Category Archive: MUSIC
Ariadne & Theseus at the Mortlock Chamber
Picture courtesy of Dr Daniela Kaleva
To the Mortlock Chamber in the State Library of SA, to hear L’Arianna abbandonata e gloriosa and Lamento d’Arianna (1608), works reconstructed from Monteverdi’s fragmented scores, with solo voice and harpsichord, accompanied by the odd stage effect to evoke waves crashing on lonely Naxos, where (failed Argonaut) Theseus has parked Ariadne to show his gratitude for her help surviving the labyrinth on Minos. This paring away eschews the go-for-baroque approach that could overwhelm the purity of the harmonics, which are quite reminiscent of Purcell’s Dido pieces…
Continue Reading →Carmen – PC? 22/11/14
The WA Opera has achieved fame – no, sorry, infamy – by censoring smoking from its production of Carmen. This due to pressure from their new sponsor, Healthway, an independent statutory body reporting to the WA Minister for Health, which according to its website “provides sponsorship to Sports, Arts and Community organisations to promote healthy messages, facilitate healthy environments, reduce the promotion of unhealthy messages, and increase participation in healthy activities … key priorities for Healthway are reducing harm from tobacco, reducing harm from alcohol, reducing obesity and promoting good mental health.” In view of this, we assume WA Opera…
Continue Reading →Nazi Philistines – Arthur Boyd – The Brians
Pyjamas
The Wall Street Journal reports that the art collection of Cornelius Gurlitt, who died on 6/5/14, has been bequeathed to a museum in Bern. The collection included works looted by the Nazis and ‘assayed’ under the stewardship of Gurlitt’s father, Hildebrand: Matisse, Franz Marc, Monet and Renoir (which last perhaps suggests the basic philistine nature of the national socialists). German authorities famously carried out a home invasion of Gurlitt’s Augsburg home in 2012 and confiscated the art as, according to the WSJ, “Gurlitt sat shocked in a corner wearing his pyjamas.” This property was never returned to him but the…
Continue Reading →Cards Against Humanity – The Rolling Stones
Tired? Beat? Beyond blue? Why not Play Cards against Humanity? It is pure evil and a great way to relax. Note that the rumoured hidden (ultra un-PC) answer card, said to be secreted in the lid of the box, only features in limited editions. The standard answer cards are offensive enough! Adelaide is calming down after the Rolling Stones hit town. They performed a very tight and exultant set at the Adelaide Oval (see: “The greatest game of football ever played”). Not 24 hours later we had an electrical storm to rival that of Key Largo so I guess the…
Continue Reading →The Lily of the Valley Doesn’t Know
According to those who know these things, Friday’s colour is green which is surprising. I was sure it would be black. Green and I have a troubled relationship. When I was a child I learned that it is bad luck to wear green, or at least too much green, because the fairies consider it to be their colour. No-one wants to upset the fairies. Oh. No. You do NOT want to upset the fairies. So I don’t wear green (olive doesn’t count). You think I go to far? Consider – one of the regular customers of the pharmacy in which I worked while at…
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