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 ).

Just a glance : Musée Rodin on Sept 13.

Some thirty years after my first visit to Musée Rodin, I revisited this amazing place and gardens. I had the feeling marble was as light as feathers and that flesh and bodies were having heavenly embraces sometimes, feet were not even touching the ground. And the marble was so white! It was a complete change with my old memories of a rather over crowded sort of glass warehouse with too many greyish statues.
It was raining on the Thinker and on the roses.

Maria.

Could I miss this date?
I am having some drawbacks with my Mac and it will take some time to be fixed;here I am not on mine. To celebrate Maria Callas I revisited you tube and found a treasure to be shared by all Maria's faithful followers.
Norma, completely uploaded by paliatsaras
(Thank you so much for this treasure for all of us tonight).

On france Musique at 7.08 pm: Last Night of the Proms

Joseph Calleja will be singing all night.
LINK

Just a thought: Natalie Dessay sings Claude Nougaro.

Autour de minuit.
I am so moved to actually see Natalie Dessay soon in Marseille Opera house, in her new repertoire, having Claude Nougaro's songs on her programme.
I was very fond of him as a Pop and Jazz singer.
Before he died, I watched a late show on TV they made together. He was very ill then and her vocalizing was taking him far from his sufferings, and he was getting some peace from her singing, his head resting on his wife's knees.
Natalie was there, she was a good friend of his.
N. Dessay has found in Michel Legrand a gifted composer and jazz player and a kind of 'father' image in music!
From all the glorious arias she has given us plus her fantastic acting I like her very much and hate what I can read on French opera forums where some people seem to know her voice and singing abilities better than her and despise her a lot.
This month Classica offers a very good article where she expresses her happy moments and her fears and her hopes to take a new start in performing arts.
She did not have an easy time with her voice.I love what she does with Emmanuelle Haïm and of course when I had the pleasure to see her in Melisande with her husband Laurent Naouri in Golaud, it was a great night at the TCE, Marie Nicole Lemieux and Simon Keenleyside (Pelleas) were also on the cast. How could I forget such beautiful moments?
I will be seeing her here on Dec the 10th and will be so pleased, for Claude Nougaro's memory and her great artistic skills.

Pierre Nougaro, Claude's father in 1947 Le Chemineau, Photo Canali Marseille.(please do ask me if you would like to copy this old photo of mine).
His family was somehow part of my "music" family as his father, the well known baritone Pierre Nougaro, helped my family sometime in the fearful period of Second World War, and all I have to share is my mother respect and affection for his parents who were so generous toward us in those days.
ESTI has followed N. Dessay for some time and has given great accounts in smashing videos all on you tube.
Some links:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=US7EuzHOm9A
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZphFVQyTcas
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkpv5olOKIA