That Pink Floyd's Roger Waters should write an opera is not all that surprising. In the group's heyday in the 1970s its music was often called "tomorrow's classical music," though I don't suppose many thought that prediction would come to pass in quite this way. Anyway, the two-CD work, Ca Ira ("it will be," or "there's hope") will be given its official launch in Taiwan early next month and Taipei Times has been granted a preview.
It's nothing if not ambitious. It aims to tell the story of the first four years of the French Revolution, an enormous task. The staging is imagined as a circus. Bryn Terfel narrates (as the Ringmaster, while also playing the King), and Ying Huang (the Butterfly in Frederick
Mitterand's wonderful film of Madame Butterfly) is Marie Antoinette, as well as "the voice of Liberty, Reason and the Republic." West African musician Ismael Lo stars in a scene set in the Caribbean.
The method is declamatory, rather than the traditional one of telling a story through the interaction of characters. Waters makes full use of an orchestra in the 19th century manner, but there's also a chorus of demanding London children as in The Wall and a lot of sound effects -- guns being fired, pigeons flying away, bells, military drums and wind. This is nevertheless a lot more like Andrew Lloyd Webber than The Dark Side of the Moon.
My feeling is that Ca Ira will be very successful in the way Evita and Les Miserables were. But at the same time it seems much better than either of these, both musically and dramatically. The lyrics (by Waters) are excellent and the music could become memorable on repeated hearing. Needless to say, such an important product has led those responsible to pull out all the stops. The performances are first-rate throughout and the sound quality is cutting-edge. Who said the history of opera was over (even though some will judge that this isn't really opera)?
It's always nice to have a chance to revisit, and to reiterate one's praise for the Pierre Boulez/Patrice Chereau Der Ring des Nibelungen. This famous 1981 set of the anniversary production of Richard Wagner's tetralogy at Bayreuth has now been reissued in boxed form, together with The Making of the Ring, an hour-long film about the production, with interview material from Boulez, Chereau, music critic William Mann, leading video director Brian Large and soprano Gwyneth Jones. Of particular interest is the history of Ring
productions at Bayreuth since Wagner's day and the reminiscences of Friedelind Wagner, the composer's descendant.
This set has always been eminently desirable. Even though the rival and much more traditional James Levine/Metropolitan Opera set has a lot going for it musically, this Boulez/Chereau cycle, now in 5.1 DTS Surround Sound, remains incomparable as a dramatic and imaginative experience. It was one of the 20th century's key productions, in any genre, and anyone with the
remotest interest in such things who doesn't know it should rush out and buy it forthwith. Its splendors are almost unlimited.
You might sometimes wonder why some classical artists get recording contracts and some don't. In the case of pianists it might depend these days on whether or not they have caught the ear of Martha Argerich, as EMI is running a whole series of debut solo piano albums by people she endorses. By adding Argerich's name to a new release the public are encouraged to trust an unknown. In the case of the Venezuelan Gabriela Montero their trust is unlikely to be misplaced.
A two-CD set is offered. The first is a selection of items from a range of
composers including Rachmaninov, Scriabin, De Falla, Chopin and Liszt, and includes the Argentinean Alberto Ginastera (1916 to 1983). The other, much more unusually in classical circles, contains 12 improvisations. Montero often does these as encores. It's this disc of improvisations that is particularly remarkable, with her style ranging from jazz to what could be described as classically-inspired fantasias.
Aimez-vous Brahms?(Do you like Brahms?) asked Francoise Sagan a long time ago in the title of a novel. I don't know what I would have replied at the time, but the older I get the more I enjoy him. There was a time when I took it for granted he was something of a fat cat, purring luxuriously with his sonorous harmonies and full orchestration, the perfect composer for business executives. Now I see him differently, as a somewhat withdrawn, introspective individual who pursued an unfashionable interest in pre-Romantic music and collected original manuscripts of Schubert songs.
A new CD from EMI of his three Violin Sonatas reinforces the view of Brahms as unostentatious and inward-looking. These beautiful works are given sensitive and delicate performances here, and in addition there is the movement Brahms wrote, aged 20, for the Sonata FAE. (frei aber einsam, free but alone), in which each of the three movements was written by a different composer. Altogether fine sounds and flawless interpretations.
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
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