1 . Top Piano Players in the World
Martha ArgerichMartha Argerich could be considered the next Beethoven, as she is one of the most outstanding pianists ever to play. Argerich preferred being on stage with others instead of performing solo; therefore, she has been performing in a concerto format since the 1980s. Argerich was not one for the spotlight, as she often avoided public appearances such as interviews; however, her great talent was all the publicity she needed, standing out during concertos and sonatas.
Leif Ove AndsnesKnown for his appealing performances of Edvard Grieg’s works, Andsnes has won praise for his performances at some of the world’s most famous concert halls. Andsnes has certainly made his mark in Norway, as he is the founding director of Norway’s Rosendal Chamber Music Festival. Because of his unique voice and interesting approach, he was praised by The New York Times as a “pianist of authoritative elegance, power, and insight.”
Alfred BrendelKnown for his beautiful interpretations of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Mozart, Alfred Brendel was considered one of the greats. He played in various concertos throughout his career and became known for his interpretive coldness in recreating these works. Brendel was considered one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, as he made his mark in the classical music industry. Brendel was self-taught and learned his love of piano at an early age.
Arthur RubinsteinArthur Rubinstein was certainly one of the greats. His career began in the early 20th century when he began to come into contact with some of the world’s most important composers, such as Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, and Jacques Thibaud. He made various trips worldwide and visited nearly every continent, where crowds met him with great praise and encouragement.
1. What does the female pianist focus on in her career?| A．Skills in hosting concertos and sonatas. | B．Cooperation with other musicians. |
| C．Close relationships with the media. | D．Unique ways to interpret music. |
| A．Martha Argerich. | B．Leif Ove Andsnes. |
| C．Alfred Brendel. | D．Arthur Rubinstein. |
| A．He was the director of a Norwegian festival. |
| B．He made a difference in classical music. |
| C．He was the best musician of the 20th century. |
| D．He got in touch with some famous composers. |
2 . Ask an art historian about 15th-century Italian art and they’ll probably bring up Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper or the early career works of Michelangelo. Meanwhile, assessments of the Florentine sculptor Donatello often pale in comparison with praise of his superstar contemporaries. Donatello deserves better, argues an ambitious new exhibition. On view through July 31 at two museums in Florence, Italy, “Donatello: The Renaissance” tries to place the sculptor at the center of the era, writes reporter Elisabetta Povoledo for The NewYork Times.
“This is an extremely unusual exhibit, since Donatello is a father of the Renaissance,” Donatello scholar Francesco Caglioti tells The Times. Arturo Galansino, director of the Palazzo Strozzi, takes the argument one step further, telling The Wall Street Journal’s J. S. Marcus that the exhibition identifies Donatello as “the inventor of the Renaissance.”
Donatello’s masterpieces we repaired with works by Filippo Brunelleschi, Giovanni Bellini, Michelangelo and Raphael to showcase his significant impact on generations of Italian artists. “Some exhibitions are once in a lifetime, but this show is the first time in history,” said Galansino earlier this month.
While some people think of Michelangelo’s marble (大理石) David (1501―1504) as an incomparable work, Donatello actually sculpted one of the statue’s key inspirations: a bronze (青铜) David. Created between 1435 and 1450, likely for the Medici family, the sculpture was conceived (构思) independently of any architectural surroundings. Scholars, therefore, consider Donatello’s David the first of such a style in Renaissance history.
Besides, Donatello’s Madonna influenced similar works by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Just as Donatello has been relatively overlooked in favor of his contemporaries, Gentileschi and a handful of other Renaissance women artists are just starting to get their due—a trend evidenced by a recent exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
“Donatello: The Renaissanc” follows the artist’s life and work, moving through his early years in his native city and a long-term residency in Padua. By the end of his life, Donatello’s work was primarily financed by the powerful Medici family.
1. What does the new exhibition intend to do?| A．Restress Leonardo da Vinci’s achievements. |
| B．Retell the stories of artists in the Renaissance. |
| C．Rediscover Italian art in the contemporary context. |
| D．Rethink the key role Donatello played in his time. |
| A．It is historically significant. | B．It is more comprehensive than others. |
| C．It has met with lots of criticism. | D．It has presented a completely new art form. |
| A．It disappointed the Medici family. | B．It was a copy of the marble David |
| C．It was created two hundred years ago. | D．It inspired Michelangelo to some extent. |
| A．Fall into disfavor. | B．Receive recognition. |
| C．Reshape their styles. | D．Suffer discrimination. |
3 . This was going to be a year of great jazz centennials (百年纪念) for 1920 marked the birth of several jazz musicians who either changed the course of the music or deeply enriched it. So let’s raise a glass to some of them:
Charlie Parker(August 29, 1920-March 12, 1955)
Of all the jazz languages that coursed through the 20th century, no one did more than Parker, for he developed complex improvisational methods that transformed the way musicians understand harmony and dissonance. The fact that Parker also happened to be a most influential saxophone player broadened the scope of his achievements.
Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920-December 5, 2012)
Early in his long career, pianist-composer Brubeck was laughed at by some jazz lovers. How could a musician so popular among the masses possibly have anything to offer those who considered themselves “masters”? The joke was on them, of course, as Brubeck’s music was filled with new ideas in rhythm, embracing elements of Western classical music. No one played the piano quite the way Brubeck did.
Clark Terry(December 14, 1920-February 21, 2015)
Some musicians are at least as important for the influence they have on others as for the music they create themselves. Trumpet masters such as Miles Davis have credited Terry for having encouraged them in the earliest days of their careers. Terry’s work on trumpet affected those trumpeters and uncounted others.
Peggy Lee(May 26, 1920-January 21, 2002)
Singer-songwriter Lee proved that a vocalist needn’t shout to be heard around the world. Her soft vocals delighted jazz devotees and brought the music to huge audiences across the decades, thanks to hit recordings such as “Fever” and “Is That All There Is?” There were no vocal skills involved. Instead, Lee taught the jazz world the beauty of saying everything with a few well-chosen notes.
1. Who changed the way musicians understand harmony and dissonance?| A．Charlie Parker. | B．Dave Brubeck. | C．Clark Terry. | D．Peggy Lee. |
| A．He played music for a longer time. | B．They didn’t recognize his excellence. |
| C．He played the piano in a traditional way. | D．They had nothing to learn from him. |
| A．Her unique piano playing. | B．Her great influence on others. |
| C．Her beautiful singing voice. | D．Her mixture of western music. |
4 . Classical musician Titcomb feels strongly about Symphony No. 2 and its composer, Mahler. “Mahler is just... It’s so remindful. It’s so emotional and maybe it is a cheap thrill, but to me it is a deep emotional work.”
Titcomb played the trombone (长号) professionally for more than thirty years. He says it was a difficult decision to stop playing and to do something else. “When I had to decide to stop my career as a player and move on to just the organizing of an orchestra, it was my heart and soul to play in orchestras and after a 30-year career I think I have done my part and wanted to move aside. Now I’m semi-retired. I only play the trombone in my wife’s rock and roll band, but for 30 years I was a member of the New York City Opera Orchestra and I also played very often with the Metropolitan Opera and various other organizations and the New York City Ballet as well.”
Now Titcomb is the Managing Director for PONY, which hopes to bring new audiences to classical music and aims to make performances higher-tech and more affordable. PONY is composed of many New York’s finest musicians and many of them continue to work in the major companies at Lincoln Center including Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic. And musicians come together shortly after some big events, such as natural disasters.
Mahler Symphony No. 2 music is reflective of a project dear to Titcomb’s heart. Titcomb has worked effortlessly on bringing the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York, which aims to use performances to support disaster relief, and to give people in disaster some inspiration to continue to deal with their troubles. Seeing an orchestra of 90 players on the stage and making music together with a chorus of 200 made him smile.
Titcomb’s devotion to music is wonderfully inspiring. He built a hugely successful career with little more than plain hard work and determination.
1. What does the author want to tell us in paragraph 1?| A．Titcomb is very emotional. | B．Mahler is good at cheap thrills. |
| C．A music masterpiece must be strong. | D．Symphony No. 2 impresses Titcomb. |
| A．He was eager to earn money. | B．He avoided taking up challenges. |
| C．He focused on playing the trombone. | D．He organized a high - quality orchestra. |
| A．Boring. | B．Confusing. | C．Demanding. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Well begun, half done. | B．Devotion requires enthusiasm. |
| C．He who laughs last laughs best. | D．A change of work is as good as a rest. |
5 . Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in Zundert in the south of the Netherlands. He was unlucky to live only for 37 years and to discover his love for art at the age of 27. Therefore, he worked as an artist for only 10 years of his life.
During the Enlightenment Age, emphasis on literature, philosophy, science, fine arts and music became more widespread especially with the growing middle class. This means that Vincent van Gogh had lived in a flourishing artistic movement, which was supposed to help him succeed as an artist and become rich. On the contrary, he did not win fame as an artist. Although Vincent painted 900 paintings and more than 1,100 drawings, his works remained unknown and unsold and his brother Theo supported him financially during his lifetime.
Perhaps one of the reasons for his failure as an artist is his clumsy behavior when he suffered from mental illness. Another reason is his short-tempered nature and rudeness which most of the time brought him bloody fights with his fellow Gauguin that ended up with cutting off Vincent's ears. Moreover, he was always dirty and not well-dressed, which made people avoid dealing with him and buying his artistic works. Furthermore, his poor health gave more blows to his life and caused an early death to such a great artist. But now in our age, his magnificent painting (Portrait of Dr: Gachet) is sold around 150 million dollars at auction.
Vincent van Gogh is just an example of the talented people who failed in their pursuit of glory.
1. What can we learn about Vincent before he was 27?| A．He showed no love for art. | B．He enjoyed staying alone. |
| C．He had a great interest in art. | D．He spent much time painting. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．He was in a mess. | B．He became angry easily. |
| C．He didn't have fine works | D．He often fought with others. |
| A．Good manners are more important than talents. | B．A seed planted in darkness may bloom later. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. | D．One is never too old to learn. |
6 . No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom. But it is said that it began in the early 1900s. Jazz was a new kind of music, for America and the world, and New Orleans was its birthplace.
Who were the jazz pioneers? Most were blacks. This music was not written down, and at first only blacks played it. It was hard for white musicians to learn the new style. But soon they, too, were playing jazz.
The popularity of this music spread. From New Orleans, it traveled up the Mississippi to Chicago, then to Kansas City and New York. By the 1920s, there were many jazz musicians, both black and white. Many of them were famous. One man was better than the rest. His name was Louis Armstrong.
Louis Armstrong was a born musician. He was not only talented but also hard—working. He also had a good sense of humor and a big, good—natured smile. These personal qualities were valuable in his rise to fame. After he became famous, he traveled around the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear Louis play. But life was not always easy, especially at the beginning.
Louis Armstrong was born in 1900 in New Orleans. His father never went to school and his mother could hardly read. When Louis was still a kid, his parents separated, and Louis lived with his mother. How hard their life was can readily be imagined. And yet Louis smiled through everything. He later wrote, "My whole life has been happiness. Life was there for me and I accepted it. Whatever happened has been beautiful to me. I love everybody."
1. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.| A．New styles | B．Jazz pioneers |
| C．White musicians | D．Black musicians |
| A．His family background. | B．His big, good- natured smiles. |
| C．His good sense of humor. | D．His talent and hard work. |
| A．The development of jazz. |
| B．The development of jazz and its best musician. |
| C．The achievements of Louis Armstrong. |
| D．The influence of jazz on Americans. |
7 . Christo Javacheff the artist who worked to turn landscapes and buildings into massive, temporary works of art, died on March 2021 at age 84. Christo surprised the world again and again with the imagination and size of the artworks he created.
Christo, born in Bulgaria in 1935, met his wife Jeanne-Claude in Paris in 1959. Together, the two formed a strong partnership that lasted the rest of their lives. They worked as a team to create huge works of art called installations. In these installations, Christo and Jeanne often changed the way buildings or large areas of land looked — a kind of art known as "land art”.
The two were most noted for “wrapping” things so large that most people would never think to wrap them. Many of their projects used huge pieces of cloth or plastic. For example, in 1969, they wrapped 1.6 miles of rocky coastline near Sydney, Australia and it was the largest artwork ever made. In 1995, they used cloth to wrap up the Reichstag, a famous and historic building in Berlin, Germany.
Being extremely large, their art works cost a fortune to create. The artists paid for the projects themselves by selling the plans, drawings, and models they made for each installation. Many projects seemed so unusual that the couple had to work very hard to get permission to create them.
But, like almost all of the artist's work, it was only meant to last a short time. Most of the installations only stayed up for a few weeks or months before being taken down.
“I am an artist, and I have to have courage," Christo said. "Do you know I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished." Christo himself has gone away, leaving behind an art world forever changed by the memory of his huge and daring artworks.
1. For what were the couple best known?| A．Overcoming financial problems. |
| B．Tearing down old-fashioned buildings. |
| C．Inventing innovative building materials. |
| D．Packaging huge landscapes and buildings. |
| A．Considerate and humble. | B．Creative and courageous. |
| C．Enthusiastic and careful. | D．Demanding and generous. |
| A．His artworks were temporary. |
| B．His hard work didn't pay off at last. |
| C．He regretted exhibiting his artworks. |
| D．He didn't expect his works to last long. |
| A．Christo's Collection of Massive Artworks |
| B．Christo's Enormous Influence on Architecture |
| C．Christo: an Artist Who Dreamed and Built Big |
| D．Christo and Jeanne: a Couple Who Warmed the World |
