Friday, December 5, 2014
ANSFTD
Two hydrogen atoms collide. One asks the other, "Are you okay?". The second one says, "No, I'm afraid I lost an electron." "Really," says the first one, "are you sure?" "Of course," says the other one, "I'm positive."
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
CARMEN: Bizet's Sultry Masterpiece (Needs Less Sex, Dang It!)
Ah Carmen, one of the Top Four Most Popular Operas Ever, and my number one favorite. This was the simulcast this past weekend. Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili sang the title role of the tragically foolish gypsy girl. Tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko was Carmen's victim and downfall, the soldier Don Jose. Soprano Anita Hartig was Jose's childhood sweetheart Micaëla, and rounding out the cast was Ildar Abdrazakov making his second Live in HD appearance in a row this season as the swaggering bullfighter Escamillo.
The plot is straight forward enough. Carmen is a gypsy girl who is used to dishonest men and so is only in it to survive. She seduces men, loves them for a while, and then ditches them. Don Jose is an army corporal who is engaged to his childhood sweetheart Micaëla. One day, Don Jose is ordered to take Carmen to prison after she fights another girl and slashes her face. Carmen seduces Don Jose, who lets her go, and for that he arrested, demoted, and sent to prison for two months.
At Lillas Pastia's inn, Carmen meets the bullfighter Escamillo, who says he will wait for her. When she and Don Jose meet again that night, she dances for him until bugles sound calling Don Jose to return to barracks. Carmen and Don Jose argue and he produces the flower that she threw him, and declares his love. Carmen, who is not used to a man truly loving her, mocks him. He is about to leave when his superior comes in in order to take him back to barracks. Don Jose fights him and now has no choice but to join Carmen's gang of gypsy smugglers.
Several months have gone by and Carmen has tired of Don Jose and left him for Escamillo. Carmen consults some tarot cards which predict death for both her and Don Jose. When Escamillo arrives and reveals that he is Carmen's new lover, he and the jealous Don Jose duel, ending when Carmen comes in. Meanwhile the faithful Micaëla has come looking for Don Jose to tell him that his mother is dying. Deeply moved, he follows her home.
Several more months go by and it's the day of the big bullfight. Two of Carmen's friends warn her that Don Jose is in the crowd, but Carmen, both proud and superstitious, says she is not afraid and believes her fate is inevitable. After everyone enters the bullring, she confronts Don Jose alone. He pleads with her but she'll have none of it. Don Jose's jealousy mounts as Carmen's defiance continues and finally he stabs her to death just as the crowd inside proclaims Escamillo's victory.
I have one major quibble with the direction in this production. It is a very sensuous opera already, but many directors, such as Richard Eyre (the man behind this one), think that they need to step up the level of sexy and make it shocking. Talk about Coals to Newcastle! This opera was already shocking for it's day when it premiered in 1875. It does not need to be made more shocking than it already is.
One thing I would love is to see a production that focued on the drama as opposed to the sex. I have seen clips and photos of a recent production in Lyon that was so obscene I don't even want to hint at it, and it makes want to douse my head in bleach. We don't need to see Don Jose get between Carmen's legs or even kiss her shins. Don't get me wrong, the acting was superb. But the sex content was just so in your face. The soldiers in the first scene try looking up Micaëla's dress. I mean come on, does that not scream excessive to anyone? There is enough sensuousness in the music and the story that making it sexier just distracts from the drama. Mind you, there was no nudity or actual sex (thankfully), but it was still as subtle as a brick.
I also hate it when Carmen is made into a feminist icon. She is a foolish gypsy girl who has only known dishonest people. So in her mind, if she's calling all the shots, she's home safe. It's her failure to recognize when someone is genuinely in love with her that destroys her (Jose isn't exactly a paragon of wisdom either).
Again, don't assume that somehow I hate the acting. Anita Rachvelishvilii is a superb Carmen and even looks the part. What's even more amazing is that she has performed the role numerous times already, is a huge opera star, and she's only a year younger than my oldest sister (who is 30).
Ildar Abdrazakov has already run the gamut and it's only the beginning of the season. He has performed the roles of both Figaro and Escamillo back to back, which is no small undertaking. To be able to do both hilarious Mozart lyricism and gritty Bizet realism requires quite a lot of stamina.
Aleksandrs Antonenko was respectable as Don Jose. While I don't think he's quite on par with the likes of Yonghoon Lee, Placido Domingo, or Roberto Alagna, he does a decent job with the role. I think his best scene is where at the end, but that's because he looked a bit like Wolverine from X-Men minus the claws and super powers (it was the way his hair was done).
Whatever critics said about Anita Hartig as Micaëla before I can safely say that they were wrong about her performance. I think she was the most superb Micaëla I've ever seen, save perhaps Barbara Frittoli back in 2010. Hartig brought out the country girl's strength in a way I had never seen before. You know, Micaëla is the one character in Carmen whom I think doesn't get enough respect in this day and age. I used to think she was just some whiny little dope, but after seeing Frittoli in action and especially after working on the Act 3 aria myself, i can safely say Micaëla comes off as the stronger character than Carmen does. But she's too often treated as kind of a sweet young thing rather than the strong woman that she is. She's going up against soldiers and smugglers alone. That takes guts. And Hartig's Micaëla was also very passionate and stern. I had never seen that in any Micaëla for the longest time.
If there is one moment in the opera that I would say is my favorite, it's the Act 1 love duet between Don Jose and Micaëla. This is the only moment in the whole opera where we see someone truly happy. Jose and Micaëla talk about home and Jose's mother who is praying and thinking of him. And we see that they love each other and want to be together. It is so moving I cannot explain it.
The singers' performance was outstanding, but seriously, the sexuality needs to be taken down several notches. I want subtle sexual tension even from a sensuous opera like this one. I wouldn't be so hard on productions of Carmen if it didn't happen to be my absolute favorite opera ever. I have very high standards for this piece.
The plot is straight forward enough. Carmen is a gypsy girl who is used to dishonest men and so is only in it to survive. She seduces men, loves them for a while, and then ditches them. Don Jose is an army corporal who is engaged to his childhood sweetheart Micaëla. One day, Don Jose is ordered to take Carmen to prison after she fights another girl and slashes her face. Carmen seduces Don Jose, who lets her go, and for that he arrested, demoted, and sent to prison for two months.
At Lillas Pastia's inn, Carmen meets the bullfighter Escamillo, who says he will wait for her. When she and Don Jose meet again that night, she dances for him until bugles sound calling Don Jose to return to barracks. Carmen and Don Jose argue and he produces the flower that she threw him, and declares his love. Carmen, who is not used to a man truly loving her, mocks him. He is about to leave when his superior comes in in order to take him back to barracks. Don Jose fights him and now has no choice but to join Carmen's gang of gypsy smugglers.
Several months have gone by and Carmen has tired of Don Jose and left him for Escamillo. Carmen consults some tarot cards which predict death for both her and Don Jose. When Escamillo arrives and reveals that he is Carmen's new lover, he and the jealous Don Jose duel, ending when Carmen comes in. Meanwhile the faithful Micaëla has come looking for Don Jose to tell him that his mother is dying. Deeply moved, he follows her home.
Several more months go by and it's the day of the big bullfight. Two of Carmen's friends warn her that Don Jose is in the crowd, but Carmen, both proud and superstitious, says she is not afraid and believes her fate is inevitable. After everyone enters the bullring, she confronts Don Jose alone. He pleads with her but she'll have none of it. Don Jose's jealousy mounts as Carmen's defiance continues and finally he stabs her to death just as the crowd inside proclaims Escamillo's victory.
I have one major quibble with the direction in this production. It is a very sensuous opera already, but many directors, such as Richard Eyre (the man behind this one), think that they need to step up the level of sexy and make it shocking. Talk about Coals to Newcastle! This opera was already shocking for it's day when it premiered in 1875. It does not need to be made more shocking than it already is.
One thing I would love is to see a production that focued on the drama as opposed to the sex. I have seen clips and photos of a recent production in Lyon that was so obscene I don't even want to hint at it, and it makes want to douse my head in bleach. We don't need to see Don Jose get between Carmen's legs or even kiss her shins. Don't get me wrong, the acting was superb. But the sex content was just so in your face. The soldiers in the first scene try looking up Micaëla's dress. I mean come on, does that not scream excessive to anyone? There is enough sensuousness in the music and the story that making it sexier just distracts from the drama. Mind you, there was no nudity or actual sex (thankfully), but it was still as subtle as a brick.
I also hate it when Carmen is made into a feminist icon. She is a foolish gypsy girl who has only known dishonest people. So in her mind, if she's calling all the shots, she's home safe. It's her failure to recognize when someone is genuinely in love with her that destroys her (Jose isn't exactly a paragon of wisdom either).
Again, don't assume that somehow I hate the acting. Anita Rachvelishvilii is a superb Carmen and even looks the part. What's even more amazing is that she has performed the role numerous times already, is a huge opera star, and she's only a year younger than my oldest sister (who is 30).
Ildar Abdrazakov has already run the gamut and it's only the beginning of the season. He has performed the roles of both Figaro and Escamillo back to back, which is no small undertaking. To be able to do both hilarious Mozart lyricism and gritty Bizet realism requires quite a lot of stamina.
Aleksandrs Antonenko was respectable as Don Jose. While I don't think he's quite on par with the likes of Yonghoon Lee, Placido Domingo, or Roberto Alagna, he does a decent job with the role. I think his best scene is where at the end, but that's because he looked a bit like Wolverine from X-Men minus the claws and super powers (it was the way his hair was done).
Whatever critics said about Anita Hartig as Micaëla before I can safely say that they were wrong about her performance. I think she was the most superb Micaëla I've ever seen, save perhaps Barbara Frittoli back in 2010. Hartig brought out the country girl's strength in a way I had never seen before. You know, Micaëla is the one character in Carmen whom I think doesn't get enough respect in this day and age. I used to think she was just some whiny little dope, but after seeing Frittoli in action and especially after working on the Act 3 aria myself, i can safely say Micaëla comes off as the stronger character than Carmen does. But she's too often treated as kind of a sweet young thing rather than the strong woman that she is. She's going up against soldiers and smugglers alone. That takes guts. And Hartig's Micaëla was also very passionate and stern. I had never seen that in any Micaëla for the longest time.
If there is one moment in the opera that I would say is my favorite, it's the Act 1 love duet between Don Jose and Micaëla. This is the only moment in the whole opera where we see someone truly happy. Jose and Micaëla talk about home and Jose's mother who is praying and thinking of him. And we see that they love each other and want to be together. It is so moving I cannot explain it.
The singers' performance was outstanding, but seriously, the sexuality needs to be taken down several notches. I want subtle sexual tension even from a sensuous opera like this one. I wouldn't be so hard on productions of Carmen if it didn't happen to be my absolute favorite opera ever. I have very high standards for this piece.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO: More Mozartian Madness
Ah, The Marriage of Figaro, without a doubt one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's greatest achievements. It is the sequel to Il Barbiere di Siviglia, where the Count Almaviva courts and wins the beautiful Rosina. As is typical with a farce, time and space do not apply in any way, shape, or form, and all 21st Century ideas are to be left at the door as they do not apply here either.
We meet three familiar characters, Figaro, Count Almaviva, and Rosina, now the Countess. We also meet Figaro's fiancee Susanna. Add to the mix a hormonal teenage page boy named Cherubino, a jealous middle-aged woman named Marcellina, and a typical sassy teenager named Barbarina, and you have a perfect recipe for madness.
This classic farce is hard to describe in my typical detail-heavy style. I will explain it simply. Figaro is now the Count Almaviva's valet. He is engaged to Susanna, the Countess Almaviva's maid. On their wedding day, Susanna tell Figaro that the Count has made advances towards her and wants to reclaim the feudal right which permitted the lord of the manor to have adulterous sex with the bride of his servant om the wedding night. Figaro hatches a plan to fool the Count, which blows up in his face. Susanna and the Countess hatch a plan that succeeds. Suffice it to say, in the end the Count repents, the Countess forgives him, and everyone lives happily ever after. But not before a whole day of ridiculous hijinks that in real life would drive the average person insane.
This was another Richer Eyre production. He seems to have have an affinity for sets that move on turntables and updating the stories. We saw these in his productions of Carmen and Il Trovatore. And he does it again here. He updates the story from 18th Century Seville to 1930's Seville. The set is still an 18th Century mansion and it has a lot of Moorish influence.
Leading the cast were bass Ildar Abdrazakov (Number 11 on my Top Favorites list), and soprano Marlis Petersen as the titular couple. In the roles of the Count and Countess Almaviva were baritone Peter Mattei and soprano Amanda Majeski. And singing the part of the hormonal Cherubino was mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (who, by the way, will be returning in three weeks to sing the role of Rosina in The Barber of Seville). What a stellar cast. I can't say anything that will do justice to the singers at all.
The highlights of the opera have to be Figaro's big aria at the end of Act 1, the Countess's plaintive entrance aria which opens Act 2, and Cherubino's antics. I have to say Isabel Leonard as Cherubino juist plain stole the show. Whether he's singing about getting heart palpitations around every woman he sees, or being disguised as a girl, Cherubino is a joy and a delight, despite whatever the Count thinks of him. It's even more hilarious when you consider the fact that Cherubino is a trouser rrole for mezzo-soprano, so in some scenes we have a girl playing a boy playing a girl (your head may now explode).
A big "Bravi" to the entire cast.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: I goofed; it was Sir David McVicar did the current Met production of Il Trovatore.
We meet three familiar characters, Figaro, Count Almaviva, and Rosina, now the Countess. We also meet Figaro's fiancee Susanna. Add to the mix a hormonal teenage page boy named Cherubino, a jealous middle-aged woman named Marcellina, and a typical sassy teenager named Barbarina, and you have a perfect recipe for madness.
This classic farce is hard to describe in my typical detail-heavy style. I will explain it simply. Figaro is now the Count Almaviva's valet. He is engaged to Susanna, the Countess Almaviva's maid. On their wedding day, Susanna tell Figaro that the Count has made advances towards her and wants to reclaim the feudal right which permitted the lord of the manor to have adulterous sex with the bride of his servant om the wedding night. Figaro hatches a plan to fool the Count, which blows up in his face. Susanna and the Countess hatch a plan that succeeds. Suffice it to say, in the end the Count repents, the Countess forgives him, and everyone lives happily ever after. But not before a whole day of ridiculous hijinks that in real life would drive the average person insane.
This was another Richer Eyre production. He seems to have have an affinity for sets that move on turntables and updating the stories. We saw these in his productions of Carmen and Il Trovatore. And he does it again here. He updates the story from 18th Century Seville to 1930's Seville. The set is still an 18th Century mansion and it has a lot of Moorish influence.
Leading the cast were bass Ildar Abdrazakov (Number 11 on my Top Favorites list), and soprano Marlis Petersen as the titular couple. In the roles of the Count and Countess Almaviva were baritone Peter Mattei and soprano Amanda Majeski. And singing the part of the hormonal Cherubino was mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (who, by the way, will be returning in three weeks to sing the role of Rosina in The Barber of Seville). What a stellar cast. I can't say anything that will do justice to the singers at all.
The highlights of the opera have to be Figaro's big aria at the end of Act 1, the Countess's plaintive entrance aria which opens Act 2, and Cherubino's antics. I have to say Isabel Leonard as Cherubino juist plain stole the show. Whether he's singing about getting heart palpitations around every woman he sees, or being disguised as a girl, Cherubino is a joy and a delight, despite whatever the Count thinks of him. It's even more hilarious when you consider the fact that Cherubino is a trouser rrole for mezzo-soprano, so in some scenes we have a girl playing a boy playing a girl (your head may now explode).
A big "Bravi" to the entire cast.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: I goofed; it was Sir David McVicar did the current Met production of Il Trovatore.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
ANFSTD
A man walks up to friend and asks, "Did you leave home today?". "Yes, I left home," says his friend. "Did you put the cat out?" asks the first guy. And the second guy says, "I didn't know he was on fire!".
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
African Children's Choir
Psalm 8:2. "Out of the mouths of children and infants, You have ordained praise".
I had an amazing opportunity this evening to go see the African Children's Choir perform over at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church. I cannot review the performance in the same way I review others for two reasons: First, the average age of these kids is between seven and ten years. Second, the purpose of the choir is to educate the children and bring them hope. These kids live in deep poverty and many have been orphaned by war and disease.
There are no words to fully describe what I saw tonight. All I can say was that among the songs they sang were two very old and very popular Sunday School mainstays, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and "This Little Light of Mine".
Africa holds a very special place in my heart because of my family's connection with both Liberia and Senegal. None of the kids in the choir are from either of those two countries, but seeing what God has done in the lives of these children moved my to tears at some moments.
I cannot even begin to describe the changes that have been made in the lives of those who have already been through the program. All I can say is that this choir has helped many children escape poverty and become healthy and strong people.
I had an amazing opportunity this evening to go see the African Children's Choir perform over at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church. I cannot review the performance in the same way I review others for two reasons: First, the average age of these kids is between seven and ten years. Second, the purpose of the choir is to educate the children and bring them hope. These kids live in deep poverty and many have been orphaned by war and disease.
There are no words to fully describe what I saw tonight. All I can say was that among the songs they sang were two very old and very popular Sunday School mainstays, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and "This Little Light of Mine".
Africa holds a very special place in my heart because of my family's connection with both Liberia and Senegal. None of the kids in the choir are from either of those two countries, but seeing what God has done in the lives of these children moved my to tears at some moments.
I cannot even begin to describe the changes that have been made in the lives of those who have already been through the program. All I can say is that this choir has helped many children escape poverty and become healthy and strong people.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
ANFSTD
A customer in a restaurant complains that the apple pie is worst he's ever tasted. "What does it taste like?", asks the waiter. "Glue," says the customer. "Oh, that's the pumpkin pie," says the waiter, "The apple pie tastes like mud."
BIONICLE Reboot
Apparently it has been confirmed that LEGO intends to reboot the popular Bionicle toy line that ran from 2001 to 2009. It is a science-fantasy story about bio-mechanical creatures who fight against monsters. It started with six heroes trying to protect their home from beguiled Rahi and ended with Mata Nui killing off Teridax.
This was a very unique storyline. As much as I would love to see it come back, I don't think it will have the same zing that it did during its original run.
Each storyline in the Bionicle continuum has a sextette of heroes called Toa, each with carrying one of six elements: fire, water, earth, air, ice, and stone. The storylines always came in two parts with the Toa changing shape for some reason or another. And the common enemies always changed to.
LEGO has a huge challenge ahead of them. I really doubt that the rebooted version of Bionicle would match up to the original.
This was a very unique storyline. As much as I would love to see it come back, I don't think it will have the same zing that it did during its original run.
Each storyline in the Bionicle continuum has a sextette of heroes called Toa, each with carrying one of six elements: fire, water, earth, air, ice, and stone. The storylines always came in two parts with the Toa changing shape for some reason or another. And the common enemies always changed to.
LEGO has a huge challenge ahead of them. I really doubt that the rebooted version of Bionicle would match up to the original.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
How about that?
Many in my family have heard me say (and are tired of hearing it) that it would be awesome if I shared a birthday with one of Juan Diego Florez's kids. It turns out I already share a birthday with one of my favorite sopranos, Danielle de Niese.
I guess I shouldn't have worried about it.
I guess I shouldn't have worried about it.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Darwin Award Narrowly Avoided
Several days ago, a woman visiting Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison climbed over the barrier into the giraffe pen where she got kicked in the face by the young giraffe. Police said she's lucky she didn't suffer worse injuries. She has also been charged with harassing zoo animals.
What kind of nimrod thinks it's a good idea to try to enter animal pens without authorization? See my other post on this topic.
What kind of nimrod thinks it's a good idea to try to enter animal pens without authorization? See my other post on this topic.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Mariusz Kwiecien is singing in LA BOHEME?
That's odd. Usually Kwiecien sings a bunch of Casanova-type characters. Is he singing Marcello or Colline? He certainly cannot be singing the role of Benoît the landlord or Alcindoro, Musetta's sugar daddy in Act 2.
I usually see Kwiecien as someone like Escamillo, or Onegin, or Don Giovanni. He's also done Silvio in Pagliacci, Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Sergeant Belcore in The Elixir of Love. But I have never heard of him doing the role of a frustrated painter whose coquettish girlfriend keeps playing with him all the time.
Did I read the cast sheet right?
I usually see Kwiecien as someone like Escamillo, or Onegin, or Don Giovanni. He's also done Silvio in Pagliacci, Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Sergeant Belcore in The Elixir of Love. But I have never heard of him doing the role of a frustrated painter whose coquettish girlfriend keeps playing with him all the time.
Did I read the cast sheet right?
Sunday, August 17, 2014
PRINCESS IDA or CASTLE ADAMANT
If only I had enough words to describe the complicated goofiness that is Gilbert and Sullivan's little-known work Princess Ida. This parody of feminism not only takes a swing at the rise of girl schools, but also takes the opportunity to mock everything academic in general, not to mention taking a few jabs at Darwin's theory of evolution. This being a farce, and a Gilbert and Sullivan farce at that, time and logic absolutely do not apply in any way, shape or form.
This being a three-act operetta and having a somewhat more complicated plot than most of Gilbert and Sullivan's other works, I'll only give a brief summary.
Basic plot goes like this: Princess Ida, the daughter of King Gama, has founded a school for girls at Castle Adamant and refuses the company of men considering them to be the scum of the earth. Prince Hilarion, whom Ida was engaged when the two were babies, still wishes to marry her. Suffice it to say hilarity ensues, Ida and Hilarion reconcile, and everyone gets married an lives happily ever after.
The main high points of this show were King Gama's ridiculous aria in Act 1, and the antics of Hilarion his buddies when they disguise as women in order to infiltrate Castle Adamant. Actually, with the style of costume they chose, they looked more like 19th Century monks or Anglican bishops. A lot of the comedy came from their hilarious inability to fully discguise the fact that they are men. Cyril gets drunk in one scene and starts singing a bawdy song and Hilarion grabs the wine jug and takes a swig (one of those I-Need-A-Drink-To-Distract-Me moments).
The only downside was that the men's chorus was little more than a quintet. That is even worse than last year's performance of Iolanthe where the men's chorus was an octet. So the Madison Savoyards are doing The Mikado next year instead of the originally planned The Gondoliers. The group needs more men*.
Great show nonetheless, and I'm looking forward to The Mikado next year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This is a recommendation for any men who are interested in trying out for the chorus next year.
This being a three-act operetta and having a somewhat more complicated plot than most of Gilbert and Sullivan's other works, I'll only give a brief summary.
Basic plot goes like this: Princess Ida, the daughter of King Gama, has founded a school for girls at Castle Adamant and refuses the company of men considering them to be the scum of the earth. Prince Hilarion, whom Ida was engaged when the two were babies, still wishes to marry her. Suffice it to say hilarity ensues, Ida and Hilarion reconcile, and everyone gets married an lives happily ever after.
The main high points of this show were King Gama's ridiculous aria in Act 1, and the antics of Hilarion his buddies when they disguise as women in order to infiltrate Castle Adamant. Actually, with the style of costume they chose, they looked more like 19th Century monks or Anglican bishops. A lot of the comedy came from their hilarious inability to fully discguise the fact that they are men. Cyril gets drunk in one scene and starts singing a bawdy song and Hilarion grabs the wine jug and takes a swig (one of those I-Need-A-Drink-To-Distract-Me moments).
The only downside was that the men's chorus was little more than a quintet. That is even worse than last year's performance of Iolanthe where the men's chorus was an octet. So the Madison Savoyards are doing The Mikado next year instead of the originally planned The Gondoliers. The group needs more men*.
Great show nonetheless, and I'm looking forward to The Mikado next year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This is a recommendation for any men who are interested in trying out for the chorus next year.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Robin Williams: 1951-2014
On August 11th, 2014, the great comedian Robin Williams died at age 63, possibly by his own hand. He had been battling depression for quite some time. I didn't see much of him; I saw Disney's rendition of Aladdin far too long ago for me to fully appreciate Williams' role as the voice of the Genie. I did, however, get to enjoy him as the voice of Fender in the movie Robots, and later as the Teddy Roosevelt model in Night at the Museum when I saw it back in late January of 2007.
My mother told me the story of Williams' audition for the role of Mork in the TV show Mork and Mindy. The casting people were asking the candidates (for lack of a better word) to show how an alien might sit down. While the other sat down in a regular way with some little oddity here or there, Williams sat on his head.
He is also remembered for his serious roles, such as The Dead Poets Society. I only saw a clip from that one, but what performance. In particular, the way he said "Capre Diem" makes it one of the most memorable movie quotes ever.
Robin Williams was a splendid actor and comic. He will be greatly missed.
My mother told me the story of Williams' audition for the role of Mork in the TV show Mork and Mindy. The casting people were asking the candidates (for lack of a better word) to show how an alien might sit down. While the other sat down in a regular way with some little oddity here or there, Williams sat on his head.
He is also remembered for his serious roles, such as The Dead Poets Society. I only saw a clip from that one, but what performance. In particular, the way he said "Capre Diem" makes it one of the most memorable movie quotes ever.
Robin Williams was a splendid actor and comic. He will be greatly missed.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Jabberwocky: It's A Satire, Not An Antagonist!
I hate it when people try to adapt Lewis Carrol's masterpiece Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and keep crossing it over with his other masterpiece Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. This often leads to some of the lamest, most overdone, phony-baloney plot-devices ever found in the history of satirical literature. Such stupidities include, but are not limited to, making the Queen of Hearts a tyrant when she's merely grouchy, mixing her up with the Red Queen (who was of a much more amiable nature), making Alice come back when she's a young woman and finds that Wonderland is in grave danger, the list just keeps going.
Perhaps the worst plot device of them all is making the Jabberwock a threat/antagonist in the story. The monster only appears in a nonsensical poem Alice reads and is only mentioned again when she talks to Humpty Dumpty about what words of the poem even mean.
Before I go any further on this, let's look at the poem itself for a moment.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Perhaps the worst plot device of them all is making the Jabberwock a threat/antagonist in the story. The monster only appears in a nonsensical poem Alice reads and is only mentioned again when she talks to Humpty Dumpty about what words of the poem even mean.
Before I go any further on this, let's look at the poem itself for a moment.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock my son,
The jaws that bite; the claws that catch.
Beware the Jubjub Bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch."
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought.
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came wiffling through the tulgy wood
And burbled as it came.
One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead and with its head,
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabous day! Caloo Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
This poem is a satire of the heroic epic. It has the bold hero going and slaying the monster. But the monster has a name that sounds more like a parrot squawk than anything else. And the young man is little more than a teenager. He also comes galumphing back instead of a heroic march. And the monster is burbling rather than roaring. That sounds more like a comic creature than a terrible one (although truth be told, it did scare me as a child). I could go on about the meaning of the words in the poem, but that would take too long.
So let's take a look at the titular creature next.
Look at that thing! Its neck could not possibly support its head at all. And do you really think its claws could catch anything? And its teeth look more like those of an herbivore. That tail looks very weak as well; it's just dragging on the ground. All in all the Jabberwock looks like a very disjointed and out-of-order creature that can't really survive.
So why do people insist on making it a villain? The so-called Jabberwock in the America Magee's Alice video game looks like rancor-dragon cyborg on steroids. And the one in Tim Burton's latest badfic looks like the result of what happens when Smaug has a drunk night out with a pterosaur. And both of them make it a threat. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK! Plus, it never even made an appearance outside of the poem.
Also, making it the chief henchbeast of the Queen of Hearts is one of the worst plot devices ever conceived. It not only is a terrible cliche, but replaces the Beamish Boy with Alice, and thus takes away all the humor from the poem. The two Alice novels are satirical novels that poke fun at the society of the day. They are not dark fantasy epics.
If there's any group that successfully pulled off making a good adaptaion of Lewis Carrol's work, it was the Muppets.
This version does the story right, namely that it adapts the story without sacrificing any of the original satire, (or more precisely, the Muppets used their own version of satire, but it was satire nonetheless). And as you can see, they kept the monster looking looking very much ridiculous.
So take the hint, Tim Burton and company! Lewis Carrol's works are meant to be hilarious and not fantasy epics. Please be so kind as to note that the poem Jabberwocky happens to be a parody of such epics. And with that in mind, LEAVE IT THE KRIFF ALONE!
So let's take a look at the titular creature next.
So why do people insist on making it a villain? The so-called Jabberwock in the America Magee's Alice video game looks like rancor-dragon cyborg on steroids. And the one in Tim Burton's latest badfic looks like the result of what happens when Smaug has a drunk night out with a pterosaur. And both of them make it a threat. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK! Plus, it never even made an appearance outside of the poem.
Also, making it the chief henchbeast of the Queen of Hearts is one of the worst plot devices ever conceived. It not only is a terrible cliche, but replaces the Beamish Boy with Alice, and thus takes away all the humor from the poem. The two Alice novels are satirical novels that poke fun at the society of the day. They are not dark fantasy epics.
If there's any group that successfully pulled off making a good adaptaion of Lewis Carrol's work, it was the Muppets.
So take the hint, Tim Burton and company! Lewis Carrol's works are meant to be hilarious and not fantasy epics. Please be so kind as to note that the poem Jabberwocky happens to be a parody of such epics. And with that in mind, LEAVE IT THE KRIFF ALONE!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Suarez Bite
Now that the hype is dying down, I think I can write about this incident. I'm not usually someone who gets interested in most sports (with the exception of the Chicago Cubs baseball team), this story has been all over the darn internet, so I may as well look at it.
About a week ago, Uruguay was playing against Italy in the FIFA World Cup, the big international soccer tournament. Moments before Uruguay's big score of the game, their best striker, Luiz Suárez , allegedly bit the Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini (The footage appears to confirm that it happened).
This brings up a very interesting question: Why in the world would a grown man bite someone during a game? This is the kind of behavior you'd expect from a four-year-old. There's talk aplenty about whether or not Suárez has mental issues; why are they not talking about maturity issues? This guy behaved in a childish way. And this ain't the first he's sunk choppers into an opponent. He did it to the Dutch Bakkal and the Russian Ivanovitch. He also prevented Ghana from winning back in 2010 by using his hand to block the ball (a big no-no in soccer), and was involved in an incident involving alleged racial abuse of another player.
It's such a shame to because Suárez is the best player on the Uruguayan team. After he got banned, Uruguay lost against Colombia and so is out the running. This guy's got talent and has won some pretty great goals for his team. I do hope he doesn't get banned for life. They should ban him for a year to work on his issues, and then try again.
About a week ago, Uruguay was playing against Italy in the FIFA World Cup, the big international soccer tournament. Moments before Uruguay's big score of the game, their best striker, Luiz Suárez , allegedly bit the Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini (The footage appears to confirm that it happened).
This brings up a very interesting question: Why in the world would a grown man bite someone during a game? This is the kind of behavior you'd expect from a four-year-old. There's talk aplenty about whether or not Suárez has mental issues; why are they not talking about maturity issues? This guy behaved in a childish way. And this ain't the first he's sunk choppers into an opponent. He did it to the Dutch Bakkal and the Russian Ivanovitch. He also prevented Ghana from winning back in 2010 by using his hand to block the ball (a big no-no in soccer), and was involved in an incident involving alleged racial abuse of another player.
It's such a shame to because Suárez is the best player on the Uruguayan team. After he got banned, Uruguay lost against Colombia and so is out the running. This guy's got talent and has won some pretty great goals for his team. I do hope he doesn't get banned for life. They should ban him for a year to work on his issues, and then try again.
Monday, June 30, 2014
LA CENERENTOLA: Rossini's Fairy Tale Farce
Get lost, Disney; you are no match for the genius of Gioachino Rossini.
This was the final broadcast of the regular season for the Met; Rossini's La Cenerentola. This is another version of the centuries-old Cinderella story*. The version most Westerners are familiar with is the French version by Charles Perrault, in which the heroine has a fairy godmother, a pumpkin that turns into a carriage, mice that turn into horses, and loses her shoe as she leaves the ball as the clock strikes midnight. This version is somewhat different. Instead, the prince's tutor comes to give the heroine the ride to the ball, and she gives the prince her bracelet saying that she will have the matching one.
This was mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato's last time singing the title role of Angelina. She has sung this role many times in the past, and decided that it was time to bid farewell to this particular opera. Joining her is fellow bel canto superstar, Juan Diego Florez.
Act 1 shows Don Magnifico's daughters Clorinda and Tisbe talking about an upcoming ball and arguing. Their stepsister Angelina, called Cenerentola, works as the family maid and is treated harshly. The prince, Don Ramiro, comes disguised as his own valet and he and Angelina fall in love at first sight. The fake prince arrives and Clorinda and Tisbe are smitten at once. They are invited to the ball. Angelina asks to come as well, but Don Magnifico beats her with his cane. But after everyone else leaves, the prince's tutor comes to give Angelina the ride to the ball. She arrives masked and captivates the entire court.
In Act 2, Don Magnifico worries that arrival of the mysterious woman will ruin his daughters' chances of marrying the prince. Angelina decides it's time for her to leave, and gives the prince her bracelet. The prince swears that he will find her again. Angelina has returned home long before her step-family, and they are freaking out as they come in. Some time later, during a storm, the prince's carriage breaks down so they have to take shelter in Don Magnifico's castle. This time the prince is in full regalia, much to the astonishment of Angelina and her step-family. The prince threatens to punish Don Magnifico and his daughters for the way they treated Angelina, but she pleads with him, asking him to forgive them. They are her only family after all. At the wedding, Don Magnifico tries to curry favor with the new princess, but all she asks of him is to finally treat as his own daughter. She forgives her step-family for their cruelty and declares that her days of mourning by the fire are over.
This production set the stage in a surreal 1918-ish setting, with props blown completely out of proportion, and the all-male chorus in tuxedos and bowler hats. Gags range from a sofa missing one leg that keeps tipping over whenever someone sits down to lightning destroying an umbrella in the second act. The wedding scene had the prince and Angelina standing atop a giant wedding cake, and Angelina gives her step-family each a piece of cake when she forgives them. Everyone but the Prince and Angelina had their faces painted white with clownish cheeks and ridiculous eyebrows.
Two thing stood out. Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Juan Diego Florez has never been any hotter. There's nothing I can say about his performance that would do it justice.
The second one was the behavior of the stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe. While they portrayed in most media as being cruel to Cinderella for the sheer heck of it, in this production at least, they are are not so much overtly wicked as they are ditzy airheads. Their cruelty stems from being careless material girls (Don Magnifico is the more outright cruel one). Just like the last time I saw this one, the stepsisters stole the show with their hilarious antics, including accidentally kissing each other as they both try to kiss the "prince", pulling the chairs out from under each other during the Act 1 finale, and fighting over the bouquet Angelina has just tossed.
If the Met does this again, I'll be there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Cinderella story goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt with the tale of Rhodopis and her Golden Sandles.
This was the final broadcast of the regular season for the Met; Rossini's La Cenerentola. This is another version of the centuries-old Cinderella story*. The version most Westerners are familiar with is the French version by Charles Perrault, in which the heroine has a fairy godmother, a pumpkin that turns into a carriage, mice that turn into horses, and loses her shoe as she leaves the ball as the clock strikes midnight. This version is somewhat different. Instead, the prince's tutor comes to give the heroine the ride to the ball, and she gives the prince her bracelet saying that she will have the matching one.
This was mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato's last time singing the title role of Angelina. She has sung this role many times in the past, and decided that it was time to bid farewell to this particular opera. Joining her is fellow bel canto superstar, Juan Diego Florez.
Act 1 shows Don Magnifico's daughters Clorinda and Tisbe talking about an upcoming ball and arguing. Their stepsister Angelina, called Cenerentola, works as the family maid and is treated harshly. The prince, Don Ramiro, comes disguised as his own valet and he and Angelina fall in love at first sight. The fake prince arrives and Clorinda and Tisbe are smitten at once. They are invited to the ball. Angelina asks to come as well, but Don Magnifico beats her with his cane. But after everyone else leaves, the prince's tutor comes to give Angelina the ride to the ball. She arrives masked and captivates the entire court.
In Act 2, Don Magnifico worries that arrival of the mysterious woman will ruin his daughters' chances of marrying the prince. Angelina decides it's time for her to leave, and gives the prince her bracelet. The prince swears that he will find her again. Angelina has returned home long before her step-family, and they are freaking out as they come in. Some time later, during a storm, the prince's carriage breaks down so they have to take shelter in Don Magnifico's castle. This time the prince is in full regalia, much to the astonishment of Angelina and her step-family. The prince threatens to punish Don Magnifico and his daughters for the way they treated Angelina, but she pleads with him, asking him to forgive them. They are her only family after all. At the wedding, Don Magnifico tries to curry favor with the new princess, but all she asks of him is to finally treat as his own daughter. She forgives her step-family for their cruelty and declares that her days of mourning by the fire are over.
This production set the stage in a surreal 1918-ish setting, with props blown completely out of proportion, and the all-male chorus in tuxedos and bowler hats. Gags range from a sofa missing one leg that keeps tipping over whenever someone sits down to lightning destroying an umbrella in the second act. The wedding scene had the prince and Angelina standing atop a giant wedding cake, and Angelina gives her step-family each a piece of cake when she forgives them. Everyone but the Prince and Angelina had their faces painted white with clownish cheeks and ridiculous eyebrows.
Two thing stood out. Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Juan Diego Florez has never been any hotter. There's nothing I can say about his performance that would do it justice.
The second one was the behavior of the stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe. While they portrayed in most media as being cruel to Cinderella for the sheer heck of it, in this production at least, they are are not so much overtly wicked as they are ditzy airheads. Their cruelty stems from being careless material girls (Don Magnifico is the more outright cruel one). Just like the last time I saw this one, the stepsisters stole the show with their hilarious antics, including accidentally kissing each other as they both try to kiss the "prince", pulling the chairs out from under each other during the Act 1 finale, and fighting over the bouquet Angelina has just tossed.
If the Met does this again, I'll be there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Cinderella story goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt with the tale of Rhodopis and her Golden Sandles.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
COSI FAN TUTE: Mozartian Madness
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Welcome to the Farce Zone. Here, logic is insane and people are foolish to the point of absolute hilarity. Please leave your 21st Century ideas at the door; you won't be needing them.
Last Wednesday was the rebroadcast of Mozart's farcical comedy Cosi Fan Tutte (Thus Do They All). The title is a reference to the idea that all women are fickle. Naturally, this comes into direct conflict with our hyper-sensitive culture today. But in a farce that doesn't really matter. In a farce, everyone's behavior is overblown, exaggerated, and overall just plain silly. In real life, we want to smack someone who plays a joke on their sweetheart just to see what happens. But a farce turns that kind behavior into something utterly ridiculous and thus we can genuinely be amused by it. I pity the fool who cannot laugh at something like that.
The premise is exceedingly ridiculous, so I will be very breif about it. Two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, make a bet with their cynical friend Don Alfonso to see see whether or not his assertion that all women are fickle is true. They pretend to go off to war and return in disguise as wealthy Albanians and begin to seduce each other's fiance. The two women, sisters Fiordeligi and Dorabella, are at first very much resistant to the men's charms. But with the interference of the cynical Don Alfonso and the women's naughty maidservant Despina, both Fiordeligi and Dorabella begin to weaken. Dorabella is the first to fall; and then Fiordeligi gives in. Not too long afterward the two young officers come back and pretend to be offended, and then reveal their prank. Don Alfonso tells everyone to laugh it off.
There was one performance that really stood out to me. I has seen Danielle de Niese before in the roles of Susanna and Ariel in Le Nozze di Figaro and The Enchanted Island respectively. This was my third time seeing her live. She played Despina as being very naughty; actually Despina came off as being almost a slut. That's not surprising given the fact the typical Mozart soubrette soprano is generally a very sassy young girl. And why are people worried about the part about all women being fickle when Despina is saying the same thing about all men?
This is a must-see for anyone interested in the opera.
Welcome to the Farce Zone. Here, logic is insane and people are foolish to the point of absolute hilarity. Please leave your 21st Century ideas at the door; you won't be needing them.
Last Wednesday was the rebroadcast of Mozart's farcical comedy Cosi Fan Tutte (Thus Do They All). The title is a reference to the idea that all women are fickle. Naturally, this comes into direct conflict with our hyper-sensitive culture today. But in a farce that doesn't really matter. In a farce, everyone's behavior is overblown, exaggerated, and overall just plain silly. In real life, we want to smack someone who plays a joke on their sweetheart just to see what happens. But a farce turns that kind behavior into something utterly ridiculous and thus we can genuinely be amused by it. I pity the fool who cannot laugh at something like that.
The premise is exceedingly ridiculous, so I will be very breif about it. Two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, make a bet with their cynical friend Don Alfonso to see see whether or not his assertion that all women are fickle is true. They pretend to go off to war and return in disguise as wealthy Albanians and begin to seduce each other's fiance. The two women, sisters Fiordeligi and Dorabella, are at first very much resistant to the men's charms. But with the interference of the cynical Don Alfonso and the women's naughty maidservant Despina, both Fiordeligi and Dorabella begin to weaken. Dorabella is the first to fall; and then Fiordeligi gives in. Not too long afterward the two young officers come back and pretend to be offended, and then reveal their prank. Don Alfonso tells everyone to laugh it off.
There was one performance that really stood out to me. I has seen Danielle de Niese before in the roles of Susanna and Ariel in Le Nozze di Figaro and The Enchanted Island respectively. This was my third time seeing her live. She played Despina as being very naughty; actually Despina came off as being almost a slut. That's not surprising given the fact the typical Mozart soubrette soprano is generally a very sassy young girl. And why are people worried about the part about all women being fickle when Despina is saying the same thing about all men?
This is a must-see for anyone interested in the opera.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
FALSTAFF
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!
I can't believe it's taken me months to finally get around to this.
If only there were some good videos of this new production on YouTube.
This was Verdi's last opera. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The story goes the Queen Elizabeth I liked the character of Sir John Falstaff so much that she wanted a play based entirely around him. Shakespeare obliged.
Giuseppe Verdi was a die-hard fan of Shakespeare's plays. He had already made two operas based off of Shakespeare; Macbeth and Otello. But he had not written a comedy since the disastrous premiere of Un giorno di regno. Indeed his most famous and performed operas are dramatic tragedies such as Aida, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Otello. Verdi wasn't so sure about writing a comedy but his librettist (that's the scriptwriter for an opera), Arrigo Boito, was insistent. Verdi agreed. Falstaff was a rousing success at its premiere in 1893.
I'm not going to give my usually performance play-by-play. I'm just going to summarize the whole deal.
Act 1 revolves around Sir John Falstaff writing letters to to married women; Mrs. Alice Ford and Mrs. Meg Page. The women receive the letters and with the help of Mistress Quickly, prepare to fool him.
Act 2 shows Falstaff carrying out his plan. Meanwhile, Nannetta (Ford's daughter in the opera, even though she was Page's daughter in the play), is upset because her father wants he to marry Dr. Caius, but she herself is in love with Fenton. Falstaff tries to woo Mrs. Ford, but she and Mrs. Page trick him into getting into a laundry hamper and dump him in the river.
Act 3 centers around the women carrying their scheme even further and tricking Falstaff into think that Mrs. Ford wants to meet him that night. Meanwhile, they also plan a switch so that Fenton will get Nanetta and Dr. Caius won't.
Act 4 shows the scheme carried out, Falstaff gets pranked, Fenton and Nannetta get married, and everyone lived happily ever after.
This production set the opera in the 1950's, complete with all sorts of props, and really hilarious scenes with food (Nannetta crying into tub of ice cream in Act 2 was one such gem).
That's about as much as I can say, except that it is utterly hilarious.
I can't believe it's taken me months to finally get around to this.
If only there were some good videos of this new production on YouTube.
This was Verdi's last opera. It is an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy, The Merry Wives of Windsor. The story goes the Queen Elizabeth I liked the character of Sir John Falstaff so much that she wanted a play based entirely around him. Shakespeare obliged.
Giuseppe Verdi was a die-hard fan of Shakespeare's plays. He had already made two operas based off of Shakespeare; Macbeth and Otello. But he had not written a comedy since the disastrous premiere of Un giorno di regno. Indeed his most famous and performed operas are dramatic tragedies such as Aida, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Otello. Verdi wasn't so sure about writing a comedy but his librettist (that's the scriptwriter for an opera), Arrigo Boito, was insistent. Verdi agreed. Falstaff was a rousing success at its premiere in 1893.
I'm not going to give my usually performance play-by-play. I'm just going to summarize the whole deal.
Act 1 revolves around Sir John Falstaff writing letters to to married women; Mrs. Alice Ford and Mrs. Meg Page. The women receive the letters and with the help of Mistress Quickly, prepare to fool him.
Act 2 shows Falstaff carrying out his plan. Meanwhile, Nannetta (Ford's daughter in the opera, even though she was Page's daughter in the play), is upset because her father wants he to marry Dr. Caius, but she herself is in love with Fenton. Falstaff tries to woo Mrs. Ford, but she and Mrs. Page trick him into getting into a laundry hamper and dump him in the river.
Act 3 centers around the women carrying their scheme even further and tricking Falstaff into think that Mrs. Ford wants to meet him that night. Meanwhile, they also plan a switch so that Fenton will get Nanetta and Dr. Caius won't.
Act 4 shows the scheme carried out, Falstaff gets pranked, Fenton and Nannetta get married, and everyone lived happily ever after.
This production set the opera in the 1950's, complete with all sorts of props, and really hilarious scenes with food (Nannetta crying into tub of ice cream in Act 2 was one such gem).
That's about as much as I can say, except that it is utterly hilarious.
Mozart's Music
Why must it take me several weeks before I post something like this?
I heard this a few weeks ago; the Madison Symphony Orchestra performed Mozart's famous Requiem. It was unfinished at the time of his death and was finished by Franz Xaver Süssmayr (sorry Amadeus fans, it was not Salieri).
This was the first time I heard mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack perform. I knew she was performing with Madison Opera, but I never heard her (actually, I was at Governor Dodge State Park the day Madison Opera did a broadcast recording of her performance in La Cenerentola). But her voice is something else.
I have already given the basic overview of the various components of a typical Reqiuem, but I must say if there is one part of the work that is very much of interest to many people, it is the Dies Irae. This part of the work focuses on the Last Judgement and is plea for mercy and deliverance from Hell.
I suggest getting it out.
I heard this a few weeks ago; the Madison Symphony Orchestra performed Mozart's famous Requiem. It was unfinished at the time of his death and was finished by Franz Xaver Süssmayr (sorry Amadeus fans, it was not Salieri).
This was the first time I heard mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack perform. I knew she was performing with Madison Opera, but I never heard her (actually, I was at Governor Dodge State Park the day Madison Opera did a broadcast recording of her performance in La Cenerentola). But her voice is something else.
I have already given the basic overview of the various components of a typical Reqiuem, but I must say if there is one part of the work that is very much of interest to many people, it is the Dies Irae. This part of the work focuses on the Last Judgement and is plea for mercy and deliverance from Hell.
I suggest getting it out.
Friday, March 21, 2014
SON OF GOD Movie Review
I saw this movie last night with my bible study group. Son of God uses Saint John's gospel account of the life of Jesus Christ and his time on Earth.
The story begins with Saint John in exile on the island of Patmos. He proceeds to tell the story of Christ's life and ministry from his birth to his death and resurrection. We get a prologue, showing a short montage of the Old Testament up the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. This being based off of Saint John gospel, it is told from his point of view. We get a few of the miracles recorded in his account, not to mention some of Christ's most famous teaching moments (such as the lady busted in adultery). We also get the final week and death and resurrection, and the film ends with an abbreviated version of Saint John's vision of the Revelation.
That said, there are several really serious week spots in the film. Stylization aside, the first one that really grinds my gears is the presence of Mary Magdalene in the Apostles' boat on the sea of Galilee, not to mention the conspicuous absence of Susannah and Joanna, the other two women who accompanied Jesus during his ministry.
The other one that I couldn't stand was the violence. Granted we're talking about the Jews living under Roman rule, and the Romans were not very well know for being particularly gentle with other nations. But the violence very much excessive, particularly with the part leading up to the crucifixion. Yes, I know full well that crucifixion was an incredibly painful way to die, as the victims either died of asphyxiation, infection, exposure to the elements, animal predation, exsanguination, or whatever. And I am fully aware that the condemned victim would be flogged, beaten, and made to carry the cross to the execution site. But the makers of the film could have held back on the blood and guts. It was so intense that I ran out of the auditorium. When I came back in I had to cover my face with my fan until after the actual nailing sequence.
I also had a problem with the fact that they cast a sexy actor, Diogo Morgado by name, to play the role of Jesus. I do recall the prophet Isaiah saying that the coming Savior "had no beauty that we should be attracted to him". And Morgado plays Jesus a little too sweet. Christ roared the words "It is written that my House shall be house of prayer; and you have turned it into den of thieves!", with tremendous indignation. Morgado's performance was underwhelming in that scene, with the tables being turned over in slow motion, and Jesus denouncing the way the temple is being used in a quieter tone than the situation called for.
The movie does have a few good spots; most notably the scenery. The sets are very spectacular; all the locations are meant to look as they would have back in that era. The ordinary folks' homes are mud brick, the Roman officials have these splendid palaces with spacious interiors (the inside of Pilate's home being a case in point). They also expanded the role of Pilate's wife; she is named Claudia in this movie just as she is in the play The Three Temptations.
The twelve apostles and the Virgin Mary are also very well done. Mary was costumed as though she was a little more well off than she was (she was wearing the traditional blue clothes). The disciples get their various turns at commenting on the situation. Judas Iscariot was the best done villain in the whole piece from his initial doubts to his betrayal and then then to his remorse. I don't know if the movie showed his suicide because I was either out of the room or else hiding my face during the Road-To-The-Cross sequence.
It's not a bad movie, but it's not a good one either. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 5. It has amazing sets and great performances by the characters playing the disciples, they could taken fewer liberties with the story. Also, since the actor playing Jesus makes him too attractive and gentle, the authority component is lost. And then, seriously, the folks who made this one should really have left the idea of having La Maddalena in almost every scene Jesus is in on the shelf. It's true she was one of the women who traveled with him, but she wasn't at every place they went to, and it makes me really annoyed that they left out the other two women.
If you want to see it, that's fine, but it's not going to be on my list of Bible-based movies that I'd go to see.
The story begins with Saint John in exile on the island of Patmos. He proceeds to tell the story of Christ's life and ministry from his birth to his death and resurrection. We get a prologue, showing a short montage of the Old Testament up the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. This being based off of Saint John gospel, it is told from his point of view. We get a few of the miracles recorded in his account, not to mention some of Christ's most famous teaching moments (such as the lady busted in adultery). We also get the final week and death and resurrection, and the film ends with an abbreviated version of Saint John's vision of the Revelation.
That said, there are several really serious week spots in the film. Stylization aside, the first one that really grinds my gears is the presence of Mary Magdalene in the Apostles' boat on the sea of Galilee, not to mention the conspicuous absence of Susannah and Joanna, the other two women who accompanied Jesus during his ministry.
The other one that I couldn't stand was the violence. Granted we're talking about the Jews living under Roman rule, and the Romans were not very well know for being particularly gentle with other nations. But the violence very much excessive, particularly with the part leading up to the crucifixion. Yes, I know full well that crucifixion was an incredibly painful way to die, as the victims either died of asphyxiation, infection, exposure to the elements, animal predation, exsanguination, or whatever. And I am fully aware that the condemned victim would be flogged, beaten, and made to carry the cross to the execution site. But the makers of the film could have held back on the blood and guts. It was so intense that I ran out of the auditorium. When I came back in I had to cover my face with my fan until after the actual nailing sequence.
I also had a problem with the fact that they cast a sexy actor, Diogo Morgado by name, to play the role of Jesus. I do recall the prophet Isaiah saying that the coming Savior "had no beauty that we should be attracted to him". And Morgado plays Jesus a little too sweet. Christ roared the words "It is written that my House shall be house of prayer; and you have turned it into den of thieves!", with tremendous indignation. Morgado's performance was underwhelming in that scene, with the tables being turned over in slow motion, and Jesus denouncing the way the temple is being used in a quieter tone than the situation called for.
The movie does have a few good spots; most notably the scenery. The sets are very spectacular; all the locations are meant to look as they would have back in that era. The ordinary folks' homes are mud brick, the Roman officials have these splendid palaces with spacious interiors (the inside of Pilate's home being a case in point). They also expanded the role of Pilate's wife; she is named Claudia in this movie just as she is in the play The Three Temptations.
The twelve apostles and the Virgin Mary are also very well done. Mary was costumed as though she was a little more well off than she was (she was wearing the traditional blue clothes). The disciples get their various turns at commenting on the situation. Judas Iscariot was the best done villain in the whole piece from his initial doubts to his betrayal and then then to his remorse. I don't know if the movie showed his suicide because I was either out of the room or else hiding my face during the Road-To-The-Cross sequence.
It's not a bad movie, but it's not a good one either. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 5. It has amazing sets and great performances by the characters playing the disciples, they could taken fewer liberties with the story. Also, since the actor playing Jesus makes him too attractive and gentle, the authority component is lost. And then, seriously, the folks who made this one should really have left the idea of having La Maddalena in almost every scene Jesus is in on the shelf. It's true she was one of the women who traveled with him, but she wasn't at every place they went to, and it makes me really annoyed that they left out the other two women.
If you want to see it, that's fine, but it's not going to be on my list of Bible-based movies that I'd go to see.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Pear Pie
I should have posted this two days ago. I first made this pie two years ago in my Culinary Baking Lab class.
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
4 oz butter, cubed
1 t salt
6-8 T water
Pears
3 Basque pears
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 t vanilla
12-16 oz. almond paste
1. Peal the pears and cut them in half. Use a melon scoop to remove the cores.
2. In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar and water on medium heat.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low.
4. Add the pears and vanilla and simmer until just tender.
5. Let pears cool in the syrup.
6. Mix salt and water and set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, mix by hand the flour and cubed butter until mixture resembles small peas.
8. Add the salt water and mix until mixture comes together. Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry
9. Form the dough into a ball and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
10. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
12. Roll the dough until about 1/4 in. thick.
13. Place the dough carefully in a 10 in. pie pan. Trim off the excess and press the dough so that it goes all up and down the sides of the pan.
14. Roll out the almond paste to about an 8 in. circle and place it in the pan.
15. Take the poached pears and slice them, leaving the stem end intact, and fan them out.
16. Arrange the pears in a circle in the pan.
17. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges of the pie are golden brown.
Note: This is my kludge of two recipes; one my dad found online, the other is courtesy of Professional Cooking by Wayne Gislen.
Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
4 oz butter, cubed
1 t salt
6-8 T water
Pears
3 Basque pears
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 t vanilla
12-16 oz. almond paste
1. Peal the pears and cut them in half. Use a melon scoop to remove the cores.
2. In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar and water on medium heat.
3. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low.
4. Add the pears and vanilla and simmer until just tender.
5. Let pears cool in the syrup.
6. Mix salt and water and set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, mix by hand the flour and cubed butter until mixture resembles small peas.
8. Add the salt water and mix until mixture comes together. Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry
9. Form the dough into a ball and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
10. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
12. Roll the dough until about 1/4 in. thick.
13. Place the dough carefully in a 10 in. pie pan. Trim off the excess and press the dough so that it goes all up and down the sides of the pan.
14. Roll out the almond paste to about an 8 in. circle and place it in the pan.
15. Take the poached pears and slice them, leaving the stem end intact, and fan them out.
16. Arrange the pears in a circle in the pan.
17. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges of the pie are golden brown.
Note: This is my kludge of two recipes; one my dad found online, the other is courtesy of Professional Cooking by Wayne Gislen.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
List Now Top 11
I have updated my list. It is now my Top 11 Favorite Male Opera Singers and that is where I'm keeping it from now on. Partly it's because I took some ideas from the Nostalgia Critic and partly because I started falling for two more male singers. As always, this list has nothing to with preferences; it is simply my way of keeping track of which singers I like the best.
Here we go.
Number 11: Ildar Abdrazakov
This handsome Russian bass has performed numerous times for the Met in recent years. I saw him live for the first time on Wednesday in the encore simulcast of Borodin's Prince Igor, even though I had seen him on YouTube and heard him over the radio before then (I forgot precisely when I first heard of him). His most recent Met performances that I can remember off the top of my head are Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Henry VIII in Anna Bolena (what possessed him to do a story that clearly kriffs up the history something awful?), and the title roles of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Prince Igor. He has also performed the role of the demon Mephistopheles in various versions of the Faust story.
Number 10: Rachid Ben Abdeslam
He's a rarity in more ways than one. First off he's a countertenor, and second off he's from Morocco which is in Africa, and there are very few African opera singers. He is a handsome and amazingly talented singer whom I have only heard of within the past year. The only role that I have seen him perform is Nirenus in the Met's newest production of Handel's Giulio Cesare which was simulcasted last season. Heck, that's the only role I know of that he has performed.
Number 9: Yonghoon Lee
He's a sexy Korean tenor who has taken the world by storm with his amazing voice. For some reason he always gets this tormented look on his face when he sings. He is most famous for performing the title role of Verdi's Don Carlo and Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, both of which he's performed at the Met (Don Carlo was his debut role for the Met back 2010). He is also known for singer Cavaradossi in Tosca and Calaf in Turandot. He comes back to the Met next year in Don Carlo. I first heard of him while browsing YouTube.
Number 8: Hyung Yun
I have seen this hot Korean baritone live thrice. He has performed for Met in the role of Manon's cousin in Massenet's Manon at the Met. But he has performed for Madison Opera as well. He debuted in '09 in the role Valentin, Marguerite's brother in Gounod's Faust (which I saw on a school field trip), Escamillo the bullfighter in Carmen (that one I didn't see), the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (view the November 2011 post for more info), and as Renato Ankarstrom in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (see the Verdi Weekend post).
Number 7: Jonas Kaufmann
A versatile singer who has sung everything from the lyrical title role of Faust to the Wagnerian role of Siegmund in Die Walkure, there is little this dreamboat of a German tenor can't take on. I first heard of him while browsing YouTube. I have heard over the radio in the title role of Wagner's Parsifal. And I have seen live as Faust and as Siegmund. For some reason he is performing next week in the title role of Massenet's Werther, which has the most annoying romantic hero in all of nineteenth-century literature. At least he trying to do something with the character.
Number 6: Mariusz Kwiecien
This Polish barihunk is the opera world's bad boy. He is most famous for his portrayal of the notorious seducer in Don Giovanni, which he has performed at the Met several times. He (surprise, surprise), is also famous for doing productions that have him go shirtless. In addition to Don Juan, I have heard him in the role of Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (the role in which I first heard of him), Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore, and the title role in Eugene Onegin. In February of 2010, I had the privilege of seeing him live at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
Number 5: Piotr Beczala
He's the operatic boyfriend type. This Polish tenor's boy-next-door good looks and lyrical voice make him one of opera's most sought-after artists. I have heard him over the radio in such roles as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme. I saw him Live in HD as des Grieux in Massenet's Manon, the lascivious Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto (I first heard him do that role over the radio back in '09), and most recently as the doomed poet Vladimir Lensky in Eugene Onegin. He has also performed the role of Faust.
Number 4: David Daniels
This American countertenor is the sexy Baroque specialist. I first heard him when I was sixteen. He was singing the role of Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This afternoon he sang the role of Prospero in the Met's Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island. I saw him Live in HD in that role back 2012. I have since seen him as the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare. Seriously, he should come to Madison and perform.
Number 3: Kyle Ketelsen
The local guy. Yes, this fantabulous bass-baritone lives in my own hometown of Sun Prairie Wisconsin. I first saw him back in '08 when performed the role of Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Overture center. The following year (my senior year), he came to my high school to do a master class. Then the year after that, I saw him live at Lyric Opera as the title character in Le Nozze di Figaro. The icing on the cake? Because my mom had won the tickets as a prize, part of that included a backstage tour of the Lyric Opera, including getting to meet Mr. Ketelsen in person!
Number 2: Dmitri Hvorostovsky
A Russian baritone with huge female following, this guy is opera's silver fox. I first heard him over the radio when I was fifteen. It was my first exposure to not only Eugene Onegin, but also my first exposure to Russian opera period. I have since heard him in the roles of King don Carlo in Ernani, M. Germont in La Traviata, Renato Ankarstrom in Un Ballo in Maschera, Rodrigo de Posa in Don Carlo, and as the title role in Rigoletto. I would love to have him come and perform for Madison.
Number 1: Juan Diego Florez
The bel-canto specialist. This hot Peruvian tenor not only contributed to my love of opera, he also sparked my Peru obsession. Unlike the others on this list, I first heard of this singer while watching a biographical documentary on the life of Luciano Pavarotti. This guy was talking about singing the nine High C's in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, which I later saw simulcasted in '08 (he sang the male lead). I have since heard him as Nemorino in L'Elisir d"Amore, and I have a copy of his performance as Ernesto in Don Pasqaule. I have also had the immense pleasure of seeing him live in HD again as the lady-killing Count in Rossini's Le Comte Ory. He will be singing Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the end of this season. I have to go see it.
Here we go.
Number 11: Ildar Abdrazakov
This handsome Russian bass has performed numerous times for the Met in recent years. I saw him live for the first time on Wednesday in the encore simulcast of Borodin's Prince Igor, even though I had seen him on YouTube and heard him over the radio before then (I forgot precisely when I first heard of him). His most recent Met performances that I can remember off the top of my head are Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Henry VIII in Anna Bolena (what possessed him to do a story that clearly kriffs up the history something awful?), and the title roles of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Prince Igor. He has also performed the role of the demon Mephistopheles in various versions of the Faust story.
Number 10: Rachid Ben Abdeslam
He's a rarity in more ways than one. First off he's a countertenor, and second off he's from Morocco which is in Africa, and there are very few African opera singers. He is a handsome and amazingly talented singer whom I have only heard of within the past year. The only role that I have seen him perform is Nirenus in the Met's newest production of Handel's Giulio Cesare which was simulcasted last season. Heck, that's the only role I know of that he has performed.
Number 9: Yonghoon Lee
He's a sexy Korean tenor who has taken the world by storm with his amazing voice. For some reason he always gets this tormented look on his face when he sings. He is most famous for performing the title role of Verdi's Don Carlo and Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, both of which he's performed at the Met (Don Carlo was his debut role for the Met back 2010). He is also known for singer Cavaradossi in Tosca and Calaf in Turandot. He comes back to the Met next year in Don Carlo. I first heard of him while browsing YouTube.
Number 8: Hyung Yun
I have seen this hot Korean baritone live thrice. He has performed for Met in the role of Manon's cousin in Massenet's Manon at the Met. But he has performed for Madison Opera as well. He debuted in '09 in the role Valentin, Marguerite's brother in Gounod's Faust (which I saw on a school field trip), Escamillo the bullfighter in Carmen (that one I didn't see), the title role in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (view the November 2011 post for more info), and as Renato Ankarstrom in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (see the Verdi Weekend post).
Number 7: Jonas Kaufmann
A versatile singer who has sung everything from the lyrical title role of Faust to the Wagnerian role of Siegmund in Die Walkure, there is little this dreamboat of a German tenor can't take on. I first heard of him while browsing YouTube. I have heard over the radio in the title role of Wagner's Parsifal. And I have seen live as Faust and as Siegmund. For some reason he is performing next week in the title role of Massenet's Werther, which has the most annoying romantic hero in all of nineteenth-century literature. At least he trying to do something with the character.
Number 6: Mariusz Kwiecien
This Polish barihunk is the opera world's bad boy. He is most famous for his portrayal of the notorious seducer in Don Giovanni, which he has performed at the Met several times. He (surprise, surprise), is also famous for doing productions that have him go shirtless. In addition to Don Juan, I have heard him in the role of Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (the role in which I first heard of him), Belcore in L'Elisir d'Amore, and the title role in Eugene Onegin. In February of 2010, I had the privilege of seeing him live at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
Number 5: Piotr Beczala
He's the operatic boyfriend type. This Polish tenor's boy-next-door good looks and lyrical voice make him one of opera's most sought-after artists. I have heard him over the radio in such roles as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme. I saw him Live in HD as des Grieux in Massenet's Manon, the lascivious Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto (I first heard him do that role over the radio back in '09), and most recently as the doomed poet Vladimir Lensky in Eugene Onegin. He has also performed the role of Faust.
Number 4: David Daniels
This American countertenor is the sexy Baroque specialist. I first heard him when I was sixteen. He was singing the role of Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This afternoon he sang the role of Prospero in the Met's Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island. I saw him Live in HD in that role back 2012. I have since seen him as the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare. Seriously, he should come to Madison and perform.
Number 3: Kyle Ketelsen
The local guy. Yes, this fantabulous bass-baritone lives in my own hometown of Sun Prairie Wisconsin. I first saw him back in '08 when performed the role of Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Overture center. The following year (my senior year), he came to my high school to do a master class. Then the year after that, I saw him live at Lyric Opera as the title character in Le Nozze di Figaro. The icing on the cake? Because my mom had won the tickets as a prize, part of that included a backstage tour of the Lyric Opera, including getting to meet Mr. Ketelsen in person!
Number 2: Dmitri Hvorostovsky
A Russian baritone with huge female following, this guy is opera's silver fox. I first heard him over the radio when I was fifteen. It was my first exposure to not only Eugene Onegin, but also my first exposure to Russian opera period. I have since heard him in the roles of King don Carlo in Ernani, M. Germont in La Traviata, Renato Ankarstrom in Un Ballo in Maschera, Rodrigo de Posa in Don Carlo, and as the title role in Rigoletto. I would love to have him come and perform for Madison.
Number 1: Juan Diego Florez
The bel-canto specialist. This hot Peruvian tenor not only contributed to my love of opera, he also sparked my Peru obsession. Unlike the others on this list, I first heard of this singer while watching a biographical documentary on the life of Luciano Pavarotti. This guy was talking about singing the nine High C's in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, which I later saw simulcasted in '08 (he sang the male lead). I have since heard him as Nemorino in L'Elisir d"Amore, and I have a copy of his performance as Ernesto in Don Pasqaule. I have also had the immense pleasure of seeing him live in HD again as the lady-killing Count in Rossini's Le Comte Ory. He will be singing Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the end of this season. I have to go see it.
Friday, March 7, 2014
PRINCE IGOR: Borodin's Stand-Alone Piece Of Awesomeness
Last Wednesday was the rebroadcast of Prince Igor. Alexander Borodin, the man who composed the opera, worked on the piece for eighteen years until his sudden death before was even halfway done. Two of his contemporaries, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexandar Glazunov, took on the challenge of assembling the opera together from Borodin's sketches and even composing some music of their own for it. As a result, there is no definitive way of sequencing the scenes as there are in most other operas.
Prince Igor is based off of a Russian epic that was itself based off of a real life Russian monarch. The opera tells the story of how Prince Igor led an unsuccessful campaign against the barbarian Povlotsian tribes. He was captured and later escaped. Due to Borodin's death halfway through the project, the opera suffers from a lack of plot.
This new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov uses music specifically written by Borodin and focuses on the psychological aspect character of the title character. Tcherniakov reset the story from the 12th-Century to more of a World War One setting. The course of the production shows Igor suffering from PTSD after losing his men.
In the Prologue, Prince Igor and his men are preparing to go off to war. A sudden solar eclipse terrifies the populace who take it as a bad omen. Igor remains undaunted and marches against the enemy anyhow.
In between the Prologue and Act one there was a video in the mode of a silent movie. Igor and his soldiers are in the trenches looking nervously around as shells go off the distance. A series of several shells hits their trench, decimating the army. Igor himself is badly wounded and suffers a concussion. As a young maiden sings of how the flower fades and is reborn, Igor is carried off the battlefield to a military hospital.
Act One, also known as the Povlotsian Act, shows Igor mourning the loss of his army and the regret he feels over having dishonored his country. In this production instead of the Povlotsian camp, the act is a concussion-induced dream sequence that takes place in a vast field of poppy flowers. Igor wanders about the field of poppies and sees a beautiful young woman. This is Konchakovna, daughter of a Povlotsian kahn. She is in love with Igor's son Vladimir. Vladimir enters and he and Konchakovna have a rendezvous. In this production, Vladimir was killed in action during the battle; Igor is seen holding the young man's body. So Igor's witnessing the love between Konchakovna and Vladimir could be interpreted as Igor regreting having not found a wife for his son. He is treated with surprising respect from Kahn Konchak who tells him that he will release Igor if he promises not to attack the Povlotsians again. Igor refuses and of course Konchak gives a long spiel the basically translates as "You're aggressive; I like that," and talks about how together they can conquer the world. He then orders his slaves to dance for him and Igor. This sequence is the famous Povlotsian Dances and this closes the act.
I am sad to say that the Povlotsian Dances, the highlight and of the opera and perhaps Borodin's greatest musical achievement, was the low point of the production. Not only did the choreography not communicate the fact that the slaves are praising the kahn to the skies, it also made the dancers look like they were undead. The women looked okay but the men needed more clothing and the choreography needed to match the words. Heck, a Renegade Dalek playing ping pong with an alcoholic elephant makes more sense than the dance choreography did.
Act Two takes place in the Great Hall of Igor's palace in Putivl. His young wife, Princess Yaroslavna, rules in his stead. She has been anxiously awaiting any news of her husband. Meanwhile her cunning and lecherous brother Prince Vladimir of Galitsky has been pressuring her to give up the throne seeing that Igor has not returned. A group of women approach the princess and beg her to help them. The carousing Galitsky has carried off a young girl against her will. The women plead with the Yaroslavna to act on their behalf. Galitsky enters trying again to convince Yaroslavna to give up her throne to him. She refuses and calls him out on his behavior, demanding that he return the maiden he kidnapped back to her parents.
Galitksy's men toast to his health and celebrate his lechery. The women come in and demand that the men return the girl Galitsky kidnapped. The men of course refuse.
The boyars remain loyal to Princess Yaroslavna as they have sworn fidelity to Igor. They tell Yaroslavna of her husband's defeat and captivity. What's worse is that a Polvotsian army led by Kahn Gzak is drawing closer to the Putivl. They assure the princess that the city is strong and God will protect it. Galitsky comes in with is men and demand again that Yaroslavna relenquish the throne. She refuses and the boyars tell Galitsky of their loyalty to Igor. Kahn Gzak attacks the city and ion the ensuing panic, Galitsky is trampled to death.
Yaroslavna is the highlight of this act. She is one of the strongest characters in the opera due to her undying faithfulness to her husband and her staunch refusal to yield to Galitsky's demands. Oksana brings out the passion and faithfulness of Yaroslavna with her interpretation.
Act Three sees Igor return home still dealing with survivor's guilt. Putivl lies in ruins; the people, including the princess, struggle to keep warm during the cold nights. Yaroslavna curses the elements, blaming them for Igor's defeat. The populace say that is was Kahn Gzak, and not the elements, which brought about their ruin. In this production, while the chorus sings backstage, Igor enters. He is despondent, blaming himself for Russia's troubles. He is also not quite fully recovered from his wounds (he walks with a limp). He has another dream about his son and Konchakovna. Meanwhile two servants spot him and ring the bell proclaiming that the prince has returned home. At first the people don't believe them (natch), until they see him right in front. Yaroslavna is overjoyed to be reunited with her husband at last. Igor laments that he has not died in battle and has had to suffer captivity. He refuses to let people glove his hands or put a blanket around his shoulders, but when someone offers a pitcher of water, he pours it over his head in order to revive himself. Then with his own hands he picks up rubble and starts putting it back into place. The people follow his example in an effort to rebuild the shattered kingdom and start again.
This was my first time seeing Ildar Abdrazakov live. I had heard him over the radio and on YouTube, but never live. Seriously, this guy is worth looking up. He is also the first and only bass to make my Top Favorites List.
This opera is a must see.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Repuclic of Georgia in Eastern Europe, not the state that Sherman went through.
Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, a long-standing favorite at the Met, made a splash this season as the prince (more on him later). Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka made her Met debut in the role of Igor's wife Yaroslavna. The young Georgian* mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvilli was the Povlotsian princess Konchakovna, and tenor Sergey Semishkur sang her lover; Igor's son Vladimir. Mikhail Petrenko was Yaroslavna's treacherous brother Prince Galitsky. And bass Štefan
Kocán, whom I last saw as the dastardly criminal Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto, appeared as the Povlotsian Kahn Konchak. In short we had an all-Slavic cast.
Prince Igor is based off of a Russian epic that was itself based off of a real life Russian monarch. The opera tells the story of how Prince Igor led an unsuccessful campaign against the barbarian Povlotsian tribes. He was captured and later escaped. Due to Borodin's death halfway through the project, the opera suffers from a lack of plot.
This new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov uses music specifically written by Borodin and focuses on the psychological aspect character of the title character. Tcherniakov reset the story from the 12th-Century to more of a World War One setting. The course of the production shows Igor suffering from PTSD after losing his men.
In the Prologue, Prince Igor and his men are preparing to go off to war. A sudden solar eclipse terrifies the populace who take it as a bad omen. Igor remains undaunted and marches against the enemy anyhow.
In between the Prologue and Act one there was a video in the mode of a silent movie. Igor and his soldiers are in the trenches looking nervously around as shells go off the distance. A series of several shells hits their trench, decimating the army. Igor himself is badly wounded and suffers a concussion. As a young maiden sings of how the flower fades and is reborn, Igor is carried off the battlefield to a military hospital.
Act One, also known as the Povlotsian Act, shows Igor mourning the loss of his army and the regret he feels over having dishonored his country. In this production instead of the Povlotsian camp, the act is a concussion-induced dream sequence that takes place in a vast field of poppy flowers. Igor wanders about the field of poppies and sees a beautiful young woman. This is Konchakovna, daughter of a Povlotsian kahn. She is in love with Igor's son Vladimir. Vladimir enters and he and Konchakovna have a rendezvous. In this production, Vladimir was killed in action during the battle; Igor is seen holding the young man's body. So Igor's witnessing the love between Konchakovna and Vladimir could be interpreted as Igor regreting having not found a wife for his son. He is treated with surprising respect from Kahn Konchak who tells him that he will release Igor if he promises not to attack the Povlotsians again. Igor refuses and of course Konchak gives a long spiel the basically translates as "You're aggressive; I like that," and talks about how together they can conquer the world. He then orders his slaves to dance for him and Igor. This sequence is the famous Povlotsian Dances and this closes the act.
I am sad to say that the Povlotsian Dances, the highlight and of the opera and perhaps Borodin's greatest musical achievement, was the low point of the production. Not only did the choreography not communicate the fact that the slaves are praising the kahn to the skies, it also made the dancers look like they were undead. The women looked okay but the men needed more clothing and the choreography needed to match the words. Heck, a Renegade Dalek playing ping pong with an alcoholic elephant makes more sense than the dance choreography did.
Act Two takes place in the Great Hall of Igor's palace in Putivl. His young wife, Princess Yaroslavna, rules in his stead. She has been anxiously awaiting any news of her husband. Meanwhile her cunning and lecherous brother Prince Vladimir of Galitsky has been pressuring her to give up the throne seeing that Igor has not returned. A group of women approach the princess and beg her to help them. The carousing Galitsky has carried off a young girl against her will. The women plead with the Yaroslavna to act on their behalf. Galitsky enters trying again to convince Yaroslavna to give up her throne to him. She refuses and calls him out on his behavior, demanding that he return the maiden he kidnapped back to her parents.
Galitksy's men toast to his health and celebrate his lechery. The women come in and demand that the men return the girl Galitsky kidnapped. The men of course refuse.
The boyars remain loyal to Princess Yaroslavna as they have sworn fidelity to Igor. They tell Yaroslavna of her husband's defeat and captivity. What's worse is that a Polvotsian army led by Kahn Gzak is drawing closer to the Putivl. They assure the princess that the city is strong and God will protect it. Galitsky comes in with is men and demand again that Yaroslavna relenquish the throne. She refuses and the boyars tell Galitsky of their loyalty to Igor. Kahn Gzak attacks the city and ion the ensuing panic, Galitsky is trampled to death.
Yaroslavna is the highlight of this act. She is one of the strongest characters in the opera due to her undying faithfulness to her husband and her staunch refusal to yield to Galitsky's demands. Oksana brings out the passion and faithfulness of Yaroslavna with her interpretation.
Act Three sees Igor return home still dealing with survivor's guilt. Putivl lies in ruins; the people, including the princess, struggle to keep warm during the cold nights. Yaroslavna curses the elements, blaming them for Igor's defeat. The populace say that is was Kahn Gzak, and not the elements, which brought about their ruin. In this production, while the chorus sings backstage, Igor enters. He is despondent, blaming himself for Russia's troubles. He is also not quite fully recovered from his wounds (he walks with a limp). He has another dream about his son and Konchakovna. Meanwhile two servants spot him and ring the bell proclaiming that the prince has returned home. At first the people don't believe them (natch), until they see him right in front. Yaroslavna is overjoyed to be reunited with her husband at last. Igor laments that he has not died in battle and has had to suffer captivity. He refuses to let people glove his hands or put a blanket around his shoulders, but when someone offers a pitcher of water, he pours it over his head in order to revive himself. Then with his own hands he picks up rubble and starts putting it back into place. The people follow his example in an effort to rebuild the shattered kingdom and start again.
This was my first time seeing Ildar Abdrazakov live. I had heard him over the radio and on YouTube, but never live. Seriously, this guy is worth looking up. He is also the first and only bass to make my Top Favorites List.
This opera is a must see.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Repuclic of Georgia in Eastern Europe, not the state that Sherman went through.
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