"My heart in the highlands, my heart is not here!"

http://www.operadetoulon.fr/Oeuvres/didon-et-enee/didon-et-enee.html





I could parody this famous poem:
My heart in Korea, my heart is not here...
This is the truth, I cannot simply try to make up my mind about these ten days without flying back there, gazing at our photos, reading, but not writing.
So, meanwhile I stopped in Paris and listened to Pelléas and Mélisande which I adored. The combination of beautiful singers, Natalie Dessay, Simon Keenlyside, Laurent Naouri, Alain Verhnes, Marie-Nicole Lemieux (what a singer!).... shook off the jetlag(we landed at Roissy the evening before) and I was quite happy to sit on the folded seat and have a nice view as I was at the last row of the second balcony at the TCE. L. Langrée helped me to still think I was flying, his beautiful Debussy's long musical phrases rocked me until a neighbour sneezed loudly just when Natalie was beginning her incredible ' oiseau' aria a capella. And she was so good. Of course Laurent Naouri-Golaud is superbe, here he did not have to pull his wife's hair as it was a concert version, I felt relieved! I quite enjoy concert versions because it seems to me the music sounds much better! Simon is a perfectionist when he sings in French, and I am so fond of his voice. They were terribly credible and acting their roles in a way, all of them.
Then, we spent Easter Sunday in Toulon, because I managed to get a ticket for Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, with the adorable Anna Caterina Antonacci. She is as classy as Anja Harteros according to me. The much awaited ' Ah! Belinda...was rendered with restraint, in perfect tones and prononciation and such elegance! I would have liked it to last longer! she was so good in her death aria 'When I am laid..'The Ode to santa Cecilia which began and ended the matinée did not match the beauty of Purcell's short opera, as it happened, I found it disturbing to finish on it, it stole the show to awesome Anna Caterina!. But still it was a worthless way of spending Easter Sunday.



I had a big blow when I was aware Miss Netrebko would not make her Stabat Mater on the 26th at Pleyel. I was really looking forward to seeing her again. I missed her televised Anna Bolena (I was in Korea). That evening too, I was going to meet some friends I had not seen for a long time. How disappointing! Still, that's how it goes, singers are human beings not machines, I do hope she is better by now!
This Kid is what La Monnaie de Munt found to advertise for 'les journées de l'opéra' ! It is great! I love this kid!!!
Images of early spring in Seoul and Andong countryside are still on my mind. As they had a long and cold winter, the flowering season was just starting when we arrived and was in full bloom when we left. I keep saying to myself I was so lucky to be there at that time. And so lucky to be welcomed by fantastic D's friends from Seoul National University who took us around and introduced us to gorgeous Korean food!

They are back!

So are we from Korea!
Peaceful Easter Sunday to all of us, if possible!

Excessive wandering and musing ?

Excessive wandering and musing cannot make sense!
That is why I have stopped trying to write for a while!

I will only post pictures and some hints when I still feel either deeply upset or utterly moved or both.

It started with Wozzeck at Marseille opera house on Sun March the 20th.

It was very well sung on the whole but not moving, certainly not like the Bastille one where Marie-Waltraud Meier made me cry.The setting is responsible for this effect. The last scene disappeared with this invention of the Black Angel. The trashy side being obvious at the very start, instead of rousing my emotion, made me laugh(Hugh Smith with his rocker look was rather funny and did not help Marie -Noëli Nadelmann to express the complexity of character Waltraud Meier put into this role). The poor child hardly existed in this setting, it was symbolised by a cardboard box pram, being pushed either by Marie or Wozzeck and even tagged by him... so it was a difficult relationship to convey emotions. It looked a bit silly to me and the tent, or canopy, was even more ridiculous...As for the gutter where Wozzeck disappeared when he was looking for his bloody knife, I want to forget about it and concentrate on the orchestra which was efficient and that is the main point. A. Berg's music is breathtaking in this opera and certainly well rendered by the conductor Lawrence Foster. All the singers were great in their vocal range, the duet of the Doctor and captain was really striking; the lunatic chord a lot with two very good singers and actors, Gilles Ragon and Frode Olsten. Noëli Nadelmann has the strength and power required for the role with a special physical knack. She must be really acttractive in Lulu.

Wozzeck was lacking a bit of something, to be really moving before disappearing in the gutter...

Then, Paris for a couple of days, mainly dedicated to exhibitions and friendship.

An evening at Bastille opera house for Luisa Miller:

No, it is not a snow globe!

That is the view from the seat which cost me 75€ from the second row center of the second balcony. Some years ago for the same amount of money, I could sit at the last part of the orchestra and have a better view.

This setting was so naïve and not worth all the money involved. But the singing and orchestra were really fine. Acting was minimalist, not quite park and bark but not far from it. Luckily the orchestra and the singing were really fine. With the little view I had, I felt like a concert version and that did not bother me. I loved Marcelo Alvarez's 'Quando le sere al placido' and Krassimira Stoyanova was very good throughout the whole opera, under Daniel Oren wonderful direction.

Welcome to the shacks!




On my way to Luxembourg Museum for the Cranach exhibition.


On my way to my hotel, under the delightful promenade des Arts.

This is France 2011, and I do not go into details in what is Mister Sarkozy's main concern of clearing the French territory of the undesirable...utter inequality at the moment and increase of food prices and all...


Strolling down the River Seine on Saturday morning, a wonderful encounter!

We had an unexpected concert and talked to Bryant Paul when he busked! He is so good! I wish him all the best!


Philippe Platel's Fortune Exhibition : something to remember and think about.
Because of friendship through music and opera I have had the chance to meet new young friends. It is a community of gifted young people and I am honoured to be accepted as a visitor. I already saw Philippe's painting last year and was thrilled to see his first solo exhibition on this theme' Fortune'. Here are some striking paintings, which work for me as landmarks in this period of economic unrest and nuclear threats, where the damages to planet earth are endless.
The ones I want to keep in mind are at the top of the post.
Then my friend (who made a point of seing this exhibition with me, we had the great pleasure, above all, me, living miles from their planet, to greet the young painter who came to say hello, that is so nice really) made me discover

Rue Montorgueil.

Then I walked to Musée d'Orsay where I had another enjoyable time with the V.I.P visit of the Mahler exhibition with France Musique 'Le Magazine', my favourite radio programme.

The end of this eventful couple of days was a nice meal with some academic friends in a cosy spot in our suburb in the 12ème.
L'oulette is not a bird but the special pot where the cassoulet is cooked slowly in the fire place for hours and hours, traditionally.

Not to be forgotten: Spring in Paris!
We enjoyed it, as D. and I walked a lot this time!