選出你/妳心中最好的金牌：2025年蕭邦大賽評審團主席歐爾頌的人生故事
古殿殿主
朋友，今天殿主不聊生硬的歷史，ㄧ起來聽聽這張唱片，然後我們一起來思考一個問題：「什麼樣的人生，才算是拿到了真正的金牌？」
這張唱片的主角，是 1970 年第八屆蕭邦大賽的金牌得主——歐爾頌(Garrick Ohlsson,1948-)。
如果你看到他本人，你可能會嚇一跳。他身高超過 190 公分，精壯結實，手長腳長，站在鋼琴旁邊像個巨人。
當年他的老師（也是教出傳奇范克萊邦的名師列汶夫人(Rosina Lhevinne,1880-1976)）看著他，彷彿看到了「范克萊邦 2.0」。老師心裡的算盤是：「孩子，你這身板簡直是為了轟隆隆的俄國曲目而生的！你去參加柴可夫斯基大賽，複製范克萊邦的模式，金牌應該手到擒來。至於蕭邦那種極致細膩的音樂？別鬧了，那不適合你。」
但這位 22 歲的大個子，心裡卻住著一個不想被定義的靈魂。他跟老師說了：「不」。
**1970年：那個「豁出去」的巨人
歐爾頌當時做了一個決定，這個決定影響了他一輩子。他選擇去參加最不適合他身型的蕭邦大賽。
但他不是為了「贏」，而是為了「磨練」。他當年是一個熱愛哲學、歷史、心理學的文藝青年，他認為比賽是來修煉自己的，如果把輸贏看得太重，反而不健康。
在這張現場錄音裡，你聽到的不是為了討好評審而小心翼翼的聲音。相反的，你聽到的是一種**「豁出去」**的能量。想像一下，一個大巨人，在鋼琴上全速奔跑，他沒有在管安不安全，他只想把心裡的蕭邦掏出來。
結果，這種「不求勝」的自由，反而讓他意外擊敗了強敵（包括當年的內田光子），成為史上第一位獲得蕭邦大賽金牌的美國鋼琴家。在冷戰時期，再次為美國創造了歷史紀錄！
**2025年：主席台上的那張「25分」
時間快轉 55 年後。來到去年，2025 年的第十九屆蕭邦大賽。 當年的大個子選手，變成了坐在台下的評審團主席。
這是一場讓歐爾頌百感交集的比賽。最後的金牌得主，是同樣來自美國的28歲陸逸軒（Eric Lu,1997-）。陸逸軒跟當年的歐爾頌完全不同，他展現的是一種「絕對的完美」與「極致的控制」，每一個音符都滴水不漏，安全、精準、成熟。這是在現代精密賽制下，最符合「系統標準」的冠軍。而陸逸軒也不諱言，他十年後再次參加蕭邦大賽，就是要來拿金牌的啊！
（陸逸軒2015年就參加第十七屆蕭邦大賽，當年他就得到非常好的名次第四名，而後陸逸軒還在2017年獲的德國法蘭克福鋼琴大賽金牌，2018年英國里茲鋼琴大賽金牌，後來成為世界樂壇邀約不斷的鋼琴家。）
但你知道嗎？身為主席的歐爾頌，在那張冷冰冰的評分表上，把他心中唯一的滿分（25分），給了一位連決賽都沒進去的年輕人——Jack Yang Gao（高陽）。
高陽跟當年的歐爾頌一樣，手長腳長，彈琴時有一種「豁出去」的傻勁，他說：「我不是來贏的，我是來彈蕭邦的。」
雖然這股遊走在失控邊緣的熱情，最後被大數據的平均分給刷掉了，但歐爾頌投下的那一張孤獨的滿分票，就像是在給 55 年前的自己寫情書。他在告訴這個世界：
「完美很棒，但真實的靈魂，更珍貴。」
**消失的巨星？不，他是拒絕了「大染缸」
很多人會問：「既然他是金牌，為什麼後來感覺好像沒那麼活躍？是不是消失了？」
在當年他紅透半邊天，冷戰時期繼范克萊邦之後另一個古典音樂明星即將降臨。據說他在1971年到1972年之間在世界各大城市飛來飛去，開了非常多的音樂會，享受了無數樂迷的包圍，音樂產業的巨額紅利。但後來他似乎卻消失了，在世界樂壇的大舞台上看不太到他的名字與身影。
其實，他不是消失，只是他：選擇做自己喜歡的事，不做明星，不炒話題。
他沒有選擇那些會砸大錢宣傳、但也要求你配合商業操作的主流大廠（像 DG 或 Sony）。相反的，他做了一些驚天動地，但只有內行人才懂的事：
他在英國的 Hyperion（這可是以高品味著稱的獨立小廠）和 Arabesque 唱片公司，默默地進行了馬拉松式的錄音工程。
- 他是音樂的「圖書館員」： 他是世界上極少數錄製過「蕭邦全集」的鋼琴家。這可不是只錄幾首好聽的夜曲，而是連那些沒人聽過的冷門曲子他都錄了。 還有「貝多芬奏鳴曲全集」（在 Bridge Records 錄完 32 首），甚至還有硬骨頭「斯克里亞賓全集」。 他不是「沒錄音」，而是他「拒絕只錄暢銷曲」。他把自己當成一個音樂遺產的守護者，默默地把這些偉大的作品完整保存下來。
- 挑戰鋼琴界的「聖母峰」： 他專攻那些「又長、又難、又冷門」的曲目。其中最著名的就是布索尼（Busoni）的鋼琴協奏曲。 這首曲子長達 70 多分鐘，還有合唱團，難度極高，極少有人敢在現場彈（因為吃力不討好）。但歐爾頌是這首曲子的權威。 這說明了他不需要靠彈大眾口味的《拉三》來博取掌聲，他更享受去攀登那些人跡罕至的音樂高峰。
- 人腦百科全書： 雖然他不常出現在時尚雜誌，但他被古典音樂圈公認為「大腦最強」的男人。據說他的腦袋裡隨時裝著 80 多首 鋼琴協奏曲的譜子，隨時可以上台彈。這是一個非常恐怖的數字（一般演奏家大概 20-30 首就不錯了）。
- 傳道授業： 就像當年列汶夫人教他一樣，他後來長期擔任舊金山音樂學院的教授，把人生的下半場花在「傳承」而不是「作秀」上。
**最後：真正的「生活家」
在 2025 年的比賽訪談中，歐爾頌曾淡淡地說：「蕭邦大賽的金牌，就是通往每年 100 場演出的入場券。」
但他後來選擇了「逃票」。 因為他知道，明星需要曝光，需要話題，需要不斷重複彈奏討好觀眾的曲子；但音樂家需要的是時間。
他把賺來的時間，拿去鑽研全集，拿去教學生，還有——拿去生活。 歐爾頌是一個非常有名的美食家和紅酒愛好者！
他非常懂得享受生活，喜歡游泳、喜歡大自然。這完全印證了他當年的參賽哲學：「得失心不要太重，身心健康才重要。」
朋友，當我們回頭聽這張 1970 年的大賽現場實況錄音唱片時，我們聽到的不只是一個鋼琴冠軍，而是一個**「活得通透的人」**。
他沒有被名聲綁架，也沒有被市場榨乾。他活成了他自己想要的樣子——就像他在 1970 年那張唱片裡彈的那樣，自由自在，巨大而溫柔。
在這個大家都喊著「好累」的時代，歐爾頌的故事告訴我們： 幹嘛這麼累？活著做自己喜歡的事，才是含金量最高的人生。
有空來「古殿」坐坐吧。讓我放這張充滿「豁出去」能量的黑膠給你聽。也許聽完之後，你也會想在自己的生命裡，給那個真實的自己，打一個 25 分的滿分。
（附註：「古殿樂藏」現正展出「國際蕭邦大賽第八屆1970年現場實況：金牌得主歐爾頌」珍稀黑膠，歡迎預約聆聽。）
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Defining Your Own "Gold Medal": The Life Story of Garrick Ohlsson, Jury Chair of the 2025 Chopin Competition
My friend, today I don’t want to talk about heavy, rigid history. Instead, let's listen to this record together, and while we do, let’s think about a question: "What kind of life can truly be called a 'Gold Medal' life?"
The main character of this record is the winner of the 1970 Eighth International Chopin Piano Competition—Garrick Ohlsson (born 1948).
If you saw him in person, you might actually jump. He stands over 6-foot-4 (190 cm), fit and strong, with long arms and legs. Standing next to a piano, he looks like a giant.
Back in the day, his teacher—the legendary Rosina Lhevinne, who also taught the famous Van Cliburn—looked at him and thought she saw "Van Cliburn 2.0." She had it all planned out: "Child, your physique was born for thundering Russian music! You should go to the Tchaikovsky Competition, copy Van Cliburn’s path, and the gold medal will be yours. As for Chopin’s delicate, sensitive music? Stop kidding yourself. That’s not for you."
But inside this 22-year-old giant lived a soul that refused to be defined. He told his teacher: "No."
1970: The Giant Who "Held Nothing Back"
Ohlsson made a decision then that would affect his entire life. He chose to enter the Chopin Competition—the one supposedly least suitable for his body type.
But he didn't do it to "win"; he did it to "train." At the time, he was a young intellectual who loved philosophy, history, and psychology. He believed competitions were just a way to cultivate oneself. If you cared too much about winning or losing, it became unhealthy.
In this live recording, the sound you hear isn't careful or timid, trying to please the judges. Instead, you hear an energy of "holding nothing back." Imagine a giant running at full speed across the piano keys. He didn’t care if it was "safe"—he just wanted to pour out the Chopin living inside his heart.
As it turned out, this freedom of "not trying to win" allowed him to unexpectedly defeat powerful rivals (including Mitsuko Uchida) and become the first American pianist in history to win the Chopin Gold Medal. During the height of the Cold War, he created a historic moment for America!
2025: The "25 Points" on the Chairman’s Desk
Fast forward 55 years. We arrive at last year, the 2025 Nineteenth Chopin Competition. That giant contestant from years ago has now become the Chairman of the Jury sitting in the audience.
This was a competition filled with mixed emotions for Ohlsson. The eventual Gold Medalist was another American, 28-year-old Eric Lu. Eric is completely different from the young Ohlsson. He displayed "absolute perfection" and "ultimate control." Every note was watertight—safe, precise, mature. In our modern, high-precision competition system, he was the champion who perfectly met the "system standard." Eric made no secret of it: he returned to the competition ten years after his first attempt specifically to take home the Gold.
(Eric Lu first competed in 2015, taking 4th place. He later won gold at the International German Piano Award in 2017 and the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018, becoming a highly sought-after pianist globally.)
But do you know what? As Chairman, on that cold, hard scoring sheet, Ohlsson gave his only perfect score (25 points) to a young man who didn’t even make the finals—Jack Yang Gao.
Gao, just like the young Ohlsson, had long limbs and played with a reckless, "hold nothing back" kind of foolish passion. He said, "I didn't come to win; I came to play Chopin."
Although this passion, teetering on the edge of losing control, was eventually filtered out by the "big data" of average scores, that lonely perfect vote from Ohlsson was like writing a love letter to his own self from 55 years ago. He was telling the world:
"Perfection is great, but a genuine soul is even more precious."
A Vanished Superstar? No, He Just Rejected the "Fame Trap"
Many people ask, "Since he won the Gold Medal, why did he seem less active later on? Did he disappear?"
Back then, he was incredibly famous. Everyone thought he was the next superstar of the Cold War era. Between 1971 and 1972, he flew between major cities worldwide, played countless concerts, and enjoyed the adoration of fans and the huge profits of the music industry. But later, he seemed to vanish from the massive stages of the world.
Actually, he didn't disappear. He simply chose to do what he loved, rather than being a celebrity or chasing trends.
He didn't choose the mainstream labels (like DG or Sony) that would spend big money on marketing but demand he play along with commercial tactics. Instead, he did something earth-shattering that only true insiders understood:
- He went Indie: He silently undertook marathon recording projects with Hyperion in the UK (a small label famous for its high taste) and Arabesque.
- The Music "Librarian": He is one of the very few pianists in the world to have recorded the "Complete Works of Chopin." And I don't just mean a few nice Nocturnes—he recorded the obscure pieces nobody listens to. He also recorded the "Complete Beethoven Sonatas" (all 32 of them!) and even the incredibly tough "Complete Scriabin." He didn't "stop recording"; he "refused to record only bestsellers." He viewed himself as a guardian of musical heritage, quietly preserving these great works in their entirety.
- Climbing the "Mt. Everest" of Piano: He specialized in pieces that were "long, difficult, and unpopular." The most famous is the Busoni Piano Concerto. It’s over 70 minutes long, includes a choir, and is insanely difficult. Very few people dare to play it live (it’s a lot of work for little applause). But Ohlsson is the authority on it. This shows he didn’t need to play crowd-pleasers like Rachmaninoff’s 3rd just to get applause; he enjoyed climbing the musical peaks where few others dared to tread.
- The Human Encyclopedia: Although he doesn't appear in fashion magazines, he is recognized in the classical world as the man with the "strongest brain." Rumor has it he has over 80 piano concertos memorized and ready to perform at any moment. That is a terrifying number (most performers have about 20-30).
- Passing the Torch: Just as Madame Lhevinne taught him, he spent his later years as a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, spending the second half of his life on "legacy," not "show business."
Finally: A True "Master of Life"
In an interview during the 2025 competition, Ohlsson said lightly: "The Chopin Gold Medal is an admission ticket to 100 performances a year."
But he eventually chose to "evade the fare." Because he knew that stars need exposure, headlines, and to constantly repeat the songs that please the audience. But musicians? Musicians need time.
He used the time he earned to study complete works, to teach students, and—to live. Ohlsson is a famous foodie and wine lover!
He knows how to enjoy life; he loves swimming and nature. This perfectly proves his philosophy from back when he competed: "Don't take winning and losing too seriously; physical and mental health is what matters."
My friend, when we look back and listen to this live recording from 1970, what we hear isn't just a piano champion. We hear a person who "figured out how to live."
He wasn't kidnapped by fame, and he wasn't squeezed dry by the market. He lived the life he wanted—just like he played on that record in 1970: free, giant, and gentle.
In this era where everyone is shouting "I'm so tired," Ohlsson's story tells us: Why make it so exhausting? Living to do the things you truly love—that is the life with the highest "Gold Content."
Come sit at Gu Dian when you have time. Let me put on this vinyl record full of that "hold nothing back" energy for you. Maybe after listening, you'll want to give that real, authentic version of yourself a perfect score of 25, too.
(Note: "Gu Dian Music Archive" is currently exhibiting the rare vinyl "1970 8th International Chopin Competition Live: Gold Medalist Garrick Ohlsson." You are welcome to book a visit to listen.)