波士頓馬拉松賽終點站兩起爆炸3死144傷

波士頓馬拉松賽爆炸案現場。跑者發現不對勁後往回跑。(周菊子攝)

           (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)波士頓警察局局長戴維斯，麻州州長派區克，薩福克郡地方檢察官15日晚八點半，在波士頓公共圖書館柯普利廣場總館後面的威斯汀(Westin)酒店開記者會，說明2013波士頓馬拉松賽終點站附近的兩起爆炸案，共有3人死亡，144人受傷，16日出事現場附近的15條街道將暫時封閉，以俾進行調查。

        波士頓警察局並表示，在麻州大學波士頓分校旁的JFK甘迺迪圖書館發生的狀況，大概不是爆炸案。

         

波士頓馬拉松賽爆炸案現場的Boylston街一片混亂。(周菊子攝)

            第117屆波士頓馬拉松賽昨(15)日在出太陽，大約華氏50度的和絢天氣中揭幕。選手們從早上九點起，分三波，在26.2哩外的霍普金頓(Hopkinton)鎮出發。

            位於柯普利廣場(Copley Square)旁，波士頓公共圖書館總館門外的波士頓馬拉松賽終點站，從早上11點起，陸續出現越來越多圍觀群眾，在街旁喊出各式各樣鼓勵字句，為選手加油。

      行動不便組(Mobility Impaired Program)、輪椅組、手搖組(Handcycle Participants)，女子精英組，男子精英組，以及第二波、第三波，依序輪著起跑，直到早上10:40以後，26916名參賽者，才全都踏上跑道。

爆炸處冒出濃煙。(周菊子攝)

      終點站前的波約斯頓(Boylston)街，早從週六就掛出了路邊不准停車的標誌，昨日也一整條街都有鐵欄杆圍著。圍觀人群擠在路旁，一邊為選手加油，一邊品頭論足，看到穿著特別的跑者，就爆出掌聲，吹起口哨。

      在精英組過後的參跑者，許多人都是為了興趣而跑，不免趁機會自我表達一番，有穿上情侶裝的，扮成角鬥士(gladiator)的，在腰上圍了幾圈布枕頭，看起來像漢飽包的，穿超人服的，戴墨西哥帽的，扮成香蕉的，圍上紗裙扮天鵝的，穿著英國國旗的，讓圍觀群眾在打氣、搶鏡頭時，多了不少樂趣。

      穿著霓彩裝的軍人出現時，圍觀群眾鼓譟聲更轟動，加油，你能做到等喊聲之外，還有不少人說謝謝。

      比賽時間一分一秒在消逝，跑馬拉松的選手們，一波波過去。路旁圍觀的人群開始減少。終點站前高掛著26哩標誌牌旁的計時器，打出4小時53分，想來最後一名選手應該也不太遠了。突然一聲砰的巨響。圍觀人群覺得奇怪，張頭四望了一下，有人還以為是慶祝比賽圓滿完成響禮砲。沒看到什麼，轉回頭再看跑道。可是，砰，又一聲巨響。這回，大家都看到了狀如蘑菇的濃煙在星巴克咖啡店旁的波約斯頓街673號處冒起來。

一下子，大家都明白了，是真的炸彈。許多人開始著急了，扯開了鐵欄柵，大呼小叫的喊子女，牽起他們的手，趕快走。波約斯頓街上原本還在向終點站前跑的選手們，開始往回頭跑。

但是，第二聲巨響，冒出一個白色大蘑菇濃煙後，只不過幾秒鐘，煙就散了，有些人想搞清楚到底發生了什麼事，站在原地不動，伸長了頭往馬拉松終點站那個方向探看。

          站在馬路上維持秩序的警察，起初也表現得好像沒什麼，但看到一名男子整條褲子的下半部，破成碎片，腿上都是血後，知道問題嚴重，開始要求群眾撤離現場。

一連四、五輛警車，消防車，嗶嗶、嗚嗚的一路開過來。

一名馬拉松賽的工作人員，拉開鐵欄杆，讓人們散去時，提醒人，別靠近垃圾桶，說前面的炸彈，就是在垃圾桶內爆炸開的。

      散進普天壽大樓購物廣場的人們，雖然對發生爆炸事件，感到震驚，但在沒有繼續出現爆炸聲下，大都顯得鎮靜，一部份人走向連接普天壽購物大樓和東方文華酒店(Mandarin Oriental)這兩座大樓的天橋處，就著正好在第二個炸彈爆炸處對面的落地玻璃窗，探看究竟。

      這時候，已有數十名警員、救護人員趕到現場，把爆炸現場用黃色膠帶圍了起來。星巴克咖啡店對面路上，至少躺著三個人，其中一人嘴邊還插上了救生管。一名體形頗高的女生，身上圍拉著灰黑布，在警察扶持下，走向一輛救護車。

      沒過一、二分鐘，大樓警衛過來趕人，表示警方有指示，不准人們留在這棟大樓內。東方文華酒店的員工為安撫受驚的人，拿出瓶裝水給有需要的人。購物廣場內所有的店鋪都陸續關上了門。

      來自台灣的參賽選手戴廷聯，在發生爆炸時，已到了和其他選手約定的賽後集合點，柯普利廣場旁的CVS。他說，聽到第一聲爆炸時，還以為是放鞭炮，後來看到煙霧，也看到一群人向他那方向跑得很快，後來看一個人臉上、身上都是血，於是把自己身上的披風給了他。

      他太太和女兒稍後找到他，一見到他時，忍不住哭了出來。

      波士頓經文處的新聞組組長朱文昌，副處長陳銘俊，昨日都到了波士頓馬拉松現場為選手加油。事後和來自台灣七名選手中的五人聯絡上，也一一和到場採訪的記者聯絡，確認了大家都安全無事，才放下心來。

      波士頓港澳之友社的謝中之表示，波士頓發生爆炸案的新聞一出，香港等世界各地的朋友都打電話來問，讓未到現場的他馬上打開電視機，打開電腦，上網查個究竟。

      今年的波士頓馬拉松賽共有85名來自中港台的參賽者，其中約有15人是萬科集團組織的「樂跑波士頓」隊，包括萬科總部副總裁王文金，萬科廣州地產陳蔚文等，有9名萬科員工，其他的人或為萬科房產的業主，或為萬科集團主席王石的朋友。根據接近萬科集團者表示，所有萬科選手都安全無事。

      曾經表示要在波士頓進修三年的王石，13日才參加了哈佛中國論壇，發表了他對中國「新的十年展望」看法，又和Tishman Speyere公司董事長Rob Speyer一起為萬科進軍美國，在加州的首個房地產項目做說明會。昨日他為支持萬科團隊參加波士頓馬拉松賽，親自出席，坐在終點站的看台上，近距離的親眼聽到爆炸聲，看到煙霧，還在他的個人微博上提供訊息，哀悼死難者。

      波士頓華僑文教中心主任郭大文昨日下午發出電郵給僑界社團首長，探問是否安好。波克萊台灣商會會長陳玉瑛表示，她在約翰漢考克大樓(John Hancock Tower)上班，一點半左右時，和同事去看馬拉松，還在圖書館附近走來走去。二點半回到公司，快三點時聽到很大的爆炸聲，一連兩聲，從公司的樓上望下看，只見到很多警察跑向圖書館那個方向。她雖然看不到發生什麼事,但知道出事了。下班時，地鐵已暫時關閉，她只好走到波士頓華埠。

Per Commissioner Ed Davis, “The preliminary investigation indicates that the incident at the JFK may not have been an explosion. The device may have been incendiary in nature. It may have been a fire. The nature of the incident is uncertain at this time and the cause is still under investigation.

波士頓警察局在bpdnews.com上公佈關於波士頓馬拉松賽現場爆炸案的初步資料：
波士頓警察局的推特上已公佈，2死23傷。
The Following Information is Preliminary:

• At about 2:50pm, on Monday, April 15, 2013, Boston Police responded to two large explosions along the Boston Marathon route in the area of 673 Boylston Street.
• The Boston Police Department is confirming two fatalities and over twenty injuries.
• At about 4:12pm, the Boston Police Department responded to a 3nd explosion or fire in the area of the JFK Library in Dorchester. Officials are working to determine the nature of the incident. There are no injuries to report in connection to that incident.
• At present, a multi-agency response including state and federal law enforcement agencies has been activated and is investigating the cause of the explosions. At this point, it is uncertain if the explosions are connected.

What Community Members Should Do:
• Residents and visitors to the city are encouraged to stay calm.
• Residents and visitors are asked to avoid the Copley Square area so as to allow law enforcement agencies to continue their investigation.
• Family members looking for information relative to individuals possibly injured during the incident are encouraged to call (617) 635-4500.
• Community members wanting to assist this investigation anonymously are encouraged to call the Boston Police Department’s Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS (8477) or text the word TIP to CRIME (27463). Individuals who may have been taking pictures or video are asked to share that information.
• Continue to monitor BPDNews.com or @boston_police on Twitter for ongoing public safety updates.

劉孟捷憾動生命音樂會獲好評

鋼琴家劉孟捷13日晚在紐英崙音樂學院喬頓廳演出「憾動生命的樂章」音樂會，搏得滿場掌聲，觀眾起立致敬。

            劉孟捷的這場音樂會，全場彈奏舒伯特鋼琴奏鳴曲的第四系列。好幾名子女在新英格蘭音樂學院預備學校學鋼琴，甚至本身教鋼琴的聽眾，彼此交談時大讚劉孟捷，聲稱沒聽過有其他人彈舒伯特比劉孟捷彈得更好，強音不噪耳，弱音也圓熟。

            曾經歷過生死存亡，手指變形等挑戰的劉孟捷，特地在音樂會節目冊中為他為什麼要演奏整套的舒伯特奏鳴曲做了解釋。他說，在學生時代，他曾有過更大的野心，想演奏全套的蕭邦及諾赫曼尼諾夫的作品，但在病後復健的重新學彈琴期間，他發現原本以為簡單的舒伯特曲目，其實音階比諾赫曼尼諾夫更難，但樂音所帶來的平靜、充實感覺，引發出人的愛心、耐心，堅忍意志的作用，恰恰是那時他在精神及技巧上所最需要的。

            一名曾在中國擔任外交官的女觀眾會後表示，在她看來，劉孟捷是實力派的鋼琴家，彈舒伯特其實彈得比朗朗還好，強音不噪耳，弱音很圓潤。只是音樂和很多其他藝術一樣，演奏者或表演者實力再好，能否成名，也得看天時、地利、人和等條件配合。在她看來，朗朗能成為演奏界的明星，幾乎囊括了所有名牌在中國的代言權，有很大一部份原因是他不但師從了柯蒂斯音樂學院(The Curtis Institute of Music)院長GaryGraffman這名人老師，還很有魅力的讓樂團喜愛和他合作，不管懂不懂音樂的人，都受吸引，但劉孟捷卻是懂音樂的人都聽得出來，他是真的彈的好。

            刻在新英格蘭音樂學院預備學校進修，即將出第4張個人CD的青年鋼琴家牛牛，這晚也在父親張長峰陪同下出席，還和幾名出席同學各買了張劉孟捷簽名的CD做紀念。另一名年輕鋼琴家黎卓宇也在父母陪同下來到現場聽音樂會。

            中華表演藝術基金會董事長譚嘉陵表示，最難得的還是近年已鮮少出席音樂會的音樂大師Russell Sherman，也為了劉孟捷趕來。

圖片說明：

            音樂會後，譚嘉陵(左)和劉孟捷在後台晤見排隊致意者。(菊子攝)

            拿到簽名CD的致意者在音樂廳走廊中交談。(菊子攝)

a virtual journal and blog of the classical music scene in Boston

Robert Levin, advisor; Bettina A. Norton, emerita editor; Lee Eiseman, publisher

in: Reviews

April 16, 2013

Simplicity and Steel in Liu’s Schubert

by David Moran

And so continues this spring’s wondrous piano Schubertiade, and to the short list of topmost interpreters—meaning mature, profound, direct, not only technically immaculate—we now must add Meng-Chieh Liu. It felt like, I don’t know, discovering Murray Perahia decades ago.
Professor at the Curtis Institute and Roosevelt University, Liu was presented at Jordan Hall last Saturday evening by the estimable Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts in a program of three Schubert sonatas (A, D, B-flat, D.664, 850, 960). The audience, not large and unusually still at least for quiet moments, included many local notables, among them James Buswell, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein, and Russell Sherman and Wha-Kyung Byun.

You don’t necessarily have to conflate life and art and believe, pathetically, that Schubert’s later work is informed by a sense of death impending in order to realize that something latent and strange is going on throughout the mature sonatas: sun, clouds, dark clouds, more sun, then clouded sun, sorrow, balm, all with harmonic fits and starts and distressed abruptions seemingly unearned.

Nor do you necessarily need to know that this particular serious, modest musician was, in his early 20s in the mid-1990s, well into a stellar career when it was brutally interrupted by a three-year ordeal of vasculitis (near-mortal debilitation and including cardiac arrests, chemotherapy, weight loss to 90 pounds, hand tendon surgeries with titanium nail implant, 100%-certain predictions of never playing again, grueling rehab).

At the keyboard Meng-Chieh Liu physically showed none of that, except for some unusual hand and finger formations. Indeed, as another reviewer recently put it about another Liu Schubert recital, the playing was “so flawless that it is a tad embarrassing to report on it.” Musically and emotionally were another story: the evening quickly turned into a rapt, potent experience—“cosmic,” as one veteran Schubert concertgoer put it at halftime.

Schubert’s melancholic mixed weather starts, in my view, with the so-called lesser A-major sonata, D.664. Its sunlit opening sounds cover some ache as usual, and the remarkable short (two pages) ensuing Andante may dramatize failure of some attempt at reconciliation. From the beginning it was clear this was going to be a simple, focused, absorbing, upsetting experience. Liu pedals more than some Schubert pianists, which everywhere strengthened his steely control, somehow. He also perfectly handled the Andante’s ever so slightly unstable rhythm, which many pianists miss. A superb reading.

The D-major (D.850) has always seemed to me surpassing odd—loud start (but not a march), then peculiarly swung about many places, with more recircling than usual—and until this performance was not a piece I really got or, insofar as I did get it, cared for. Liu’s way with it pretty much changed all that. It was as musical and affectionate a performance of this sonata as you’d ever want to hear, and I find nothing so fine on YouTube. The quick opening movement busted out; the Con Moto syncopated rhythms, next, were perfection, including those recurrent poignant cha-cha moments; the Scherzo features new syncopations (Liu really is more attentive to lopsided rhythms in Schubert than other pianists, while always keeping the pulse going) but its heart lies in another grieving, repetitively stabbing middle section. The Rondo starts as one of those mincing musicbox things Schubert likes so much, happy skipping and all, although familiar for such previously public display. Eventually it swings into Beethoven runs, tick-tock exercises, some more poignancy, some more middle Beethoven, and then, to close, some double-time Charleston stuff, winding down to delicacy. Is it rather a mess of moods? Still sounds so to me, but when I have to hear it again, I want it to be a recording of this performance. (Over Schubert’s seas new piano star Charlie Albright creates, rightly or wrongly, more and bigger waves than Liu, but since like so many youngsters all Albright wants is simplicity, perhaps less swooning, I say Meng-Chieh Liu would be the one to study, or indeed study with.)

Was anything improvable in Liu’s cosmic, organically inflected playing? I felt there could sometimes have been more profile, a little more accent or something, to some passages treated a tad blandly. Phrasing likewise: some subsections were neither particularly shaped nor shapely. The entire rich concert-hall dynamic range could have been dropped overall a few decibels. And the octave above middle C was sometimes not loud enough relative to the one below (Schubert is famously “midrangy”). One achievement Meng-Chien Liu shows that I’ve never seen anything like is a complete and amazing seamlessness between silence and sound and back to silence, meaning his initial touch and ending release are, what, featherweight, entranced, effortless, somehow without break of any sort? I suppose this wouldn’t matter in an audio-only recording, although I thought it sounded different too. But it certainly appeared like nothing by anyone else. Mystery fingers.

Of Liu’s B-flat sonata there is not a lot to say. He took a while to settle in, but by repeat time it became hypnotic with every rumble and the quietest of aching pauses. About potentially winceable movements like the Scherzo, Alfred Brendel has said “You must make them worthy,” and Liu’s approach after the Andante sostenuto was altogether purposeful, with the most flowing Trio I have ever heard. And that Andante prior was lit from within, with Liu turning, perhaps personally, its intense, enthralled moments of bittersweet into a convalescent’s holy song of thanksgiving.

David Moran has been an occasional Boston-area music critic for 45 years, with special interest in the keyboard.

趙美心為羅島華協獎學金得主頒獎

國際領袖基金會(ILF)創會會長暨首席執行長董繼玲陪同國會眾議員趙美心 (Judy Chu) ，13日訪問羅德島州(Rhode Island)，主持國際領袖基金會新英格蘭顧問團授証儀式 ，並出席羅德島華人協會的頒發獎學金典禮，擔任頒獎嘉賓。

             民主黨籍的趙美心於2009年7月14日在遞補Hilda Solis升任勞工部部長所遺職缺的特別選舉中，當選為加州第32選區國會眾議員，成為美國歷史上第一位華裔女性國會議員。

            過去四年多年，她曾多次公開表示，自己以能融合族裔，為華人做喉舌為榮。進入國會後，她與多名亞美裔國會議員積極運作，終於促使美國參議院在2011年正式就美國於1882年時通過排華法案，這美國歷史上第一個限禁單一族裔外來移民進入美國的法案，向全美國華人致歉，並推動了國會參眾兩院提交議案，要求正視排華法案等一系列迫害華人的法律條款。

            13日，趙美心在羅德島華人協會頒發獎學金，以及國際領袖基金會新英格蘭顧問團的授證儀式上指出，排華法案一直持續到1943年才廢除，其中的1910年到1940年之間，有數以萬計華人移民，無辜的被羈留在舊金山天使島移民站(Angel Island Immigration Station)，其中有30%被遣返中國，留下華人移民來美歷史中，血淚斑斑的篇章。她希望能藉培養年輕人，團結華人積極參政，推動華人參與社區服務，融入美國社會，來終結華人在美曾遭歧視的這段歷史。

            趙美心的言詞懇切，打動了很多出席者。許多學生家長紛紛表示，年輕人需要模範人物來啟發他們的學習與努力，親眼見到趙美心，聽了趙美心畢業於洛杉磯加州大學數學系，獲得加州專業心理大學心理學博士學位後踏入職場，一直致力於教育工作。 廿多年前，華人聚居的蒙特利公園市發生「獨尊英語」 (English only) 風波，她出面協調，從此踏入政界，並當上學區的教育委員、蒙市市議員、蒙特利公園市市長，加州公平委員會議員，加州眾議員，加州國會議員這一路走來的人生旅程，都很受啟發，也對自己的未來，有了更多信心與希望。

            國際領袖基金會(ILF)新英格蘭顧問團今年將選送到華府實習的一名大學生呂艾琳就深受啟發，透露自己將來有意從政，要做趙美心第二的為民眾服務，為弱勢團體發聲。

            趙美心當天在國際領袖基金會執行長董繼玲陪同下，為該會新英格蘭顧問團的15名顧問舉行授證儀式，並為羅德島華人協會的9名首屆獎學金得主，頒發得獎狀。

            羅德島州克蘭斯頓市市長馮偉杰也應邀講話。

            新英格蘭顧問團今年的顧問團團長為葉超，共同團長為吳子平，顧問包括萬寅生、黃樺、楊慶、王曉元、章賢信、呂蘭英、陳本生、馮偉杰、劉有成、才旭、葉俊年、Bob Billington、William Lynch等人。

            獲得羅德島華人協會獎學金的9名學生中，獲3000元獎學金的有6名學生，分別為巴靈頓高中王宸伊、南京士頓高中王若桑、Toll Gate高中俞妮娜，Bishop Stang高中才藝，Chariho區域高中周思浩，沙龍高中劉肖君。獲1000元獎學金的3名學生為巴靈頓高中黃華英，東格林威治高中羅齊一，Cumberland高中玉霞。

圖片說明：

     華裔國會議員趙美心(第二排坐者左三)和羅德島華人協會獎學金得主、華協幹部等人合影。(菊子攝)

      國際領袖基金會新英格蘭顧問團的葉超(左二)、吳子平(右四)，以及曾任羅州民主黨黨主席的威廉林奇(William Lynch)(右五)合作，在Jacky’s Waterplace & Sushi Bar為國會議員趙美心(右六)舉辦籌款會。羅州國會議員David Cicllline(左五)也應邀出席。(國際領袖基金會新英格蘭顧問團提供)