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!