드레스덴은 문화의 도시입니다. 특히 음악적 전통이 깊은 것으로 알고 왔습니다. 그래서 일요일 저녁에 음악회를 보러가기로 마음먹고 호텔 직원에게 물어봤습니다. 찾아보더니 셈퍼오페라의 공연이 있답니다. 바그너의 트리스탄과 이졸데입니다.

인정하건데 저는 바그너에 대한 막연한 동경심을 가지고 있습니다. 클래식 음악사의 한획을 긋는 거장이면서 또한 혁명에 가담한 행동하는 지성인. 작곡뿐 아니라 가사까지 직접 작업한 문학가. 한 영역으로 규정할 수 없는 대단한 인물임에는 분명합니다. 맘에 안드는 점이 있다면 바람기가 있다는 건데, 뭐 이건 그 당시 음악가들이 다 그랬으니 그냥 넘어갑니다 ^^

바그너와 드레스덴, 그리고 셈퍼오페라는 연관이 있습니다. 바그너는 드레스덴에서 7년을 보냈습니다. 혁명에 가담해 추방당했던 곳이 이곳입니다. 그의 오페라중 탄호이저와 방황하는 네덜란드인이 셈퍼오페라를 통해 초연되었습니다. 게다가 트리스탄과 이졸데를 쓰게된 계기라고 사람들이 믿는 바그너의 '로맨스' ^^ 가 시작된 곳이 드레스덴입니다.

그런 역사적 장소에서 인연 깊은 오페라 극단이 연주하는 트리스탄과 이졸데를 보는 겁니다. Sounds Good! Why Not? :) 하지만 오페라를 한번도 본 적이 없는데다가 독일어로 공연된다는 것에 부담이 많이 되었습니다. 트리스탄과 이졸데의 대력적인 내용은 알았지만, 그거 가지고는 안될 것 같더군요. 부랴부랴 인터넷을 뒤져서 자세한 줄거리를 찾아보며 마음의 준비를 했습니다 ^^

• 몸을 너무 피곤하게 만든 상태에서 공연을 봤기에 100% 즐기지는 못했습니다. (즉 중간에 잠들었었다는 ㅡ.ㅡ)
• 나중에 커튼콜 하는 것을 보니 트리스탄역보다 조수격인 쿠르베날이 더 박수를 많이 받았습니다. 제가 보기에도 더 잘했구요. 주인공이 기분 좀 상했을 겁니다 ^^
• 무대가 작고 아래층에 앉아있는 사람들이 눈높이가 같다보니, 더 잘보이게 하기 위해 무대를 기울어놨습니다. 그런데 2막과 3막에서는 경사가 너무 커서 배우들 왔다 갔다 할 때마다 미끄러질까봐 집중을 못하겠더군요 ^^ 특히 마르케왕은 덩치가 커서 넘어지면 대박일 거라는.
  
• 아주 즐거운 첫경험이었습니다만, 앞으로 제가 모르는 언어로 공연하는 오페라는 안볼렵니다. 대사를 이해못하니 재미가 크게 줄어듭니다. 또한 영화음악으로 영화를 즐겼다 할 수 없듯이, 음반만으로 오페라를 즐길 수는 없다는 것을 알았습니다. 결론은 공연 녹화한 자막달린 DVD가 최선의 선택이라는 ^^
• 다섯시에 입장해서 공연장을 나온 시간이 열시반이었습니다. 중간에 휴식시간(합쳐서 한시간)을 감안해도 정말 길다는 느낌이 들더군요. 특히 (말을 못알아듣는 상황에서 들은) 2막에 나온 트리스탄과 이졸데의 끝간데 없는 이중창은 좀 힘들었다는 ㅡ.ㅡ
• 사람의 목소리가 그렇게 파워풀할 수 있는지 처음 알았습니다. 한번 공연하고 나면 2~3킬로는 빠지지 않을까 생각됩니다.
  

이렇게 해서 바그너의 오페라 하나를 봤습니다. 탄력을 받아 그동안 동경하던 바그너리안의 삶을 시작해볼까 심각히 고민중입니다 ^^

참고로 ireth76님의 블로그에서 많은 정보를 얻었습니다. 그런데 블로그 활동을 중단하신 것 같더군요. 어디 계신가요? 다시 시작해주세요 ^^

The huge flumes of fire and smoke rippled through the air, glaring through the plexiglass windows and illuminating the white-walled room and the men's wolfish grins.

    Below the balcony was a throng of clapping, cheering men and women. Each stood before a humming computer and was staring out of the massive bay windows of the Command Center. The rocket slowly moved up the blue sky, searing it with a line of grey and red. The beast of fire writhed and, once again, the rocket jumped up. Hop. Roar. Hop. Roar.

    Howitzer and Hwang grinned simultaneously. They had developed a new method of flying, by simply "hopping" up to the top of the sky and into space. The had tested it so many times, almost to the point of becoming sick of it. Because it saved almost two-thirds of the fuel it would have taken, this experimental method of flying was the only way they would have gotten the grant for this project.

    Hwang's clear blue eyes traced the erratic motion of the future. 2009 was almost over. As it came to an end, so did America. America, thanks to Bush, was dying. Obama had fought bravely for a year, but it was a lost fight. Everyone knew it.

    Hwang closed his eyes. Those five stars were waiting for him. Only nine people had the honor of wearing those five stars. Ha. He would probably be awarded six stars. A rank made only for him, pulling America out of its self-made economic pit.

    By now, all of the operators had returned to their computers and were talking furiously into their microphones.

    "Altitude rising as expected. Fuel maintaining constant rate."
    "Oxygen levels still maxed. Pressure stable."
    "Heat plates holding. Coolant circulating."

    The two overseers stood impassive, letting the operators work their magic. As the rocket finally broke through the atmosphere, each member of the support team prayed for the three passenger's safety. And, with it, America's. Howitzer, later joined by Hwang, craned his neck to watch their offering to the heavens ascend.

    "Altitude constant. Fuel. Oxygen. Pressure. Heat. All are A-OK." Thomas Anderson threw off his headset and wheeled around to the co-pilot behind him. Luke Watchusett shrugged his thin shoulders and flipped back his jet black hair. Thomas Anderson sighed again. He absolutely loathed Luke and his little pretty boy hair and devil-could-care attitude. Thomas was sure that Luke felt the same way about him, as he was the direct opposite, with a close cut haircut and a direct personality. Thomas, once again, shoved on the headset with impatience and turned to face the screen. Howitzer's European face appeared, crisply clean on the high definition plasma. Thomas had yet to figure out what he was. Slim, Dutch face; electric blue German eyes, and a little mishmash of what could be called French. Probably German.

    "Is everything going all right?" Thomas noticed his eyes drifted over to the ship's third and final passenger, a former world class smuggler and member of Yakuza, Shintao. He was nervously fidgeting with his NASA suit and the various lapels on it. He was the man who was to make this whole thing work. A mining colony on the moon would provide America with an untapped deposit of minerals which, in today's world, translated to money. And this piggy bank needed a pilot to carry the goods.

    "Yes, its all right. No trouble. Psh, we're professionals," silked Luke's Native American voice. Thomas turned and gave him an ugly glare, and then said without looking at Howitzer,"Exactly."
    "Umm...okay then. Howitzer's out. The fate of America's economy is in your hands."
    "No pressure or anything," grumbled a now slightly ticked-off Thomas. He turned back to face an empty plasma screen and the blackness of space. Sporadic bursts of fire could be heard from the back of the ship, but otherwise it was silent. And everything was floating.

    Thomas tried to maintain his composure as he tried to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. He failed to do either. Luke's barking laugh pierced into the silence, and he didn't know why he was laughing. Almost immediately, Thomas joined in, as if he was just waiting for a chance to let off some pressure, too. Soon, both were floating in hysterics in front of a bewildered Shintao.

    "Guys. C'mon. Straighten up. We can't be laughing like this, I thought you guys were professionals. Huh?" His staccato, Japanese-accented protests were steamrolled below both grown men's guffawing, until they got the mobster chuckling too. This continued until a massive whump was heard on the left of the rocket. After an awkward moment between all three, a siren started to ring above a flashing light.

    Thomas immediately dived for the headset and pulled it on. "Emergency, Emergency, oxygen leaking, leaking. Unidentified object has pierced the life support system. Houston, we've got a problem." Behind him, Thomas could hear hissing and various popping noises, as the oxygen started to rapidly leak out of the hull.

    Luke, now aware of what could become of them, slammed his hand down on the emergency door, sealing the doors in front of the section with the hole and therefore saving the rest of the oxygen. Thomas nodded his thanks, and returned to the headset.

    "Houston, Houston, I repeat: WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM! Do you copy? Please, Please Please Please, Please copy." Static filled his ear as various images ran through his mind. Apollo 13 had had a whole crew of operators to help them live through the same situation. Aliens versus Predators. The first Apollo blew up. Oh my God.

    Thomas turned around to the other two men. Luke's face had a knowing, resigned look, while Shintao look confused, as always. Luke nodded at Thomas and, upon this cue, turned to the gangster.

    "Right now, our life support system is punctured, and so it will probably be hard to make it back. This happened only one time before, and they had a whole team of operators. It's only us this time." All the words gushed, out of control, from Thomas' mouth. He hiccuped one of those pre-cry breaths and continued, "We're going to have to find a way to get back to Earth alive, with no help from outside." Another hiccup. "I know this sounds hard. But we're going to make it through." Thomas repeated that to himself again. We're going to make it through.

    "How?" Shintao asked the obvious, but it was a truth that the other two would have rather ignored. Hiccup, Hiccup.

    "I don't know. But we're going to make it through." This time, he repeated it more loudly and assertively, "We're going to make it through." Shintao smiled reassuringly but feeling uncomfortable with the crying man.

    Luke stood up, unsure of what he was doing, and gave Thomas a hug. This act of affection surprised everyone in the room, including Luke. They stood like this for a moment too long, and Thomas pushed him away, wiping a tear in the process.

    "We should figure out a way to get back." Once again, Shintao with the obvious. Thomas grinned a little to himself and stood up.

    "Yes we should."

    Thomas once again checked the connection between the tank and the suit. Going out into open space was so much scarier than the training sessions. If I let go I could die. Just like that.

    He breathed in deeply, taking in the recycled air being fed to him. The bulky astronaut suit was working perfectly, and he had wasted enough oxygen. He let go of the thick, weightless plate he was holding and gave a thumbs-up to Luke, and watched as he flipped on a switch. Immediately, the air started to suck out of Thomas' small, isolated room. When the monstrous noise stopped, so did the oxygen. Apollo 22's only doors opened. Immediately, Thomas felt the vacuum of space. He clutched onto the replacement for the hull all the harder and started to swim down the ship. His one free hand gripped onto the rail; he could not help but wish for a jet pack. This is what happens when the government has no money.

    As the rupture hole came closer and closer, Thomas felt a cold sense of dread creep over his temperature controlled arms. The hole was elliptical, with edges that looked exactly like teeth. Through the hole, Thomas could see flickers of tails and shapeless heads, creatures that looked like nothing on earth.

    "Oh my God," came Luke's muffled breathing as he saw the hole via the space suit's camera, "That looks exactly like...teeth." Oh God. "What is that thing in there? What are we gonna do? What if..."

    "Whatever it is, keep it in there." That was Shintao's voice. Okay. That's what I'll do. I'll just keep it in there, and worry about it later. Luke quickly switched the bitten-into titanium with it's replacement and pulled himself back through the doors. He heard them close and felt his heart return to normal.

    As the oxygen returned to the chamber, Thomas stripped off the choking suit and tugged off his helmet. His hair matted with sweat, he returned to the rest of the crew. Shintao patted him on the back, while Luke looked at him through those serious black eyes.

    "So what are we going to do with that...thing?" Luke's eyes wavered for just a second as he said this, and Thomas could see fear and a creeping panic that Luke was fighting hard to keep under control.

    "I'll tell you what we are going to do. We are going to ignore it until we get home." Shintao nodded at this, as it seemed to corresponded to what he had in mind. Luke, however, was being a problem. "But but but but the THING. IT BIT THROUGH STEEL AND A...A... CERAMIC PLATE!" Luke's voice escalated, hysteria ruling. "WHAT IF IT TRIES TO EAT US?!" At this, Thomas could not help but looked pained. He had thought of the same thing. If it can bite through the hull, Why can't it bite through some measly pressurized door?

    "If it wanted to, it would have done so long ago. The fact that we are alive now testifies to the fact that we probably will be in the near future." Again Shintao with the clear judgment. At this, Luke seemed to deflate, and the panic feeling started to dissipate.

    "Okay, I have an idea," Shintao continued, "because we have enough fuel to-"
    "Whoa, wait a minute," Luke said, obviously not trusting a smuggler, "How do you know that?"

    After tapping the walls of the ship, the Japanese smiled and stated, "Because this baby told me. Now, since we have enough fuel, the problem is just going back. Because it's hot — right?" After affirmation from the two astronauts, Shintao persevered with his idea. "And we have plenty of coolant, right?" More nods. "I mean, it might get a little hot, but what if we moved all that coolant to the front of the ship..."

    Realization hit both of the veterans instantly. Coolant. A smile crept onto Thomas' sweaty face."Yea...it just might work. YES!" Thomas accentuated this last word with a raised fist. Hope was back.

    "Coolant ready. Reserve supplies enabled. Apollo 22 is targeted toward the Pacific Ocean. It is good to go." Thomas clear voice rang over the network of headsets. He nodded at a stern-faced Shintao, and once more to Luke. After 12 hours of dream-filled sleep, the trio had all but forgotten the creatures that were lurking in the back half of the ship. Everyone wanted to see home again. The three continued to go through the standard checklist until they heard a scratching coming from the back of the ship.

    Instantly, the air of hysteria returned. "GO GO GO!" shouted Luke. Immediately, Shintao accelerated the ship, throwing all three of them back into their seats.

    Thomas turned back to his state-of-the-art laptop and prepared to manipulate the coolant. The scratching grew louder, and became more and more constant. Already, red tinges were starting to show on the front of Apollo 22. As this red started to envelop the whole ship, the scratching grew more frantic.

    "Coolant holding. Reserves mixing."
    "Altitude remaining constant. Fuel will last. Keep going."

    As the heat increased, the scratching was replaced with an incessant screeching. The Earth was no longer a distant orb with clouds, but a huge, blue horizon. Luke pressed a button and the Apollo broke off into pieces, each with their own parachute. He watched as the fragments landed next to the calm Californian coast.

---------------------------

    Admiral Thomas stood before the gray rock.

    "Are you sure that this was found on the ship?" When addressed by a man with more medals than there were states, most people would be a little intimidated. But not Shintao.
    "Yes. In the room where those things were," said the former member of Yakuza. "There were others, but they apparently were broken."

    The scientists in the room respectfully ignored the conversation. Everyone knew that the Admiral of the Navy and the General of the Air Force were unnaturally close. Almost like brothers, most said.

    "So what could it be?" said Thomas, impatient to get to the point.
    "Well, after the research we did, most people, including me, think it is an egg." Upon seeing the growing blanching of the Admiral's face, he continued, "But there have been no concrete reports-" A sudden cracking sound made Shintao stop mid-sentence and look back at the rock. A long crack had formed down the middle of it and, from somewhere inside, a scratching sound was heard.

드레스덴은 오래된 도시입니다. 기원전 7500년에 사람이 살던 흔적이 있다고 하지만, 그거야 워낙 오래전 이야기고 실제 역사가 형성되었다고 할 수 있었던 시기는 13세기라 할 수 있습니다. 그리고 15세기에 색슨(Saxony ... 이거 색스니라고 읽어야하나요? ^^)이라는 나라의 수도가 되었습니다. 도시는 작습니다만 오랜 역사의 흔적을 볼 수 있습니다. 구경할 장소들이 다 걸어다닐만한 거리에 있어서 좋더군요.

여기 온지 벌써 사흘이나 되었습니다. 이제야 정신이 챙기고 왔다 갔다 하며 찍은 사진을 컴퓨터로 옮깁니다. 아직 본격적으로 구경은 못했습니다. 주말에는 하루 날 잡아서 시내 구경 나갈려고 합니다. 일이야 까이꺼 좀 미루면 되죠 뭐 ㅡ.ㅡ 드레스덴의 첫인상 나쁘지 않네요. 살다보면 정들겠습니다 ^^














도시의 전체적인 느낌은 오래 되고 착 가라앉는 느낌입니다. 누구 표현대로 거리에 있는 사람들은 누구도 행복해 보이지는 않습니다. 하지만, 그건 겉에서 본 느낌이겠지요. 눈오고 찡그린 날씨도 한 몫할 겁니다. 자세한 느낌은 주말에 시내 구경좀 하고... 올리도록 하죠 ^^

<유능한 관리자 (First, Break All the Rules>, <위대한 나의 발견 * 강점 혁명 (Now Discover Your Strenths)>등을 쓴 마커스 버킹엄은 자기 계발 분야에서 잘 알려진 작가다. 그가 한국에 많이 알려진 계기가 강점혁명과 함께 제공된 강점 발견기(Strengths Finder)라 할 수 있다. 약점을 보완하는데 신경쓰지 말고 강점에 집중하라는 그의 메시지는 신선한 자극이 되었다.

하지만 마커스 버킹햄에게 가리워져서 한국에는 상대적으로 잘 알려지지 않았지만, 강점에 집중하는 강점심리학의 원칙을 꾸준히 주장해 온 사람은 공저자인 도널드 클리프톤이라 할 수 있다. 갤럽사의 사장이기도 한 그는 갤럽의 풍부한 조사자료를 바탕으로 사람의 강점을 34가지로 나누고, 또 강점을 발견할 수 있는 분석툴을 제공했다. 이때 만들어진 Strengths Finder 1.0은 한국어를 포함해서 17개 국어로 제공되고 있다.

도널드 클리프톤이 2003년 타계한 후, 같이 갤럽에 근무하던 그의 외손자 톰 래스가 할아버지의 연구를 발전 보완해서 업그레이드된 Strengths Finder 2.0을 내어놓았다. 책의 내용이라야 40페이지에 불과하고 나머지는 34가지 강점별로 설명해놓은 것이라 조상의 유산을 울궈먹은 감이 없지 않지만, 그래도 이 책이 가치가 있는 것은 딸려오는 온라인 Strengths Finder 2.0을 할 수 있는 코드 때문이다.

강점 심리학의 원리는 이것이다. 강점이란 재능 x 투자이다. 5점만점에 2점 밖에 안되는 재능에 5점만큼의 투자를 한다고 해도 10점 밖에 안된다. 하지만 4점의 재능에 3점만큼의 투자만 해도 12점이 되는 것이다. 타이거 우즈나 조 몬타나 같은 전설적인 인물은 5점의 재능에 5점의 노력을 기울였기에 가능하다는 것이다. 결국 자신의 재능이 무엇인지를 알고 거기에 집중할 때 더 큰 성과를 낼 수 있다는 것이다. (아웃라이어에서는 성공의 조건으로 다른 것들도 제시하지만, 기본적으로 재능있는 곳에 노력을 기울이는 것이 가장 효과적이라는 것에는 동감한다.)

이전보다 좋아진 점이라면 모든 강점을 획일적으로 취급했던 1.0에 비해 2.0은 개인별로 맞춤작업을 해준다는 것이다. '경쟁심'이라는 장점을 같이 가지고 있다고 하더라도 내가 가지는 경쟁심이 내 친구의 같은 장점과 같으리라는 법이 없다. '배우기'가 장점이라도 경험을 통해 배우는 사람과 책을 통해서 배우는 사람이 다른 것처럼 말이다.

사실 테스트를 하고 내 강점(이라기 보다는 재능이 더 정확하다)이라고 뽑힌 다섯가지(Strategic, Intellection, Competition, Relator, Command)에 대한 일반적인 설명을 책에서 봤을 때는 도저히 수긍이 안되었다. 그 중 두가지는 분명히 내가 아닌 것 같았다. 몇 문제를 단어를 몰라 ㅡ.ㅡ 대충 찍었는데 덕분에 결과가 이상하게 나온 것이라고, 돈만 날렸다고 투덜거렸다. 하지만 온라인에서 제공하는 마춤진단을 보니 90% 이상 고개를 끄억이게 되었다. 꽤나 용하다 ^^

아쉽다면 2.0은 아직 한국어로 제공이 되지 않는다. 하지만, 어느 정도 독해만 되면 어려워할 수준은 아니다. 또 하나 불만이라면 테스트를 한번만 할 수 있다는 것이다. 답을 할 때 감정에 따라 약간의 기복은 있을텐데 한번으로 끝내 버리니 좀 찜찜하다. 그렇다고 테스트를 위해 책을 한권 더 사는 것도 너무 아깝다.

살다보면 내가 뭐를 잘 하는지 대강 알게 된다. 재능이 있다고 해도 마음대로 재능을 발휘하면서 살 수 있는 것도 아니다. 반면 성과가 안좋다고 하더라도 좋아하는 일을 열심히 한 사람은 분명히 행복한 사람이다. 그럼에도 늦기 전에 자신의 재능이 뭔가 궁긍한 사람이라면 한번 속는 셈 치고 해볼 만하다. 그만한 가치는 있다 ^^

그나저나 2008년 6월에 읽었던 책을 다시 꺼내 읽고 서평까지 쓴 이유는 뭘까? 다음중 하나일거다.

1. 마음도 싱숭생숭하니 장점에 집중하겠다며 현실에서 도피해볼려고
2. 서평을 매주 올린다 약속했는데 지난주 부진함으로 한주가 밀렸기에 좀 쉽게 가기 위해
3. 인생의 후반부를 맞이하며 재능과 장점을 중심으로 인생을 재설계하기 위해