The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2009.
纽约爱乐乐团决定聘请Alan Gilbert作为下一任的音乐总监，这从2009年任命被宣布之日起就在古典音乐界引起了热议。
For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least.
别的不说，大部分人的反应是积极的。
"Hooray! At last!" wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober-sided classical-music critic.
“好啊，终于好了！” Anthony Tommasini写道，他可是一个以严肃著称的古典音乐评论家。
One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known.
但是，这个任命之所以引起人们惊讶的原因却是Gilbert相对而言并不是很有名。
Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert's appointment in the Times, calls him "an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him."
甚至在时代杂志上发文支持Gilbert任命的Tommasini都称其为：低调的音乐家，在他身上找不到那种飞扬跋扈的指挥家的气质。
As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise.
这样去描述这个乐团的下一位指挥官，这个乐团迄今为止由Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez这样的音乐家担任过指挥，至少对于《时代》杂志的读者而言，这是一种苍白的表扬。
For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one.
就我看来，我不知道Gilbert是否是一个伟大的指挥家或者是一个好的指挥。
To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music.
但是我能确定的是，他能表现出很多有趣的乐章，但是我却应该不会去Avery Fisher Hall或者其他地方去听一场有趣的交响乐演出。
All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes.
我要做的事情就是去我的CD架上，或者打开的我的电脑从iTunes上下载更多的唱片。
Devoted concertgoers who reply that recordings are no substitute for live performance are missing the point.
那些忠实的音乐会观众会讲唱片并不能代替现场的演出，但是他们忽略了一些事情。
For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses, dance troupes, theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of the great classical musicians of the 20 th century.
当下为了获得艺术爱好者的钱，时间，关注度，古典音乐的演奏家们(其实就是指交响乐团，同意复述)不仅要和剧院，舞蹈队，演出公司和博物馆竞争，而且还需要和那些记录了20世纪的伟大的古典音乐演奏者表演的唱片竞争。
These recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today's live performances;
唱片很便宜，那里都能买到，并且比现在很多现场音乐会的艺术质量要高。
moreover, they can be "consumed" at a time and place of the listener's choosing.
进一步的讲，听众能选择听唱片的时间和地点。
The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert.
这些到处可以获得的唱片给传统的演出机构带来了危机。
One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on record.
对于古典音乐演奏者而言，他们可能的一个回应就是排练出唱片上没有的曲目。
Gilbert's own interest in new music has been widely noted: Alex Ross, a classical-music critic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into "a markedly different, more vibrant organization."
Gilbert对新音乐兴趣已经被广泛的关注了：Alex Ross，一名古典音乐的批评家，就这样描述道：他能够把爱乐乐团变成一个完全不同，更加有活力的组织。
But what will be the nature of that difference?
但是那种不同的性质也是什么呢？
Merely expanding the orchestra's repertoire will not be enough.
可能仅仅增加乐团演出的曲目是不够的。
If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must first change the relationship between America's oldest orchestra and the new audience it hopes to attract.
如果Gilbert和他的乐团要进步的话，他们就必须首先改变美国最古老的乐团(就是纽约爱乐乐团)同他们想吸引的新观众间的关系。