Just a thought: After "messy Christmas"....

The best Christmas Tree I received was this picture of this edible Christmas Tree, from Shanghaï... posted by a very young friend of mine I will meet again in April! Otherwise it is all the same around here and the only source of hope and joy comes from the children and music of course. Food tends to be boring in its excess not that we exaggerate but the tendancy here is to eat too much, and television is always boring! My two very nice musical outings were before Christmas,with Natalie Dessay and Michel Legrand's revival of the sixties, plus nice Claude Nougaro's tunes.The whole concert is on youtube and it is worth listening to. The house was packed and very cheerful ! so were the musicians. The Jazz first part was strange on Marseille Opera stage but after some time I found the whole thing very exciting!

Then a peaceful Bach celebration took place in Aix Cathedral which really cheered me up. It is a treat to listen to the organ in this place and I do not do it too often, not even once a year. This time, I planned to spend the evening in Aix so I did not have to rush back home on the late bus. It was rather chilly during the performance but the beauty of the extracts chosen from the Oratorio kept me warm enough. Music is always offering special paradisiac moments to share like this kind of echoing duet for the two sopranos and the clarinet. Of course I was in front of the telly for the opening night at La Scala, I missed Anja Harteros a lot and loved the rather non heroïc Lohengrin interpreted by Jonas Kaufmann. Now getting nearer and nearer to 2013, it is time to wish you, my four, five, perhaps six regular readers who have become blogfriends (and Facebook friends too through our mutual passion for the Mezzo voce and a brilliant singer in this category we enjoy travelling for !) a peaceful year, with lots of tenderness and plenty of time for yourself, because time is so precious. I hesitate between these two pictures to depict my turn of mind at the moment: Sharing hard times all around us here in Southern Europe and going back to childhood! And here 's 2013.....

Just a thought: Some time with Shirley Verrett.

Special day today: My grandaughter is 11, it seems impossible! Tonight I'll be listening to Nat Dessay and Michel Legrand in a crossover evening and I will be very happy, she will sing Claude Nougaro who belongs to my treasure box! My 'solitude' will come to an end as my better half was in Asia and is back tomorrow. So, will I feel much younger tonight at Marseille Opera House where I know I sat when I was very little... with my dear Mum ? When in Aix as a student, I remember going three times to the Cinema en plein air which was on the Cours Mirabeau when the weather was fine (late spring and summer), to enjoy 'Les parapluies de Cherbourg'. (I did exactly the same thing in London later on when the stunning 'West Side Story' was released.. but I had for excuse the language barrier!) Last night, I listened to Shirley Verrett on Youtube.Foropera channel where it is possible to hear her sing Gospel and some kind of Religious Hymns like this one. She is so good too. She could make me believe....

Bellissima Mariella Devia, a night to remember !(1-XII-2012)

My idea is that someone at Marseilles Opera House has a serious crush on this unique artist, full of energy, who sings like a goddess in the Bel Canto paradise and serves this music heavenly because of course she has no problem of style and intonation.

For many years now she has been the acquired taste of opera -goers who enjoy Bel Canto, because she is a true bel cantist in the tradition! Do not ask me about the proper definition of this type of singing, it is an Italian style which has its aficionados, proper specialists in cabalettas and trills. If you enjoy Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi (not the late operas though) you are sure to appreciate Bel Canto. As for me, I go according to my ears ' delight and Mariella Devia is definitely my favourite in this realm. I was told the other night (someone very influential who I admire for his choice now)that she is the only one left. I saw her Anna Bolena at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: I loved it a lot, it is my first and unique (so far) Anna Bolena on stage and it was an amazing performance. When I compare her interpretation and singing to the younger Anna Netrebko I only saw on my tv screen in this role, I still prefer the musicality and style of singing from Mariella Devia. Before I start chatting about the concert on Dec the 1st, I must point out it is the first anniversaty of the bel canto concert we enjoyed last year casting Madame Devia in Roberto Devereux for four productions. My gratitude goes to Monsieur Maurice Xiberras, Marseille Opera Director, who invited Madame Devia for the second time. And "Jamais deux sans trois"! Madame Devia had a standing ovation after two encores (Il sogno di Doretta, La Rondine,Puccini, then in French, a real present for us, French audience, 'Adieu notre petite table' Massenet-Manon). No matters what she sings it is impossible to see her take a breath and of course you cannot hear her breathe like some other singers do. She has the longest deep breath and legato with wonderful tops and last dying notes which seem to vanish after the last orchestral echo. She is amazing because she is in perfect control of her vibrato and her voice does not seem to alter with time. She has gained a deeper range, I could listen to her for ever, her singing looks effortless,gracious, very moving and elegant (her face is never contorted) . Among Italian ouvertures, the first one being 'L'Italienne à Alger'was like opening a bottle of champagne to welcome us ! The prelude of I Lombardi Act III was a moment of pure delight with the violin solo (The first violin is a young new comer, Kristi Gjezi, you can see what he is like! Of course the enthousiasm grew more and more what with the orchestra and Madama Devia. She gave a stunning first part with a spendid Casta Diva ( a pity I cannot attend her Norma in Bologna, but I will see her Imogene soon at the Liceù) and an even more amazing second part with passion and delight, I could feel she was enjoying the evening and I liked to see her discuss the encores (I suppose) with the conductor Alain Guingal who also was there last Bel canto Festival (this is how I refer to this event, perhaps it will give the Opera staff the idea of doing a proper Bel Canto festival in 2013 before Christmas?, if they happen to read me that is!!!) My heart went to the violin concerto ( it is not quite a concerto but it could have been turned into a real concerto. I have not had the chance to attend a live performance of I Lombardi. It was programmed in Marseille in 2001, but I was still very busy working.) If I was thrilled by her Casta Diva, her Anna Bolena,Piangete voi? Al dolce guidami Coppia iniqua, (always very moving the way her voice soars and flies over the orchestra with all the feelings in the words and few gestures to express her revenge, she does not 'shout' it is all in cold blood and even more intense), then E strano.. Sempre libera with Alfredo's voice in the background from a young and promising tenor we get to know here,Stanislas de Barbeyrac, what really made me dream about her even more is the way she sang the Romanze di Medora,(Verdi, ll Corsaro). she took me far away, over the Sea in Southern territories, this tune has Arabo Andalus tinges in the beat of the harp and the sway of the voice with ethereal endings, or is it never ending? Luckily it is on youtube and I can recall all the subtle ways of hers when she sings this sweet lamento: (Many thanks to Pacorona 1978 there are beautiful Maria Devia arias there)

Because it was a special night we were not barred from Madame Devia 's dressing -room and I managed to thank her for all the joys her art is giving me.

I discovered her in La Scala Collection, and now in my retirement I feel so young to be able to cheer this artist who gives me also plenty of energy and hope through her musicality and marvellous presence. MARIELLA DEVIA, Soprano -I- GIOACCHINO ROSSINI • Italiana in Algeri, Ouverture VINCENZO BELLINI • I Capuleti e i Montecchi, « Eccomi ... O quante volte » • Norma, Ouverture • Norma, « Casta diva » GAETANO DONIZETTI • Anna Bolena, scène finale « Piangete voi ... Al dolce guidami ... Coppia iniqua » -II- GIUSEPPE VERDI • Nabucco, Ouverture • Il Corsaro, Romanza di Medora « Non son le tetre immagini » • I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Giselda « Non fu sogno » • I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Act 3 violin solo • La Traviata, « E strano ... Ah forse lui ... Sempre libera » Bis : Puccini La Rondine : Che il bel sogno di Doretta Massenet Manon : Allons il le faut ... Adieu notre petite table Orchestre philharmonique de Marseille ALAIN GUINGAL

Barbara Hannigan at the Capitole, Patrizia Ciofi at Avignon Opera House.... violence and passion on stage, last week-end..

Two splendid actresses and singers fulfilled my emotional needs last week-end . They were the key stone of operas not so different as they both deal with women's fate in a male ruling world. Written on Skin, Le capitole de Toulouse, 23-XI-12 La Traviata, Avignon Opera House, 25-XI-12 Agnes, in G. Benjamin's

Written on Skin is reduced to a mere possession in the vast wealth of her husband, he owns her just as he does his servant his cattle and every single blade of grass. Full of himself, he decided to pay an artist to glorify his wealth in a sort of rich book of hours, in this XIIIth century medieval christian world. To do so he hires an artist, 'the Boy' who will be in charge of this project in his home. The master does not know what love is, certainly not pleasure shared with his wife through love. All he knows is duty, possession and violence, as he is the Master. The music and singing which tells this story gave me telluric shocks more intensely than at the opening night in Aix festival.

Although I have experienced contemporary music before, I have the conviction G. Benjamin's music under Franck Ollu gained in strength with amazing percussion and jazz echoes I did not feel so much under the composer's conducting. It was all more violent, gore, and somehow less poetic, or is it because I knew the story and words and climax this time so I listened more to the orchestral richness? Violetta, in Verdi's opera " La Traviata" is similarly owned by her rich protectors and has virtually no power of her own, she is bought by them and lives in a trendy environment. She decides to lauch herself in a true love relationship, probably to forget her illness. But she soon finds out she is an outcast rejected by the bourgeois society and its moral conformism. These women will meet their fate when their discovery of real love and passion give them the will to free themselves. Agnes discovers love and sexual impulse in the eyes of the boy who is supposed to magnify her husband's power, whereas Violetta, after hesitations and doubt, gives way to her love for a young man who cared for her when she was very ill. He is not buying her attractiveness like the Baron does. But passion is burning them without giving the expected freedom and happiness. Agnes who wants to read the word 'love' which is written at the end of the book, has a deadly last utterly violent scene with her husband and commits suicide. Violetta dies of TB with of course the easy solution of remorse from the ones who condemned her. I understand Agnes 's fate more than I will ever understand the bourgeois moral ending in Traviata, it applies also to some XIXth operas which share similar moral values, I do not get the message clearly because I hate hypocrisy). Before facing their death they both endured terrible sufferings: violence and humiliation. Violetta is publically shamed for what she was 'femme entretenue' (sort of posh whore... cocotte) by the man she at last chose to really share love with. But faced to the bourgeois moral lesson of the father in quest of his son because he has to save the honor of the family (and could not marry his daughter in proper manner, so it is a real business visit he pays to Violetta), she gives way, she hardly fights back and obeys. She has an amazing aria after that which tells more because the music reveals the storm in her heart and her resolution of sacrifice of her passion, but she does not fight for her own position. And Patrizia's voice was soaring, giving her best sustained legato, with very attentive orchestra,(which was not so good during the Ball, first act)

Agnes, being the revival of the XIIth c woman from an Occitan tale, is forced to eat her lover's heart by her husband who discovered how strong her wife's passion was for the 'boy. Violence reaches a climax when she eats her lover's heart in a solitary banquet, where she sings her own heart out watched by her brutal husband,forcing her to ask him about what she is eating to prove her obedience, threatening to kill her, pulling her hair, prepared to slaughter her like he slaughtered the Boy, in the same way he kills pigs. But Agnes reacts and does not indulge like Violetta in a romantic death, she gets into a sort of fit of madness and kicks him to the ground then starts a slow motion walk to her death. In a superb aria she walks to her death like a ghost and throws herself off a window. The music and the shouts and groans makes it somehow hysterical and poetic... then comes a gentle ripple from the violins and the voice of the dead boy being now Angel One, soars like a prayer, that very special counter tenor voice accompanies her slow motion upstairs describing what is painted on the last page, it is heaven and hell at the same time because it takes us back to the beginning which describes a kind of apocalyptic end of the world now... and yes right there I was devastated....

Violetta goes through an atrocious humiliating scene when the immature Alfredo throws the money (he has just won at table game) at her. The music too goes through unforgettable arias where it is sometimes hard not to cry, but it is not knocking me off as G. Benjamin's music and singing do. Both soprani in these roles were amazing, not only singing 'nicely'. They both reached to the point where I could not imagine I was sitting with a lot of people around me. The way they acted these hard bearing roles was utterly real. They both looked fragile and yet mastered their voice through incredible situations. For the last scenes they are almost in rags. Agnès is covered in blood and Violetta has come back to Hotel Lutetia, after having her head shaved so it was obvious she collaborated. (Scene one opened with two Nazis in the ballroom, joining in the Brindisi, being the last ones to quit the room almost like doing the security of the Palace, and I was expecting what followed. At the last scene, I could have done without the video of the returnees from the concentration camps, which is the very historical truth of this place in Paris. After all I suppose that Violetta could have been the center of this dreadful world in 1943, it does make sense. Yes.... Verdi would have appreciated this flash forward to 1944 in Hotel Lutetia in Paris, these sad historical hints took away the soap opera taste which is often there in some productions of La Traviata, but it spoiled my afternoon somehow, I did not enjoy at all the art deco style of the Entrance Hall and the furniture, although very stylish) Still, Patrizia Ciofi made the most of it and her singing in spite of this very special setting, was stunning, soaring with ease, expressing passion and feelings. She has the mature and frail vocal qualities for this role, and tremendous melodic energy for these difficult arias we all know more or less by heart, which is not the case for what is sung and heard in Written on skin! Barbara Hannigan is often cast in contemporary works, her Lulu was breathtaking (La Monnaie), and her Agnes I now saw twice is simply incredible because it is a strong character in search of identity right through . She has to act and sing in coarse situations which never turn out vulgar because she is very tactful in her acting. This comparison seems arbitrary but came to my mind and still makes me think... I love both singers a lot for the pleasure they gave me which is still burning in my heart now while trying to express my gratitude to them. DIVAS? THEY ARE MUCH MORE THAN THAT... we need to find a new term to define this new generation of very skilled artists. Some photos of mine. Traviata cast at the curtain call, video

Bel Canto Festival in December in Marseille Opera house, Mariella is back!

Last season, almost at the same time of the year we enjoyed Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, so rarely performed. The cast,with Mariella Devia, was fantastic. It is also another mini Bel Canto festival which will take place at the very start of December, starring Mariella Devia in a demanding and wonderful programme

SAMEDI 1ER DÉCEMBRE 2012 à 20h • OPÉRA DE MARSEILLE Direction musicale : ALAIN GUINGAL MARIELLA DEVIA, Soprano 1ÈRE PARTIE GIOACCHINO ROSSINI • Italiana in Algeri, Ouverture VINCENZO BELLINI • I Capuleti e I Montecchi, air de « Ho quante volte » • Norma, Ouverture • Norma, air de « Casta diva » GAETANO DONIZETTI • Anna Bolena, air de la scène finale « Piangete voi » 2ÈME PARTIE GIUSEPPE VERDI • Nabucco, Ouverture • Il Corsaro, Romance de Medora « Non son le tetre immagini » • I Lombardi alla prima crociata, air de Giselda « Non fu sogno » • I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Prélude du final de l’acte 3 • La Traviata, scène finale de l’acte 1 « E strano sempre libera » Orchestre philharmonique de Marseille. The second part of what I refer to as a kind of 'Festival' is the concert version of Poliuto also hardly performed. Poliuto Tragédie lyrique en 3 actes D’après Polyeucte de Pierre Corneille. Livret de Salvatore Cammarano. Création à Naples, Teatro San Carlo, en 1838. Première représentation à l’Opéra de Marseille. VERSION CONCERTANTE Direction musicale : ALAIN GUINGAL DISTRIBUTION Paolina : DANIELA DESSI Poliuto : MASSIMILIANO PISAPIA Severo : VITTORIO VITELLI Callistène : WOJTEK SMILEK Nearco : STANISLAS DE BARBEYRAC Felice / un Chrétien : PAUL ROSNER Un Chrétien : ALAIN HERRIAU Orchestre et Chœur de l’Opéra de Marseille I was really thrilled to discover the couple Dessi-Armiliato in this work. Poliuto Tragédie lyrique en 3 actes D’après Polyeucte de Pierre Corneille. Livret de Salvatore Cammarano. Création à Naples, Teatro San Carlo, en 1838. Première représentation à l’Opéra de Marseille. VERSION CONCERTANTE Direction musicale : ALAIN GUINGAL DISTRIBUTION Paolina : DANIELA DESSI Poliuto : MASSIMILIANO PISAPIA Severo : VITTORIO VITELLI Callistène : WOJTEK SMILEK Nearco : STANISLAS DE BARBEYRAC Felice / un Chrétien : PAUL ROSNER Un Chrétien : ALAIN HERRIAU Orchestre et Chœur de l’Opéra de Marseille But Fabio Armiliato has been replaced, and I send all my best wishes to him for a rapid recovery . From the Youtube extracts I find him a true fine Italian tenor with musicality and sincere expressions.

Just a thought: When Vesselina sings it, I feel like it's home again...

This aria from Mignon (Ambroise Thomas) is very famous, it was very popular in my mother's youth, sung at the end of family meals on great occasions. It is also sung in Marcel Pagnol's film ') the character while shaving, is singing this tune with a lovely baritone voice. Now, when I spend some time in Nice, it comes to my mind, and sung by Vesselina Kasarova, her rich cello voice moves me so deeply!

My gratitude to Forellensolo

In Nice, each time I stay there, this tune comes to my mind and I cannot help looking for what makes it so dear to me: the luxuriant vegetation when it is getting wintry inland, the mild weather, the peaceful atmosphere of the seafront, almost empty as the holiday makers are back to towns, memories of childhood?

The melody itself seems to retain the gentle sway of the waves under a soft breeze. So yes, it could be my hometown, the land where the orange trees blossom...Last week in Nice... seen through my eyes,

and having switched on to Vesselina Kasarova's rendition 'Connaîs-tu le pays où fleurit l'oranger?

Curtain calls to remind me where I was.

Simon Boccanegra: Nice opera house. Very nice cast. My favourite one:Carlo Colombara. Lulu: La Monnaie de Munt. Another blow from Alban Berg seen through Krzysztof Warlikowski's eyes, and it is always taking me to the limits of myself. The music, the singing and the opera house (very relaxed,welcoming atmosphere, beautiful house for the sound, compared to Paris)are certainly the best. Barbara Hannigan is my first and undoubtedly my unique Lulu, a smashing artist I would like to see again in this role. It is on the opera site until the 28th and it is really worth watching again and again. In fact I am going to Toulouse on the 23rd to catch another" Written on skin". It has been on my mind ever since the discovery of G. Benjamin's opera at Aix Festival. Jonas Kaufmann: Gala recital, Nice opera house. I remember writing that roaring audience in Shanghai were a surprise! But on Nov the 9th the whole house was delirious with sheer happiness, cheering, shouting, asking for favourite encores at one point, and Jonas Kaufmann kept smiling, not bouncing of delight like Rolando Villazon does in similar situations, just thanking and smiling then singing like a god! He is not really my type of tenor, but I was surprised he ended the concert with "catari, catari' which I do not consider as a masterpiece but just a sweet tune! it was nice and a bit exotic to my ears!(sung by Tino Rossi in my youth). His Lohengrin was amazing, and for me it was the best part of the recital. As for the musicians, they were not as refined as for Simon Boccanegra, perhaps too thrilled to be with this great tenor. The first violin gave us a tantalising 'Méditations de Thaïs", another tube!

Song for Mum: "l'éclat de rire"!

Can memory from early childhood work like a vibrant tape recorder? Mine does, only for what I heard, not from a concert singer but a busy Mum, either scrubbing or ironing or cooking and singing, always singing at one time of our life. This tune is hardly known though I know all the words...Renée Doria is part of this period in Marseille, as she started her artistic career in Marseille Opera House. All I need to do is to recall these 'tunes' and go to the youtube resource to find a treasure, a sweet photo and a dedicace, plus the voice... back to childhood and happy memories for a while. I am also puzzled to discover that some passionate lovers of opera singers and voices meet me so to speak in these memory trips on Youtube. Many thanks to PopoliDiTessalia

Sea Song.

I am relieved this october month is over. I missed some musical dates both in Paris but it was for a good cause. I missed my young singers'opera Firma which was again performed in Paris on the 22nd and 24th.

("Firma revient" Photo P.Platel) Then I missed Médée at the TCE : I was so pleased to have the opportunity to listen to Sophie Karthauser again. Still, I managed to spend a wonderful time on the coast with friends and we enjoyed some time together in Nice at the opera house for a fine Simon Boccanegra. I will try to blog about it some day. Then, travelled to Brussels for Lulu, and the amazing Barbara Hannigan I discovered this summer at the Aix festival in Written on skin. Soon I will also try to express my deep emotion during this Opera, even more stunning than Wozzeck. Now I feel like drifting away like this swift canoe I watched last week before the tempest started. It was mild and quiet, a peaceful end of Summer.

Song .

'Hippolyte n'est plu ' sings Phedre (William Christie, Aix Festival,

July 2010.Hippolyte et Aricie; Rameau). Phedre is Karolina Blixt, another amazing mezzo for this role. I have never forgotten her rendition. It is time to remember. "Grief with no end" says the poet Charles Bernstein at the last line of his poem: 'High Tide at Race Point'2012 which I read at Poem - a-Day (I read every day).

Opening of the Season in Marseille: Carmen!

Now it is time to admire the clean bright façade of the refurbished opera house in Marseille!

The square is cleared and on the bright bkue sky the sculptures seem to dance and invite us to some ancient rites.

Time to feel proud of such a place where so many great singers performed very often at the beginning of their art. My parents admired the beauty of the voice of young Régine Crespin for instance.

There was quite a queue at the entrance due to the popularity of Carmen, and not to the presence of a 'star' on the billboard because there were several well-known singers but no real stars like the ones who make people book in advance all over the planet. So I guess the queue was for the music and the story! Indeed it is a very good story well organised which starts like a comedy and builds up to a tragedy with the eternal love -hate- jealousy dilemmas which make it dramatic and moving. Bizet managed to add music which from the start has the terrible death tone, more invading later on. Of course I had to see what Vesselina Kasarova did in this role and this afternoon I was somehow seeing her while watching the rather lighthearted Carmen offered by Giuseppina Piunti. Her voice has splendid curves and rich harmonics. She has the dream look and seduction of Carmen but not the spicy touch which makes her irresistible. On the whole she seemed too easy going, not rebellious, not haunted in this impersonification, although at one point I felt she was getting into it but then went back to a softer Carmen, it was what the directing required a less tormented Carmen than the ones we have seen lately. (Vesselina was very psychic and I will not forget her utterly moving "air des cartes". Today, when she sang 'la mort toujours la mort' she was almost smiling, although the singing was effective. I would have been conquered by her if I had not seen other types of Carmen, including Vesselina, and then it is possible to say she had no 'biting effect' in her way of singing Carmen. Don José, sung by Luca Lombardo we see quite often here was fairly good, very conventional, with nice tops but a rather graceless vibrato in his medium range. I did not feel any emotion though at the very end only the music was at the rendez-vous. What is my huge discovery is Micaëla with the gifted Anne Catherine Gillet.

I had seen her twice in Lyon as Sophie in Rolando Villazon's Werther where she was so good too. But here, although she had the required look 'jupe bleue et nattes tombantes' (blue skirt and braids falling at the back), she was stunning in a fairly flat role. That is the miracle of a distinctive high pitched soprano voice which has great musicality and charms plus a real sweet look of the artist for this role and its understanding. She was the only one who made me believe in the story because she really added sense and feelings to her singing. She received tremendous applause at each aria even before its end. She deserved this great ovation. Escamillo, Jean François Lapointe, was smashing, with panache and great baritone voice, easy and bright, but this role is hardly moving, is it. The duo between him and Don José was quite good, as the conductor Nader Abbassi chose the opera version and I was pleased because it makes more sense in the drama. The whole cast was good. I noticed the young singer Christophe Gay (Morales) who made a nice opening and I liked his voice straight away. The ensemble were good, matched to the efficient setting and costumes, conventional, indeed, but without overdoing it.(Nicolas Joël's production quite old now,but with some nice settings like the wall and columns, referring to the Seville Wall I suppose, looking like a roman Wall with sculptures) As nearly always the costumes were very adorned with beautiful colours and lightings. On the whole it was a very enjoyable afternoon. The only drawbacks came from a noisy and undisciplined audience (clapping between arias and having to be somehow told off by the conductor to make silence after a short interval...and also because of the heat inside up in the tiers, someone banged a door... when the music had already started... it shows what the audience can be around here at times). The orchestra kept a firm rhythm and had beautiful tones.( before The mountains act). Here are some shots of the singers after the show.

Anne catherine Gillet was also so generous and welcoming with us all.

I had a chat with her and had to tell her how much I admire Belgian singers, Rita Gorr, José van Dam, Sophie Karthaüser and her! (Not to be forgotten too is Julien Haas, baritone, and his wife André Esposito, who sang here quite a lot).

CARMEN OPERA DE MARSEILLE 7-10-2012 Matinée .

Autumn in the yard and a newcomer at home.

Mao2mao Mao1 is four months old (which means hairy cat in Chinese according to my house expert in tones in language, you have 3 different tones on each mao but do not ask me about the precise tone, I am totally ignorant, still I will take some lessons soon).

End of September, with Anja Harteros and Richard Strauss.

Anja Harteros will be singing the Four Last Songs at Salle Pleyel

on oct 4th. I will not manage this journey. It will be live here: www.citedelamusiquelive.tv www.arteliveweb.tv and certainly on the radio, too (I will find the link later). Meanwhile, here is an exquisite rendition, her voice, the poem, the orchestra and her natural elegance, makes it really fine and moving. (many thanks to Palamede92 who uploaded the whole cycle sung by Anja Harteros)

It's a waltz ! With Alice Coote....

If music is like swimming, (you learn in your early time and then it is in you for ever) then, I still can swim... So, when I discovered this song, with this artist, Alice Coote, I spent the week-end with, plus part of last night on air too, then breakfast time today through youtube, I felt like humming this slow waltz and perhaps chance trying it on the old piano... This mezzo is also a huge emotional bang for another 6 days or so HERE . No wonder she received the Kathleen Ferrier Awards! She has the real cello touch. LINK to the fifth Ruckert lieder: "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" sung by Alice Coote the night of the recital at Wigmore Hall broadcasted on BBCradio 3 last sunday . The simple and moving talk as her 'encore' will be always treasured. The rose bouquet from my son's garden is on the old piano among some of my CDs of "Klever Kaff"as she used to refer to herself in her family. (My sincere thanks to kadoguy). (My 'awareness' is due to fantastic professional music blogs I follow Intermezzo and Eyesometric and I thank them heartily ).