There will always be "singers for all seasons" around the world !

Time to close these often clumsy musical attempts to express my feelings when I used to attend opera renditions often in Marseille and sometimes in some famous european musical cities and also in China. I also met on line some marvellous Bloggers from Canada, United States, Italy and Great Britain. Lately I discovered Korean singers and became very fond of the Forestella male quartet (two opera singers and wonderful vocalists including an outstanding sopranist !) They brighten my days ! It is more and more difficult to move around even Aix- en -Provence seems the end of the world! Still I managed to attend a Cello Concert for the Festival de Pâques. I was glad to see Jean_François Coppey playing the Vth Suite. I had watched him on Arte some years ago and I always wanted to actually see him and hear his touch on his famous instrument. His fascinating and inspiring rendition of the six Bach Suites, amazing rendition, really outstanding, is on you tube and I do hope it will be available for ever...because it is soul care. In the early Summer Karine Deshayes and Florian Sempey had a very festive Rossini recital in La cour de l'Hôtel Maynier-d'Oppède (I was a student there long time ago... it was the University residence for some studies before the building of Aix University). It was absolutely hilarious as the concert went on Karine and Florian were having fun, then the young excellent pianist got into the musical fun when suddenly Florian took her stool at the piano and the Cats Duet became a 'trio' even the young pianist sang.... as Florian was the pianist ! (here is an excellent report For the time being rare are the easy opportunities to go to Marseille or even Aix in acceptable conditions! I will set off to Marseille opera on the 13th for perhaps my last live bel canto opera starring my favourite mezzo-soprano, the one I followed as often as I could and the only one I listen to every day and often night like tonight.

And of course the sea whenever I manage to go to Malmousque will always be 'singing' to me.(Ravel or Debussy, ch. Trenet or leo Ferré)and more compsers are sea dreamers ) but these days the Mediterranean Sea I know best on my shores, is still a very sad scenery any time I meditate from my side of the sea... I am sorry I cannot join the conferences again this November 19th, I will catch up on line... But still I keep informed and the news from the rescue boats on the MMediterranean sea are disastrous... same inhuman treatment of the migrants, same human loss at sea each month ...each year. If you happen to open my link and my last words on line do not miss this link:S.O.S Mediterranée

The LINK for the conferences 22 on line URL https://www.rencontresaverroes.com/ https://www.rencontresaverroes.com/les-replay/

Our "yesterdays " en chansons "Con Te Partiro" ... from Barcelona sung by the Russian tenor Sergei Skorokhodov

This is a precious souvenir from Barcelona, almost like a fairy tale. In these days of ferocious anti Russian feelings which I try to avoid listening to, I keep my mind away in my many happy remembrances of Russian music I really adore: mainly Tchaikovsky's operas I have had the pleasure to discover in my active life time. "Iolanta " motivated my trip to the Liceu in January 2013 for a concert version with a prestigious Russian cast from the Mariinsky Theatre the symphony orchestra under Valery Gergiev's direction, Anna Netrebko being the young blind princess Iolanta, and the young tenor Sergei Skorokhodov being Count Vaudemont.That was a "dream" team, vocal and visual, during the famous duet at the end of this one act last Tchaikovsky's opera. but the fairy tale did not finish that night at the curtain endless calls.. I finished the evening across the Ramblas at the Café de l'Opéra opposite the Licéu for a drink as often to sort of cool down the intense emotions of the opera... and then came Sergei Skorokhodov for a drink! We clapped and cheered his entrance and he soon joined us...English was our common language which led us to familiar talks so to speak... soon we knew it was his birthday and he was getting married( or just married, I cannot recall)then he was going to sing at Glyndbourne Festival for the first time, and was concerned about lodgings, which made me chat about Lewes where he could find fine lodgings as there is easy train links and shuttles to Glyndbourne during the Festival. Then he showed us this video on his smartphone, introducing his beloved prima ballerina and I was so moved because that was a gift for his beloved...I do not know the Happy end about this Fairy tale but I was moved to tears when I found this video ...Sergei has such a sweet voice and fresh charming smile in my memory that night at the Liceu. and at the Café.. Anna Netrebko was dazzling too at his side on stage... and this "Con Te partiro " sounds like a legend!

Our "Yesterdays" en chansons : Sans la nommer (Georges Moustaki), RIP Alain Krivine (1941- 2022)

Alain Krivine: Rest in Peace. When I was at University, I followed his endless struggles for Social Justice and Freedom. Any time he was jailed I was angry and even more ready to share the ideal of the Revolutionary Left before and post 1968. It seemed to me they were the only ones who will never betray the Workers.A.Krivine has never abandonned his generous ideal for "La classe Ouvrière" and I was on their side for Social Justice in Education which was going to be my living future.The Revolutionary Left was always ready to fight the Far Right groups which had always infested our Universities. In 1964, I witnessed at Aix University violent clashes and the Students from the RL were always severely treated and arrested by police forces. With the help of Edwy Plenel this is the hommage for Alain Krivine. I followed also the musical link because this song is what it was all about. Hope for better days ! From Mediapart, newspaper on line, the link https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/130322/alain-krivine-un-integre-en-revolution

Cancel culture in March 2022: Another form of 'witch-hunt' ?

When the first cancellations happened I could not believed my eyes, reading the news on line from the Met,Opera de Paris, La Scala ... then I read some singers and Musicians decided to cancel their contracts . That is the case of the Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev. On March the 6th his position was explained in Le Monde. I had the pleasure to be in his audience at the Capitole and had always enjoyed his enthusiasm with his musicians. Again we are going through another heartbreaking episode of life, I do not believe it is all black on one side and all white on the other one. Historically, it is far more complicated. This Russian conductor is a beautiful human soul and a brave person. What he wrote gave me hope.

Tugan Sokhiev's announcement yesterday March the 6th in Le Monde : (Translated) I know that many people were waiting for me to express myself and to hear from me my position on what’s happening at the moment. It took me a while to process what is happening and how to express those complex feelings that the current events provoked in me. First of all I need to say most important thing: I have never supported and I will always be against any conflicts in any shape and form. For some people even to question my desire of peace and think that me, as a musician could ever speak for anything other than Peace on our planet is shocking and offensive. During various catastrophic geopolitical events our humanity faced during last twenty years of my career, I always remained with my fellow musicians and we always, together, shown and expressed the support and compassion for all the victims of those conflicts. This is what we musicians do, we express things with music, we say emotional things with music, we comfort with music those who need it. We musicians are the lucky ones to be able to speak this international language that can sometimes express more than any words known to civilisation. I am always very proud to be a conductor who comes from such a rich cultural country as Russia and I am also very proud to be part of rich french musical life since 2003. This is what music does. It connects people and artists from different continents and cultures, it heals souls across the boarders and gives hope for peaceful existence on this planet. Music can be dramatic, lyrical, funny, sad but never offensive! This is what my very fruitful partnership with great Toulouse orchestra has proved. This is what my fantastic ensemble of Bolshoi Theatre was showing me every time I conducted performances with them in Russia or on tour in Europe. Both in Toulouse and in Bolshoi Theatre I regularly invited Ukrainian singers and conductors. We never even thought about our nationalities. We were enjoying making music together. And it still remains the case. This is why I started Franco-Russe festival in Toulouse, to show everyone that people of France and Russia are connected historically, culturally, spiritually and musically and that I am proud of this connection between our two great countries that I love. This festival is being opposed today by the politicians and administrators in Toulouse. What a shame. And they want me to express myself for peace! I believe that this festival can achieve more in building bridges than political words. During last few days I witnessed something I thought I would never see in my life. In Europe, today I am forced to make a choice and choose one of my musical family over the other. I am being asked to choose one cultural tradition over the over. I am being asked to choose one artist over the other. I am being asked to choose one singer over the other. I will be soon asked to choose between Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy. It is already happening in Poland, European country, where Russian music is forbidden. I cannot bare to witness how my fellow colleagues, artists, actors, singers, dancers, directors are being menaced, treated disrespectfully and being victims of so called “cancel culture”. We as musicians are given extraordinary chance and mission to keep human race kindhearted and respectful to each other by playing and interpreting those great composers. We musicians are there to remind through music of Shostakovich about horrors of war. We musicians are the ambassadors of peace. Instead of using us and our music to unite nations and people we are being divided and ostracised. Because of everything that I have said above and being forced to face the impossible option of choosing between my beloved russian and beloved french musicians I have decided to resign from my positions as Music Director of Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse with immediate effect. This decision should confirm to everyone concerned that I am a very lucky person, to be able to know Bolshoi Theatre artists and Toulouse orchestra musicians. It is always a privilege to make music with all wonderful artists from those two institutions and I will always stand by them as MUSICIAN!!!!!

Our "Yesterdays" en chanson: Les feuilles mortes ..(. Prévert et Kosma )

Are these words and tune so well matched together that they will stay endlessly in one's memory ? Or is it Yves Montand's detached attitude and soothing voice that soften the blows of the inevitable lost love story ? 1950 was my yesterday on the radio when Yves Montand sang 'Les feuilles mortes' and I was not aware of Marcel Carné's film "Les portes de la nuit". That was discovered some years later when the television set got into our flat. (1962) Luckily the film was in black and white ! This song has had more than 4000covers in all languages ... It was part of my "yesterdays" and my 'today again. It is brightening my "today". Music can be an open Dream Land with no boarders and bloody quarrels and global Epidemic fears which are not over yet just like wars... this tune was the theme of that 1946 film just after second world war. I was a kid then. Today I'm a senior citizen of a country in turmoil as so many are but some are even in worse states .A young artist from Korea, for Lunar new year, had put on line his post war tune. It is easitly found on youtube: Ko Woorim's official channel : "Les feuilles mortes". He is a trained opera singer with an amazing bass voice now merging into a warm stunning bass baritone and he reminds me of Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Woorim has been part of my on line life and is the singer of my ending season. I admire the way he sings and conveys emotions in Kpop in the Quartet Forestella and also in Immortal songs like operarock songs (Queen's songs and Italian ones, also some Russian melodies like 'Cranes' and in the rare opera arias that can be found on youtube). He was at the semi finals in Toulouse singing competition in 2016, he was the youngest one. I do not know why he chose 'Les feuilles mortes'. From what I found out listening to his rendition, he was right: he has the tall slim detached look Yves Montand had, his voice is much deeper and warmer, his soothing tone is more efficient as well as his very soft jazzy swaying... plus some irresistable charm, all with perfect French, all that today is "un coup de jeunesse"!

My life on line: Rolando Villazon having a warm "fiesta "for his 50th Birthday direct from Salzburg on Arte concert

Our "yesterdays" en chansons....Joan Baez.(live 1975)

Who's got eyes bluer than robin's eggs? Guess... Best 'Love ' song ever.... As I remember your eyes Were bluer than robin's eggs My poetry was lousy you said