It is very cold around here. The Mistral has been blowing strongly for quite a while. Blue sky and bright sunshine could be welcomed, except that it is hard to withstand Aeolos in such tormented atmosphere. It can be worse than constant rain, because it pierces layers of clothes. When the wind blows hard, the village is a desert. The only flower which dares appear in my small garden, in such appalling weather, has a deep purple colour enhanced by a bright creamy heart. When it appears, I celebrate this birth like a kind of miracle in the midst of winter. It was under snow three weeks ago. Its common name is 'Christmas rose'. I had an idea the seeds were brought to Great Britain by the Tradescant family (either father or son) in the XVIIth century, from Russia where it blossoms in the snow; that is what I imagined, just like a snowdrop which has decided to be more glorious. Mine is a Corsican one, it can stand the scorching summer sun and has enough courage to resist this fierce wind. Its leaves are coarser, serrated with longer stems than the common Christmas rose which is actually white. Helleborus niger, which means 'eaten by fawns. That might be the only green bits appearing on the surface of the snow. Snowdrops come out later, announcing springtime. And that will be sung here :Song 2 Brief and beautiful, like all flowers, mine as well. Celebration of winter when the wind blows in the yard, and the hellebore smiles.
"Next season will launch the world premiere of a Los Angeles Opera commission, Il Postino (The Postman, based on the "dreams do come true" 1994 film), which will open the season on September 23, 2010. Previously delayed, Mexican composer Daniel Catán's Spanish-language opera and libretto was supposed to open this past season starring Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon as the title role of Mario Puoppolo (obviously, it never happened). A year later, tenor Charles Castronovo will sing the timid postman with an additionally talented cast: Placido Domingo sings the role of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda; Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs will sing Matilde Neruda; and Spanish mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola-Herrera is Donna Rosa." Exit of the postman: So Rolando will not create this role after all. Too bad!I was hoping to see him creating this new role, it was a challenging prospect. He could have been working with his mentor Placido Domingo.
Whatwith Salinger's departure, it is not a good day. The Catcher in the rye brings me back to students'day;it was published in 1951,and on the American Studies syllabus in France in 64. quote: Holden: "You know that song, 'If a body catch a body comin' through the rye'?..." Phoebe: "It's 'If a body meet a body coming through the rye'!... It's a poem. By Robert Burns." -Chapter 22
Who did you think was singing 'O sole mio' when you first heard that funny advert? This is perhaps the first brilliant OP-POP mixture, at least in my experience. Because I do not find this funny, not at all! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7078389/Popstar-to-Operastar-is-only-a-television-show-Rupert.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/rupertchristiansen/7020195/Popstar-to-Operastar-makes-me-sick.html
I do hope to see Rolando on stage , not on either funny or intellectual TV programmes. Opera stage, that is the only reason I know him, live operas , or recitals.
In Norma, the Druids are 'barbari' to Roman eyes, and the Romans are 'profani' to Gallic eyes. It will all end up in fire; this is opera of course and exaggeration is the dramatic expression of all feelings, with the soothing effects of Bellini's music when everything becomes too unbearable. Norma at the Châtelet in Paris seems to be challenging not only the score, performed on XIXth century instruments, but also, with Peter Mussbach's new setting, the theatrical impact of this libretto: the human conflict between the two lovers Pollione and Norma, and the dimension of the social and pseudo-historical background of this story. Norma is a woman who is the religious head of her group. She has had two children with the chief Roman invader whom she desperately can't help loving in spite of everything which comes between them: in particular in the person of Adalgisa, a young priestess from the Druid temple. Fire is a keyword in this opera. Pollione, the Roman chief invader wants to burn the barbarians, the druids want to do the same to the'profani', the Roman army occupying their dear oak forests, and it will all finish in a big fire indeed, with complicated love affairs between them. Well, perhaps Mussbach created a dream-like setting where nuts like me can project their soul, mind and reason. I think I would have loved this production, judging from the bits and pieces I have managed to gather with a little help from my friends! My last Norma was in 2006, a concert version with June Anderson in the title role. So there was no possible disturbance from the music, from what the singers did with it and from the maestro.
Norma, June Anderson Adalgisa, Mzia Nioradze Clotilde, Martine Mahé Pollione, Zoran Todorovich Oroveso, Wojtek Smilek Flavio, Marc Terrazzoni
Choeurs de l’Opera de Marseille Chef de choeur, Pierre Iodice
Orchestre de l’Opéra de Marseille Direction musicale, Emmanuel Vuillaume
Marseille, le 5 octobre 2006 I remember not enjoying the tenor at all. The others were fantastic to my ears! Adalgisa was a Georgian mezzo with a vibratello but very much in harmony with June's voice. I enjoyed June Anderson's non-agressive appearance wearing her own long dress, and wrapped in an art deco shawl, in soft shades of mauve and brown. She was more of a lover and a mother than a chief warrior! She had an immense aura as the head priestess too, in this attitude of hers when singing, not overdoing it. I will remember the image of her singing Casta Diva for ever! The moon is also a keyword in this opera, and I am not surprised Mussbach seems to have represented that symbol in round objects. I also saw a kind of blue haze, like a dream on the stage so we are in a 'sogno' just like Pollione's in act 1, and perhaps even my life is a 'sogno' which can become a nightmare, depending on where I am on earth when it happens. I could be a barbaro for some, and elsewhere a profano for others. And any way, I think the big fire will be waiting for both in the end. That an antique looking horse should be thrown into eternal damnation together with Pollione and Norma, in Mussbach's Norma, does not shock my silly turn of mind: end of the Roman empire and with it the remains of the Greeks in the flames, just to recall that cry of the poet after World War 1 'Nous civilisations, nous savons que nous sommes mortelles' which could be an echo of what Norma sings before her prayer, "Casta Diva" when she foresees the Fall of the Roman Empire! This is what I gather from the text and from a photo of the horse, very Greek, feeling like marble, even; but the significance also seems to be linked to Pollione's sex life; the horse appears each time Adalgisa or Norma is with him on stage, just like the attribute of a Greek god - which, with his golden armour, is precisely what he looks like. The cast sounds really good and backing the project. (two videos) le magazine Jan 27th FRMUS 6PM ON NORMA WITH JC SPINOSI AND HIS ORCHETRA ENSEMBLE MATHEUS # 27 janvier Jean-Christophe Spinosi NORMA Opera seria en deux actes de Vincenzo Bellini Livret de Felice Romani D’après la tragédie Norma ou l'infanticide de Louis Alexandre Soumet Créé à la Scala de Milan, le 26 décembre 1831 Direction musicale Jean-Christophe Spinosi avec Lina Tetriani, Paulina Pfeiffer, Nikolai Schukoff, Nicolas Testé, Blandine Staskiewicz, Luciano Botelho... Ensemble Matheus - Choeur du Châtelet Encore une représentation le jeudi 28 janvier 2010 au Théâtre du Châtelet Renseignements et réservations : www.chatelet-theatre.com # 28 janvier click on NORMA
photos from the opera: beautiful ones concerning that strange horse! I pay my tribute to Maria Callas, of course Norma for ever.
Aix -en-Provence Music festival . Booking begins next thursday Jan 28th 6PM on internet (I made a terrible mistake, and had to realise now that I was wrong, it is not today as I wrote this morning...silly me..) Impossible not to indulge in Pygmalion with sweet Sophie Karthaüser and William Christie. Then how could I resist a new Don Giovanni production? So I have to organise end of July already if I want to get decent seats without spending too much...Yes, another week to go! Sophie karthaüser singing Mozart
CURTAIN CALL: cheers and applause! (the little one on the left hand side, wearing glasses is Hilary Summers, beautiful contralto)
Opéra national de Paris - Palais Garnier
Sonate à trois d'après Huit Clos de Jean-Paul Sartre Chorégraphie de Maurice Béjart, sur la Sonate pour 2 pianos et percussion (1er et 2e mouvements de Béla Bartók
Dialogue de l'ombre double Chorégraphie de Maurice Béjart, sur le Dialogue de l'ombre double pour clarinette, clarinette enregistrée et piano résonnant de Pierre Boulez Costumes de Anna de Giorgi Webern opus V Chorégraphie de Maurice Béjart, sur les Cinq Mouvements, op. 5 pour quatuor à cordes d'Anton Webern
Le Marteau sans maître d'après le recueil de René Char Chorégraphie de Maurice Béjart, sur Le Marteau sans maître pour voix d'alto et 6 instruments de Pierre Boulez. Décors et costumes de Joëlle Roustan, Roger Bernard
Hilary Summers, contralto Alain Damiens, clarinette Ensemble intercontemporain Jonathan Nott, direction Ensemble Intercontemporain ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN Maurice is still here, as Lausanne ballet in this programme is totally in his pure tradition, him who was so fond of the music of his time and mine, being my students days. Perhaps I was too much swallowed by the music of the Intercontemporain that night, although the young ballet is keeping the spirit I did not find the absolute beauty of my youth memories. I noticed some ungracious details or perhaps the musicians and the fabulous texts behind the choreographies invaded my imagination. Sartre's Huis clos is the theme of the first piece, 'sonate pour deux pianos et percussion', where it is easy to sink. Who could be better than the famous couple who created the ballet on "Webern Opus V"? This piece was extremely well played by the quatuor on stage, I was not captured by the figures, ten minutes of strange beauty, while the couple was performing pas de deux,very stylish though. The music invaded my mind and emotion. And that prevailed even more in the following pieces,'Dialogue de l'ombre double': The clarinetist on stage is challenging the broadcast clarinet and piano. The light focused on the clarinetist was flashing circles on the stage-floor like brilliant shadows of the instrument itself, and moving according to the music played by him! May be during the length of this tune I did not manage to follow the dancers as I was completely subdued by these special effects perhaps seen only by me...from where I was sitting.. . the couple formed by Cateryna Shalkina and Oscar Chacon was magical but the clarinetist was even more fascinating! 'Le marteau sans maître': in the 70's Maurice created the figures on Boulez'scores. And that has been the great emotion of our student's days. I was so thrilled to hear it played and sung in the tradition of its creation. René Char's poem is even more outdated now than 'Huis-clos' or 'le soulier de satin' I was glad to be able to read fragments of the poem on the web. But still the complete reading needs to be done. Hilary Summers was singing from the pit, I could see her standing and facing Jonathan Nott. All was strange and eery, her contralto tones melting in the kind of exotic shades of the instruments. As for what was going on with the ballet, I think I need to see it again and try to understand! But when and where? Fascination of these black figures holding and doubling each dancer, veiled as well. I need a translation for all that , I think I was lost. But fulfilled with music and a kind of amazing supernatural ugliness which could be called beauty? Palms under the snow last week when I came back. The palm, ancient decorative motive, lots of meanings also. Peace, wisdom, knowledge, victory?
http://www.nme.com/artists/rolando-villazon On ITV tonight. Just think it is a kind of rash, which needs to be ignored as soon as possible. Opera-fric,as it looks like. Meanwhile, hope for the best, wait for springtime to be able to see his real return in his field (recital on stage, opera in operahouses, proper stuff, so to speak). Meanwhile, this is sheer beauty to share and listen to as often as melancholy or any type of epidermic disorder is becoming unbearable! Probably the sweetest and most moving tune which has ever been composed for women's voices: Richard Strauss: Die Rosenkavalier, Lucia Popp Brigit Fassbaender, Ann Watson Cond C.Kleiber "marie -thérèse Still unmatched in my opera-goer's memory with live performances. How precious these cds can be! Through Hotel de Sully to Place des Vosges, Jan the 5th. Amaryllis. This flower is symbolic of splendid beauty. It is also used to indicate worth beyond beauty. Very bright and cold day in Paris (Jan the 5th)
