Just a thought: "I'm walking backwards for Christmas!"

Since Christmas is behind us now, and tonight being our x wedding anniversary, D sang to me :
"I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
Across the Irish Sea,
It's the only thing for me...


A moment of pure operatic joy.

Happy New Fear...

.......Life is very short, and there's no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend,
I have always thought that it's a crime,
So I will ask you once again.

We can work it out.
We can work it out......

Happy Winter solstice 2011!

LINK
H. Alibert: Noël des petits santons.








"A l'an que ven ! Se sian pas mai, que siguen pas men"

Coline opera in Nice: part II.

What with three performances of Roberto Devereux in Marseille and now two performances of Norma in Nice, my own Bel Canto Festival ( my reference to this nov-Dec period) is over.
I do realise how lucky I am, having listened to, and seen, two of the last belcantists, Mrs Devia and Mrs Gruberova. There is dear June Anderson also, whom I cherish and have seen in Marseille singing Bellini: Norma and La Sonnambula, both concert versions too. Very recently I had the pleasure to see June Anderson At Coline Opera in Toulon, in a wonderful evening too, where her art of Bel Canto was at its best!




Some of my photos at the stage door last Thursday night after Norma.
I was encouraged to wait and meet the artists by a group of Japanese fans who were kind enough to lend me their gorgeous pen and talk to me about their absolute love of 'Edita'. They follow her where ever she sings. The lady on the photo was offered this bouquet by Edita who was happy to see them!
My only question, when she signed the photo I really like in the Lied-duet Nightingale record was: 'Will you sing again With Mrs Vesselina Kasarova one day', she said nicely: 'no' in a smile ... so ... I will listen to this record even more!
It was a great night: the orchestra sounded even more confident, the rhythm was even more martial when needed. Oroveso struck me even more in his leader role.. Edita uttered two intense and rumbling 'Guerra'.
But the contrats with the romantic arias and dramatic ones were smashing. The chords and their deep movement at the interlude enchanted me.
The theme is then developped just after, in the most moving part of the opera I think, when Norma alone on the stage, watching her children sleep, has to decide whether to kill or not to kill them. Edita starts almost whispering ( not like Maria Callas), then reaches heights of maternal pains and despair where her shrill voice there vibrates the chord of all the sufferings of the world... this theme musically and humanly is deeply moving. These children will not be killed and probably escape slavery (by the Romans) but it is really a narrow escape in this drama. Watching Edita singing and acting this precise part was tremendous. She does not hide her feelings, she acts thoroughly and makes believe. What she sings takes you beyond, because it is so much in relation with the words, so precise.

The theme of this tragedy is still readable by a XXIst century audience. As the Head of Coline Opera pointed out in his talk before the concert, childhood must always to be protected, anywhere. I was thinking about the industrial slavery of some children in some parts of the world, and of the weight and power of religion on the education of girls, as it was underlined in this message that progress in society is always led by women, so girls must get an ecucation, in spite of the weight of some religious belief. It seems to be far from the scope of Norma, but it is not really. The Druids were ocupied by the Romans in this tragedy so it does ring a bell...Norma is a religious and political leader and she falls secretly in love with the head of the occupying forces. In some parts of the world there could be similar situations, and human sacrifices are not uncommon with terrorism, unfortunately.
The musical treatment of such strong feelings transcends time.
That is why opera even when we think it is old fashioned, once linked to the words that express the feelings sung by the singers, is never obsolate.
In Norma, the Moon guides the celebrations of the Druids. The poetry involved in the text is so intense with the music. I will try to finish this festival expressing my love for Bellini's music.
This is a quotation which I like:
"In 1901, commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bellini, Arrigo Boito, the eminent librettist and composer, wrote in his Omaggio a Bellini nel primo centenario dalla sua nascita: “Chi non ama Vincenzo Bellini non ama la Musica” (“He who does not love Vincenzo Bellini does not love music”). A full century later, one can do little more than emphatically repeat Boito’s apt assessment of the “Swan of Sicily.”(D. Osborne)
Homage to the Moon by Cecilia Bartoli: LINK
(many thanks to the uploader).
And I was pleased to cheer the young mezzo soprano Maïté Maruri who nicely signed the programe and wrote her name. She was a fine Clotilda, and I address her my best wishes in this end of year period because she is the youngest of the cast!LINK
and very promising too!(many thanks to the uploader)
Here is a very precious link to Mrs Gruberova's Fan Page which is a great site (even the scores are available). It is a source of great information about Mrs Gruberova's career. LINK

Song for everlasting dreams: 'Die meere'

Will they sing again together one day ?
Nightingale classics.
Lied-Duette 1995-1996.
Here, Johannes Brahms: Die Meere

Coline opera in Nice: Norma

The red carpet stopped a few meters from the front of Nice opera house!
What a pity, because Edita Gruberova and the whole cast deserved the red carpet on Saturday night, first rendition of this well known masterpiece by Bellini with its 'casta Diva' immortalised by Maria Callas.


NORMA


Vincenzo Bellini

Samedi 10 décembre – 15 h

Jeudi 15 décembre – 20h
Représentation supplémentaire salle Pleyel à Paris le 20 décembre.
NORMA

Vincenzo Bellini
Livret de Felice Romani, d’après la tragédie de L. A. Soumet
Version concert
Direction Andriy Yurkevytch
Norma Edita Gruberova
Adalgisa Sophie Koch
Pollione Massimo Giordano
Oroveso Wojtech Smilek
Clotilda Anna Steiger
Flavius Paul Cremazi
(Anna Steiger was replaced by Maïté... when the announcement was made I did not hear clearly her name ..M...)

Still, Edita Gruberova has been interprating this role with panache since she sang it for the first time at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (January 2006). She was fifty nine then. Very soon on the 23rd she will be sixty-five and I felt all her energy and passion in this role she acted on Dec 10 in Nice. I loved her in Mozart, and of course her Adele made me dream of actually seeing her live. I have had to wait quite a long time to fulfill my dream.
What is striking is the huge high range she still has with no sign of ageing because she has a perfect command of her voice. She seems serene and faces difficulties with great artistic knowledge. She is so much at ease in stratospheric spheres that she adds top notes, like in her casta diva. She goes into furiousness against Pollione with such vocal energy and then cries her love for her children, unable to murder them, not like Medea. But what I like best is her duets with Adalgisa. I am used to listening to her singing with Vesselina Kasarova. (Many thanks to Smorgy for the wonderful uploads of both Edita and Vesselina, a real 'goldmine'!)

Here, on Saturday night Sophie Koch really moved me to tears.



Her sombre and rich voice suited this role, she acted the role with Edita and their friendship was sealed in an exquisite duet where, like young girls, they were shaking hands and marking the rhythm!
I enjoyed the music tremendously, the conductor kept a sustained rhythm, with striking brass effects as always with the summon of the Druid gatherings under Oroveso's commands. Bellini is a dear composer for voices and it is always elegant and moving. I particularly enjoyed the bass Wojtech Smilek. Massimo Giordano, after warming up was a very romantic Pollione, less martial with no roman attire! (that is always good with concert version, it avoids any nonsensical decor or costume).
This opening night, sponsored by the charity fund Coline Opera
, was a success judging by the numerous curtain calls and the last one only for 'Edita' as her fans from the Gods called her loud with the banner stretched out to welcome her back!
She came out on her own and waved good-bye and sent 'bacci'...

the artists were all at the stage door, in no hurry, happy to meet their admirers, even though they had a cocktail party organised by the Negresco at the Negresco. Edita Gruberova even let us step in the entrance and talked to her fans.
I will attend the secound round tomorrow. I cannot imagine missing the last Norma in Nice.
The same cast will be at Pleyel on the 20th. I expect it will be perfection and 'acted' by all of them by then.
I admired Mrs Devia's art of singing in Marseille, now this is Edita, another immense talent with coloratura abilities and a human dimension which is felt in this role, very rich with contrasting moods and feelings.
Mrs Gruberova acts Norma straightforwardly and sings in heavenly spheres...She is amazing!

Just a thought: I'm old fashioned...

Fun!

So much happiness... thousands of droplets in the wind, the smell of the sea and the bracing air, the brave bather diving and reappearing in the magic of the sea...this afternoon at the Vallon des Auffes in Marseille.

Just a thought: Marseille !

The 's' which was in use must be dropped. So here is Marseille on the 1st of December. The weather up to now has been unusually very mild without any wind.
The City and its Townhall, showing it's World AIDS day.

Mariella Devia, tout simplement.

During four performances she gave passionate and amazing renditions in Marseille Opera House. I missed one out of four.
Tonight I will not try to say anything because my words would be inappropriate as only her art of singing can tell what she is.
I am utterly moved by what she gave us.
I am very angry that what we call 'culture' in this country, whoever is in charge of the classical music here, was not aware that in such a provincial city as ours- second after Paris... a true wonderful belcantist singer was performing in a rather non popular opera. In Paris, France Musique broadcasts lots of concerts from Parisian concert halls and theaters. Here, it is what we call 'the cultural desert land'... or may be Mrs Devia is not mediatic enough for having a session broadcasted ?
But for the lyric lovers of Bel canto, she is the last perfect one.
G. Donizetti is a fine composer and it was a real treat to follow the whole cast, the chorus and orchestra (even if it was too loud at times) through those performances. And if there are 'pirat' versions, no one can complain...
Last night, the four main characters were all cheered, because they all gave the best they could give in this last concert of Roberto Devereux, and I felt they were all acting better and better, as it is really a psychological drama, more than a drama in progress with lots of actions going on. (Apart from 'la spada la spada', which could be acted with violence !)
The elegance of Mrs Devia is not only in her singing, each night she had a new very suitable dress.
Light lavender blue was the colour of her last dress... a dream come true, like the way she sings, and smiles... so gently. Under thundering applause, she bent her head, almost hiding. What a wonderful artist!


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Madame Devia for Donizetti's birthday, in Marseilles Opera House, last round!

Yes ! last 'round' tonight at 20pm...








Mariella Devia in one of the most famous cavatina followed by a cabaletta sung live on the 27th: she brought the house down.. here's the proof LINK
This is a very amateur live, but what counts is the quality of the memories and the accurate amazing style of Madame Mariella Devia. With the help of a true classical connaisseur and conductor, my blogfriend Eyesometric, I managed to have a look at the score and more precisely( I am not a musician but I can read, as I practiced the piano in my younger days)at this aria:
Act I sc IV
"Ah! Ritorna qual ti spero,
Qual ne' giorni piu felici,
E cadranno i tuoi nemici
Nella polve innanzi ate.
Il mio regno, il mondo intero,
Reo di morte in van tigrida.
Se al mio piede amor ti guida,
Innocente sei per me!).....

Vieni, vieni, t'affretta.
Ah! Ritorna qual ti spero....

Here, there is a contrast between the rather heroïc first lines where the Queen expresses her power. Then there is a complete change: the woman in love has a fit of hope exoressed in this cabaletta with tremendous cascades of more and more acute notes flying above the scope, with acceleration and flutter ! It is a real feast for the ears with Madame Devia. I had difficulties following the score, but found it easier with the singing. (I only illustrated some parts of the cabaletta, it is not complete, here's the LINK Eyesometric gave me. It is worth exploring).
Sorry for the crackling noise on top of the saturated sound.
Applause and cheering for the Queen of Bel Canto at the end!
Tonight after the last production, I will feel at a loss ... still, I will survive!!! These are the pure amazing instants of what is the best of the performing arts, Opera!
Here is also a very fine LINK to Willym's blog. He has written beautiful pages on Mariella Devia. He has had the privilege of following this artist throughout her career.