Monday, June 25, 2007
Chautauqua
Did you ever see a word with so many "u"s?
This wooden concert hall was built in the late 1800's as part of the Chautauqua movement which started in the town of that name in New York.
The opening concert of the festival was last night. They played a piece by Terry Riley called "In C" which was a sort of ad-lib improvised piece which I don't think anybody enjoyed. THe highlight was Carmina Burana - which I always enjoy from the days when I sang in it in England and Germany in the 80's. This was the "chamber version" with two pianos and a very small orchestra. Too many old ladies slowing the choir down kind of spoiled it for me.
The setting compensates for everything else though as you can see - right below the Flatirons with wind waved grass and wildflowers all around.
A fundamental difference I observe between Europe and the US in music, opera etc. is that the Americans are very interested in the words and the meaning behind pieces. Europeans - especially me - enjoy just listening to the music as if singers and their words were just additional instruments.
American opera houses have supertitles above the stage saying what is being sun in Italian in English.
Last night there was an excellent explanation of the background to Carmina Burana - written by Carl Orf in 1937 using the words of 13th century poems for several movements. Some are sung in German. When our choir sang it we were just told that the words were somewhat profane but it is almost like a choral "Rite of Spring" The soloists also did a little operatic flirting with each other. The woman was a little mature and heavy to be the kind of virgin she was singing about but she sang like an angel.
Anybody still awake? - tell me tell me tell me!
# posted by william @ 10:06 AM 
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Nice comparison. Well, I'll wake everyone up maybe. Last Saturday I attended a screenwriting workshop/pitchfest at the Sheraton Universal City (Hollywood). In the lunch line I stood in front of a man who was to my horror explaining to another line-mate how he was hoping to write a script on UFO's and how there's a secret world govt. that's coming out with this info on how a plane never really crashed into the Pentagon 2001. He has interviewed a woman who was supposedly there, blah, blah. He said Pres Truman founded the secret govt in 1947. The man behind me's interviewed a scientist who had dealt with an alien and when they were suddenly interrupted the alien jumped on the chest of the scientist and down-loaded all his info! Just writing this makes my hand shake. I wanted to turn to the guy and shout haven't you ever read history and taken into consideration the thousands of years of civilizations/discoveries/art/wisdom/love poetry/Bible where people have worked and cried and loved each other and had faith in our world? But I was reminded what the Bible says in Proverbs 13, "Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance." The day was a good outside that man.
Di
Di
# posted by 
: 2:23 PM
: 2:23 PM
I think that he was trying out a script.
One of the conspiracy theories denies the Pentagon disaaster in 2001 - aj is a believer.
g
ps zzzzzzzzzzzzz
One of the conspiracy theories denies the Pentagon disaaster in 2001 - aj is a believer.
g
ps zzzzzzzzzzzzz
# posted by : 3:21 PM
: 3:21 PM
G - The guy was for real, he said he was going to be well-known soon and was shopping for an attorney, a Hwd. PR man, etc. He said people have broken into his car, he has a private phone and no one knows where he lives ...... he talked for an hour about it as I sat with him and others at a table.
Wm - Sorry it was disturbing. The other people I know in my life are the people who make writing worth while.
Diane
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Wm - Sorry it was disturbing. The other people I know in my life are the people who make writing worth while.
Diane
# posted by : 6:10 PM
: 6:10 PM << Home
