Reviews: Catching up
The Lion Hunter contained the same charaters from Coalition of Lions, told in a different segment of Telemakos' life. Reading it out of order chronologically makes it into a mystery of sorts, which I don't think is intended and which I don't prefer. Would rather read it chrono. I love the writing and really adore the characters. Poor Telemakos has one hard life and I want the best for him. I recommend this series to any Arthurian buffs and to all enjoyers of youth fiction, although it's pretty adult in subject matter. This book is great, but it cuts off at an abrupt To Be Continued which occurred to me as very rude, since I was completely engaged in the story. Worst of all, the next book(The Empty Kingdom) is not released yet. (grunts impatiently) Thumbs up.
The Sunbird jumps back in Telemakos' life story to explain what happened before The Lion Hunter. This is well written. Wish I had read them in order. Thumbs up.
My first Patchett was Bel Canto, which I adored. I then read The Magician's Assistant which I did not love as much. Run brings her back to my current writers to read new releases of list. It takes place in approximately 24 hours (with decades' worth of flashbacks and an epilogue set years later), which created a driving pace that kept me turning the pages. I liked the characters, although they were somewhat 2D. I liekd better the crazy tale they were involved in, which as made-for-TV-movie as it was struck me as sufficiently credible to give myself up to it. Good read. Thumbs up. This review has beenedited upon further reflection.
Shelter Dogs was a sad film about one shelter that euthanizes to prevent inhumane captivity for dogs that can't be adopted out. The subject matter is endlessly fascinating, but the film is not. Could give it a miss.
Born Into Brothels is an intense look into the lives of several children of prostitutes in a Calcutta brothel. A westerner (Zana Briski, UK) went to the red light district to photograph the prostitutes and was discovered by their children. These kids live *in* the brothel with their working moms, who are subject to use and abuse by the fathers, the pimps, their neighbors (other working girls), and the customers. Because their mothers are criminals, the kids are not eligible for education or visas or many other social services, and all are poor. Briski fell in love with their plight and started up a photography class that spans years, teaching many kids to take photos. Their photography gains them international attention, which gets many of them into boarding schools and out of the brothels for the first time in their lives. Most of them don't stay in school for long. A couple of the girls end up working shortly after the end of filming. TS and I watched this with dread in our hearts and felt an overwhelming dose of "there but for the grace of god..." . This movie provides excellent perspective for any who suffer dissatisfaction for any aspect of their lives. Thumbs up, if you're feeling strong - this film is harsh.
Gluck is my favorite father of modern opera. He was the guy whose idea it was to drop the retarded ABA exit mandatory format from classical opera. According to Wikipdeia, "He thought both of the main Italian operatic genres - opera buffa and opera seria - had strayed too far from what opera should really be. They seemed unnatural, the singing in opera seria was devoted to superficial effects, the content was uninteresting and fossilised. Opera buffa had long lost its original freshness, its jokes were threadbare, the repetition of the same characters made them seem no more than stereotypes. In opera seria too, the singers were effectively absolute masters of the stage and the music, decorating the vocal lines so floridly that audiences could no longer recognise the original melody. Gluck wanted to return opera to its origins, focusing on human drama and passions, and making words and music of equal importance."
For me, of highest importance, this version of the Iphigenia epic (The Oresteia) is told in one 60 minute act and one 55-minute act, meaning we only have to sit for 2 hours, and GOD BLESS GLUCK'S EVERLASTING SOUL for this. This fact alone makes this one of my favorite operas ever.
There are spots where the composition does not seem to match the action - where the harpsichord and/or orchestra give merriment and lightness to dark scenes. A lot of the score sounded to me like boring filler music, not forwarding the drama. (My understanding is that this was typical of opera in Gluck's time - boring filler music intended only to serve as a backdrop for vocal gymnastics.) However, large portions of the score and several arias were all about forwarding the action, and did so very effectively. Some of the music is beautiful. The storm music of the opening scene was awesome. The duet between Orestes and Pylades about being willing to die for friendship (and by friendship they meant greek style warrior lovers) was gorgeous and moving. Diana's music was appropriately god-like. Iphigenia has one gorgeous aria about mid-way through. (I can't find the name of it anywhere!) The worst music was written for King Thoas (then again, perhaps I just hated his singing that much.) Also, some of Iphigenia's music was boring or repetitive, and Orestes whined the whole time about his sad fate - Wah, sucks to be me, I killed my mother and I don't deserve to live, wah... but I guess ol'Guillard didn't have that much else to go on. (Still, if I were to write that character, he may be tormented, but he'd whine less.) The chorus music was amazing, especially the all women sections.
This production was marked by one of the best sets I've ever seen Seattle Opera offer. My one comment was minor disappointment that the set did not change between scenes, because all the action apparently takes place in the same two rooms. They could have showed the rooms from a different angle... which they so effectively did in Les Contes de Hoffmann two seasons ago. It really puts you there, in your perception, to see the same space from two angles. Then again, since the whole work is under two hours, and since the set was SOOOO good, it's really a minor complaint.
Costuming, lighting, and special effects were awesome. The goddess Diana descends from the heavens on a cable, twice, and it was extremely well done. There was a cool effect in which Clytaemenstra appears in holographic image (trick of lighting, not actual hologram), although I didn't understand the tripple Clytaemnestra effect - perhaps I should finally read the program notes about that...)
The choreoghraphy in this show was markedly better than the average that has been offered lately at SO. For example, although I thought there was overinvolvement of ballet (I'm not big on adding ballet to my opera, although in Gluck's time it was required), these Greek men and women sure conveyed emotions better and forwarded the action more effectively than the Roman men and women did in last season's Cesare. The women had a storm dance at the outset that was interesting - it incorporated images of slavery or servitude (which is what they were, servants to the temple of the oracle where Iphigenia was a captive priestess serving King Thoas), and also elements of the weather. The fight choreograhpy in the second act was not so great, mostly because the swords sounded plastic/fake, but I've seen worse on this same stage, so I give this choreographer (Daniel Pelzig) high marks and the fight director (Steve Rankin) a B-.
The singing was both good and mediocre. Excellent voices in the two male leads - William Burden singing Pylades makes me understand why people go crazy for tenors, and Brett Polegato (pole cat?) served as a brilliant lead baritone. Frankly, I don't understand the fascination with tenors as romantic leads - I always want my man to be manly (baritone or even bass). If his role hadn't included so much whining, I would have totally swooned for Polegato.... what a voice! Also very impressive was the voice of "Minister of Thoas/Scythian" sung by David Adam Moore. He pulled off his few lines with such stage presence and vocal beauty that I hope to see him again in larger roles. (Ah, I see he was in Fanciulla a couple seasons ago - that was a great production!!) The women only chorus sections sounded amazing!
Nuccia Focile sang Iphigenia with power and pathos, but again (as in her Mimi in last season's La Boheme), I just don't love her voice. I do not favor sopranos, and typically I either hate them or love them. Then there are those who I acknowledge as having power and skill but the sound of whose voices just doesn't do it for me. Focile falls into this third category. She's obviously very talented and she's petite and pretty, so she's an obvious choice for modern opera leading ladies. She does not shrill or poke at one's eardrums, and there is rarely any metalic quality to her tone. Perhaps in this case, it was the composition. Frankly, the music she sings and even her libretto are quite bland.** For all that the story is about her, her dilemma, her losses, it just isn't the most moving part of the story.
In other roles, I didn't care for the voices of Leena Chopra (soprano, second priestess), Ani Maljian (soprano, first prietess), or especially not Phillip Joll (baritone, Thoas). Bleck. (It is very hard for me to image, based on this show, that he pulled off a Wotan for SO in 2001... perhaps he is past his prime now...)
One of my very favorite things about this opera is that its only lovers are gay men. Those early opera composers sure did do a lot of gender bending.
All in all, very high marks. This is my favorite production since Les Contes de Hoffmann.
** I give this disclaimer because after SO's Cosi, I thought I hated Alexandra Deshorties' voice, but then I heard her in Cesare last season and discovered that in fact she falls into this third category of sopranos whose talent/vocal power I acknowledge, but whose voices just don't do it for me. This is a brilliant production, and anyone who has the chance should see it when it comes to the Met. Placido Domingo will sing Orestes (isn't he a tenor, though???) in The Met production. God, I want to see that!
The Sunbird jumps back in Telemakos' life story to explain what happened before The Lion Hunter. This is well written. Wish I had read them in order. Thumbs up.
My first Patchett was Bel Canto, which I adored. I then read The Magician's Assistant which I did not love as much. Run brings her back to my current writers to read new releases of list. It takes place in approximately 24 hours (with decades' worth of flashbacks and an epilogue set years later), which created a driving pace that kept me turning the pages. I liked the characters, although they were somewhat 2D. I liekd better the crazy tale they were involved in, which as made-for-TV-movie as it was struck me as sufficiently credible to give myself up to it. Good read. Thumbs up. This review has beenedited upon further reflection.
Shelter Dogs was a sad film about one shelter that euthanizes to prevent inhumane captivity for dogs that can't be adopted out. The subject matter is endlessly fascinating, but the film is not. Could give it a miss.
Born Into Brothels is an intense look into the lives of several children of prostitutes in a Calcutta brothel. A westerner (Zana Briski, UK) went to the red light district to photograph the prostitutes and was discovered by their children. These kids live *in* the brothel with their working moms, who are subject to use and abuse by the fathers, the pimps, their neighbors (other working girls), and the customers. Because their mothers are criminals, the kids are not eligible for education or visas or many other social services, and all are poor. Briski fell in love with their plight and started up a photography class that spans years, teaching many kids to take photos. Their photography gains them international attention, which gets many of them into boarding schools and out of the brothels for the first time in their lives. Most of them don't stay in school for long. A couple of the girls end up working shortly after the end of filming. TS and I watched this with dread in our hearts and felt an overwhelming dose of "there but for the grace of god..." . This movie provides excellent perspective for any who suffer dissatisfaction for any aspect of their lives. Thumbs up, if you're feeling strong - this film is harsh.
Gluck is my favorite father of modern opera. He was the guy whose idea it was to drop the retarded ABA exit mandatory format from classical opera. According to Wikipdeia, "He thought both of the main Italian operatic genres - opera buffa and opera seria - had strayed too far from what opera should really be. They seemed unnatural, the singing in opera seria was devoted to superficial effects, the content was uninteresting and fossilised. Opera buffa had long lost its original freshness, its jokes were threadbare, the repetition of the same characters made them seem no more than stereotypes. In opera seria too, the singers were effectively absolute masters of the stage and the music, decorating the vocal lines so floridly that audiences could no longer recognise the original melody. Gluck wanted to return opera to its origins, focusing on human drama and passions, and making words and music of equal importance."
For me, of highest importance, this version of the Iphigenia epic (The Oresteia) is told in one 60 minute act and one 55-minute act, meaning we only have to sit for 2 hours, and GOD BLESS GLUCK'S EVERLASTING SOUL for this. This fact alone makes this one of my favorite operas ever.
There are spots where the composition does not seem to match the action - where the harpsichord and/or orchestra give merriment and lightness to dark scenes. A lot of the score sounded to me like boring filler music, not forwarding the drama. (My understanding is that this was typical of opera in Gluck's time - boring filler music intended only to serve as a backdrop for vocal gymnastics.) However, large portions of the score and several arias were all about forwarding the action, and did so very effectively. Some of the music is beautiful. The storm music of the opening scene was awesome. The duet between Orestes and Pylades about being willing to die for friendship (and by friendship they meant greek style warrior lovers) was gorgeous and moving. Diana's music was appropriately god-like. Iphigenia has one gorgeous aria about mid-way through. (I can't find the name of it anywhere!) The worst music was written for King Thoas (then again, perhaps I just hated his singing that much.) Also, some of Iphigenia's music was boring or repetitive, and Orestes whined the whole time about his sad fate - Wah, sucks to be me, I killed my mother and I don't deserve to live, wah... but I guess ol'Guillard didn't have that much else to go on. (Still, if I were to write that character, he may be tormented, but he'd whine less.) The chorus music was amazing, especially the all women sections.
This production was marked by one of the best sets I've ever seen Seattle Opera offer. My one comment was minor disappointment that the set did not change between scenes, because all the action apparently takes place in the same two rooms. They could have showed the rooms from a different angle... which they so effectively did in Les Contes de Hoffmann two seasons ago. It really puts you there, in your perception, to see the same space from two angles. Then again, since the whole work is under two hours, and since the set was SOOOO good, it's really a minor complaint.
Costuming, lighting, and special effects were awesome. The goddess Diana descends from the heavens on a cable, twice, and it was extremely well done. There was a cool effect in which Clytaemenstra appears in holographic image (trick of lighting, not actual hologram), although I didn't understand the tripple Clytaemnestra effect - perhaps I should finally read the program notes about that...)
The choreoghraphy in this show was markedly better than the average that has been offered lately at SO. For example, although I thought there was overinvolvement of ballet (I'm not big on adding ballet to my opera, although in Gluck's time it was required), these Greek men and women sure conveyed emotions better and forwarded the action more effectively than the Roman men and women did in last season's Cesare. The women had a storm dance at the outset that was interesting - it incorporated images of slavery or servitude (which is what they were, servants to the temple of the oracle where Iphigenia was a captive priestess serving King Thoas), and also elements of the weather. The fight choreograhpy in the second act was not so great, mostly because the swords sounded plastic/fake, but I've seen worse on this same stage, so I give this choreographer (Daniel Pelzig) high marks and the fight director (Steve Rankin) a B-.
The singing was both good and mediocre. Excellent voices in the two male leads - William Burden singing Pylades makes me understand why people go crazy for tenors, and Brett Polegato (pole cat?) served as a brilliant lead baritone. Frankly, I don't understand the fascination with tenors as romantic leads - I always want my man to be manly (baritone or even bass). If his role hadn't included so much whining, I would have totally swooned for Polegato.... what a voice! Also very impressive was the voice of "Minister of Thoas/Scythian" sung by David Adam Moore. He pulled off his few lines with such stage presence and vocal beauty that I hope to see him again in larger roles. (Ah, I see he was in Fanciulla a couple seasons ago - that was a great production!!) The women only chorus sections sounded amazing!
Nuccia Focile sang Iphigenia with power and pathos, but again (as in her Mimi in last season's La Boheme), I just don't love her voice. I do not favor sopranos, and typically I either hate them or love them. Then there are those who I acknowledge as having power and skill but the sound of whose voices just doesn't do it for me. Focile falls into this third category. She's obviously very talented and she's petite and pretty, so she's an obvious choice for modern opera leading ladies. She does not shrill or poke at one's eardrums, and there is rarely any metalic quality to her tone. Perhaps in this case, it was the composition. Frankly, the music she sings and even her libretto are quite bland.** For all that the story is about her, her dilemma, her losses, it just isn't the most moving part of the story.
In other roles, I didn't care for the voices of Leena Chopra (soprano, second priestess), Ani Maljian (soprano, first prietess), or especially not Phillip Joll (baritone, Thoas). Bleck. (It is very hard for me to image, based on this show, that he pulled off a Wotan for SO in 2001... perhaps he is past his prime now...)
One of my very favorite things about this opera is that its only lovers are gay men. Those early opera composers sure did do a lot of gender bending.
All in all, very high marks. This is my favorite production since Les Contes de Hoffmann.
** I give this disclaimer because after SO's Cosi, I thought I hated Alexandra Deshorties' voice, but then I heard her in Cesare last season and discovered that in fact she falls into this third category of sopranos whose talent/vocal power I acknowledge, but whose voices just don't do it for me. This is a brilliant production, and anyone who has the chance should see it when it comes to the Met. Placido Domingo will sing Orestes (isn't he a tenor, though???) in The Met production. God, I want to see that!