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CANDIDE at English National Opera

by leonora @ 30/06/08 - 12:29:23

cunegonde1eno-candideeno-candide-3

ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA, June 28 2008

CANDIDE
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John
Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.
Book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, freely adapted by Robert
Carsen and Ian Burton
Orchestrations by Leonard Bernstein and Hershy Kay, with additional
orchestrations by John Mauceri.

(Co-production with Theatre du Chatelet, Paris and Teatro alla Scala, Milan)

CANDIDE is rather unfamiliar in the UK, at least in comparison with West
Side Story, but after seeing this production, I must say that it deserves
to be better known.
Voltaire's satire (or comic novel) was updated by Bernstein to the 1950s
(i.e. the time in which it was written - it was first performed in 1956) -
for this production, much of the 1950s setting has been retained -
costumes, stage design, etc - but the spoken dialogue has been updated to
include present-day references. It was intended by Bernstein to be "a
political comment in the aftermath of Joe McCarthy" - the satire seems
obvious enough to me, and to everyone else in the ENO audience, but,
according to the programme notes, "The point of the satire was
anti-American, particularly anti-Middle America, but this went over the
heads of most of the orginal first-night audience". (Then again, if they
had got it, it would probably have been banned......)
During the overture, the stage resembles a giant television set in the
style of the late 50s/early 60s, and scenes of American glamour (including
the Kennedys) are shown on the screen. The linking passages are spoken by
Alex Jennings as Voltaire, who then divests himself of his 18th century
costume to reveal a 1950s suit and tie, in which he plays Pangloss,
Candide's optimistic tutor, who believes that in spite of everything, "all
is for the best in the best of all possible worlds" - this is the subject
of one of the first songs. Jennings then also plays Martin the pessimist
(the one who joins up with Candide in the second half, and believes that
this is the WORST of all possible worlds).
Voltaire's Westphalia has become "West Failure" - which in due course goes
to war with "East Failure", the point (Voltaire's point, effortlessly
transferred to a 20th century setting) is that the two powers are
identical in their barbarity, each believing that the other is the evil
one...
The role of Candide was sung pleasingly by Toby Spence - he's the only
character who has what might be described as set-piece, "operatic-style"
arias - the rest do have solos, obviously, but the lyrics of Candide's
songs are not ironic or witty, as are most of the others, his songs
describe his reaction to the increasingly bizarre experiences he
undergoes, until he is finally stripped of all his illusions, but decides
he'll marry the gold-digging Cunegonde anyway,as they now no longer have
any ideals about each other and they'll "make their garden grow". This
isn't quite how Voltaire's novel ends - that is, in Voltaire there is a
real garden attached to the house in which all the main characters end up
(having survived various attempts on their lives, drowning, execution, etc
etc), and they do cultivate it and live on its produce, so it is real as
well as being a metaphor. For Bernstein, it becomes the occasion for the
final show-stopping number, in which all the characters and the chorus
join.
The opera (operetta? musical? piece of musical theatre?) follows the broad
outlines of Voltaire's novel, and for the most part the updating is
seamless, since most of the institutions that Voltaire was satirising are
still unfortunately in existence. When Pangloss and Candide arrive on dry
land, after escaping from West Failure in a ship provided by 'a kindly
Anabaptist' (sic) , there is an earthquake and Pangloss and Candide are
arrested and accused of being responsible for it. The trial scene is of
course a parody of the MacCarthy HUAC trials in the 1950s, after which
Pangloss and Candide are sentenced to be hanged. (They miraculously
escape, of course - although we don't find out until the end that Pangloss
has escaped too). Then there is a chorus number which beings cheerily -
"What a day, what a day, for an auto-da-fe"......it's a bit of a pity I've
booked to see DON CARLO this afternoon, I HOPE I can forget about this
before I get there!! It's an excellent satire on the hypocrisy of Church
and State, the lyrics are very witty - throughout, in fact, but it was
this number which I particulaly noticed.
Apart from the overture, the only other well-known number is Cunegonde's
"Glitter and be Gay". Anna Christy, who was previously seen here as Lucia
di Lammermoor, was indeed a very 'glittery' Cunegonde, reaching the high
notes with great skill and accuracy, and without a hint of shrillness. I
haven't seen it in context before, it is actually the centre-piece of a
dance routine, in which all Cunegonde's lovers and suitors surround her,
presenting her with diamond bracelets and necklaces. Bernstein's musical
inventiveness seems inexhaustible!
The orchestra of ENO was conducted by Rumon Gamba.
**************
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/opera.html


 
 

Thomas Hampson and Wolfram Rieger at Wigmore Hall

by leonora @ 17/12/07 - 17:16:46

Thomas Hampson and Wolfram Rieger at Wigmore Hall, 15 Dec. 2007

hampson12Rieger2

I just left the Wigmore Hall, and found an Internet Access point just opposite, so I can write about the concert while it's still fresh in my mind. (For people I've already discussed this with - it
IS the same programme as the Chatelet programme last year).

 The Kerner Lieder are not well-known, on this evidence Kerner was not as great a poet as Heine (indeed, he is almost forgotten today), but some of the songs are very attractive, especially when performed by Hampson and Rieger. Hampson's performance was sometimes mellifluous and suave, sometimes passionate, always intelligent and committed, always with beautiful intonation. He and Rieger have been performing together for years now, and Schumann especially needs a
pianist who is an equal partner with the singer, not an "accompanist" - so many of the songs have piano postludes which reinforce the sentiments expressed in the song.

Two of the Kerner Lieder are songs about travel, set to cheerful melodies - some more serious, or contemplative, for instance "Stille Liebe", in which the poet expresses his regret that no poem is truly
adequate to express the praise of his beloved....

During the interval I drank some wine and discussed the manifold talents of Thomas Hampson with the people sitting near me - (nothing to do with the looks, HONEST!!! )

Then after the interval he sang DICHTERLIEBE, but it is a version which contains the songs that were omitted from the original publication - that they have been re-discovered is thanks to Hampson's research, there is a long article  in the programme about the publication history.

What impresses one about Hampson's performance is that he appears to be EXPERIENCING what he sings about, not just NARRATING it. Again the smooth, mellifluous tones in the first songs - his voice sounds like melted honey sometimes!  And he can be passionate as well - in 'Ich grolle nicht', he really spat out the final "nicht", and even his facial expression was involved - angry, tormented. The point of this song is that the poet is claming that he doesn't "bear a grudge", but of course the fact that it exists at all demonstrates his anger and bitterness.

"The notion that Schumann either ignored or tried to soften Heine's irony is a widespread one that has not been frequently enough challenged". His interpretation of "Ich grolle nicht" is a case in point, as is "Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen".....I was struck by this when I saw the performance at the Chatelet, and he and Rieger have deepened and refined the interpretation so that the ironic nature of the song is even more apparent. The flowers exhort the poet "not to be angry with our sister" - and one realises that perhaps Heine's flower imagery isn't as charming as it appears on the surface, because what the flowers are in effect saying is...."She's just a flower, what do you expect from such an ephemeral creature....we just fade and die..." I mean that Hampson really emphasises the ironic subtext of this song.

I have singled out one or two Lieder for special mention, but really the entire performance was of a very high standard. They performed just one encore - 'Du bist wie eine Blume' - and were given bottles of champagne instead of flowers!! Then Hampson got Rieger to take a solo bow, and he said a few words of farewell, wishing the audience Happy Holidays.
Now I'm still trying to come back down to earth!!!!
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/opera.html

GOETTERDAEMMERUNG, ROH Covent Garden, 24 November 2007

by leonora @ 25/10/07 - 18:37:13

GOETTERDAEMMERUNG, ROH Covent Garden, 24 October 2007

CAST

First Norn........................Catherine Wyn-Rogers
Second Norn....................Yvonne Howard
Third Norn.......................Marina Poplavskaya
Siegfried.........................John Treleaven
Brunnhilde.......................Lisa Gasteen
Gunther..........................Peter Coleman-Wright
Hagen............................James Moellenhoff
Gutrune..........................Emily Magee
Waltraute......................  Mihoko Fujimura
Alberich..........................Peter Sidhom
Woglinde.........................Sarah Fox
Wellgunde.......................Heather Shipp
Flosshilde........................Sarah Castle

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Chorus Master.................Renato Balsadonna
Concert Master................Vasko Vassilev

Conductor......................Antonio Pappano

Director..........................Keith Warner
Set Designs.....................Stefanos Lazaridis

Musically and dramatically, this has been a wonderful RING. I've already
praised Pappano's conducting to the skies, and if anything this was even
better than the preceding evenings. He gives detailed attention to every
nuance of orchestral shading - I espcially noticed details like the brass shining
out when Siegfried and Brunnhilde swear their oaths in Act II. Siegfried's
Funeral March was truly heroic, and poignant, and compensated for the fact
he doesn't GET a Funeral March on the stage, he gets up and wanders slowly
off - I imagine it's meant to represent a ghost disappearing into the mists, but
it would have been a bit disappointing had the music not compensated for the
deficiencies of the staging.
twilight12367

John Treleavan was in much better voice that he was in SIEGFRIED, and
managed quite a creditable performance. Lisa Gasteen had recovered from her
indisposition, and was in radiant voice - this is probably an even more testing
role than the WALKUEURE Brunnhilde, as she develops so many facets of her
character - she starts as a young girl in love, then she is a betrayed (and
brutalised) wife, then an avenging fury and finally, when all this is over, she
has attained wisdom and resignation. Gasteen rose magnificently to the
challenge, with steely, ringing tones for the confrontation in Act II, and
mellow in the Immolation scene - I remember when I saw her last year, her
sensitive enunciation of 'Ruhe, ruhe, du Gott' brought tears to my eyes, and it
did again yesterday evening. Really a great and believable Brunnhilde.
lisagasteenKenton372

Another splendid performance was given by the Waltraute, Mihoko Fujimura.
Not only a lovely mezzo voice, but a really intelligent, sensitive portrayal of
the role.

The Hagen was James Moellenhoff. (Apparently it was to have been Kurt Rydl -
it would probably have been too much to expect Tomlinson to sing Wotan
AND Hagen). I liked the quality of stillness he had, which contrasted well with
Gunther (Peter Coleman-Wright) and Gutrune (Emily Magee), who were
portrayed as very restless, nervy and fidgety. This suits the character of
Gunther very well, of course, emphasising his insecurity. Hagen then remains
on the stage during Waltraute's narration (though the audience forgets about
him, as Mikoko Fujimura's performance is so gripping), and the scene that
follows - he does nothing until the very end, when Siegfried announces that
he intends to place his sword between himself and Brunnhilde - then Hagen
rises and lifts his chair in a gesture of triumph. He had the right quality of
grimness, suddenly relaxing into sardonic humour, in the Summoning of the
Vassals.
roh-twilight
I will say a few words about the staging - one thing I particularly disliked was
the fact that when Siegfried comes back disguised as Gunther - well, he is
there wearing the Rubik Cube, sorry Tarnhelm, but - SO IS GUNTHER. This is
ridiculous, and makes nonsense of the whole scene, the point of which is that
IT ISN'T GUNTHER. The other problem is that Brunnhilde has a horse's skull -
remember the Valkyries all had horses' skulls? - which she gives to Siegfried
(Fuer den Ring nimm nun auch mein Ross), which he then hands to Hagen
when he arrives in the Gibichung's Hall.......I still do not see what the point of
this is. (Never mind, watch Pappano conducting instead!!)
However, there were aspects of the staging I liked - in the Immolation Scene,
the statues of the Gods (which were also present on the stage during the
wedding scene in Act II) are brought in to form part of the funeral pyre and
are consumed in the general conflagration. The backdrop is a cloth covered
with mathematical symbols and a swirling galaxy, which is very effective.

A triumph for Antonio Pappano.
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/wagner.html

SIEGFRIED, ROH Covent Garden, 21 October 2007

by leonora @ 22/10/07 - 09:27:59
  1. beardsleysiegfried


    SIEGFRIED, ROH Covent Garden, 21 October 2007

    Cast:
    Mime...........Gerhard Siegel
    Siegfried..................Jon Trevleaven
    Wanderer...................John Tomlinson
    Fafner....................Philip Ens
    Woodbird..................Ailish Tynan
    Erda..................... Jane Henschel
    Brunnhilde................Irene Theorin

    Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
    Conductor................Antonio Pappano

    Director.................Keith Warner
    Set Designs..................tefanos Laziridis

    Yet again, I start by praising Antonio Pappano and the orchestra, the beautiful
    subtlety of the Forest Murmurs movement, and especially the serene beauty
    of the orchestral passage as Siegfried emerges onto the mountain-top - I
    always feel when I hear this that I don't want him to start singing and break
    the spell, and never more so than last night!
    John Tomlinson was perhaps not in quite as good voice as he had been in DIE
    WALKUERE, but this suits the characterisation of the weary Wanderer, who is
    still able - just - to frighten Mime with his spear, but of course has no effect
    on Siegfried. I especially liked the scene with Alberich (Peter Sidhom), as the
    contrast between them was so well conveyed, Tomlinson convincing in
    Wotan's declaration of his wish to stand aside and let the younger generation
    take over, Sidhom conveying the fact that Alberich HAS NOT CHANGED AT
    ALL, the venom in his voice says it all!
    I could hardly hear the Mime (Gerhard Siegel) most of the time- and I
    gathered that many people in the audience had a similar problem. Trawling
    back through my archives, I discover that I had the same problem two years
    ago! So I am wondering if it's part of the characterisation - Pappano is usually
    very sensitive to the needs of the singers, and never lets them be
    overwhelmed by the orchestra. The situation did improve during Act II, and I
    was amused by the metamorphosis into the rat when Mime reveals his evil
    intentions towards Siegfried.
    Jon Treleaven was unfortunately unable to cope with the demands of the role -
    he managed the Forging Scene quite creditably, but in the final scene he
    was visibly, and audibly, exhausted, hardly managing to sing in tune. Everyone
    applauded him for effort, anyway, because he did do his best.
    Irene Theorin stood in for Lisa Gasteen and was a sympathetic young
    Brunnhilde - she probably won't be able to cope with the
    GOETTERDAEMMERUNG Brunnhilde, so if Gasteen has not recovered, we must
    hope that Susan Bullock takes over again.
    The staging - there are some aspects I like, and some I can do without.....I
    actually like the crashed plane round which Mime and Siegfried have made
    their home, especially when the Wanderer unexpectedly clambers out of the
    cockpit. I was less impressed with the Forest, which looked rather like Santa's
    grotto, especially with the stuffed animals. The final few moments of Act II
    served to emphasise Siegfried's extreme youth and silliness...he's about to run
    off after the Woodbird, and she (played by a young woman dressed in white)
    has to point at his sword to remind him to go back for it, THEN to remind him
    to go back for the Tarnhelm (silly Rubik's Cube - I'm STILL not happy with
    that!) and the Ring.
    A couple of days' break, then on Wednesday it is GOETTERDAEMMERUNG.

DIE WALKUERE, Rpyal Opera House, 19 October 2007

by leonora @ 21/10/07 - 00:28:45

DIE WALKUERE, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 19 October 2007

Cast
Siegmund.................................Placido Domingo
Sieglinde..................................Eva-Maria Westbroek
Hunding...................................Stephen Milling
Wotan.....................................John Tomlinson
Brunnhilde................................Susan Bullock
Fricka......................................Rosalind Plowright

Valkyries
Gerhilde.................Geraldine McGreevy
Ortlinde...................................Elaine McKrill
Waltraute................................Claire Powell
Schwertleite............................Rebecca de Pont Davies
Helmwige.................................Irene Theorin
Siegrune................................. Sarah Castle
Grimgerde................................Clare Shearer
Rossweise................................Elizabeth Sikora

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Concert Master........................Vasko Vassilev

Conductor..............................Antonio Pappano

Director..................................Keith Warner
Set Designs............................Stefanos Lazaridis

You were probably expecting to see the name of Lisa Gasteen as Brunnhilde in
the cast list, but she had to withdraw because of ill-health - fortunately
Susan Bullock was able to take over at very short notice, and was a more
than adequate replacement.

But I'll start at the beginning - during the first few minutes, the orchestra
sounded slightly 'muffled', the brass not having quite the piercing quality one
hopes for, but this soon improved, and the 'chamber music' quality of much of
the first act (the motifs that characterise the Volsungs and the growing
attraction between Siegmund and Sieglinde) was very sensitively played under Pappano's skilful conducting - in fact at some points I shut my eyes so that I could listen to the music in a more focussed way, it was so exquisite!

Domingo's Siegmund has lost none of its qualities over the years - his German is rotten, but who cares! He produced a really heroic ring with 'Waelse, Waelse, wo ist dein Schwert!', and great tenderness in 'Winterstuerme' - but
the greatest moments were reserved for the Todesverkuendigung, the quite
resolution with which he replies to Brunnhilde's announcement was amazing.
The music rises to a pitch of almost unbearable tension in the orchestra as
Siegmund asks, 'Begleitet den Bruder die braeutliche Schwester? Umfaengt
Siegmund Sieglinde dort?' and then the tension is broken with Brunnhilde's
quiet reply - delivered with calm dignity by Susan Bullock - she is an
experienced Brunnhilde, although this is the first time she has sung the role at Covent Garden. She has a clear voice with soaring top notes (I have heard
her before as Desdemona and as Isolde). I also liked the passionate Sieglinde
of Eva-Maria Westbroek.
roh-walkure-3roh-walkure-4

John Tomlinson just IS Wotan!!! It's forty years since I first saw the RING, but
Wotan's Farewell still has me in tears, as it did yesterday. Wotan runs the
whole gamut of emotions in this opera, from hope - almost elation - to
despair, and this is one of the best and most convincing performances I've
seen in recent years. At the opening of Act II, he waves his spear about in
triumph, as he obviously thinks he has found the solution to his problem - of
course Fricka (Rosalind Plowright) disabuses him of this notion. When she
finally gets his promise, he kneels to kiss her hand, and she pats him on the
shoulder, as if to thank him. When I saw this production last year, with Terfel
as Wotan, he accepted her embrace - but Tomlinson flinched away from her,
which is perhaps more logical.
 
roh-walkureroh-walkure-2

Something else which I found interesting - when
he leaves Brunnhilde and storms off in anger, the stage directions AND THE
MUSIC indicate that he should 'stride furiously away', but in fact he walked
very slowly and hesitantly off, while Brunnhilde follows him with his spear,
which he has forgotten - so, although this seems to be acting against the
music, it works as a way of showing Wotan's distress. Similarly at the end of
Act II, rather than storming off in pursuit of Brunnhilde, he returns and kneels
by the side of the dead Siegmund, wringing his hands in despair.

The staging has some attractive moments; for instance, when Spring bursts
into Hunding's hut, this in indicated by a burst of light, and a shower of rose
petals falling from the roof - Sieglinde lifts her face to receive them. On the
other hand, I could really do without the horses' skulls that the Valkyries
carry - I haven't yet met one member of the audience who DOES like this, and
I cannot understand what the point is - unless it's just to get a cheap laugh.
But it has to be said that at the crucial moments the director and stage
designer forget about the gimmicks and just let the cast sing and the
orchestra play - or perhaps it's just that the scene between Wotan and
Brunnhilde in Act III was so gripping that the audience forgot about the
production gimmicks.

Tomorrow is SIEGFRIED.
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS

http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/wagner.html

DAS RHEINGOLD, Royal Opera House, October 17 2007

by leonora @ 18/10/07 - 16:19:02

DAS RHEINGOLD, Royal Opera House, 17 October 2007

Cast:

Woglinde...................................Sarah Fox
Wellgunde...............Heather Shipp
Flosshilde ......................Sarah Castle
Alberich.................................... Peter Sidhom
Wotan......................................John Tomlinson
Fricka.......................................Rosalind Plowright
Freia........................................ Emily Magee
Fasolt.......................................Franz-Josef Selig
Fafner.......................................Philip Ens
Froh.........................................Will Hartmann
Donner..................................... Peter Coleman-Wright
Loge.........................................Philip Langridge
Mime.........................................Gerhard Siegel
Erda.........................................Jane Henschel 

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Concert Master Vassko Vassilev

Conductor...................................Antonio Pappano

Director......................................Keith Warner
Set Designs..................................Stefanos Lazaridis

I hope the excellence of this performance is a good omen for the rest of the
RING! Pappano drew such burnished tones from the orchestra, right from that magical, mysterious beginning - and I liked the fact that there wasn't the
usual business of the conductor coming on beforehand to be applauded, it
creates a much better atmosphere if the sound seems to emerge from
nowhere. The orchestral balance was ideal, and Pappano takes it at a tempo
that seems exactly appropriate and also gives due emphasis to the passages
for solo instruments at crucial moments. Pappano is also very sensitive to the needs of the singers.
Antonio_Pappano
I would single out for special praise John Tomlinson's Wotan and Philip
Langridge's Loge. Tomlinson's deep sonorous voice is of course well-known and highly praised, but he is also a gifted actor and gave a very subtle
characterisation of  Wotan as a god with very human failings! Especially, of
course, that of greed and lust for power, and he is beginning to intuit that this
is going to be his undoing, even as he waves the sword around before the
entry into Walhall. 
roh-rheingold

Loge, of course, will have nothing to do with any of this.
the particular qualities of Langridge's tenor voice are ideal for this role (who is actually my favourite character in the RING!) . There are nice touches of
comic genius, such as the fact that when Donner summons the thunder, the
other gods stand apathetically around while Loge sits under an outsize
umbrella - eliciting laughter from the audience, as of course it's yet another
way in which Loge undercuts the pretensions of the others.
Peter Sidhom as Alberich seemed to start off tentatively, but this was
obviously part of the characterisation, as he gained in power - and of course
malevolence - in the Nibelheim scene. This is the point at which I must start
to describe the production - Nibelheim is, among other things, a laboratory in
which monstrous experiments on humans and animals are being perpetrated, there is a mutilated skeleton on a hospital trolley, and Loge throws some of
the body parts away - later, after Alberich has been captured by Wotan and
Loge, Mime throws some more body parts away. (An interesting idea, BUT I
started to wonder if it wasn't a bit too 'busy').The actual gold which Alberich
has been amassing is barely visible, as it is all packed into suitcases, which
Mime has to carry around, and which are too heavy for him.
The Tarnhelm is - an outsize Rubik Cube, which glitters in certain lights
 
roh-rheingold-2

- yes,
Ok, but the novelty will have worn off by GOETTERDAEMMERUNG (I've seen
this production before!) One thing I did like, though, was that when Alberich is tricked into turning himself into a toad - a little toad with a MINI-Rubik Cube
on its head hops across the stage!
Mime is sung by Gerhard Siegel, who emphasised very well the contrast
between the Nibelung brothers - Mime lacks the tragic grandeur that makes
Alberich a distant cousin of Milton's Satan - something that was very apparent when he cursed the Ring - which of course is now on Wotan's finger, and
Alberich actually takes Wotan's hand when he curses the Ring - I haven't seen it played like this before.

I'll return to the beginning now - the Rheinmaidens are naked right at the
start, but as soon as Alberich appears they hurriedly scramble into some
clothes (probably not before he's had a good stare, though, as they don't see
him at first). 
1Rheingold

 One thing I particular liked about the staging was that the
projections of green wavy lines that indicated the Rhine gradually change into  a spinning globe with Mercator projections - the globe becomes smaller and  smaller as the Valhalla scene approaches, and Valhalla is shown as the interior  of a rather grand mansion with a black marble fireplace and matching black  furniture.
roh-rheingold-3
 
Fricka and Freia were wearing very elegant Edwardian tea-gowns.
roh-rheingold-4

Rosalind Plowright was very good as Fricka, her warm mezzo tones contrasting  well with the soprano of Emily Magee - who sang well but her characterisation  was a bit lack-lustre. I liked the fact the she seemed to tentatively respond  to Fasolt's genuine affection for her. The giants were sung by Philip Ens and
Franz-Josef Selig.

***********
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/ring1.html

The Garden

by leonora @ 11/09/07 - 17:22:44

Delighted today....just on my way home from the Garden Centre, having bought two trays of violas for a quid each!

The Garden today

by leonora @ 28/08/07 - 16:15:09

Back from Edinburgh......
The garden's looking good, thanks to the neighbour who looked after it in my absence.
Harvested LOADS of cherry tomatoes when I got back
!
cherrytoms

I ate them for lunch today - well, there are one or two left for this evening, along with the salad, all of which was grown in the garden.
nasturtiums

Edinburgh Festival 2007

by leonora @ 26/08/07 - 18:02:00

My last day in Edinburgh!! 
I think I've used the time profitably....last night I went to a concert by the folk group Whistlebinkies.
Here's some info about them...
http://www.footstompin.com/artists/alphabet/pv/whistlebinkies

They played a varied programme of traditional Scots music and music from other Celtic countries, including Brittany, and also some music from the 17th. century. During the interval I was able to chat with Rab Wallace, who plays Lowland Pipes and Small Pipes (not the ones you blow into - more like Northumbrian pipes), about the overlap between Early Music and Folk Music, had a very interesting discussion.
The other instruments include a clarsach (Scottish Harp)
clarsach
and more conventional instruments such as flute, fiddle, double bass.

After the interval they played a piece written for them by John Cage - 'Scottish Circus' - and some of the audience didn't realise it was the John Cage and carried on chatting.....  ah well..
*************

This afternoon (Sunday) I went to the People's Story Museum
http://www.cac.org.uk/venues/peoples_story.htm

which is a museum of the working lives of people in Edinburgh. it currently has an exhibition of Trade Union Banners.
ps2

Harpsichords at St. Cecilia's

by leonora @ 25/08/07 - 17:48:32

St. Cecilia's Hall, Edinburgh, August 2007

I have attended two recitals at St. Cecilia's Hall, which is part of the University of Edinburgh's Department of Music. It has one of the two best collections in the world of early keyboard and stringed instruments (the other is at Yale University). The harpsichords in the illustration are not from this collection, just illustrations of the sort of instruments they have in the collection.
The first lecture/recital was of music by C.P. E Bach, played on the clavichord, and the performer, Colin Kingsley, explained how Bach influenced Haydn, some of whose early pieces he then played on the fortepiano - he explained that may of Haydn's works would be impossible to play on a clavichord (although they can be played on a harpsichord),because the style, the chords, the fingering, every nuance of the piece is adapted to a fortepiano or a harpsichord. The fortepiano he used was one from the late 18th century - they are all original instruments, no reproductions! It includes an early sustaining pedal, but at this stage the player had to operate the pedal with their knee...the pedal at the base of the instrument appears with the pianoforte proper.
This afternoon I attended a recital entitled 'His Majesty Commands' - music from the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia, including a piece for flute and keyboard by the King himself, which was interesting, because I knew he was a competent performer, but I hadn't realised he wrote himself.
The next piece was by Frederick's teacher Johann Joachim Quantz, and the other pieces were by J.S. Bach and C.P.E Bach. The instruments were a baroque flute and a fortepiano - a different fortepiano from the one used in the previous concert, they have a very large collection!
During the intervals the audience was invited to visit the collection, it is quite stunning it its range, it has some of the oldest harpsichords and clavichords ever made - I talked to the curator, who said that she does play all of them, they have to be played in order to keep them in good condition.

(Sadly, I only have one more day in Edinburgh....)

harpsichordclave4


 
 
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