It’s Purim time again. As the saying goes Not each day is Purim my take is that we should get into the mood and start the celebrations.
One of the best views of the Purim is on the streets of the Israeli cities, with kids of all ages dress for the carnivals and parties.
Here is a more traditional PurimShpiel in an American yeshiva
(video from mackaroni12)
… and a lesser traditional interpretation.
(video from hypersemitic)
Hag Purim Sameah, a Happy Purim to everybody!
Adriana Ausch mi-a permis sa preiau acest text despre Eroica lui Beethoven si concertul la care a asistat la Boston sub bagheta lui James Levine. Ii multumesc.
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Simfonia a treia de Beethoven o cunoastem sub numele de Eroica si se pare ca a fost dedicata lui Napolen si pe manuscrisul original apare “Intitulata Bonaparte”. Povestea devine oarecum neclara dupa spusele prietenului lui Beethoven, Reis , compositorul planuia sa se mute la Paris dar date fiind relatiile incordate dintre Austria si Franta o simfonie intitulata Bonaparte nu era corecta din punct de vedere politic.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven
Parti ale simfoniei fusesra compuse in 1803 dar intreaga opera a fost publicata in 1806 cu totlul” Simfonica Eroica per festigiare il Souvenire di un grand Uomo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFltqVS8d9I
“Eroica” cu o tumultoasa si extra lunga prima parte in forma de sonata . Sonata are o forma bine stabilita:
Expozitie:
tema A
tema B
incheiere
Dezvoltarea temelor
Recapitulare:
Tema A
Tema B
Coda
Partea a doua este vestitul mars funebru care cu utilizarea extraordinara a contrastului dintre sunet si pauze creaza un efect de suspense
Partea a treia, scurta si intitulata Scherzzo (pentru prima oara intitulata asa in istoria muzicii) o miscare rapida in contrast cu miscarea a doua.
(video by SONNABEND)
Partea a patra, Finalul care recapitulea temele principale ascultate devine la un momnt dat o tema cu variatiuni si miscari fugale (diferite melodii in acelasi timp)
Totul se incheie intr-o triumfatoare coda destul de alungita …
Aceatsa simfonie foarte lunga se cinta de obicei la inceputul uni concert altfel spectatorii isi pierd rabdarea. pentru orchestra este un efort extraordinar de concentrare si energie fizica. Am fost obisnuita cu inregistrarile dirijorilor germani cu contraste romantice si forta multa…este una din piesele care definesc un dirijor (ca orice altceva scris de Beethoven). In plina criza si iarna un concert cu doua simfonii de Beethoven umple sala pina la refuz la Boston Symphony pe Huntigton Avenue….mi-a trebuit mult timp sa gasesc parcare si si mai mult timp sa ma lupt cu traficul de simbata seara sa ajung de la mine de-acasa in centrul Bostonului. N-am avut timp sa ma schimb de dimineata de la 8:00 cind am inceput sa predau si vintul atit de tipic in centrul orasului mi se strecura sub jacheta de-mi taia entuziasmul muzical….
(video by saitbey)
James Levine, dirijorul de la Boston Symphony cu miini micute si cap caraghios cu par vilvoi s-a asezat intr-un scaun sa dirijeze…cu sanatea subrezita de o cazatura de pe podium si cancer, ambitia lui Levine este sa direjeze toate simfoniile lui Beethoven…..a sasea si a saptea au fost zilele trecute. Acesta este un momet istoric….
Bagheta se ridica si mai bine de doua ore am redescoperit in Beethoven nou….de fiecare data e nou si surprinzator, dar obisnuita cu ascutisurile romantice ale dirijorilor germani, dantela si eleganta versiunii lui James Levine m-a surprins …ba mai mult, orchestra avea un sunet de nedescris, o unitate si o energie retinuta si o acurateta inteligenta si controlata a sunetului incit mintea si urechea intrau intr-o rezonanta aproape mistica….N-am ascultata Beethoven in sala de concert de foarte multi ani, ma multumeam cu CD-urile extraordinare…oh, bineinteles nu exista nimic mai presus in catharsis ca un spectacol “live”…
(James Levine - source: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/about/whoweare/levine.aspx)
Sala a bubuit (ma rog, cit de poate la Boston….ca nu e Italia…:)) am iesit in vint cu zimbetul cit bilboard-ul de vis -a vis cu Alvin Aley Balet in citeva saptamini….ma aud strigata, si brate entuziaste in jurul meu, un cird de vre-o 10 parinti ai caror copii erau in clasa la ora 8:00 dimineata , ma intreaba, discuta, despicam firul vorbei si al extazului, se hotarasc pe loc sa ia cursuri de muzica, de eurhythmics si sa le predau si lor ce predau la conservator….cu cuplu din China, unul din Franta, doua din Elvetia si unul din …Boston…
Nu mai simt nici vantul, nici mainile amortite de dimineata la pian , nici gatul uscat de aproape 10 ore de predat…magicianul Levine si cardul entuziast, spuma sunetelor si vaga senzatie ca poate stiu care-mi este rostul…
Cu ocazia centenarului masterii lui Django Reimhardt postul de televiziune Mezzo a prezentat cateva concerte cu unii dintre urmasii sai muzicali. Calea deschisa in anii 30 de catre Django si Stephane Grappelli cu a lor Quintette du Hot Club de France este urmata si dezvoltata astazi cel mai bine de catre trio-ul violonistului francez Didier Lockwood, cu Martin Taylor partener la chitara.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l74wJQRo-Hg
Nascut in 1956 la Calais, Lockwood a fost inspirat in tinerete de Frank Zappa si colaborarea sa cu Jean-Luc Ponty, pentru a fi apoi descoperit si scolit de Grappelli insusi. Repertoriul si cautarile sale muzicale se intind de la underground-ul anilor 70 pana la jazz manouche.
(video by Lorgnonmelancolique)
Concertul prezentat de Mezzo a fost filmat la festivalul de jazz de la Marciac. Din trio-ul lui Lockwood alaturi de Taylor mai face parte si contrabasistul Jean Philippe Viret. In concert Lockwood i-a invitat pe scena pentru duo-uri electrizante pe alti doi colegi violonisti – Fiona Mombet si Costel Nitescu.
The first few seconds of ‘Feux Rouges’ show Antoine – a mid-age Parisian insurance agent – writing a loving mail to his wife on the verge of a family vacation. The last few seconds of the movie show the couple exchanging loving smiles while driving to the South where they would pick the children from a camp to continue together the vacation. Everything goes wrong in the in-between.
‘Feux Rouges’ starts as a relationship drama ad turns into a thriller and a wrong-turn movie. It is inspired by a novel of the Georges Simenon, and as many of Simenon’s novels the characters are far from being great communicators. The lack of communication, the routine and maybe the differences in social positions make of Antoine an unhappy husband who is ready to spoil the start of the vacations by heavy drinking while on road. Much of the movie happens on the road, and the gradual tension building picking with the disappearance of the wife Helen strikes a cord of uneasiness and even claustrophobia – great achievement for a film filmed on highways and roads with the sky almost permanently on view. As in many of Simenon’s novels there is a moralistic twist, and justice is made even if it is completely the result of hazard and not of the will of men. And there is a huge price to pay for this justice, which we only can guess as it happens out of the screen and story time.
(video by Celluloiddreams)
Director Cedric Kahn has learned a few lessons in thrillers from the great masters, and fist of all from Hitchcock. Antoine is wonderfully played by Jean-Pierre Darroussin as the type of character that we know from the very first moment that he will get into trouble and he indeed does all to confirm this, but it is the character of Helene played by Carole Bouquet that he relates to all the time and which is his focal point of frustration, worry and love.The simplicity of the story telling, the careful gradation of tension towards horror, the low key ending which does not solve the conflict, but just postpones it beyond the duration of the film make of this film a worth watching piece of cinema.
More information and reviews can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365190/
‘Det Rode Kapel’ which was presented in Israel by cable TV documentary channel 8 succeeds to do what very few documentary film makers succeeded to do in the last few decades – enter the secluded space of the North Korean Popular Democratic Republic and film there. The glimpse that we get of the landscape and people of North Korea is rare, and the documentary value needs to be saluted. It is however also a deformed image, as the group of comedy artists sent in a ‘cultural exchange’ have been taken only to certain places and have been allowed to film only certain aspects of what they have seen.
It is in the permanent discrepancy between the mode of life and thinking of the authors and what they do on screen (and did during the visit) that resides the intriguing character of the film. In order to be allowed to make the film they had to take part in the show prepared by the North Korean authorities, to place flowers at the Leader’s monument, tp participate in an anti-US demonstration and to recite slogans on stage. It was an uneasy compromise, as we understand from the comments made off-screen. To underline the situation the author frames the film within the rules of cinematic creation written by the Dear Leader himself. Sometimes the meetings and dialogs with people in North Korea look more as absurd comedy than what happened on stage. Was it worth? An open question.
We used the last entry in this season’s subscription at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv to see the ‘The Good Soul of Szechuan’ – which is already in its second season. A good performance it was indeed. Brecht’s play written between 1938 and 1940 is known as one of his typical programmatic and dialectic theater exercise, but it’s also a text full of power and emotion, of contrasts between virtue and evil, materialism and idealism, charity and capitalism, womanhood and machismo. As in more than one of Brecht’s plays the ending of this moralistic tale taking place in a world haunted by tired gods disappointed with what mankind has become is open and the question in the final is addressed to the audience placing in its minds the responsibility of answering whether living according to one’s moral standing is possible in a world dominated by greed.
from www.cameri.co.il
It is the second performance that I see in this season with Ola Schur-Selektar in the principal role after ‘Yentl’. It was again a double role in which she had to spend much time in man clothes disguise, which required acting and singing as well. Tonight I became definitely convinced that the Israeli stage has in Ola one of its biggest talents, an actress full of charm and power, who knows to act, to sing, and most of all to move the audiences. Ola is a star.
The second strong part of the evening was the music composed and arranged by local musician and pop star Keren Peles. Peles demonstrates with this performance (in which she does not appear) that she is a very gifted stage music composer, and she also translated the Brecht lyrics together with director Udi Ben-Moshe. Much less inspired were the sets, close to empty stages do not fit any play or directorial concept, and in this case they did not resonate with the colorful musical score and actors approach. Yet this was overall a good evening at the theater, in a season in which the Cameri keeps the lead as the best theater in Tel Aviv.
S-au implinit pe 23 ianuarie 100 de ani de la nasterea lui Django Reinhardt, una dintre cele mai interesante figuri ale istoriei jazzului european, si unul dintre cei mai importanti chitaristi ai tuturor timpurilor.
(sursa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Django9.jpg)
Originea sa gitana i-a marcat si muzica si stilul de viata. In 1929 caravana in care locuia a luat foc si ca urmare piciorul drept si doua degete de la mana stanga au fost in pericol de amputare. A refuzat amputarea, dar a ramas cu piciorul si cu degetele paralizate. A transformat handicapul la mana stanga intr-un avantaj, creand un stil unic in care canta practic cu doua degete si actiona coardele cu celelalte. In timpul razboiului a supravietuit in Parisul ocupat si a scapat de deportarile la care erau supusi tiganii datorita unui ofiter de aviatie german admirator si amator de jazz. Dupa razboi cand devenise deja celebru a revenit la stilul de viata nomad al gitanilor si mai ales la muzica lor. A murit in 1953, doborit de o congestie cerebrala la intoarcerea de la un concert intr-un club parizian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEzsPGHsi90
(video by exitthegame)
Partea dinainte de cel de-al doilea razboi mondial a carierei lui Reinhardt a fost marcata de colaborarea cu violonistul Stephane Grappelli impreuna cu care a intemeiart in 1934 Quintette du Hot Club de France. Formula lipsita de baterie, cu vioara, chitare si contrabas a deschis un stil nou care combina traditia jazzului american cu cea a instrumentistilor europeeni si a muzicii tiganesti pe care Reinhardt o cunostea perfect. Stilul numit Gypsy Jazz, sau Gypsy Swing sau Jazz manouche este continuat si astazi in toata Europa (inclusiv in Romania) si a trecut oceanul si in America intr-o frumoasa reflexie culturala. In mainile lui Reinhardt chitara juca si rolul sectiei ritmice intr-un ansamblu in care lipsea percutia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY
Dupa razboi Reinhardt trece oceanul si canta la Carnegie Hall impreuna cu big-band-ul lui Duke Ellington. A fost printre primii muzicieni europeeni care a inteles si iubit jazzul american si l-a asimilat in muzica europeana. In continuarea carierei sale va canta si inregistra si cu Dizzy Gillespie si Louis Armstrong printre multi altii.
In pofida vietii sale relativ scurte acest muzician autodidact a avut o influenta covarsitoare asupra multor generatii de chitaristi si instrumentisti de jazz din Europa si America. Postul de televiziune muzical Mezzo i-a dedicat cateva emisiuni cu ocazia centenarului nasterii printre care un documentar despre ‘copii lui Reinhardt’ -muzicieni de jazz care i-au urmat calea si inspiratia preluand si dezvoltand stilul sau. Despre doi dintre ei – chitaristul Martin Taylor si violonistul Didier Lockwood – pe care i-am vazut intr-un concert in care reluau peste ani dialogurile Reinhardt – Grappelli sper sa am ragazul sa scriu in curand.
I think that it is a mistake to judge a film as what it is not.’Inglorious Basterds’ is not (just) a war film. It is not a historical film. It is not a film about the Holocaust either. It is a film by Quentin Tarantino. A genre by itself.
Tarantino makes entertainment using as starting point different subjects, and develops them his way. One can of course ask whether world war II and the Holocaust can or should be dealt with by films in any genre. I believe that the answer is yes and that this answer was given already many decades ago. The French made I think some of the first comedies about the war (Babette s’en va-t-en guerre with Brigitte Bardot was made in 1960) and later in the past century the Holocaust started to be dealt in various registers, including the comic one, the best example being of course the fabulous La vita e bella by Roberto Begnini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTUDXLKI3LY
I liked this ‘Tarantino goes to war’ exercise although I do not think it is his best film. Relative to the the ‘Kill Bill’ two volumes ‘Inglorious Basterds’ seems a little bit too simple and too direct. Yet it figures a triangle of characters that are all acted wonderfully – Brad Pitt as the commander of the Jewish avengers squad is almost hard to recognize in voice and appearance, Christoph Waltz is one of the best villains seen on screen in recent times, and Melanie Laurent provides an exotic mix of revenge, ingenuity and femme fatale. The other point of attraction is the use o a cinema hall as the set for an alternate end to the world war – here Tarantino is at his best and the result is unforgettable. This is enough stuff to make of ‘Inglorious Basterds’ one of the contenders to the Best Film Oscar race especially now that the number of finalists in the category was raised to nine. It will not get the trophy, but it will give a good fight.
The IMDB entry with more information, reviews, viewer comments can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/
My friend Asher Yerushalmi came to Israel as an ole hadash (new immigrant) a few months ago, leaving behind him an attorney career to start all over in a new country. His country. Our country.
Having started to know him I feel that he will be a lawyer in Israel rather sooner than later. In the meantime he learns Hebrew at the Ulpan and lives in the absorbtion center in the city of Raanana. He recently bought a camera and made pictures of the city, and also in the city museum. He graciously accepted to make them available on the blog – so here they are, three wonderful presentations about the history and present of one of the beautiful cities in the Sharon plain.
In the meantime I wish Asher good luck at the Ulpan A exams a few days from now.
The second performance this year in the New Israeli Opera subscription was Gounod’s ‘Faust’. It is my preferred work by Gounod, the very typical example of the French Grand Opera at its best. It’s a story of contrast and absence and the title may be mistaken. The libretto inspired by Goethe does not place Faust in the center of the story, and actually all the reward and penitence drama is cut short to make out of Marguerite the principal heroine, one of the greatest tragical feminine characters in the history of opera. Faust’s tenor part although not deprived of a few great musical moments is only one point in musical triangle which offers space for the Margeurite’s soprano and Mephistopheles’ bass parts to conduct the principal musical dialog in the drama. It also is one of the better and most coherent stories in the grand opera history. Despite of its five acts and more than three hours ‘Faust’ is very well built dramatically, has almost no dead or repetitive moments, and leads the audience to the redeeming finale. It’s a moralistic ending were death and tragedy also mean salvation. While the Devil is almost permanently present on stage for the duration of the story, it is the invisible God that has eventually the upper hand.
The current staging is directed by Paul-Emile Fourny, the general and artistic director of the Opera of Nice, and the result is more than satisfying. With help from set designer Poppi Ranchetti, Fourny localizes the action of the timeless story in the European landscape of the end of the 19th century, so that the wars connotation and the ambiguous French and German balance receive an very exact political and historical connotation, in a dark post-Gothic and almost mono-chromatic atmosphere. The cast of singers is extremely well balanced, maybe the best balanced cast that I have seen on the stage of the NIO in many years. Paata Burchuladze is a favorite of the Israeli audiences who love him and whom he loves, and the chemistry between him and the public compensates for the slightly fading vocal capabilities. The Swiss soprano Noemi Nadelmann who was a sensible and impressive Margueritte, has a very pleasant and well rounded voice that fit well in the dimensions of the character. American tenor Scott Piper sang a fair Faust, while Israeli Shira Raz and Georgian Stella Grigorian had smaller but just to the point performances that made us wish to hear them more and in more extensive roles. The young conductor Omer Welber who at the age of less than 30 became house director of the opera orchestra (and Rishon LeZion symphony orchestra) led well the musical part in one of the good opera evenings of the season.
