Growing Older

As I am here in Crete and elsewhere in Greece, I am really noticing something. Something like twenty five years ago (and just where does the time go?), when I was last in southern Europe for any length of time and on my own, suffice it to say that I turned the heads of the men. Now, I get a few looks and that’s great but nothing like the intensity of glances that meant that I was but an answering nod away from situations fraught with all kinds of erotic possibilities, if I so wished and, believe you me, I so did. And I had like no Italian! But the language of love needed no translation.

I feel blessed that I have few regrets about possibilities not explored and opportunities of this kind not exploited to the full. My sense of adventure and feelings of invincibility made me really game for these adventures. (I was still a few years from losing that sense of invulnerability—and that day was coming sooner than I imagined at the time.)

And so, in the end as I note this change in my relation to southern Mediterranean men (and the changes that age has undeniably wrought on my body and indeed on my personality), I on the one hand think about the times I have had, my past. But I also think about how I am now more an observer and contemplator of the transient relations that younger men have with each other. (I also quite contentedly and with a happy sense of purpose work on these issues in my scholarship.) I think that this means that I have a different role to play and different way to be in this world. I am not left out. I am included differently. That is not to say that something more transient would not be welcome or may not happen at some point in the future. It may. And if it does, great. But I am content to let opportunity knock. I mean, if our handsome bus-driver were to come up stairs right now, knock, and importune me, or, better, were his somewhat older brother to do these things (he is tad young but pretty woofy in his hirsute magnificence). I would surely not tell him no. One wants to be companionable after all. But the point is that getting it, finding it is not a primary focus of mine any more and it actually has not been for a long time. Somewhere in the years around the turn of the century, I moved on and now I am on different side of the river. I am still at the river but I have different place to be and a different way to be (with TRH as constant through all these changes).

Euro-Trash, in a good way, perhaps…well, o.k., it worked

Ok. This is Europe. Got to remember that. Opera goers (many of whom look so conservative!) like their opera edgy. And so we had a quite edgy outing of two works that are way out on the fringes of the repertory: Luigi Dallapiccola’s Il Prigionero and Manuel De Falla’s La Vida Breve. On the whole, I was pleased I went and while neither opera totally wowed me, the committed performances and stagings made for an engrossing evening.

First the stagings. Christopher Alden did both. The stage therefore was drenched with bright light often and we saw his trademark clock on the wall in Prig (and it was keeping perfect time). In Prig, we were in a sterile white room that opened with the eponymous prisoner hooded a la Abu Graib. The white walls working with the blue and red mop buckets drove the point home. This piece about a prisoner who thinks he is to be freed but in fact is to be tortured further is timely and the references could hardly be forced when they would be occurring to many members of the audience already. Turning the supposed grant of freedom into a delusion that the prisoner has, Alden took some liberties with the plot. But such liberties were not damaging to the bummer impression this opera means to make.

In Vida, the staging was limited to the workshop in which the Salud works (see plot summary in a post from a couple of days ago). Cleverly, Carmela and her wedding to Paco sort of magically appear as they are needed according to the plot and it works if you are ready to surrender to the unreality and go with it (I was ready to do so). He solved the problem of Salud keeling over dead by having her cut herself up and show up to the wedding bleeding. That was disturbing. But, you know, Paco pumps and dumps her and she is unbalanced anyway. That is disturbing too. Alden is right to go for the disturbing in the plot and to make us uncomfortable. I think what he came up with works. He also integrated the two singers into the plot, as a transvestite garment seamstress and lounge-lizard wedding singer respectively. That was smart. Carmela was one cool cookie of rich spoiled girl and contrasted so tellingly with the insecure and manic Salud. Not knowing the opera well, I was briefly afraid that the transvestite seamstress was Salud and that Alden had done something really EDGY [Salud does not sing that much at the beginning]. While it would have been an interesting approach to the opera, I am glad he did not do this.

The operas themselves are both interesting. Prig is 12-tone but it is lyrical at times. But, still, there are a lot of angular lines in the singing and a lot of shrieking so it will never be a fav. But I must admit that the orchestration was always interesting and I bet I would enjoy his purely orchestral music. Vida had some very fine Spanish music (as was to be expected) and it included one of the best dances you will ever hear in any opera, period: the jota from act 2 (which Alden refused to allow any choreography for--- a decision I can respect in the context of the rest of his staging of this opera). It also has a really nice love duet in act 1.

William Lacey’s conducting was superb. The singing was nothing to write home about. It was all adequate and fine. The lead in Prig at the end of the opera took off all his clothes and we got to see his backside. That woke some people up. He was kind of hunky. I needed no awakening but I did sit up straighter.

Critical Facial Hair Update

These internets have taken narcissism to a whole new level.

Opera Attendance in Athens!

A double bill at the Greek National Opera. This Wednesday!

Dallapicola's Il Prigionero and de Falla's La Vida Breve. De Falla's picture is above.

I cannot find any info on Dallapicola's work but here is the overheated plot of La Vida Breve:

ACT I
The courtyard of the gypsy tenements in the Albaicìn, Granada
As voices from a smithy lament the fate of those destined to be anvils rather than hammers, their mood is reflected by Salud's grandmother, but when Salud is in despair because she believes her lover Paco is not coming, her grandmother tries to cheer her, pointing out that although Paco is rich and high-born, he has eyes for none but Salud. Salud explains that even when Paco is late, she nearly dies of grief. She is so distraught that she begs her grandmother to see if he is coming, reflecting that death is better than a life of poverty, sorrow or being alone.

Paco arrives, swearing that he is not late and that he will always love Salud and never leave her, but in the background of their ecstatic reunion, Uncle Salvador confirms to the grandmother the rumor that Paco is about to be married to a girl of his own class. The grandmother restrains him from his plan to kill Paco, as there is trouble enough already.

ACT II
Scene 1. A narrow street in Granada
The wedding of Paco and Carmela is being celebrated with song and dancing in the house where she lives with her brother Manuela. Salud watches through the window, grieving to see Paco with another woman, restraining herself with difficulty from calling out to him. She believes that death would be preferable to her suffering, but resolves to confront Paco. She is joined by her grandmother and Uncle Salvador, who curse Paco and all his family, but try in vain to stop her from going into the house.

Scene 2. The courtyard in Carmela's and Manuel's house
As the festivities continue, Paco worries about the way he has abandoned Salud. When Salud comes in with Uncle Salvador, the guests are struck by their strange appearance, but Uncle Salvador defiantly says that they can dance and sing. Salud, however, says she has not come to sing, but to see Paco and demand that he kill her. He tries to pretend that he does not know her and insists she be thrown out, but she continues to accuse him of deceiving her and then falls dead at his feet.

[THANKS TO: http://www.opera-opera.com.au/plotf.htm#fallvida]

Well! She should have never allowed that upper-class tomcat the liberties she did! Carmen would have shut that party down and kicked Paco's ass. But this senorita is not made of such stern stuff. Claro que si! It is just the reverse of Donizetti's Maria Padilla, where the eponymous heroine expires of--- happiness. I know you were thinking that.

I wonder what will happen with the Dallapicola. Say a prayer that it is not some dodecaphonic monster that will have to be endured!

The production is by one of the Alden brothers. I have seen much of their work in Long Beach and San Francisco and I have always enjoyed their stagings. That aspect of the production will be very good, I am sure.

Two from Sounion and One from Thorikos

The highly scenic temple dedicated to Poseidon:





Thorikos' Theater:

National Socialist Brauron

Interesting no? These pots are from the geometric period and the charming symbol from the century previous to our own present one naturally found its way onto these pots as a likely assemblage of lines creating an entirely anticipatable collocation of angles. That is probably true. And here is a text book case of how present-day culture/history makes us see things and emphasize things that had we another cultural/historical background we would most likely not. Given my assertion about handshakes in a previous post (and in appended comments), the irony of these words is both not lost on me AND delicious.

Facial Hair Update

November Sunlight at the Karameikos (Athens)

Facial Hair Update

A welcome or unwelcome development this hair outbreak? Both reactions are anticipated. A controversial lead-in into the xmas season to be sure. Clean-shaven around the tree surely.

More from Athens!

Day at the National Archaeological Museum. Fun actually!

Here are some sights during and after.

Two grave markers. "Just friends"---sure, yeah sure--- I want to see the androphilia explained away here convincingly. I am not sure it can be utterly ruled out in both cases:






Theseus and the Minotaur:



Whatchadoinlater?:



Give Blood, Save a Life:

Photos from Greece, Athens to be Precise about it

We have had a lovely day for touring, that's for sure. The acropolis is stunning. I was prepared to be a little jaded about it--- coming from the monumental and long-lasting ROMAN side of things--- but I must say Athens has the monumental architecture thing down!

Around the World

Leaving tomorrow for Athens. Will first drive to Auckland to drop off aformentioned terrier. Then on Sunday it's on a plane to Athens via Singapore and Frankfurt (only 30 hours [gah!]). Husband is off to LA where he will bask in the sunshine, play golf, and be greeted as the conquering hero that he is. For me it's Greece Greece Greece until December 18. Then on to LA for reunion with husband and Xmas with many of the usual suspects. APA conference in San Diego follows in the early new year and then back to New Zealand leaving LA on January 9 and landing in Auckland on Jan 11.

I will try to post in Greece. I have my camera with me. There may be some possibilities. Temples. Palaces. Vistas. Facial hair. Facial hair, you ask? Well, I have been persuaded by some of the students to join in a moustache growing competition. I hope I don't lose too much dignity. [Wow, prof., that's really grey!] Though on second thought, perhaps there will be a gain in dignity.

Looking forward to some quality time with I Lituani [O Gioia Inexprimabile -- clearly]. More, always more, later.

Millo does high E-Flat at Verona

Offered with practically no comment. This is singing in the grand manner. Check out the way Millo articulates her high E-flat [starting at about 7:34] at the end with her arm and triumphant gesture. There tragically is no film of Callas doing the same thing---bigger longer and better controlled-- and that's tragic-- but I am grateful for this and you should be too [click on it to go through to YouTube]:



I am right about there being no film of Callas doing it, no? Hey is there film of Marisa Galvany doing this? And wise readers, are there other members of the high E-flat club?

Housekeeping and a Promise

Duty calls me away from my brand-new blog which is surely agreeing with me so far. I am going to be wandering ruins in Greece with undergraduates for five weeks talking about Mycenae this, Minos that--Dark Ages, Golden Ages, Bronze Ages. (They will party at night big time like the Kiwi youth like to do. I will be getting my rest. In the early the very early 80s on the other hand, I lived in SF and well...)

After Greece it is on to the US where I will be doing the family thing and will be reunited with the husband. Also, I will be away from the dog for two months. That is not making me happy but, as I said above, duty calls (and he has a good situation while I am away, so there is not an issue there at least).

Anyway, as you can see, a portrait of Amilcare Ponchielli the Divine heads this entry. All this talk of La Giocondas in NY, of B flats falling flat in cf. to memories of la divina Kunc or honest-to-god falling flat and winding up on, if I remember correctly from a most amusing blog, "a perfectly comfortable A natural"-- all this made want to do SOMETHING. I felt left out. But what could I do? I was in a quandry. Anyway, when at dinner tonight with the husband, I asked what rarity I should talk about next and he said, not missing a beat, "what about I Lituani by Ponchielli?" I said, "well I have to listen to it first" (cuz, people, I don't know it). But I have always wanted to know it better and in fact read a reprinted thesis on late 19th-century Italian opera that talked a good deal about this opera about 20 years ago. I have been curious about it ever since. And besides, I love love love La Gioconda and Ponchielli! He's great.

Anyway, we have what I hope is a good recording--- Gavazzeni is conducting and that is a good good sign--- it's live of course--- and it is the perfect thing to bring into the mix-- and still keep with the theme of rarities. Gonna fight B-flats with Lithuanians. Yes! I will be listening while I am on the road and hope to have something on this in December or January.

I may post a bit more but I probably should not. I have to write some lectures on Cretan "palaces" and, honey, those lectures are not going to write themselves. Not even if you ask nicely.

Donizetti’s Imelda de’ Lambertazzi

The Guelphs and Ghibellines are at it again! Back we go to the brutal Italy of centuries ago in this definitely lesser-known and rather macabre outing from the very famous Donizetti. Written in 1830, this opera dates from the same time as the better known Anna Bolena and predates the very well-known Lucia di Lammermor by five years. This recording has come out from the Italian outfit Nuova Era as part of what has been mostly a welcome (I say mostly because a few of the items have been way too provincial—no interesting repertoire is THAT interesting…) service to opera lovers. Obscure works from all periods have been brought out by the company (if a little indiscriminately at times, as I have said).

This one is a one of the good ones. The conducting by one Marc Andreae is lively. The singers get the job done and even do so at times with a certain amount of style. The standouts in terms of singing are Floriana Sovilla (soprano) as Imelda and Diego d’Auria (tenor) as her brother Lamberto. While neither has a particularly great voice, they generally stay in tune and have a good sense of the line. They both are keen actors with their voices--- you really sense their anger, their angst, their occasional longing. Neither has a ringing top note to wow us--- which is a disappointment but both, interestingly, manage some very cool portamento at climactic spots to underscore the emotions in play. A review I read of this recording from early 1990s at the time said that Sovilla had a voice that reminded him of Callas. That’s mad. Yes the voice is a little dark but the tone is not as full, there is no amazing chest register and there is no gleaming top (wild or otherwise). But one should not bring up Callas anywhere near this other singer, all it will do is spoil the reader’s enjoyment of the perfomance at hand. (What have I done in bringing her up right now? Do as I say not as I do, I guess.)

So this opera is set in late-medieval Italy. Blood feuds! Unforgivable actions! Executions! Brutality!! The Lambertazzis are allied with the Ghibellines and Geremei with the Guelphs. Naturally, Imelda is in love with one Bonifacio Geremei. We have a Romeo and Juliet thing going on here which Lamberto, Imelda’s brother, sniffs out and snuffs out. It is not like Lamberto (or Imelda) does not have a grievance: the Geremei had killed three of their brothers and threw their mother into prison where she starved to death. Anyway, Lamberto runs Bonifacio through with a poisoned sword. Imelda runs to her lover when she finds out and sucks the poison out of his wound (offstage). She then returns to stage to die there, bumming out her family out as she does. The action is brisk and makes its way right to catastrophe. This opera is tighter than the more expansive Anna Bolena. If you like bel-canto, you should check this out.

Now before signing off on this one, one last thing. I noted that she sucked that poison out of the wound of her lover. What is that about? What do we want to make of it? Well, it is, of course, clearly of a piece with the delirious excesses to which the Romantic era was devoted. Macabre stuff abounds; one recalls Lucia’s wedding night after all. But is this enough to say about this action? A little more: note that this is climax here, death. A fatal intoxication. Could we say that Imelda has overdosed here and that the gateway drug that led her to this point was disobeying her family and pursuing sexual pleasure (sometimes also known as love) on her own? Is it a lesson to draw here that sexual autonomy and freedom innagurate a slide that can lead to truly yucky behavior like this? If you are this free sexually is there any degradation to which you will not stoop? I am reminded of the crack-pot surveys of the behavior of gay men that assert that all kinds of out-there behavior [like coprophagy] are quite common among gay men. What credence these surveys can command must rely on a similar dynamic.

[illustration at top = Pacifico Buzio, Imelda de' Lambertazzi presso il cadavere dell'amante, olio su tela, Pavia, Musei Civici]

BREAKING: Wikipedia reports that a concert performance of this work is planned for March 10, 2007 by Opera Rara at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, under the baton of Mark Elder and with soprano Nicole Cabell in the title role.

Madetoja's The Ostrobothnians

First up is Leevi Madetoja's The Ostrobothnians. It's a Finnish opera from one of Sibelius' students. It is set in Ostrobothnia, which is an area of the world I have not given much thought to over the years (though I did have a sort of geeky interest in out-of-the-way countries when I was an adolescent-- and I must admit Finland did attract my attention-- so far North and so far East! cool!!). Anyway, as I said, the opera is set in Ostrobothnia--in the upper central part of the country:



As the opera was first given in the the 1920s and the dramatic date is some time before that, that means that the action occurs when the Finns were not self-governing and instead were a Grand-Duchy of the Russian Empire. As you can see, Ostrobothnia is sort of like out of the way--- it's like you get yourself to the middle of nowhere and then have to drive another 180 miles. As these people live in the middle of nowhere, it is a case of, you will excuse me, Finnish white trash mixing it up with the authorities and it all turns out badly. These people are poor and the plot turns on trying to get a guy out jail, more or less. Madetoja could have played up a nationalistic angle but opted instead for a gritty little drama.

While the plot might be gritty and all the rest, the score is earnest and beautiful. There are not the sorts of flights of fancy that characterize the Schreker or Strauss operas but it is loaded with interesting harmony, sweet-sad folk songs and a keen sense for the dead-end lives of these people. It is a wise opera. While it finds what poetry there is to be found among these dead-enders, it is also clear-eyed. I must stress, however, that the opera is very easy on the ears. It is lovely and memorable. In fact, I strongly recommend everything Madetoja has written. The symphonies for example are lovely. I may take an opportunity to discuss Madetoja's Juha at some point in the future (and we might even feature Merikanto [he wrote a Juha too] with Madetoja in an "M & M Juha face-off"-- just think!)

This is a fine recording from 1998 with the skillful Jukka Pekka Saraste in the pit. Here he is:



He knows what he is about. I saw him conduct at least once in LA. It was very fine Mahler 6. I have heard his recording of Mozart's Haffner symphony which is also quite nice [the opening motif is done so that it sings; he has the violins employ some discreet portamento to imitate how a Fiordiligi might handle that moment. Brilliant. But I digress...). It is cast well including the wonderful Jorma Hynninen:



I have enjoyed him live and on recording for years. I saw him in the first production of a Finish opera in LA called Kullervo. I cannot recall who the composer was. He sang well and acted well too--- he was the total package and speaking of package--- there was no lack there, or so it seemed to me. The excellent Monica Groop is on the recording too. One Raimo Sirkia (otherwise unknown to me) just sings so well!

On the Finlandia label, this opera has been allowed to go out of print already. This is a shame.

Compare and Contrast!

Here is a just darling ad the republicans have been running against Ford in TN (love the blonde!; though what decade is this?):



This is a parody of the above ad that targets Mehlman who unconvincingly disclaims all responsibility for the ad and about whom there has been some, shall we say, sekshul orientation chatter (love the factory-issue urban gay boy-- soon to look a little worn but not just yet [ed. let's roll!]):

Suor Angelica Report

OK. The church was packed with well-wishers. St. Andrews is a nice spot for a concert actually. Perhaps a shade reverberant but it works well. We saw Oleg Marshev here earlier in the year and he did a kick-ass Corelli Variations (Rachmaninoff) [a Schubert set and Beethoven sonata were too idiosyncratic though the discovery of THAT MUCH blackness in one of the Schubert pieces was a revelation of a sorts, but I digress...]. The orchestra was pretty scrappy, especially the strings but the conductor kept them well together and they were keen. They got the job done. The singing was competent all around. The soprano, Allison Cormack, for whom all this was put together has some real possibilities in her, I think. I was glad we put our money down and attended this. There were moments of real beauty in her voice. It has the sound of someone who has a major voice. There were many phrases that were done in the properly grand manner and with the proper diva inflection, i.e., the "check me out on this phrase folks, the voice, the power and aplomb and yet I am but the humble servant to the muse and I am in character on top of it" kind of thing, you know... like Chalkenteros over his corn flakes in the morning (or so I imagine). Her moments of temperament with the princess were quite well done. There is work to be done of course. The upper reaches of the voice, while quite powerful when approached from comfortable angles, were nonetheless unsteady at times and, of all things, she was a little nervous in Senza Mamma and the final high note was little too loud, a little unsteady, and held a little not long enough. The final pages made my eyes water a little. It is all so sad and everything really did come together. The suspension of disbelief was achieved. And I found the Virgin Mary arriving to show S.A. her son quite affecting. You know, it is interesting how a queer reading can be generated from this opera with ease. S.A. has this capacity to love but she expressed it in ways that were frowned upon in her society and so she was cast away. She is only worthy of her relatives' notice when they need something from her because she is an outlaw of love. They treat her with casual cruelty and driven to suicide the only kindness she can expect from anyone is from those of another world. [Virgin and son are, alas, not from the production we saw last night!]

Suor Angelica tonight

Tonight we are going to see a young soprano (Allison Cormack) sing Suor Angelica with orchestra and everything at St. Andrews on the Terrace here in little ole Wellington. It is a benefit to support La Cormack's studies overseas. I am given to understand that she is a big girl with a big voice. It will be interesting to see what this young singer does with the role. Seems a bold choice for a young singer. Will enedeavor to provide a report tomorrow.