the Charm of Erhu (二胡)Music.

On June the 21st I had the great pleasure to attend an evening about the Erhu Music at Shanghai Conservatoire.
`I did not understand the conference, but I certainly enjoyed all the different types of music played by talented artists on this magic instrument with only two strings.
Before I went to this special evening I made some research on the web about the music which was going to be performed.
Among the pieces was the most famous one called 'Moon reflected on Second Spring'. (link to the article in "Hidden Harmonies)
 In Shanghai I did not have access to youtube but I found a marvellous site with a whole article on this famous Erhu music and I was moved to tears by the music,  the life story of its composer.
This post has both versions of this moving tune, the genuine one played by its composer, Abing, and a modern version.
All my thanks to the blogger of 'Hidden harmonies' which is not only fantastic for this particularly Erhu music.
On China as well, it is an endless source of information.
The concert Hall was packed. It was the music school music festival and the last conference on the Erhu. There were music teachers, lots of children and young people ! certainly not the dead atmosphere which is felt in our concert halls.

I often listen to this piece of music and think of all the sorrows which can be transformed by music.

Happy Hour!

Stop singing out of tune...
29 May 2013 Shanghai insect, flower, fish, bird Market,万商花鸟市场, 417 Xizang Nan Lu,

In my telly last night: Anja Harteros -Elizabeth .

Don Carlo live broadcast from Salzburg Festival. What a treat!
An unknown chorus of oppressed folk starving in cold weather, then the Fontainebleau meeting and above all the Lacrymosa after Posa's death: Could I ask for more?
Gorgeous costumes in a bare setting full of meaning when the cameras moved according to what is sung and expressed on the singers'face, plus intense musical  parts with Antonio Pappano's efficient conducting,  made this rendition really valuable.
Some of my sceen captures at  one crucial moment,

Act 1,
The veiled mother:

Carlo wants help from his Queen to leave l'Escurial,  proper inferno,  but bursts with love for Elizabeth his former fiançée:

At his cry of love, she also allows herself to listen to her heart. She unveils:
They cannot repress their love for each other. The singing is heartbreaking from both Anja Harteros and Jonas Kauflmann.

 brief love instant, surrounded by doomed future for both :

It is impossible for me to imagine another duo for this type of opera:  they match vocally, physically and also dramatically as they both have an extreme sense of restraint.  Their voices of course are above criticism most of the time, even if Jonas Kaufmann has not a solar voice like Italian tenors. He is really a fine singer.
This beautiful image will not last. they will end on their knees, crushed by Fatum....and death.
I only want to keep here the beauty of these artists on my telly.... for a night.(and more ...)
Of course VIVA VERDI!

Bye-Bye Robert.

Why did you have to leave us so soon?


We feel sorry we did not come to you all these years.
You will always be in our hearts.
The days you played for us and even joined the band for the Harvest Festival in Forcalquier cannot be forgotten!
We were much younger.
Music is your life ! 
 We share it, feel it,  the way you wanted, for  the time which is left to us here.
Bye Robert.
 Is it you performing here? Tchaïkovsky....
Bye.... Nina will keep good care of you as she always did, through her violin too.
Bye Robert.
 Yesterday is our Eternity.

Sunday 27th JUNE 2010 - 7.30pm

AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S CHURCH

ST. BARTHOLOMEW FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Conductor - Robert Trory
Sol Cello - Maja Bogdanovic Following her sensational London debut last year, Maja Bogdanovic returns to close this year’s Sydenham Festival with the Elgar Concerto in what promises to be an even greater occasion.

Weber: Overture ‘Oberon'
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85
Sibelius: Symphony No 5 in Eb major Op.82

“The young Serbian cellist Maja Bogdanovic, gave an absolutely breathtaking account of Shostakovich’s First cello Concerto, literally from first bar to last. “ Musical Opinion

Robert Trory again accompanies with the amazing St Bartholomew Festival Orchestra

 

Robert Trory

Today, Sydenham 

12 Aug 2013 11:08

I have just received this: 

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Robert Trory on Friday 9 August. Robert, who was the inspiration behind the Sydenham International Music Festival and our Musical Director for more than ten years, died peacefully at home after bravely fighting his illness since early last year.

Robert’s funeral will be at 11:00 on Tuesday 20 August and will be held at the church of Our Lady and St Philip Neri in Sydenham.

From the Trustees of Sydenham Music with sympathy to Nina and all of Robert’s Family

I would like to add my own thanks to Robert for the wonderful musical events he brought to Sydenham.
For those wishing to know more about Robert: http://roberttrory.com/

.

Warm week-end at Festival de l'Empéri in Salon de Provence!

Sometimes a quiet ride not too far from home with no opera in sight, only nice quartets and quintets to listen to in nice open air surroundings, has plenty of charms and fulfill some purposes.
Having spent some time in China and coming back to the reality of housekeeping then to the arrival of grandchildren,  somehow made a lot to cope with, after three months of farniente.
I did not intend to travel again for musical events to expensive festivals around the world!
So I went  round the corner, took the local bus from Aix en Provence and booked three nights in Salon at Hôtel d'Angleterre, very cosy and affordable, with even a very efficient and discreet air conditioner, plus four very cheap tickets for outdoor concerts mainly.
This is a marvellous way to spend sleepless nights because of the heat.
It was never too warm in the Cour du Château de l'Empéri during the  nights I stayed there.
Watching the stars coming out, the rather scared swifts disappearing promptly in the triangular hole at the first violin bow strikes, then having the tireless cicadas competing with the musicians, gave me endless pleasure to listen to and odd things to glance at.
 The music was really fine and full of happy seriousness and joy. The musicians were at one point or another keeping an eye on each other and smiling. These smiles were the sign of total enjoyment to be out of concert halls and in a closer contact with the audience.

Summery and relaxed, they did not give the impression it was hard work! It was possible to go and listen to them rehearse in the Cour Renaissance.
All the programs were discoveries for me( apart for Harold in Italy) and I was charmed by the young Zaire quartet, the fantastic wind quintet and the orchestra of eleven members for some pieces like Nino Rota 'La Strada' transcription which was a great success and opened the concert at La cour du château for 'Viva Verdi'evening.

I particularly enjoyed the witty clarinettist  Paul Meyer who immediately played the phone jingle which had just disturbed the end of the afternoon concert on Sunday... and the flutist also played an echo of the jingle, all that done with smiles and good humour!

They received great applause at a jazzy piece  of la Strada and gave it as an encore before going up the hill to rehearse for the evening concert up the Castle.
They opened the Viva Verdi concert with the same piece and had also great success!

Dimanche 4 août ,

On Sunday:FREE CONCERTS (with Marseille Capitale de la Culture )

19:00 Place Saint-Michel : La Strada

Bechara El-Khoury

Mare Nostrum: I adored it, really thought I was miles away carried away by the waves of the music.

Deborah Nemtanu (violon) - Maja Avramovic (violon) - Joaquin Riquelme Garcia (alto) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle) - Olivier Thiery (contrebasse) - Emmanuel Pahud (flûte) - François Meyer (hautbois) - Paul Meyer (clarinette) - Chezy Nir (cor) - Gilbert Audin (basson)

Nino Rota: Loved the trumpet player most!

Suite de La Strada (arrangement de Ohad Ben Ari)

Deborah Nemtanu (violon) - Maja Avramovic (violon) - Joaquin Riquelme Garcia (alto) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle) - Olivier Thiery (contrebasse) - Emmanuel Pahud (flûte) - François Meyer (hautbois) - Paul Meyer (clarinette) - Gilbert Audin (basson) - Chezy Nir (cor) - Sergei Nakariakov (trompette) - Emmanuel Curt (percussions)

21:00 Château de l'Emperi : Alcazar Memories

Leos Janacek

Quatuor à cordes n°2, "Lettres intimes"

Quatuor Zaïde (quatuor à cordes)

Paul Lay

Alcazar Memories

Isabel Sörling (soprano) - Simon Tailleu (contrebasse) - Paul Lay (piano)

Bohuslav Martinu

Quatuor à cordes

Quatuor Zaïde (quatuor à cordes)

Lundi 5 août

On Monday:
There was a change in the program, as the orchestra opened the night with Nino Rota 'la strada'.
then it followed the program but I did not feel like staying for the last part 'Alcazar memories'. Of course it would have been interesting to discover the jazzy tunes I heard singing in my youth, by relatives and on the radio...  here is the trailor I found on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r7B-W55paY

18:00 Eglise Saint-Michel : Déborah Nemtanu & Raphaël Perraud

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Duo pour violon et violoncelle en sol majeur

Deborah Nemtanu (violon) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle)

Maurice Ravel

Sonate pour violon et violoncelle en ut majeur

Deborah Nemtanu (violon) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle)

Georg Friedrich Haendel

Passacaille (arrangement de Johan Halvorsen)

Deborah Nemtanu (violon) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle)

21:00 Château de l'Emperi : Viva Italia

Hector Berlioz

Harold en Italie (transcription pour alto et piano de Franz Liszt)

Amihai Grosz (alto) - Denis Pascal (piano)

Hugo Wolf

Sérénade italienne en sol majeur pour quatuor

Quatuor Zaïde (quatuor à cordes)

Giuseppe Verdi

Quintette à vents (arrangement de Mordechai Rechtmann du quatuor en mi mineur)

Emmanuel Pahud (flûte) - François Meyer (hautbois) - Paul Meyer (clarinette) - Chezy Nir (cor) - Gilbert Audin (basson)

Nino Rota

Nonette pour flûte, hautbois, clarinette, basson, cor, violon, alto, violoncelle et contrebasse

Emmanuel Pahud (flûte) - François Meyer (hautbois) - Paul Meyer (clarinette) - Gilbert Audin (basson) - Chezy Nir (cor) - Maja Avramovic (violon) - Joaquin Riquelme Garcia (alto) - Raphaël Perraud (violoncelle) - Olivier Thiery (contrebasse)

Maja Avramovic (violon)

loncelle)

What I also enjoyed a lot were the refreshing snacks done by local Chefs each night I spent there.
The last one done by La Bastide Chef was a real gem! It looked so Asian to me ! It was delicious and cold with lots of al dente braised vegetables  inside and with a smart thin bamboo stick to deal with!

(Egg plant slice roll filled with little courgettes, red pepper,  tomato cubes, grated hard parmigiano cheese, local olive oil as it is produced there, and a slice of Italian ham on  top of the roll, resting on a thin slice of spicy bread, perhaps cucurma as it was yellow, sunny! with sesame seeds on the crust, delicious vegetable roll! looking like a spring roll in a way! delicious...!!! and adorned with a basil leaf of course, we cannot cook without basil in summer....)
LA BASTIDE DU MOULIN A POIVRE, artisan restaurateur, slow food. 13330 Pélissanne, 0490553051.

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Happy Hour!

Don't expect a free drink!
Perhaps a laugh....
This is the first HH
Maestro V.Gergiev could fairly well enlarge his repertoire to:
La Mascotte.
Guess why?

Thanks so much Turkeycartoons for the pict!