Bond Rocks the Classics

    Your mother wants you to study the violin. You want to play the guitar. Classical instruments like the violin or the cello are boring, you say, and definitely not cool. Then you hear Bond.

    你妈妈可能想让你学习小提琴，而你想弹吉他。你觉得小提琴或大提琴这样的传统乐器非常枯燥，而且一点也不酷。接着，你听到了邦德的音乐。

    These four stunning ladies from the UK and Australia bring a whole new meaning to the classical instruments they play. Bond’s music – an explosive take on traditional melodies -- has rocked the classical world, making Haylie Ecker (first violin), Eos Chater (second violin), Tania Davis (viola), and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello) international superstars.

    这是来自英国和澳大利亚的四个漂亮姑娘。她们给手中的传统乐器赋予了全新的意义。棒辣妹的音乐——传统乐曲的震撼感受——颠覆了古典乐界，使海莉·埃克尔(第一小提琴)、厄俄斯·查特(第二小提琴)、泰娜·戴维斯(中提琴)和格叶·维斯特霍夫(大提琴)成为了国际超级巨星。

    Since their debut album Born in 2001, Bond has sold more than three million albums worldwide, played for huge crowds around the globe, and appeared in hit movies and TV series. All this from playing the violin and the cello. Maybe Mom was right.

    自从2001年，她们的首张专辑《诞生》发行以来，这张专辑在全球已经卖出了3百万张。她们在世界各地进行大型演出，出现在热门电影和电视剧中。所有这些都来自于小提琴和大提琴的演奏。也许妈妈是对的。

    Are they or aren’t they? 是不是她们？

    Bond’s high-energy tunes often leave people wondering what category of music Bond really fits into. The girls have shared the stage with pop idols like Sting, the Spice Girls, and Bryan Adams, but Bond has also performed with opera great Luciano Pavarotti and opened for the UK Classical Brit Awards. So, what kind of music does Bond play?

    棒辣妹乐队充满激情的曲风总是让人们对邦德乐队的音乐类型难以定义。这些女孩不仅能和贾斯汀、辣妹组合和布瑞恩·亚德姆斯这样的流行偶像同台演出，还能与剧院巨星帕瓦罗蒂共同表演，拉开英国古典乐颁奖晚会的帷幕。那么，棒辣妹乐队究竟演奏的是什么类型的音乐呢？

    “I don’t think we ever thought of ourselves as a classical group,” Haylie says. “We all trained as classical musicians, so we know what classical music is. It was a challenge for us to create something new and different, taking inspiration from classical melodies.”

    “我认为我们不是一支古典乐队，”海莉说：“我们接受的是古典音乐家的训练，所以我们了解古典音乐。对我们来说，创造一种全新的音乐，从古典乐曲中获得灵感，这是一件非常有挑战性的事。

    Bond’s “new and different” sound may anger many traditionalists, yet Bond remains an undeniably positive force in today’s classical scene. Their electrified strings, world beats, and upbeat shows introduce classical music to a much broader, younger audience.

    棒辣妹乐队这种“全新”的音乐可能让很多传统主义者感到愤怒，但是不能否认的是，棒辣妹乐队依然是今天传统乐坛上的一支积极力量。她们的电子琴弦、符合潮流的节拍和热情的表演让更多更年轻的人了解了古典音乐。

    And, sure, it doesn’t hurt Bond’s popularity that these four women are beautiful. But there is serious musical talent and training behind the model smiles.

    当然，这四个姑娘都非常漂亮，这样说并不会影响人们对棒辣妹乐队德喜爱。但是在模特儿般的笑容后面，她们有着真实的音乐天赋和扎实的训练功底。

    Classified 《桃色机密》

    Nothing shows off their talents more than Bond’s third CD, Classified. The highly-anticipated album explores new styles like African and jazz, while remaining true to its classical roots. Throughout the album, for example, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra accompanies the girls.

    没有什么能比邦德乐队的第三张CD《桃色机密》更能显示她们的天赋的了。在人们的热切期望中诞生的专辑尝试了非洲音乐和爵士乐等新风格，同时依然忠实其古典音乐的传统。例如，在整张专辑中一直是皇家交响乐团在为这些女孩子们伴奏。

    “Our album sound is very different from our live sound,” says Haylie. “Our sound is always very big, but this album was really exciting because we did it with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Bond are still at the forefront but we have this massive orchestral sound. In a way that has been going through the first and second albums but this feels more organic.”

    “我们这张专辑的声音听上去和我们实际使用的乐器的声音非常不一样，”海莉说：“我们的声音总是很大，但是这张专辑让人感到非常兴奋，因为我们是和皇家交响乐团合作。尽管邦德乐队是在最显著的位置，但是我们又加上了巨大的管弦乐声音。从某种程度上来说，这已经在第一张和第二张专辑中出现了，但是这次的感觉更加完整，更像一个整体。”

    The album’s songs range from the uplifting “Explosive,” the Latin dance beats of “Samba,” to the smooth pop delivery of the familiar Pacobel’s Canon in “Lullaby.”

    这张专辑收录了让人振奋的“炸藥”、拉丁舞曲“桑巴”、以及用流畅的流行曲风演奏出人们熟悉的Pacobel卡农曲“摇篮曲”。

    Here to Stay 大热门

    The rave reception of Classified confirms it: we love Bond. And, fortunately for us, they are not going anywhere. Even with three albums under their sparkling fashionable belts, the girls still share the same dreams.

    人们对《桃色机密》专辑的热衷证明了一点：我们喜欢棒辣妹。对我们来说，幸运的是，她们并不准备改变这种风格。尽管这三张专辑让她们拥有了闪光灯下的流行巨星经历，但是她们依然有着同样的梦想。

    “Normally when groups don’t last there’s some sort of conflict of interest; people have different ideas of where they want to go. But we’ve always wanted the same thing,” says Tania.

    “一般来说，乐队解散是因为其中存在了利益冲突，或是乐队成员对未来有了不同的想法。但是我们的想法通常是一致的，”泰娜说。

    “We’re four women who have been around a little while now, and we’re having so much fun doing what we’re doing,” says Haylie, “We can just do what we want, it’s quite liberating.”

    “我们是四个从现在开始起就相互陪伴左右的女孩子，我们正在做的事给了我们很多乐趣，”海莉说：“我们只要做我们喜欢做的事，这很自由。”

    On tour! 巡回演出！

    If you do see a Bond show, be prepared to be dazzled by flashy moves, lighting shows, and fashionable clothes. Oh, and amazing, intense music that may just change what you think about classical music. Forget the guitar. The violin is what really rocks.

    如果你要去看现场演出，跳跃的舞步、精彩的表演和时尚的服饰会让你眼花缭乱。啊，让人惊奇的充满活力的歌声也许会改变你对古典音乐的看法。忘了吉他吧，震撼你的是小提琴！