Lunedi Lunacy

Presented without comment except to say that the art of translation is one of small subtleties and refinement of language!

24 ottobre/October - Sant'Antoni Maria Claret i Clarà

Semi-Demi-Hemi-Quavers

Here's a few things musical or music related that caught my eye or pocket book in the past few days. And though I've often said Baroque architecture is not my thing I've included a few photos of the very baroque decorations that adorn several of the organ lofts here in churches in Roma.

The Church of Santa Maria Maddalena has always been closed when we've passed it and I honestly thought it was one of the abandoned churches that dot Rome. However a few weeks ago it was open and obviously undergoing restoration. The scaffolding in the side aisles and apse made it difficult to get a decent photo of the lovely organ loft.

I am on the mailing list for Vivaticket which is one of the larger agency ticket brokers here in Italy. They handle venues such as La Scala, La Fenice and San Carlo in the classical world and major rock concerts in the more popular vein. As often happens with literal word for word - and in all likelihood computer generated - translations the results can be to unintended comic effect. Take this ad for an upcoming Riccardo Muti concert in Napoli

Notice how Sonia Ganassi is listed. Now I can order a mezzo-litro (= half litre) of wine; I can say that I will meet someone at tre dieci et mezzo (= half past one). And though I can give a performance with a "mezzo-soprano" I would be hard pressed to achieve anything with a "half soprano". In the case of most singers you need both halves. Now I have heard Ganassi on many occasions including just last week here in the Muti led Moïse et Pharon at the Opera - and she isn't half of anything but a full blown "mezzo"-soprano and a great one at that. Google Translation has a bit to answer for on this one.

The organ at San Giovanni in Laterna stands in a side aisle to the right of the main altar and though the casing is quite lovely the Basilica is known for its marble statues. The two marble base reliefs on either side have a lovely balance - King David on the left is easily recognizable but I'm a bit lost as to the identify of the gentleman with the crown and the portive organ. Any suggestions?

My trip up to La Scala for the second performance of Die Walküre, the
seaon's opener, will be covered in Opera Britannia (and of course I'll be linking to it in the hope that friends will visit it in the millions so Faye and Antony keep using my stuff) shortly. But I have to comment on the programme La Scala published for the production. It is a 300 page (+30 pages of adverts) hard-covered volume weighing in at .5 kilos (over 1 lb). Lavishly illustrated with historical and production photos and the complete libretto in German and Italian, it includes 7 essays on everything from Wagner's life to currently available CDs and DVDs plus entire productions lists for past performances at La Scala. As most of the essays are in Italian and I have yet to struggle through them I can't vouch for their value as musicology but I can tell you they certainly added weight to my luggage if not my review.

The church of Santa Maria di Loreto is another church that I have never found open until one wet Tuesdays when the entire Centro was under vehicular lock-down and in walking by it on my hike to Trastevere found it open. Its central location at Piazza Venezia along with its larger sister church Santo Nome di Maria make it a landmark in the city centre. I did a quick pop-in - mostly to get out of the pounding rain and discovered two sets of organ pipes symmetrically arranged in the octagon. They were setting up the presepe while I was there.

Despite of the fact that she has been dead for over 33 years and last sang in 1974 no name can get opera fanatics pulses racing like that of Maria Callas. Her recordings - particularly the early Norma and Tosca - are still best sellers and singers' voice and performances are still being compared - unfairly - to hers. Her relationship with La Scala was a tempestuous one and many of her most noted performances were given there. In an effort to preserve some of those performances - and cash in on the still lucrative Callas money machine - La Scala has issued La Scala Memories a series of mini-books/CDs of "legendary" performances including three with Callas: the 1954 La Vestale, the 1956 La Traviata and to come the 1957 Anna Bolena - landmark performances all of them.

I have always wanted to hear the Vestale so I snapped it up the minute I entered the Bookshop. I should have saved my €24.90! The booklet is badly translated (the same person that did Vivaticket?) and the recordings are old radio transfers to vinyl disc to CD which they have not even bothered to clean up. In this day and age of digital programmes there is no excuse for transfers of this quality. Anything above forte is completely unlistenable and Spontini's little tale of unfaithful Vestal Virgins has lots of fortissimo in it. The good people at La Scala should be ashamed to market this with either their name or that of their legendary artist on it. I was going to ask Santa for the Traviata for Christmas - I think I'd be better off settling for a few old wax cylinders.

17 decembre - San Giovanni de Matha

Language - Random Thoughts Plus a Few Photos

A few random thoughts on language and several shots of the interior of the lovely Bernini Chiesa di San Tommaso di Villanova at Castel Gandolfo taken a few weeks ago on a Sunday spent in the Castelli Romani region just outside of Rome.

The church of San Tommaso di Villanova shares Piazza Liberta with the facade of the Papal Palace. It was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII (Chigi) and built by Gian-lorenzo Bernini. Typical of Bernini it is filled with light and the stucco work by his disciple Antonio Raggi adds to an atmosphere of elegance I find often lacking in so many Baroque churches.

I've just finished one of my monthly marathon sessions of translating for the tri-lingual (French-English-Italian) Ballet magazine - Ballet2000. I'm not sure what the magazine circulation is but I know that every month I get reviews and media reports from around the world in Italian and French and turn them into, what I hope, is acceptable English. Like many of the people involved with the magazine, the publisher Alfio , his assistant Cristiano and my friend Simonette - I really must have words with her, she tricked me into this - I do it mostly for love. And for the education - I am learning much about Italian, French, English and the language of dance.

As I was struggling with a particular turn of phrase in Italian yesterday the vagaries of language were reinforced. I tried a literal translation - it didn't work; I contacted my friend Marco who played around with it but again no success. If I recall his exact words where: If you can make this into English it is a miracle. After awhile I went for the idea - and it took a fair bit of digging to find it - more than the words themselves and found I was able to convey the message even though the way of doing it was not the same. The riches of one language do not always translate freely into another but there is always a way.

The church is a cruciform with a soaring dome at the centre. I find here the stucco work that so often can become overbearing has just the right touch and the creams, whites and yellows give it a simple richness.

Conversation on the Internet:

Marco: I am going to the beach with a friend (girl) tomorrow

Me: Why do you always tell me the sex of the person you are doing things with?

Marco: Because your stupid language does not have a word for a friend who is a girl or a friend who is a boy.

He's right of course - there really is no way in English of indicating gender for words like friend and if I say "girl friend" or "boy friend" it has an entirely different meaning.

Stupid Language!

The Raggi stuccos depict the four Evangelists with their respective emblems which in the Renaissance had a layer of meanings. St. Matthew is symbolized by a winged man or angel signifying the human nature of Christ. St Mark is accompanied by a winged lion, a figure of courage and monarchy. The lion* had many meanings in the iconography of the Christianity of the period.

In innumerable conversations:

Marco (again): Will, I will tell you a thing.

I always knew he meant "something" but never corrected it because frankly it has a charm which I like and I find I am using it in conversation now to. Of course its a direct translation from the Italian: una cosa. Or the French: un chose. Again one of those interesting vagaries of language.

St Luke is shown with a bull or ox - a sacrificial beast to represent the sacrifice of Christ. While the fourth Evangelist, John, is shown with an eagle. It was thought that eagles, creatures of the air, could stare straight into the sun. At the base of each relief is the coat of arms of Alexander VII and the Chigi family. The six mountains topped by a star can be seen throughout Rome and the old Papal states - Alexander was a Pope who built - and built to be remembered.

I make no bones about the fact that I have been going to a therapist for the past six months - for all sorts of reasons that need not be gone into here - and one thing keeps popping up in our sessions : language. My ability (as poor as it is) with my own, my inability to speak other languages - reading and writing are no real problem otherwise why would I do translating???? but speaking I bumble through - my concern (bordering on the obsessive) over choosing the right word even in our sessions. One of these days we may get to the root of why everything about me seems to centre around language.

*Amongst the believes at the time was that lions slept with their eyes open - ever vigilant. And it was also thought that they died at birth only to be returned to life three days later. Those believes along with the attributes of majesty and power made the lion a perfect symbol of the Christ.

03 lulgio - San Tommaso Didimo

Orimpics You Say?

Just think if Laurent had stayed in Beijing we could be part of the Olympic celebrations starting next month - oh joy!

The Chinese government has spent an Emperor's ransom to ensure that these will be the greatest games in the history of the Olympics. But are they really ready?



I haven't found a way of posting this without the 4 second slide show so for a longer look: hit the pause icon and then forward arrow to see each photo or a double click will take you to the album.

And thanks to my friend Naomi for sending me these photos from the Chinglish pages of Engrish, a hysterical look at fractured English at its most creative.

19 lulgio - San Simmaco Papa