進入該市。 |
| The Great Course Daily notes that Ferrara’s cardinal at the time, Tommaso Ruffo, cancelled the staging rehearsals and effectively banned Vivaldi from the city. |
流亡 |
| Exile |
由於劇院門被下令關閉，他無法收回任何投資。 |
| This was devastating to Vivaldi, who had funded much of the production out of his own pocket. |
他最後以幾乎身無分文的狀態離開費拉拉。 |
| With the theater doors ordered closed, he had no way to make back any of his investment and was forced to leave Ferrara practically impoverished. |
他搬到維也納，他以前在那裡曾聲名大噪。 |
| The rest of his money ran out when he moved to Vienna, where he had previously been successful. |
可惜他所剩無幾的金錢也在那裡用完了。 |
| Despite Vivaldi’s prolific composing – he wrote another 21 operas after “Il Farnace” – he would not pull himself out of this financial hole before his death in 1741. |
儘管韋瓦第十分多產，作品豐富——他在《法納撤》之後又創作了21部歌劇——在他於1741年去世之前，依然修補不了他的財務漏洞。 |
| Vivaldi’s works were very influential to Baroque composers like J.S. Bach, but his memory faded with the public after his death. |
韋瓦第的作品對像巴哈這樣的巴洛克作曲家非常有影響力。 |
| It was not until the 20th century that his works were rediscovered and popularized. |
但他死後，卻漸漸被公眾遺忘。 |
| Today, his concerto sequence “The Four Seasons” is one of the most celebrated works of his era. |
直到二十世紀，他的作品才被重新發現和推廣。 |
| You may recognize the “Spring” concerto if you’ve ever been put on hold during a phone call. |
今天，他的協奏曲《四季》是他時代最著名的作品之一。 |
| Mending relations |
修補關係 |
| The City of Ferrara is now hosting a production of Vivaldi’s “Il Farnace.” |
費拉拉市現正舉行韋瓦第《法納撤》的公演。 |
| The first performance was attended by Archbishop Giancarlo Perego, who was presented a bound copy of the score. |
吉安卡洛． |
| Archbishop Perego said the actions taken against Vivaldi were based on rumor and should not have happened. |
佩雷戈（Giancarlo Perego）總主教觀看了第一場演出，並收下了一份裝訂本的歌劇譜。 |
| He even noted that Vivaldi’s parish priest had written a letter to Ruffo trying to clear up the charges, to no avail. |
佩雷戈總主教說，當年教會對韋瓦第採取的行動，只基於謠言，實在不應發生。 |
| Nicole Winfield of AP News writes: |
他甚至指出，當時韋瓦第所屬堂區的神父寫了一封信給魯福總主教，試圖澄清指控，但最終不成功。 |
| While insisting Ruffo had merely sought to promote “public morality,” Perego said the lesson of Vivaldi, “Il Farnace” and Ferrara was one that Pope Francis often makes: “The tongue kills more than the sword.” |
佩雷戈總主教堅持魯福總主教當年只是爲了推廣「公共道德 」，並指出韋瓦第﹑《法納撤》和費拉拉的故事，是教宗方濟各經常提到的：「脣舌猶勝利劍。」 |
