Film – ‘Nosferatu’ (F. W. Murnau – 1922)

Posted on May 17, 2010 by admin

Each time I see a film like ‘Nosferatu’ from the silent time period I cannot help reflecting how different the experience of watching movies was in the first three decades of the history of cinema. Even today when the big equalizer of cinema watching which is the home TV screen and the elaborated music that now comes together with almost any silent film should bring the experience closer to watching a contemporary film, the feeling of watching a different type of films, with focus on the image quality and actors expressive skills almost derives in the feeling that I am watching a different art – one that may even come closer to deserve the numeral seven in the order of classical arts.

source www.imdb.com

The 1922 version of ‘Nosferatu’ is considered as the first horror and vampires film in history, the opener to a series of films inspired by Briam Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ which by now seems endless and covers multiple genres beyond being a genre by itself. Is it a scary movie? Certainly not by the norms of the 21st century viewer. Yet one can find here many of the elements that will be used later not only by the Dracula series and vampire flicks, but also other genres of horror story- embryos of the Rocky Horror show are present in a scene where a science professor explains carnivore plants to his pupils, in other scenes rats and spiders show up in a premonition of their respective sub-genres. The quality of the film resides however in the complex settings, in the stylish costumes and in the camera work which brings to perfection the fixed camera style filling in the screen with shapes, movements, and suggestions. Also remarkable is the quality of the script and the fluidity of the story telling, F.W. Murnau succeeds to create a Gothic story with action plans which run in parallel just to meet at the maximum suspense point, a technique that will be used and brought to perfection later by directors like Hitchcock. And yes, the scenes that take place in Transylvania are quite well made, no big gaffes or historic mix-ups as it too often happens in other more recent ‘Dracula’ films. There is of course some real or fake ingenuity in the feminine character who sacrifices herself to the vampire for the greater community good, but this part is also in line with the quality naivety of other great silent movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcyzubFvBsA

(video source LuckyStrike502)

I have seen on the European ARTE TV channel the digitized version of the film, based on multiple sources from the German and Czech archives. The youTube version is very similar in image, but differs in the interlude scripts (which are an important elements in the atmosphere setting) and the very inspired music score. Try to find to see this new version, it is worth the effort, and maybe to some extent closer to the original, although it is paradoxically the most recent. Director Murnau has left a legacy including this film and a few other considered today masterpieces of the German expressionist movie industry. By the the time he died the year was 1931, two or three years in the spoken film era, Murnau had moved to America, but never got to making the great movies of a career in the spoken film art, a career that we shall never know.

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Film: El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina, 2009)

Posted on May 16, 2010 by admin

There is no ‘bad’ genre in cinema or literature or music I believe. There are just good films and bad films, good books and bad books, good pieces of music and bad pieces of music. So, saying that with ‘El secreto de sus ojos’ the Academy gave this year the Oscar prize for the best foreign language movie to a telenovela (soap opera) – a genre so popular all over the world which has a special flavor in South America and especially in Argentina – should not by any means be taken as an insult.

source www.imdb.com

The story line of Juan Jose Campanella’s film crosses a quarter of a century which for Argentina meant huge convulsions and transformation from the populist demagogy of the rule of the Perons in the 70s, through the brutal military right wing dictatorship  at the end of that decade and the beginning of the 80s, until the full restoration of the democracy by the end of the century. It is a complex story, involving a brutal rape and murder which is being investigated by a criminal judge which tries to bring justice at all means, in a system that seems to be corrupt and incapacitated whatever the political system of the day. he story of passion allows the authors to make a deep and convincing reflection about the relativity of justice when faced with political and human weakness. However, beyond the satisfying thriller story it is the unconsumed love story between the investigator Benjamin Esposito and his superior, judge Irene Menendez Hastings that eventually takes over. This apparently impossible love, because of professional and social circumstances, gives the whole film an air of melancholy, and Soledad Vilamil as the judge is a fascinating screen presence, of an ageless and noble beauty that reminded that shines through the whole duration of the film and gives it the deserved title. Her partner Ricardo Darin seems a little too restrained, it is exactly the passion that never changes in a man which is once referred in a key scene that seems to lack to the actor.

(video source rmflorencia)

Many of the elements remind indeed the telenovelas – the development of the action, the parallel threads, the romantic tone. There are however some differences, some in favor of the movie, other against it. There is no violin sentimental music score. There are moments of great quality in the scenes of the 70s representing bars or house interiors or the stadium, the viewer can not only visualize, but also hear, feel and the smell the period. Beyond the principal actress there is at least one more exquisite supporting performance of Guillermo Francella as Pablo Sandoval, the drunken, pathetic, and eventually heroic partner of Benjamin. Yet there is not enough time to develop all the subjects. The film at 127 minutes is too short for all threads to develop completely, the authors seem to have intended to say too much and had not enough time and space to extend, ans the result is that the dictatorship period seems to be treated in a quite superficial manner, and the story has two endings – one for the thriller and justice story, the other for the romantic thread, which do not really come together.

‘El secreto de sus ojos’ is not a bad film, quite the contrary. Having however seen two other of the films that competed for the Oscar this year, Haneke’s Das weisse band and the Israeli Ajami – I personally would not have been surprised at all if any of these two had won and not this one.

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‘Bill’ at the Batsheva Dance Company

Posted on May 15, 2010 by admin

source www.batsheva.co.il

The Batsheva Dance Company founded in 1964, under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin since 1990, established itself as one of the most interesting and well known modern ballet companies in the world. We saw last night their last production ‘Bill’ at the Suzanne Dellal center in the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Tzedek, which became in the last decade one of the preferred entertainment areas of the city and a good place to spend a Friday night out with a friend coming to visit home from her remote California location.

(video source batshevadancecompany)

‘Bill’ is created by choreographer Sharon Eyal and takes the style of the company to its extremes. It is one hour of dance in a conception that focuses on the bodies and movements of the dancers, getting rid of many of the other elements that come together with the usual dance performance – narrative, sets, colors. What we see on the stage are only the dancers, in monochromatic costumes and with their bodies painted the same color and lights, and the continuum of the trance – style music guiding their movements. The result is that as a viewer you can focus on watching the dynamics of their movements, which build the whole performance. I liked what I saw on stage, it was permanently interesting, surprising, expressive – with the dancers interacting between themselves and the group in a sort of endless tribal ceremony from an universe that was created in front of our eyes. Even if the concept may seem too abstract and repetitive to some (it was not for me) the talent and effort of the dancers in the hot almost summer-like conditions (with the air conditioning not working for unknown reasons) was rewarded by well deserved applause from the audience.

An extensive interview with choreographer Sharon Eyal can be read at http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/friday-supplement/a-dance-on-the-wild-side-1.291018.

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Erica Hoffer – Impresii de la Festivalul de Jazz de la New Orleans

Posted on May 14, 2010 by admin

Erica Hoffer este una dintre prietenele pe care le-am invidiat cel mai mult in aceasta primavara. Desi am avut ocazia sa vizitez de doua ori New Orleans-ul si sa-mi petrec ore si seri greu de uitat in cluburile de blues, jazz, cajun, zydeco ale orasului, niciodata mu m-am gasit acolo in perioada festivalului anual de jazz. Erica a avut aceasta sansa, de fapt si-a creat-o si programat-o ea insasi, si acum a avut bunavointa de a permite impartasirea impresiilor sale si cu cititorii blogului.

—————–

M-am intors de curand din calatorie, si cum stiu ca printre listeni se afla cativa iubitori de jazz, de calatorii si de gastronomie va povestesc impresiile mele de la New Orleans. Orasul, istoria si specificul cred ca e cunoscut de toti. Ceea ce il caracterizeaza printre altele este muzica de jazz gen dixieland care s-a nascut acolo, iar abundenta cluburilor de muzica de toate felurile si atmosfera deosebita, as zice usor frivola datorita consumului inalt de alcohol fac ca New Orleans-ul sa fie sinonim cu muzica, petrecere, good time si de aceea e un loc natural pentru un festival de jazz cu totul deosebit. Numele festivalului este de fapt “Jazz and Heritage Festival” iar genurile de muzica sunt toate asociate cu  New Orleans: blues, gospel, Afro-Carribean, rock, country, Cajun si tot ce exista intre ele.

(source http://www.nojazzfest.com/)

Festivalul a inceput sa se tina anual din 1970 si traditia e de doua weekends, unul de trei zila ultimul din Aprilie si urmatorul de patru zile la inceputul lui Mai. Locul este un stadion enorm de curse de cai aflat cam la marginea orasului in care sunt instalate 12 scene si corturi cu posibiltatea de concerte simultane care au loc intre 11 dimineata si 7 seara. Un bilet simplu de $50 (care nu ofera posibilitatea de sedere in jurul scenelor – acolo se sta in picioare, sau se sade pe iarba sau pe scaune pliante) te lasa sa asculti tot ce exista intr-o zi. In corturi exista scaune ca la un stadion, dar artistii vestiti apar pe “scene”.

Cum nu am fost inca niciodata la asa un festival am fost uimita in prima zi de ordinea desavasita in care au intrat un numar enorm de oameni in incinta festivalului. Totul era organizat extraordinar, transportul (shuttle, taxi ieftin, parcare), toalete chimice, doua zone de bufete, zone de vanzare de artizanat. S-au publicat acum numarul de oameni care au fost la festival: 375.000 in 7 zile!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5AAhJ0x1wo&feature=related

(video source melinnis)

In speranta ca nu va plictisesc va povestesc ce mi-a placut  din tot ce am ascultat in cele doua zile de festival. Primul spectacol care mi s-a parut grozav a fost grupa lui Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes care m-au molipsit cu energia  lor frenetica. Am incercat apoi muzic Cajun care m-a lasat cam rece, dar am fost cucerita de muzica traditionala dixie  la care,ca sa fie atmosfera completa,  marsaluiau in ritmul muzicii o serie de oameni imbracati ca in Sudul de demult, cu palariile si umbrelutele respective. Cativa din  ei  nu erau in prima tinerete…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXmZfrgohVI

(video source kluggers)

Grupele dixie pe care le-am ascultat au fost: Treme Brass Band si Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble

M-am indreptat apoi spre scena cea mai mare la care trebuiau sa apara Simon si Garfunkel. Ca sa nu stau prea departe am stat la tot spectacolul celor de dinaintea lor, grupul Funky Meters, care nu m-a emotionat. Simon si Garfunkel au cantat frumos, era emotionant sa-i vezi pe scena, dar cam asta era tot. Impresia generala din prima zi a fost in primul rand publicul, atmosfera de convivialitate a la Woodstock, buna crestere generala a participantilor.

(video source rox26m)

A doua zi m-a impresionat cantareata Marcia Ball si iarasi muzica dixie cu atmosfera extraordinara. La cortul gospel am cazut peste un dirijor care cu tot dinadinsul a vrut sa ne bage in trans religios si asta era pacat.

Cateva cuvinte pentru gastrosoful nostru: dupa umila mea parere, in dorinta de a gusta din bucataria cajun renumita am mancat la “Mr B Bistro”, “Paul K” si “The Commander’s Palace”. Ultimul e pe departe cel mai bun restaurant din cele trei la care am fost.

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Francis Mantel – Ganduri si Cantece de Ziua Ierusalimului

Posted on May 13, 2010 by admin

Ieri a fost sarbatorita in Israel Ziua Ierusalimului – aniversarea a 43 de ani de la eliberarea Orasului Vechi in timpul razboiului de sase zile, ziua reunificarii Ierusalimului. Prietenul meu prof. dr. Francis Mantel a avut bunavointa sa accepte preluarea pe blog a gandurilor sale legate de Ierusalim si de atasamentul evreilor fata de Ierusalim, asa cum este exprimat in rugaciuni si in muzica evreiasca.

Cand ma gandesc la Ierushalaiim, eu nu ma refer la soldati. Ci la evrei in general. Si la centrul spiritual pe care Ierushalaiimul il reprezinta pentru evreul constient ca e evreu.

Se spune ca in anul al saptelea al domniei sale (din totalul de 30 de ani cat a domnit), regele David si-a mutat capitala de la Shhem (Nablus) la Ierushalaiim. Acest lucru s-a intamplat cu peste trei mii de ani in urma!

In urma lui, fiul sau, regele Solomon a cladit primul Templu din Ierushalaiim.

De atunci, fara intrerupere, Ierushalaiimul, in timpuri grele si in timpuri bune, acest oras a marcat focarul atentiei si simbolul centrului spiritualitatii evreiesti.

Evreii sunt atasati de Ierushalaiim de peste trei mii de ani.

Bunicul meu matern, in Ardealul din Galut, obisnuia sa cante in fiecare vineri seara, printre “zmirot”-urile de Shabat, la cina festiva in cinstea Shabatului, la “seuda rishona” din cele trei mese de Shabat, un cantec hasidic extraordinar de frumos, in limba maghiara. Cu multi ani mai tarziu am aflat ca acest cantec este considerat de unii ca fiind “imnul” evreilor maghiari. Cantecul este plin de dragoste si dor, nostalgie si patos, dupa centrul spiritual evreiesc din Ierushalaiim. Poate sunt eu sentimental, dar de fiecare data cand ascult, sau cant, acest “zemer” cu acest “nigun”, … ma trec fiori, si plang de emotii ca un copil, caci ma copleseste textul liric si spiritual al cantecului acesta. Imi amintesc de Shabatul din copilaria mea, impreuna cu bunicii mei materni, cu parintii mei prezenti, si ma gandesc la legatura sufleteasca extraordinara a evreului cu Ierushalaiim-ul. Este o legatura spirituala care l-a ajutat pe evreu de-a lungul secolelor de exil, de calvar, de necazuri si de obidire, i-a dat evreului curajul sa se ridice dupa orice lovitura si orice cadere, si sa porneasca in continuare neabatut pe drumul sau evreiesc, cu spiritualitatea intensa evreiasca iudaica, catre spiritualitatea iudaica intensa din “Ierushalaiim shel Maala”, catre Ierushalaiimul spiritual celest, catre speranta reinnoirii vietii spirituale evreiesti intr-o tara evreiasca suverana si libera. Nu este vorba aici de nationalism sovin de tip legionar, nu este vorba nici de xenofobie, nu este deloc vorba de o ura fata de arabi, ci este o tendinta pura de a re-conecta cu o viata spirituala evreiasca elevata si sustinuta, in care evreul s-a simtit acasa si in vremuri de oprelisti.

Iata textul cantecului, urmat de cateva variatiuni de auzit si de vazut:

(Scuze celor ce sunt straini de limba maghiara.)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Szól a kakas már

( The rooster is already crowing )

(irta: horav Taub Izsák nagykállói cádik (Csoda-rabbi)

Nagy-Kálló /Hungary      The Kalever Rebbe       1780 (mit 230 yohr zurik)


Szól a kakas már.                  The rooster is already crowing.
Majd megvirrad már.                It will soon be dawn.
Zöld erdĹ ben, sík mezĹ ben       In the green forest, in the open field
Sétál egy madár.                   A bird is walking.
 
Micsoda madár!                     But what a bird!
Ay, de micsoda madár?             Oy, but what a bird (it is)?
Kék a lába, zöld a szárnya,       With yellow legs and wings of blue,
Engem oda vár.                     It is waiting for me there.
 
Várj madár, várj.                  Wait, my rose, wait.
Te csak mindig várj.               You just always wait.
Ha az isten nekem rendelt,        If G-d willed me for you,
Tied leszek már.                   I shall be yours.
 
Mikor lesz az már                  When will this come to pass?
Ay, de mikor lesz az már?         Oy, but when will this come to pass?
Jiboné hamikdos,                   Yiboneh ha-Mikdosh
Ir cion tömálé,                    Yir Tziyoin temalleh

Akkor – lesz az már.                                          Then – it will come to pass.

..                             ..

De miért nincs az már?                                    Why does it not happen?
De miért nincs az már!                                     Why does it not happen?
Y’Mipney Chatoenu Golinu MeArtzenu,     Because of our sins were we
 exiled from our homeland.
Azért nincs az már.                                              That’s why doesn’t it happen.

Ascultati, daca doriti, cateva versiuni (diferite) ale cantecului:

– cantat de Kalever rebbe hasidic de azi, urmas al autorului Kalever rebbe, horav Itzhak Taub, z”tz”l:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuTuKufvgO4

– cu text tiparit, cantat de un succesor al rabinului hasidic Taub, der Kalever rebbe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjwKuYmzWYg&feature=related

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

– cantat de un cor de “hazanim” din Israel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcuWnIviYJ0&NR=1

– cantat in idish de rabinul hasidic: der Nikolsburger rebbe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqO6t-aRBmY&feature=related

– cantat de Marta Sebestyen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaEL4tidJQk&feature=related

– la vioara, de Orsolya Korcsolán:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTE7P6z_hRU&feature=related

– cantat de klezmer-i din Argentina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6LRYtMsjpA&feature=related

– cantat de tineri evrei din Ungaria:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e9DVCm14k4&feature=related

– cantat de Eszter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qprouUu3VzY&feature=related

– Michael Alpert canta in idish si maghiara, in SUA, la vioara si tzambal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fZ9OaezMZg&feature=related


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The Maltese Week / 6 – Good Friday in Mosta

Posted on May 12, 2010 by admin

In the car that took us from the airport to our hotel at the arrival in Malta we saw from the highway a huge structure that was visible from distance and dominated the landscape. Mr. David, the driver explained that this is the third dome in dimensions in Europe.  Frommer’s guide says it’s the fourth in the word. The information was not confirmed from other sources, and I actually heard a similar claim about another church in the island of Gozo, but later in the afternoon, when we arrived in the city of Mosta to watch the Good Friday procession as recommended by Mr. Albert the knowledgeable receptionist at the resort, we all agreed it is BIG.

on the streets of Mosta

As we were warned the city was closed to cars for the event and we had to walk about two kilometers from the margin of the town to the church in the center. We encountered for the first time the feeling of familiarity we then experienced for the rest of the trip. The landscape and the style of building is very similar to the one in the Arab towns and villages in Israel, spoken Maltese sounds close to Arab, and with the silhouette of the church in the sky the city looked like a flat replica of Nazareth.

Mosta Dome or Rotunda of St Marija Assunta

The impressive church dedicated to St. Mary – Rotunda of St Marija Assunta in Maltese – was built between 1833 and 1860, and the plans were based on the model of the Pantheon in Rome. On April 9, 1942 a German bomb fell inside the dome but never exploded, event which is remembered as the April 9 Miracle.

the Dome

The Dome is impressive also in the interior. The ceiling is painted in an abstract patter, and enhances the feelings of dimension. The internal diameter is 37.1 meters, and the walls are 9.1 meters thick.

inside the church

The church was overcrowded, as it was the time of the Good Friday liturgy before the procession started to parade in the streets. We could not move freely in the church and admired the art, but we could see the allegoric cars, the statues and the relics that were prepared to participate in the event. It was quite obvious that in this deeply religious country many people had worked for days and weeks in preparation.

preparing the chains

When we exit we saw another kind of preparation on the stairs of the church. Heavy metal chains were waiting for people to carry them on their legs during the procession, as a symbol of the suffering of Christ. The folks who were to carry the chains had their feet protected with bandages.

waiting for the procession

It was already late afternoon and the streets began to fill with people waiting for the procession to start. The path of the walk in the streets was well marked, it started from the church and ended at the edge of one of the main streets in the city. Some chairs were sold for a few Euros, other people gathered in the balconies in expectation. We were inspired and lucky to find a coffee shop (with a cinema theme – more about this in the next episode!) at the second floor of a building in the corner of the square near the church. We took some beers and waited for the event that started around 5PM.

dignitiaries and local band

The first to walk in the procession were the dignitaries of the city followed by the local band. All seemed to walk on slow motion, and stopped several times so there was plenty of time to take photos from all angles.

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

Statues, paintings, icons from the church followed carried on allegoric cars. The logic became evident, as each one of the cars and groups of people were described and the story of Christ’s Passion told on loudspeakers first in Maltese and then in English.

carrying the chains

Our friends carrying the chains followed. They were in full costume – looking a little bit like Ku-Klux-Klan, but we were not that shcked as we have already seen these costumes at a similar procession in the South of Spain a few years ago. Some of them were barefoot, some were wearing sneakers, all carried the real and heavy metal chains. Slow motion was fully justified for them.

Jewish and Roman characters

Costumes reflecting the local vision of how the Bible drama characters looked like were carried by participants in the parade, as in a grave carnival. The comment advanced slowly through the Bible story. It was already 7PM, we were watching the procession for a couple of hours and it became evident that it will last until late in the evening or even in the night. When the commentary reached the episode in which Barabbas was pardoned by the Jews instead of the innocent Christ we decided that we watched enough and started to head back to our place.

the food booth

On the way back we could not miss the food booths with magnificent cakes and pastries. Easter follows a period of feasting for Christians, and this was probably only one of the elements of diet-breaking of the holiday.

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amazing documentary on Einstein

Posted on May 11, 2010 by admin

I am not a great fan of the documentary series on History Channel, but the one I have seen today was really much above the average. It focused on Albert Einstein, maybe the greatest scientific mind that ever lived, and on the crucial years between the writing of his basic works describing the theory of relativity and nature of light in 1905, until the experimental proof that confirmed the theory of generalized relativity and the nature of gravity in 1922 followed by the receiving of the Nobel prize (but not for the theory of gravity but rather for the description of photons and structure of light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC7Sg41Bp-U

(video source g33kqu33n)

These were years in which Einstein turned upside down all the science in place for more than two centuries based on the classical physics founded by Newton. These were years where the whole world turned upside down, empires in place in Europe for many years tumbled down under revolutions and new orders emerged predicting peace and welfare but bringing the seeds of more and atrocious human suffering. In the middle of all these storms Einstein succeeded to not only to create some of the most magnificent pieces of work that human mind ever conceived, but also kept a straight moral position, opposing war and nationalist fantasies.

source: www.haverford.edu

Whenever I look at his photos I cannot escape the feeling that I am looking at the images of a man who is still alive. His eyes are so deep and his stare is so intense and so human, that I almost expect him to talk to me. The fact that I know about the deep connection and support he felt to Israel only enhances my feelings.

The documentary at History Channel was smartly made. It brought on screen a battery of biographers, scientists and historians (Walter Isaacson, his most famous biographer among them) who talked about Einstein and his times, and succeeded to link their commentaries into a logical thread that built a story line that fascinated and kept me watching like at the best thriller dramas. All was explained clearly – the historic background, the biographic details, the science and the family life (yes, Einstein was no saint or family values model) and the reconstitution of the experiments that eventually proved his theories looked like a good and real Indiana Jones film. The ‘Einstein’ documentary set for me a model of what biography movies should look like.

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Film: De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté (Jacques Audiard – 2005)

Posted on May 10, 2010 by admin

I did not see yet the last film of Jacques Audiard Un Prophete which enjoyed great success in Europe and was brought to Israel a few weeks ago. I did however have the opportunity to see now (from the ARTE TV channel) this previous film that he directed in 2005 and my feeling is that I have met the work of one of the most interesting and complete directors in the French cinema today.

source www.imdb.com

It is usually the European cinema that comes with the original ideas and the American Hollywood industry that creates the remake, with lesser or greater success. Here the path is reversed. A film with a very similar theme about the son of a Mafia head trying to break with the family and with the life of crime in order to get back to the classical music making that was his childhood passion was Fingers made in 1978 by James Toback with Harvey Keitel (one of my prefered actors) making one of his finest roles ever. Here with the action is transferred in the Paris of today, the main role is being taken over by Romain Duris, a fine actor who succeeds to make us believe in his character fighting an almost impossible fight for redemption and evasion from his milieu, and especially makes us care about him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKZso_wFZ4

(video source fransefilm)

Duris is supported by a team of actors which is best selected and do a great job – especially Niles Arestrup as the young man’s father for whom he cares, and from whom he must escape in order to have any chance to find a new path in life, and Linh Dan Pham as the Chinese pianist who teaches the hero lessons to help him get back on the track of art, without knowing any French. The scenes between the two, one speaking French , the other Chinese (with no subtitles) and communicating only by mimic and especially by music are both dramatic and moving. It’s a solid drama and a complex film, but never a complicated one, so it’s a real thrilling cinema experience to watch it.

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Moscow’s Stanislavski Opera with Prokofiev’s ‘Betrothal in a Monastery’ in Tel Aviv

Posted on May 9, 2010 by admin

Last night’s performance at the New Israeli Opera was one of the first in the series of performances that brings here the Stanislavski Opera from Moscow. It was a fine performance in my opinion, although quite a different one than the usual kind of operas the Israeli audience is accustomed with.

source http://www.israel-opera.co.il/

This is one of the operas written by Prokofiev after his return to the Soviet Union in 1935, and the only one that does not have a Russian and patriotic theme. Actually the subject resembles more the operas that Propkofiev composed earlier abroad. The libretto written by the composer and his wife Mira Mendelson is based on an 18th century play by Sheridan that inspired several operas, kind of a comedy of errors and situations, with comedia dell’arte morals and frenzy, very much in the spirit of Goldoni and Beaumarchais. The music on the other hand belongs much more to the more mature and settled period of the late Prokofiev creation – it lacks the surprises and experiments of the earlier works, but has maturity and dramatic continuity, is full and interesting all over. If the  subject is rather minor, the music is one of the best in the late operas of Prokofiev.

source http://www.israel-opera.co.il/

The performance brought to Tel Aviv (directed by Alexander Ttiel and Ludmila Naletova) takes the action almost completely out of the historical context. If there is one such context, it is rather the one of the era and place where the composer lived and created. The freedom was certainly limited for Prokofiev at that time when he found himself under the scrutiny of censorship, but the use of comedia dell’arte clowns  for all the background characters gave him the opportunity to make in movement and mime what he could not express in words. I am not sure how much of the irony about the demagogic propaganda and pseudo-heroes of the communist regime made it to the Israeli public, but at least the scene movement was expressive, and the costumes expressive and colourful. The set designed by Valentin Arefiev with bars of huge ventilators moving around the scenic space gave a feeling of openness and the occasion for a few gags, but failed to connect to the music. The singers were good almost without exception, I had the feeling that if I knew Russian I could understand any word (so stop blaming the acoustics when the singers are un-intelligible!),  they acted like a team in an opera that includes a lot of interaction, duets and multiple dialogs rather than spectacular areas, and the orchestra directed Wolf Gorelik sounded much better than usually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts5aLeRXrcA

(video source carissia1910)

I have found a couple of clips from two different performances of the opera – one is the overture directed by Valery Gergiev, and the second catches the fabulous Anna Netrebko in one of the duets in the first act of the opera.

(video source Eduardo2335165)

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Carla Cook in Tel Aviv

Posted on May 9, 2010 by admin

You may have not heard about Eddie Jefferson. He was a idol in the 60s and 70s, an exquisite vocalist, but is almost forgotten nowadays. A moving in-between songs story told by Carla Cook during her concert in Tel Aviv brought him to my attention. A story about a teenager girl in Detroit, listening to a jazz radio station where Eddie, one of these musicians who could play the rich and solid classic jazz repertoire was a star, hearing that he comes in town and begging her parents to allow her to go and listen to him in a club, getting permission and getting little sleep for the night because of the emotion, waking up at morning with the news that Jefferson was killed that night and she will never listen to him live. That event happened exactly 31 years ago day by day. Now, Carla Cook tells this story at many concerts, and Jefferson lives in memory and gets to be known to people around the world because of her.

(video source routzi)

The direct style and the sincere interaction with the audience are the principal qualities of Carla Cook. Born in Detroit, she is a friend and sometimes works with violinist Regina Carter with whom she shared the dream to become a jazz musician since childhood. Nowadays beyond being a performer she also teaches jazz, and one of the funniest and nicest moments of the evening was the rendition of a standard in the style of her seven years old pupils (‘they really swing!’). Maybe she has not a great voice or the allure of a diva, but her sincerity, her joy in singing and sharing the emotions conquers the audience. The name of her last album (from 2002!) ‘Simply Natural’ describe quite well what she is about.

(video source deecharming)

The program on Friday night (part of the Tel Aviv Museum Hot Jazz series) was mostly based on standards, and on lesser known songs of well known musicians that Carla loves to discover and bring back to the attention of the public. An old and little known Duke Ellington song was maybe the best of the evening. Out of the Israeli band pianist Nitai Herkowitz was the best, close to the singer, attentive and sensitive to her parts, with refined and interesting solos. Saxophonist Erez Bar-Noy had a few moments of quality, but his style closer to free jazz is not that fit with what Carla Cook does. Asaf Hachimi at bass was correct, and Shy Zalman, as many times could not refrain from being too loud and too extrovert, which sometimes is good, not always is needed.

(video source buddhaboogie)

Carla Cook’s website is http://www.carlacook.com/

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