一段五年深度合作的音樂對話：阿普爾與庫爾塔格的生命之線

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　　德國男中音阿普爾（Benjamin Appl）有兩位深具影響力的音樂導師，一位是德國傳奇男中音費雪狄斯考（Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau），另一位則是匈牙利作曲家庫爾塔格（György Kurtág）。如果前一張專輯《向費雪狄斯考致敬》（For Dieter: Hommage à Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau）
是對費雪狄斯考音樂傳承的回應，《生命之線：舒伯特與庫爾塔格》（Lines of Life: Schubert & Kurtág）就是獻給庫爾塔格的音樂對話。

相遇契機

　　阿普爾和庫爾塔格的緣分始於一場特別的演出。德國多特蒙德音樂廳（Konzerthaus Dortmund）在二○一八年籌備以庫爾塔格為主題的音樂節，庫爾塔格向節目策畫人提出一個特別的要求：希望找一名年輕男中音演唱他極其看重的《赫爾德林之歌》（Hölderlin-Gesänge）。這是庫爾塔格一九九三年到九七年的作品，由六首歌曲組成。前五首以德國十九世紀詩人赫爾德林（Friedrich Hölderlin）的詩入樂，最後一首是二十世紀猶太詩人保羅‧策蘭（Paul Celan）反思赫爾德林晚年經歷與精神狀態的作品。為了找到合適的人選，多特蒙德音樂廳精選十名候選演唱者的錄音，寄給以嚴謹著稱的庫爾塔格。庫爾塔格親自聆聽審核，經過層層篩選後，還要求最後三位候選者重新錄製低音段落，以便進一步比對。最終，阿普爾脫穎而出。

　　二○一九年五月七日，阿普爾前往布達佩斯音樂中心與庫爾塔格會面。現場除了庫爾塔格夫婦與阿普爾，還有攝影團隊與長期發行庫爾塔格重要作品樂譜的布達佩斯音樂出版社工作人員。阿普爾早就聽說庫爾塔格經常讓音樂家在排練中感受到極大壓力，甚至當場中斷合作。他非常緊張，為庫爾塔格夫婦唱了首歌曲。曲畢，庫爾塔格夫人瑪塔（Márta Kurtág）以匈牙利語對丈夫說了句話，庫爾塔格轉頭微笑對阿普爾說：「瑪塔說，你就是我們要找的人。」此後，阿普爾定期前往布達佩斯與九十三歲的庫爾塔格工作，也開啟一段持續至今的深厚友誼。

苛刻排練背後的信任與成長

　　《赫爾德林之歌》沒有明顯的和聲框架，除了第三首〈形象與靈〉（Gestalt und Geist）加上長號與低音號，其他都是無伴奏獨唱。對歌者而言，音高稍一偏離，樂曲氛圍和整體結構就會崩潰瓦解。不過，庫爾塔格腦中卻有潛在的完整和聲結構，有時候會突然在鋼琴上彈出一組和弦，甚至彈奏一首舒伯特或布拉姆斯的歌曲，讓這些旋律與聲樂線條自然對應起來。為了幫助阿普爾掌握作品的音樂語言與內在邏輯，庫爾塔格以他較熟悉的舒伯特與布拉姆斯歌曲，當成進入《赫爾德林之歌》的橋樑。這讓阿普爾頓悟庫爾塔格作品背後的邏輯與詩意，因此阿普爾不只和庫爾塔格排練《赫爾德林之歌》，還包括庫爾塔格其他作品與舒伯特、布拉姆斯的藝術歌曲。庫爾塔格的要求不只是音準與節奏，還深入到呼吸點、對歌詞語意的理解與表現情感的方式。他們曾花一整天反覆打磨一首歌曲的第一小節，甚至隔天回來準備進入下一小節時，庫爾塔格竟說：「我們從頭開始吧！」。這種反覆、嚴苛的排練方式，讓阿普爾承認腦袋快要爆炸，甚至一度想把樂譜甩到牆上。但是他從未抗議：「我不敢與他爭辯，因為他的每句詮釋建議，對我來說都是絕對有效的。」

瑪塔的角色

　　庫爾塔格夫人是促成兩人合作的關鍵人物。她比庫爾塔格小一歲，兩人相識於布達佩斯的李斯特音樂學院。不到一年後，也就是一九四七年二月十九日，庫爾塔格在剛滿法定男子結婚年齡當天預約登記處最早的時段，與穿著簡單白裙的瑪塔登記結婚。結縭七十二年來，主修鋼琴的瑪塔不但是庫爾塔格同台演出四手聯彈的夥伴，更是他每部作品的第一位聆聽者與評論者。阿普爾形容「他們就像陰和陽，雖然很多觀點不同，經常爭論，卻是彼此最重要的支柱。」庫爾塔格內向多疑，常因一個小細節猶豫不決；瑪塔外向果斷，「當他話說到一半卡住時，瑪塔就會接著說下去，完全知道他想表達什麼」。有一次排練，庫爾塔格反覆修改細節，瑪塔在一旁輕聲說：「夠了，這樣已經很好。」庫爾塔格微笑點頭，繼續工作。阿普爾認為，瑪塔是庫爾塔格創作背後的力量源泉，她的直覺與音樂判斷對庫爾塔格至關重要。

　　第一次見面的布達佩斯音樂中心是庫爾塔格夫婦晚年居住的地方。他們原本定居法國，二○一五年為了訪友住進這個演出場館的狹小客房後，因為瑪塔的健康因素就再也沒有離開。夫婦倆很少出門，在這裡過著簡單的生活，平日一起合奏，或是由庫爾塔格彈琴，瑪塔演唱。瑪塔的音域是女高音，但是音色較深沉，阿普爾形容為「暗而有銀光，音樂感極好」。遺憾的是，阿普爾開始與庫爾塔格工作五個月後，瑪塔就病逝了。

失去與紀念

　　阿普爾回憶，後來在排練《赫爾德林之歌》第一首向死去摯愛致意，把一切化為淚水的〈致⋯⋯〉（An...）時，沉浸在喪妻之痛的庫爾塔格會哭著叫喊瑪塔的名字。即使後來把精神寄託在作曲上，有一次彈奏到舒伯特的歌曲，他聽到淚流滿面的庫爾塔格低聲自言自語「瑪塔，妳在哪裡？」音樂成了他表達思念的出口。

　　多特蒙德音樂廳的音樂節最終因為新冠肺炎疫情不了了之，但是「庫爾塔格塑造了我身為音樂家與人的樣貌，或許比任何人都更深刻。」阿普爾說。他想保存與庫爾塔格共事的珍貴經驗，以及他的音樂精神。尤其庫爾塔格很少以文字解釋作品背後的意圖，或詮釋他音樂的方法，「我希望能用自己的方式保存他如何思考音樂、進行排練、如何從語言中尋找聲音的過程」，帶領愛樂者進入庫爾塔格那深不可測的音樂宇宙。

曲目設計邏輯

　　二○二四年錄音的時候，庫爾塔格已經高齡九十八歲。但是他不僅同意錄音，還親自擔任製作人，參與排練、審聽、從多達一千三百段錄音中決定採用哪一段take，甚至親自演奏其中兩首歌曲的鋼琴部分。曲目以《赫爾德林之歌》為中心，搭配多首庫爾塔格近年創作或是重製的歌曲，像是《纏繞著我》（Circumdederunt）、《這世界的愉悅⋯⋯》（Das Angenehme dieser Welt…）、《現在我明白了⋯⋯》（Nun versteh‘ ich…）這三首演唱時間雖短，卻是庫爾塔格藝術歌曲中最具當代美學精神的代表，展現他以最少音符傳達最大情感的極簡語彙。

　　此外，專輯也收錄四首以烏爾里克‧舒斯特（Ulrike Schuster）詩作寫成的歌曲，由艾馬爾（Pierre-Laurent Aimard）擔任鋼琴伴奏。這些作品延續庫爾塔格「少即是多」的創作理念，每首歌僅數十秒，卻傳達強烈的情緒張力。無調性的鋼琴伴奏尖銳、斷裂，進一步加深詩作的苦澀與內在緊繃感。詩中主題多聚焦孤獨、失落與內省，庫爾塔格透過簡約卻刺痛的音符，捕捉並映照這些情感的荒涼與挫折。

舒伯特、庫爾塔格與瑪塔的記憶

　　至於舒伯特《泉邊少年》（Der Jüngling an der Quelle）、《加尼米德》（Ganymed）、《她一直在這裡》（Daß sie hier gewesen），以及布拉姆斯《星期日》（Sonntag）等歌曲，正是當時庫爾塔格引導阿普爾認識《赫爾德林之歌》的橋樑。阿普爾刻意交錯排列這些歌曲，利用舒伯特的歌曲，幫助聽者對照並理解庫爾塔格音樂的張力。除此之外，它們也是庫爾塔格與瑪塔經常一起彈奏和演唱的歌曲。所以即使手臂受傷，庫爾塔格也堅持彈完《星期日》的鋼琴部分，因為「這是瑪塔喜愛的曲子，我必須彈」。阿普爾感覺這張專輯宛如悄悄地被題上一行字：「紀念瑪塔」。

訪談軌道中的哲思宇宙

　　長達十八分鐘的最後一軌是一個驚喜的句點。阿普爾以德語訪問庫爾塔格，談論到個人背景、音樂啟發、作曲理念，以及討論特定作品。由於庫爾塔格不擅閒聊，總是希望以最精確的詞語表達，所以平時說話都會伴隨著長時間停頓。這段實際時間接近兩個小時的訪談裡，阿普爾引導庫爾塔格講出自己如何透過極簡語彙與聲音肌理，建立出極具哲思與情感深度的藝術宇宙。如果不懂德語，唱片解說冊裡也很貼心附上英、法文翻譯。

　　身為費雪狄斯考最後一位學生，阿普爾能在舒伯特歌曲中展現出穩健且富詩意的線條，也能在無伴奏的現代作品中保持聲音的張力與方向性。然而，具備這些能力的重要背後因素，是這段與庫爾塔爾相處長達五年的旅程。這張專輯不僅展現了阿普爾對庫爾塔格語言的深刻理解，也透過穿插舒伯特與布拉姆斯等熟悉作品，相互對照印証，為愛樂者開啟通往庫爾塔格音樂世界的門徑。

German baritone Benjamin Appl has been profoundly influenced by two mentors in his musical life. One is the legendary German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and the other is the Hungarian composer György Kurtág. If his previous album For Dieter: Hommage à Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a response to the legacy of Fischer-Dieskau, then Lines of Life: Schubert & Kurtág is a musical dialogue dedicated to Kurtág.

Appl’s connection with Kurtág began with a special project. In 2018, the Konzerthaus Dortmund in Germany was preparing a festival devoted to Kurtág. Kurtág made a specific request to the program curator: he wanted a young baritone to sing his highly valued Hölderlin-Gesänge (Songs to Hölderlin), a cycle composed between 1993 and 1997. The first five songs are settings of poems by the 19th-century German poet Friedrich Hölderlin; the final song is based on a work by the 20th-century Jewish poet Paul Celan, reflecting on Hölderlin’s later years and mental state. To find the right singer, the festival sent recordings by ten selected candidates to Kurtág, known for his meticulous standards. He personally listened to each, narrowed the field down to three, and then requested new recordings of the low-pitched passages from the finalists for comparison. In the end, Appl was chosen.

On May 7, 2019, Appl traveled to the Budapest Music Center to meet Kurtág. Present were Kurtág and his wife Márta, Appl, a film crew, and staff from Editio Musica Budapest, the publisher that has long issued Kurtág’s works. Appl had heard that rehearsing with Kurtág could be intense—many musicians felt immense pressure, and some had even been dismissed on the spot. He was extremely nervous. After singing one piece, Márta whispered something in Hungarian to her husband. Kurtág then turned to Appl with a smile and said, “Márta says you are our man!” From then on, Appl made regular trips to Budapest to work with the 93-year-old composer, beginning a deep friendship that continues to this day.

The Hölderlin-Gesänge lacks a clear harmonic framework. Except for the third song, “Gestalt und Geist” (“Form and Spirit”)—which includes trombone and tuba—the rest are unaccompanied solo works. For the singer, even slight intonation issues can destroy the musical atmosphere and structure. Yet in Kurtág’s mind, a complete harmonic structure exists. Sometimes he would suddenly play a set of chords on the piano—or even a song by Schubert or Brahms—to illustrate a connection. To help Appl grasp the musical language and inner logic of the work, Kurtág used Schubert and Brahms songs, which were more familiar to Appl, as bridges to enter the world of Hölderlin-Gesänge. This approach allowed Appl to understand the logic and poetic depth behind Kurtág’s music. As a result, their sessions included not only Hölderlin-Gesänge, but also other works by Kurtág, along with art songs by Schubert and Brahms.

Kurtág’s demands went far beyond pitch and rhythm. He focused on breathing, understanding the meaning of the text, and how emotion should be conveyed. Sometimes they would spend an entire day polishing just the first bar of a song. The next day, when Appl thought they would move on, Kurtág would say, “Let’s start from the beginning.” The intense repetition left Appl feeling mentally overwhelmed—he even felt like throwing the score at the wall. But he never protested. “I didn’t dare argue, because every interpretive suggestion he gave worked perfectly for me.”

Kurtág’s wife Márta was the key to bringing Appl and Kurtág together. She was one year younger than her husband, and they met as students at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. Less than a year later, on February 19, 1947—his first legal day to marry as a man—Kurtág scheduled the earliest appointment at the registry office and married Márta, who wore a simple white dress. Over their 72 years together, Márta, a trained pianist, was not only his partner in four-hand performances but also the first listener and critic for every one of his compositions. Appl described them as “like yin and yang. They often disagreed and argued, but were each other’s greatest support.”

Kurtág was introverted and doubtful by nature, often hesitating over the smallest detail. Márta, by contrast, was decisive and extroverted. “When he got stuck mid-sentence, Márta would finish his thought—she knew exactly what he wanted to say.” In one rehearsal, Kurtág kept adjusting a detail again and again until Márta quietly said, “That’s enough, it’s already good.” Kurtág smiled and nodded, then continued. Appl believed Márta was the vital source of strength behind Kurtág’s creativity. Her intuition and musical judgment were essential to him.

The Budapest Music Center, where they first met, was also the couple’s final residence. They originally lived in France but moved into a small guest room at the venue in 2015 while visiting friends. Because of Márta’s declining health, they never left. They lived simply, rarely going outside. Most days, they played together—sometimes four-hands, sometimes Kurtág played and Márta sang. Though a soprano, her voice had a deep, silvery tone. “Dark, with a silvery light—she had an incredible musical sense”, Appl said. Sadly, Márta passed away five months after Appl began working with Kurtág.

Appl recalled that when they rehearsed the first Hölderlin-Gesänge song “An…” (“To…”)—a piece about expressing grief for a lost beloved—Kurtág would cry and call out Márta’s name. Though he later poured his sorrow into composing, Appl once heard him, after playing a Schubert song, whisper through tears, “Márta, where are you?” Music had become his way of expressing love and longing.

Although the Dortmund festival was eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Appl said, “Kurtág has shaped who I am, both as a musician and a person, perhaps more than anyone else.” He wanted to preserve this precious experience and Kurtág’s musical spirit. Especially because Kurtág rarely explains his works in writing or discusses how to interpret them, Appl said, “I want to preserve how he thinks about music, how he rehearses, and how he finds sound through language”—offering listeners a gateway into Kurtág’s profound musical universe.

In 2024, when the recording was made, Kurtág was already 98 years old. Yet not only did he approve the project, he also served as producer. He joined rehearsals, listened to the takes, selected which of the 1,300 recorded segments to use, and even played piano on two of the songs himself. The album centers around Hölderlin-Gesänge and includes several recent or revised works by Kurtág. Among them are “Circumdederunt”, “Das Angenehme dieser Welt…”, and “Nun versteh’ ich….” Though short, these unaccompanied pieces embody the essence of Kurtág’s aesthetic—expressing deep emotions with minimal notes.

The album also features four songs based on poems by Ulrike Schuster, with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard accompanying. These works reflect Kurtág’s “less is more” philosophy: each lasts only seconds but carries intense emotional weight. The atonal piano parts are sharp and fragmented, intensifying the poems’ bitterness and inner tension. Themes such as solitude, loss, and introspection dominate the texts. Through sparse but piercing sounds, Kurtág captures and reflects these feelings of desolation and struggle.

As for Schubert’s “Der Jüngling an der Quelle”, “Ganymed”, and “Daß sie hier gewesen”, as well as Brahms’ “Sonntag”, these were songs Kurtág used to guide Appl’s understanding of Hölderlin-Gesänge. Appl deliberately interspersed them in the album, allowing listeners to compare and better grasp the tension in Kurtág’s music. These were also songs that Kurtág and Márta used to play and sing together. Even with an injured arm, Kurtág insisted on playing the piano part for “Sonntag”, saying, “This was Márta’s favorite. I have to play it.” To Appl, this album quietly bears the inscription: In memoriam Márta.

The final track, nearly 18 minutes long, is an unexpected closing gesture: a conversation between Appl and Kurtág (in German), covering personal history, musical inspirations, compositional ideas, and specific works. Kurtág is not one for small talk. He always searches for the most precise word and often speaks with long pauses. The actual conversation lasted nearly two hours, and Appl gently encouraged Kurtág to share how he creates a philosophical and emotionally rich musical world using minimalist vocabulary and sonic textures. For those who don’t understand German, the booklet includes helpful translations in English and French.

As the last student of Fischer-Dieskau, Appl shows confident and poetic phrasing in Schubert’s songs and maintains vocal tension and direction even in unaccompanied contemporary works. Yet the essential factor behind these skills is his five-year journey with Kurtág. This album not only reveals Appl’s deep understanding of Kurtág’s musical language but also uses familiar Schubert and Brahms works as points of comparison—inviting listeners into Kurtág’s vast, mysterious world of sound.

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