Mercoledi Musicale

It's easy to see why the young Ivor
Novello was a heart-throb.  And there
is that rather magnificent profile!

Last week I remarked, rather light-heartedly, on being told to show my profile "like Ivor Novello" during rehearsals for a 1920s musical parody.  I'm rather proud to say that I knew exactly what the director meant; Novello's music was part of my childhood experience.  That and my early fascination with theatre - musical and dramatic - meant that, rather precociously, I knew who Ellen Terry, Ethel Merman, Noel Coward and the Lunts were by the time I was ten.  Not necessarily knowledge that has stood me in good stead in the world at general but got me drinks bought in bars of a certain type when I was young and not unpretty.

Today much of his work is largely forgotten and it's difficult to fathom that Novello was once one of the most popular stage and screen stars of his age.  Unlike his contemporary Noel Coward he has never had a Renaissance though he was truly a theatrical Renaissance man:  writer, composer, lyricist, director, actor and producer his range extended from Shakespeare to ersatz operetta.  And those operettas were grand, lavish, romantic affairs that filled the stage of the Drury Lane with waltzes, ballads, comedy songs and love duets.  And filled the coffers of his producers until his final Ruritanian romance  King's Rhapsody.  Novello died several hours after the curtain had fallen on a performance of this rather contemporary story of a King who abdicates his throne for his young son.

Olive Gilbert and Ivor Novello on vacation
in Jamaica in 1948.

His first success had been as a composer in 1914; his friend Lena Guilbert Ford, an American living in London, wrote the lyrics of what was to become one of the most beloved songs to come out of the Great War:  Keep the Home Fires Burning.  Ford lived in London, was passionately patriotic and active in seeing to the welfare of soldiers returning from the Front.  Sadly she and her son were the first Americans to become causalities of that war when they were killed in an air raid that leveled their London flat on March 7, 1918. 

This recording I've used was made between the two wars by Olive Gilbert and the Williams Singers.   I've made the video using some of the fascinating recruiting posters that were produced in Canada to encourage young men to join the fray.  Aside from the sophistication and, in many cases, artistic beauty of the designs I was surprised to see how many were targeted to specific cultural groups.  You may want to go directly to the YouTube site to see them in HD.

Olive Gilbert was a contralto in the British tradition - her voice had that plush deep sound that bespeaks big bosomed English ladies like Clara Butt.  And in Gilbert's case the voice is as well-upholstered as the lady herself.  She was a great favourite of Novello and he always made sure a part was available in one of his musicals for her.   His was the sort that made sure that his long-time colleagues and friends were not forgotten.   His musicals always had parts for Mary Ellis, Zena Dare, Dorothy Dixon, Vanessa Lee and Muriel Barron amongst his leading ladies, his partner Bobbie Andrews in character parts and of course Olive Gilbert.

Here she and Muriel Barron join in one of the loveliest melodies Novello ever wrote and that I remember (possibly from this recording?) from his Perchance to Dream.  Miss Gilbert sang We'll Gather Lilacs  at Novello's funeral in 1951.

 Perhaps its time for a Novello Renaissance?

April 23 - 1985: Coca-Cola changes its formula and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than 3 months.

Lunedi Lunacy

According to a recent survey our good cousins to the South consume approximately $2,000,000.00 USD worth of chocolate at Eastertide.  I could find no statistics for Canada but I wouldn't be surprised to find that we are not far behind.   So where does all this chocolate come from?  Well these days I'd think mostly China but back in the 1930s Walt Disney had another idea.  So sit back, gnaw away on that chocolate bunny (apparently the proper way is to eat him ears first) and enjoy the way Easter eggs use to be made:

April 21 - 1863: Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, declares his mission as "He whom God shall make manifest".

Christ Has Risen! Alleluia!

He has risen indeed! Alleluia!

The Pericopes of Henry II
Folios 116v and 117r
Munich, Bavarian State Library, Clm 4452

 Happy Easter     Buona Pasqua     Joyeuses Pâques

April 20 - 1657: Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).

Peace Be Unto You

Patricia Routledge reads Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John.

April 19 - 1012: Martyrdom of Ælfheah in Greenwich, London.

Moadim l'simcha*

*The traditional greeting for the intermediate days of Passover:  A wish for a good festival time

Monday evening many of my Jewish friends opened their Haggadah, said the Kadeish blessing and asked the age old question that begins the first Sedar of Passover:  Why is this night different from all other nights?

The rituals and observances of this holy festival - one of the three in the Jewish calendar along with Sukkot, Shavu'ot - have been passed from generation to generation in these guides to the story and rituals of Passover.  The text itself is the fulfillment of the commandment in Exodus 13:8: And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.

This beautiful tiered seder plate is from Eastern Galicia or Western Ukraine.
Made in the 18th-19th century it is in the collection of The Jewish Museum, New York

As with many ritual texts the origins of the order and form of Passover Seder are a matter of both conjecture and contention.  Some scholars date it as early as 170 CE with the latest date suggested being 360 CE.   The first complete existing manuscript is from the 10th century in a prayer book compiled by the Egyptian rabbi and philosopher Saadia ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi.

The frontispiece to the Heiligen Haggadah

Since that time Haggadot have existed in many forms from gloriously illuminated manuscripts that speak to the artistry in Jewish communities throughout the world to a few sheets of mimeographed paper stapled together as handouts from local kosher butchers.  One of the largest private collections in the world belongs to Stephen Durchslag,  a Chicago lawyer.  And the over 4,500 ritual guides in his collection represent Haggadot in all their forms - from the most elaborate to the simplest.

Many of the most beautiful early manuscripts were created in Spain and were amongst the belongings that Jews were allowed to take with them after the Alhambra Decree in 1492 expelled Jews from their Most Catholic Majesties kingdoms.  As the Shepardim moved throughout Europe and the Ottoman Empire  their art and artifacts influenced and were influenced by the places they settled.  Amongst the many illuminated manuscripts now residing in museums throughout the world are the Sarajevo Haggadah, the Barcelona Haggadah, the Washington Haggadah, the Rylands Haggadah and the Golden Haggadah.  Most of these priceless books show that, as well as being beautiful, they served their intended purpose - wine stains, turned down pages, every day wear and tear indicate their use at many Passover Seders.

The Birds' Head Haggadah is oldest known Ashkenazim text and is unique in that the 13th century German
scribe -  thought to be named Menaham - followed the admonition against making "graven images". 
Most of the human figures have been given bird-like heads though some have been left faceless or
are wearing helmets.  

This delightful pop-up book based on the Birds' Head Haggadah is for children -
here Moses prepares to lead the Children of Israel through the Red Sea.

One of the things that makes a Haggadot different from most other Jewish books are the images that appear amongst - and often replacing - the text.  The admonition against "graven images" does not apply as the book is not intended as religious text but as a ritual guide.  However Menaham, the German scribe who created the Birds' Head Haggadah in the 13th century took no chances - the very human bodies telling the Exodus story and making the preparations for the feast all have, as its title suggests, birds' heads - a conceit that delights to this day.

The Golden Haggadah is so called because of the extensive tooled gold leaf
in the backgrounds.  Probably created in Barcelona around 1320 it is
one of the treasures of the Hebrew Collection at the British Library.

Smuggled out of Spain at the time of the Expulsion, the history of the Sarejevo
Haggadah would be a great subject for an adventure film.  It has survived
many close calls during wars, rebellions and attempted thefts and is considered
one of the most valuable of illuminated manuscripts.

Another treasure in the British Library collection is the Barcelona Haggadah made in
Catalonia during the second half of the 14th century.  It celebrates the Sephardic
Rite and is particularly noted for the elaborate floral and animal decorations of the border.

The earliest known copy using a mechanical press was printed in 1486 in Soncino, Lombardy. The Italian Ashkenazi family of printers took their name from their home town and members of the Soncino family were a major influence in the spreading of "printing" in Italy and the middle-East. Their output included religious and secular texts - many illustrated with elaborate engravings or hand-painted detail.

Published in Venice in 1609, the illustrator of this print Haggadah is unknown;
however Israel ben Daniel Zifroni, the printer was well-known in Switzerland,
Germany and Venice.  The scene at the bottom shows Elijah the prophet leading
the way for the Messiah who is arriving at the gates of Jerusalem (Malachi 3:24).

This 1813 Haggadah was made in Bordeaux by the Brothers Zoreph - Jacob, the
illustrator and Isaac, the printer.  The text is divided evenly between Hebrew and
French but there are instructions in Ladino, and some translations into Aramaic.
The scene represents Pharoah's daugher finding the baby Moses, as his sister
Miriam watches in the background.

As printing became more widespread the form and appearance of Haggadot changed with the times.  They reflected - as they always had - the cultural and world around them.  One famous recent example is the Szyk Haggadah created in the mid-1930s by Polish artist Athur Szyk.  Known for his political caricatures during the Second World War, his Haggadah reflected the events happening in Europe prior to the outbreak of that War.  In his original version the forces of Egypt wore swastikas on their armbands - this detail was removed prior to it publication in England in 1940.

Polish artist Athur Szyk could not find a European publisher for his Haggadah
and moved to England in 1937 to oversee its publication there.  His illustrations have
the jewel-like appearance of illuminations but he treat the subjects - here the Four Sons -
in a modern way.

A Passover songs asks:  Who knows the four?  The answer: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
The New Union Haggadah was published in 1982 and illustrated by Leonard Baskin.  Here he
represents those Four Matriarchs. 

And even today Haggadot are changing with the time:  a quick search on the Internet shows that they can be found in many forms - facsimiles of  manuscripts, reprints of previous editions, modern editions, children's editions (including that delightful pop-up version of the Birds' Head), web versions, even an iPad fascimile of the Golden Haggadah and even an iPhone app.  The method may change but the ritual, the tradition remains the same.

April 18 - 1961:  The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a cornerstone of modern international relations, is adopted.

Lunedi Lunacy

nd
Back in 1950s the Players' Theatre Club in Villiers St - in the arches under Charing Cross Station - were best known for their recreation of old style Music Hall and early Pantomimes. A revolving group of singers, dancers and comedians such as Hattie Jacques,  Peter Ustinov, May Hallett, John Hewer and Ian Carmichael and host of other West End names-to-be of the period entertained in the raucous and ribald manner of their Edwardian predecessors.  But in April 1953 the Club broke new ground by moving forward from the early 1900s all the way to the 1920s when composer/lyricist Sandy Wilson presented them with The Boy Friend.  A gentle tongue-in-cheeky poke at the chiefly mindless but wildly melodic musicals of the 1920s.

Geoffry Hibbert assures Dilys Laye that "It's Never
Too Late" in the 1954 Broadway production.

All the cliches were there - the phony French accents, the rich young hero in disguise as a poor delivery boy, the titled old lech and his battleaxe wife, even the brash American - with all the required numbers - love duets, Charlestons, novelty numbers and comic pieces.  It soon transferred to the West End and played 2082 performance making a star of its leading lady Anne Rogers.  The Broadway run was somewhat less - 485 performances - but it did prove a stepping stone for its new leading lady - Julie Andrews was spotted by the producers of a musical that was in the works and was offered the role of Eliza Doolittle in the upcoming Learner and Lowe musical My Fair Lady.

Its a show I've always loved - I saw it first at the old Music Fair summer tent theatre with the New York Madame Dubonnet and Percival Browne (Ruth Altman and Eric Brown).  And I shamefacedly admit that I actually appeared in a production of it one summer as Tony Broadhurst, the young hero - don't ask!  Let me just say that we had a campy director-choreographer named Julian who kept insisting that I "show your profile, dear; just like Ivor Novello."  It would have helped if I actually had a profile like the lovely Mr Novello.

One of my favourite numbers is one of those novelty duets:  madcap flapper Dulcie has become disillusioned with the empty young men she's encountered and the venerable, if ever so lecherous,  Lord Broadhurst thinks he may have the solution.  The recording is from the original Broadway cast with Dilys Laye and Geoffry Hibbert - impersonated here by Billy Barkhurst and Steven Widerman of The Puppet Company.

Unfortunately the success of both The Boy Friend and the popularity of Miss Andrews spawned two highly forgettable movies - Kenn Russell's unfunny mutilation of the original and the very long and equally unfunny Thoroughly Modern Millie created as a vehicle to star Miss Andrews when they couldn't get the rights to the original.  And sadly for Sandy Wilson a sequel guying the musicals of the 1930s was as unsuccessful as the movies.  One of those occasions when theatrical magic only struck once.

April 14 - 1828: Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.

Lunedi Lunacy

At the suggestion of our friend Cathy we've recently signed up for a programme that supports youth employment and local agriculture:   Farm Works,  an enterprise sponsored by Operation Come Home.  We have bought a half-share in a farm plot and will receive produce from the plot over the summer and into the autumn months.  It seems like a win-win set up to me and I know Cathy received more than she could use from her plot last year.

That and the appearance of our local groundhog - Spring has finally sprung! - made this little guy's adventure seem appropriate as a bit of lunacy for a Monday in April.

Hopefully our young farmers won't run into any Geomyidae Thomomys and our resident little guy and his family won't meet with misadventure when searching for food.

April 7 - 1141: Empress Matilda, became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title 'Lady of the English'

Lunedi Lunacy

It seems that every day I see another obituary for an singer, dancer, comedian, politician (quite often the same thing as the former really) or world figure from my youth.  Today it was Eddie Lawrence, the Old Philosopher.  I remember laughing my head off (we didn't LOAO in those days) as he recounted the list of horrors befalling his "buddy", "cousin" or "booby" followed by the exhortation to "keep you head up" and the blare of a brass band.

This is a routine I don't remember but it does sound very much like a group of us that sat around yesterday afternoon quaffing our Bloody Marys, nibbling our smoked mackerel and Italian olives and bemoaning the follies of today's youth.

Hope Eddie is exhorting those angels to keep their chins up and hold their heads high.

March 31 - 1909:  Construction of the ill fated RMS Titanic begins.

Près des remparts de Séville - Part II

I have never been a fan of any type blood sport however - you knew there was going to be a however didn't you? - whither I approve/like/accept it or not bullfighting has been a integral part of Spanish culture for several centuries. This does not make it either right or palatable - I went to a bullfight in Arles in the South of France many years ago.  Following the traditions of Provence it was not to the death but I still found it rather unsettling.  There are  things in many cultures that I don't approve of, but that as a visitor I must simply accept as being a fact of history.   While visiting Sevilla I could simply ignore the whole bullfighting phenomena or take a look at it and try and understand where and why it fits into the culture of the country.

The Coat of Arms of Real Maestranza De Caballería de
Sevilla:  the Goddess of Peace and the Goddess of War
flank the motto Utriusque Interest - it matters to both.

As unusual as it may seem to us the annual season of bullfighting is administered by a Royal Society:    Real Maestranza De Caballería de Sevilla (The Royal Order of Chivalry).  The first Brotherhood was established as Cofradía de San Hermenegildo shortly after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand the Saint in 1248.  The Order was created for the purpose of training the nobility in the use of arms and equestrian skills.   Their stables bred some of the finest mares and colts in Andalusia - trained for military action and civilian sport and leisure.   Even in those early days the Order organized public events in the main squares of Sevilla to celebrate feast days, commemorations and Royal visits

In 1670 it was reestablished under its current title and in 1730 came under the symbolic leadership of a member of the Royal Family - King Juan Carlos I,  is the current Hermano Mayor which rather whimsically translates as Big or Elder Brother of the order.  Amongst the equestrian festivals the Order organized were annual games of Alcancias (a military exercise), Manejos (dressage) and Toros y Cañas (Bulls and Lances).  It is the later that was the precursor of modern day bullfighting.

An early French print shows the make-shift set up of the bullring when it was indeed simply a converted Plaza.

Early bullfights were meant as displays of equestrian abilities and took place in public squares rather than in a designated arena.  Streets were blocked off with fences and carts,  stands erected and balconies around the square hung with banners and tapestries.  It was not until the early 1700s that a permanent wooden structure was considered for the annual season of bullfighting.  It was a rectangle styled after the squares that had been the sites of previous seasons.  Later in the century in was replaced by another wooden building but this time in a circular shape.  By mid-century the area had become built up with additional stone buildings accommodating stables, butcher shops and warehouses - these stone buildings were to affect the design of the building seen today.

The bullring of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla in 1837 as seen by David Roberts.  Though the boxes adjacent to the Prince's Box were roofed-over it was still possible to see the Cathedral and the Giralda from many of the stands.

A more permanent stone structure was begun in 1761 and over the years changed and added to until in 1785 Carlos III prohibited bullfights.  For the next 60 years little was done in the way of maintenance or building until in 1841 construction and restoration began again.  It was to continue until 1972 when the old warehouse under the stands were converted into a broad circular corridor and the museum and art gallery.

The facade of the Plaza del Toros is an 19th century interpretation  of baroque;
as a result of being built, reconstructed and added to over 120 years the building has 30 unequal sides. 

And it was the museum and gallery that we decided to explore to find the story and traditions  behind  bullfighting in Spain and more particularly Sevilla.  The Museum is small but beautifully set up and the guides are charming and more than willing to answer questions and talk about the "sport".  They seem to be sensitive to the feelings of non-aficionados - particularly North Americans.  No apologies were being given but every attempt was made to place things in a historical and cultural context so that though we may not approve at least we were able to understand how it fit into life there.

Guillermo Muñoz Vera's
2014 Poster

Bullfighting has been a popular subject for lithographers, painters and photographers so it didn't seem unusual that there is also an art gallery as an element of the museum.  Back in 1994 painter Juan Maestre, who was also a caballero with the Order, launched a project to commission artists to design the posters for the major Feria de Abril season.  Since then well-known foreign and Spanish artists such as Larry Rivers, Fernando Botero,  Joaquín Sáenz, Ricardo Cadenas, Manuel Salinas, Félix de Cárdenas amongst others have created the images that advertise the two weeks that are the most important of the year.  The wide range of artists and styles have meant that posters have ranged from the whimsical to the reverential to the outright (in my view) bizarre.  And in some cases it is possible that the artist is subtly criticizing his patrons.  

Unfortunately the rather intriguing piece created by Guillermo Muñoz Vera for this year's Feria is only available as a small image.  Muñoz Vera is known for his realism and often a sense of disturbing melancholy.  I may be reading too much into it but I do find the looming shadow of the bull facing the empty stands unsettling.

A click on the rather science-fantasy image of the bull below will take you to a retrospect of the past 20 years of colourful posters.

I have to admit one of my favourites is the 2007 poster by Manolo Quejido - not the most confident of matadors from the looks of it.

March 29 - 1867: Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes the Dominion of Canada on July 1.

Mercoledi Musicale

Sevilla has served as the setting for several of the more famous operas. Rossini's Barbiere not only practices his tonsorial talents there but proudly proclaims his home town in song and title. Mozart's Don spectacularly fails to seduce any of the maidens in his birthplace (or at least not in DaPonte's version). Leonore, disguised as Fidelio, rescues her husband from the clutches of the evil Don Pizzaro after his long stay at a suburban prison. Verdi's Leonora plans to run away from Sevilla with her Peruvian boyfriend get botched in Act 1 and then she doesn't see him again until Act 4 then promptly dies.

And Bizet's Carmen - well now that's a story isn't it? She works in the Real Fábrica de Tabacos rolling cigars when she isn't rolling customs guards in the nearby Sierra Madres.   And I'm told tour guides in Sevilla are more than happy to show you were she worked and, though I'm not sure how true this is, the odd one can show you the spot, if not the blood stain, on the the Plaza de Toros where Don Jose stabbed her!

I've oft recorded that one of the great evenings I spent at the opera was back in May of 1980 at the Opéra Comique in Paris.  Teresa Berganza had agreed to sing Carmen the year before at Edinburgh provided that the "Spanish" cliches were avoided.  Conductor Claudio Abbado, producer Piero Faggioni and designer Ezio Frigerio built a production around her that was low-keyed, restrained and superbly successful.  Unfortunately by the time it reached Paris Abbado - in a dispute over which orchestra was to be used - had bowed out and was replaced by Pierre Dervaux,   But the main draw remained: Teresa Berganza as Carmen.

In 1984 in conversation with Bruce Duffie she had this to say about the role:

BD:  Is Carmen at all a nice lady?

TB:  Yes, she’s a delightful lady – enchanting.  The problem with audiences going to see Carmen is that they don’t understand who she is.  She has so often been presented as a bad prostitute, and she is not a good or a bad prostitute.  She is a gypsy woman.  Audiences don’t often understand that.  If she were a prostitute, she wouldn’t be working in a cigar factory.  She would have accepted Don José and then given him horns [deceived him] with 5 or 6 men at the same time.  If she were a prostitute, she would have a rich lover and be covered with jewels.  And, if she were a prostitute, she wouldn’t have stood up to José and let him kill her.  She would have fled.  But she is not that.  She is a free spirit, a special woman. . . a liberated woman.

BD:  Do these kinds of women still exist?
TB:  Of course.  It is important to understand the gypsy people, because they are free people.

BD:  Does Carmen plan a few steps ahead or does she just let things happen around her?
TB:  Carmen believes in destiny.  She believes in the cards, so as to preparation, she doesn’t believe that it would make any difference.  The destiny is there.  She has read it in the cards and she goes forward to meet this destiny at the end.  This is the story that Mérimée wrote in his nouvelle and this is the story that Halévey and Meilhac wrote in their libretto and what Bizet put into the music.

BD:  So she goes to meet it rather than fight it?
TB:  She does not fight.  She accepts.

© 1984 Bruce Duffie

And that's exactly how she played and sang it - and when she suggests to poor Don José (Placido Domingo) what happens Près des remparts de Séville he doesn't stand a chance.

You might just hear me - from my first row Circle seat - amongst the cheering audience that glorious night in May.  This video brings back some wonderful memories of an glorious evening.

Mr Duffie's interview with one of, in my opinion, greats of the operatic world is available here. 

March 26 -1351: Combat of the Thirty : Thirty Breton Knights call out and defeat thirty English Knights.

Lunedi Lunacy

I'm not sure if the good Dr Seuss actually wrote this but if he didn't he should have!

March 24 - 1837: Canada gives African Canadian men the right to vote.

Près des remparts de Séville - Part I

I mentioned to my friend Michael in Dallas that for some reason Spain had always been fairly low on my list of countries to visit in my forty-five years of travelling.  I'm not sure why the Iberian peninsula was previously excluded but in the past few years I've made up for it with two trips to Barcelona, a stay in Madrid, sadly only a day in Valencia but fortunately longer visits to Sevilla and Granada.  I'm going to need another lifetime because the bucket list still includes Cordova, Cadiz, Zaragoza,  Santiago de Compostela, the Basque Country, Navarre and a return visit to spend more time in Valencia, Granada and Sevilla.

The magnificent Cathedral, the largest Gothic structure in the world, dominates the city in this map of Sevilla from 1590.  The port was the sole centre of trading for the Indies until it was superseded by Cadiz; the Guadalquivir has long since silted and is navigable only for small boats - fortunately ours was in that category.

It may be difficult to imagine now but at one time Sevilla was the major port of the Spanish Empire.  Their Catholic Majesties had decreed that La Casa y Audiencia de Indias or clearing house for all goods to and from the Indies would be located in the city on the Guadalquivir River.  This meant that anyone doing or wanting to do trade with the Spanish colonies had to come to Seville.  It was to remain the greatest city in Spain during the Golden Age until three events sent it into decline:  Cadiz was designated a trading port, plague decimated the population in 1649 and the river that was its artery to the sea began to silt up.

We were fortunate that the Azamara Quest is one of the few cruise liners that is small enough to make the journey to the port and is able to dock right in the city - and I mean right smack in the city.  And we were doubly fortunate as this was the last time that she would be going into Seville - the port insurance costs are too high.  We were to understand why when we watched what it took to get us into dock.

Captain Smith was a chatty,  affable and extremely seasoned seaman and he announced that we would be entering Seville harbour at 0300 in a series of interesting and tricky maneuvers that should anyone wish to look in there would be coffee, tea and pastries on deck.  He felt that it might just be worth missing an hour or so's sleep to see.  Well there was no way we were going to miss this.  I thought I had taken pictures but can't seem to find them on either my camera or my iPhone however Laurent did have a few photos and has kindly given them to me.

Heading up the Canal de Alfonso VIII towards the basin of the Port of Sevilla.

We left the Quadalquivir at the Embarcadaro and entered the Canal de Alfonso VIII (which follows the old course of the river) and passed under the suspension bridge at the Ronda de Circunvelencion with about 15 feet to spare.  When we reached the basin of the entrance to the Porto Captain Smith did a 180° pivot and proceeded stern first or backwards up the left branch of the Canal towards the Puente de las Delicias, the last lift bridge on that stretch of the Canal.

Approaching the Puente de las Delicias lift bridge at 0330 in the morning with the city glowing in the background.

Almost at the bridge in our backward progress towards the site where Columbus docked on his return from the New World.  He had left with three ships but the Santa Maria was wrecked off the coast of Hispaniola and only the Nina and the Pinta returned.

We watched the basic maneuvers from the top deck but then moved to the balcony of our cabin which was right at the aft of the liner.  It was incredible as we slowly moved towards the bridge and passed through it with only about 5 feet on either side (see photo below).  Had we been in the cabins on either side of ours we would have been almost able to touch the bridge - thus the reason that the insurance premiums were so astronomical for our entry into port.

As we passed through the Puente de las Delicias it was almost possible to touch the spans from our cabin at the aft of the Azamara Quest.

We docked at Puente de los Remedios beside the marvelous colonial neo-baroque splendor of Martin Noel's Palace of the Republic of Argentina built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.  The quayside and adjacent Paseo de las Delicias are lined with buildings designed to house exhibitions from the former American colonies of that Golden time when Sevilla was the mercantile capital of Europe.  After the exhibition the Argentine Pavilion became the Murillo High School but now houses a dance academy.

Preparing to dock at the quayside adjacent to  the Pabellón de la República Argentina from the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.  Many of the Pavilions from the Exposition are still standing and in use as municipal offices, museums and restaurants.

By the time we had docked it was almost 0400 so we took one final walk around the deck - took in the lights of the city and a dark sky dotted with stars before turning in for what was left of the night.  Captain Smith was right - it was worth interrupting our sleep to watch.  And his deft work meant that from our berth at the foot of the Paruqe de Maria Luisa we were in easy walking distance of the bosky pleasures of the park itself, the Plaza de España, the Plaza de Toros and all the attractions of the old city.

 March 23 - 1540: Waltham Abbey is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
 

Lunedi Lunacy

The tradition of the seanchaithe is as old as the history of Ireland - and in fact they were the folk history of Ireland from the earliest times.  Some were servants of the tribal chiefs and it was their duty to keep track of the history and stories of their clan and in absence of written records to pass them on.  Some were itinerant travellers, moving from community to community offering their abilities in exchange for food, shelter and, in times of war, protection.  Others were members of established settlements who told and retold the histories and tales of the community and the country at ceremonies, feasts and events. Their stories, and the art of telling them, were passed on from one to another without being written down in an oral tradition that stretches to the earliest days of settlement on the island.

They should not be confused with the fili or bards, who in pre-Christian Ireland were magicians, lawgivers judges, counsellors to the chief or king and poets.  Over time their function came to be solely that of official poets and philosophers.  Though like the seanchaí a fili was expected to improvise and embellish their position required that they retain the "facts" of history in their telling.   

The seanchaí used many things to tell his story - styles of language, changes of voice patterns, intensity and rhythms and gestures.  Here is the late Eamon Kelly, one of the great modern seanchaí, telling what amounts to a "travelling salesman" story.

While watching the following clip (and listening I might add very carefully as Kelly's accent is that strong) I mentioned to Laurent that it reminded me an old TV programme,  La Soirée canadienne  on Télé-Métropole on Saturday nights.  Louis Bilodeau would go to small towns throughout Québec and townspeople would sing, play, dance and tell stories.  Gaelic traditions that acknowledge neither borders nor language barriers.

 **BAN-ukh-tee nuh FAY-leh PAH-drig ur-iv (St. Patrick’s Day blessings to you!)

*Yahoos - disgusting unkempt hairy creatures from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels; they flung their own filth at each other and dug in the mud for pretty pieces of shiny glass.

March 17 - 1337:  Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.

Lunedi Lunacy

Les Beaux Frères' towel routine has been going the rounds of the internet for the past few weeks - 4 million hits on the YouTube site I found this one on - but just in case anyone has missed it or wants to see it again:  Voilà

Yohann Trepanier and Raphaël Dubé are both from Quebec and graduates of the famous École national de cirque in Montreal and the École de ciruqe de Quebec.  They formed their duo act Les Beaux Frères back in 2007 and have appeared with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloise and toured throughout Europe and North America.  I'm pretty sure they aren't fréres but they certainly are beaux.

Their talents extend well beyond doing the fully monty and include some incredible cycle and juggling routines - all with that slight wry twist that marks them as new age circus artists.  More of their routines can be seen on their website: Les Beaux Fréres.

March 10 - 1749:  Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian poet and librettist of three Mozart operas is born in Ceneda (Vittorio Veneto). (d. August 17 1838)

A Breath of Feathery Yellow

Today is International Women's Day though I always found the Italian La Festa della Donna a more joyful and less ponderous title and for me the singular suggests that you are each woman as an individual not as a collective. It also appears that back in the early 1900s when the idea was first broached it was suggested as Day of the Woman. A more complete history of the path to this day to celebrate the achievements of women can be found here on Wikipedia.

Unfortunately I am not near to the many women who have add so much to my life.  Friends: childhood friends, work friends and colleagues (not always the same thing), friends I've met in my travels, friends I have made here on the internet through blogging and Facebook and friends I have made in my various homes around the world.  I won't even try to start naming names - the list would last forever and I would be sure to forget someone (old people do that). 

As I've mentioned on other March 8th postings, in Italy the tradition is to give the women in your life a sprig of mimosa as a token of your love, affection and appreciation.  I only wish that I could give each one a sprig of this joyous little flower in person but once again this year a virtual bouquet will have to suffice.

Thank you for the joy, the knowledge, the frustrations (we can all be frustrating), at times the anger (ditto for anger), the love, the wisdom and the caring that you have brought into my life.

Tanti abbracci e dopo - Many hugs and then many more!

March 8 - International Women's Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (so named because it was February on the Julian calendar).

Mercoledi Musicale

Back in May of 1961 the Metropolitan Opera made its annual appearance in Toronto but with a big difference. Rather than presenting the greats of the time - Tebaldi, Stella, Bergonzi, Del Monaco, Warren, Peters, Merrill et al - in the cavernous Maple Leaf Gardens hockey rink they played in the brand spanking new O'Keefe Centre. The O'Keefe had open the October before with the world premiere of Camelot and the first season was coming to an end with the Met on its Spring Tour.

The colour scheme may be pretty close but there was a big difference between seeing the Met at
Maple Leaf Gardens and the O'Keefe Centre - a really big difference.

Every year since 1952 the vast hockey rink on Carlton St was turned into a makeshift theatre and every year since 1957 my father and I had climbed to the grey section at the top of the Gardens to see - in the far distance - Carmen, Die Fledermaus, The Gypsy Baron and Madama Butterfly.

But in 1961 it was a real theatre and I had an orchestra seat - sadly on my own because my father had had the first of the series of strokes that would take him from us later that summer - for the opening night on May 29.  And I was wearing the white dinner jacket that my mother had made for the occasion.  It was all pretty heady stuff for a thirteen year old.  Strangely Mr Bing had choosen a rather low keyed opera for that opening night - the last for seven years.  The Met struck Toronto from its Spring Tour schedule and would not appear in the city again until 1968.

The fussiness of Oliver Smith's decor, Motley's costumes and Carl Elbert's stage direction meant that
an opera that delighted audiences of the Golden Age was less engaging than it really is.

Martha was a popular work in the early history of the Met - a favourite of artists such as Marcella Sembrich,  Adelina Patti, Enrico Caruso, Eduard de Rezske, Freida Hempel, Frances Alda, Benjamino Gigli - but had last been performed in1928.  It was a favourite "Golden Age" opera that had fallen out of favour.  Mr Bing decided to revive it with, if not quite a Golden Age cast, certainly a remarkable one for the time:  Victoria de los Angeles, Rosalind Elias, Richard Tucker and Giorgio Tozzi.  If vocally we weren't let down by the cast unfortunately the production team - director Carl Ebert, designers Oliver Smith and Motley - didn't hold up their end.  The fussy misé-en-scene and bad English translation used were major impediments to what could have been a delightful revival.

If the production wasn't a total success the singing of (left to right) Giorgio Tozzi, Richard Tucker, Victoria de los Angles and Roselind Elias more than made up for it. Veteran bass Lorenzo Alvery (almost out of sight) completed the cast.

The original German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese had never been heard at the Met nor was it to be for this revival.  Since its first performance back in 1884 it had always been sung at the house in Italian.  Bing decided to commission an English version from Ann Ronell, the lyricist of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, which proved to be a less than successful match for the graceful music.  And for some reason it was decided that Tom Moore's words for The Last Rose of Summer would be replaced with a crass substitution.  None the less de los Angeles sang it with a beauty that transcended any translation.

Here singing the original German of the Irish folksong that weaves in and out of the opera is Lucia Popp, one of the most beautiful singers - in every way - of the 20th century. She was taken from us far to young by a brain tumor in 1993 at the height of her career.  She and Siegfried Jerusalem often sang together at their home house in Munich.

I wonder at Martha not being more popular these days - the story is no more contrived than any other operatic libretto and beautiful melody follows beautiful melody.  There are lyric arias, spirited quartets, rousing choruses, drinking songs, moments of high drama and some simply gorgeous ensembles.  One of the most lovely moments is the"Goodnight" quartet from Act 2.  In this version it becomes "Dormi pur" as sung at the Met in 1912 by Frances Alda,  Josephine Jacoby, Enrico Caruso and Marcel Journet with Walter Rogers conducting.

As well know as The Last Rose of Summer is the tenor aria Ach so fromm though it is probably better know by the Italian M'appari as oft record by Caruso.  In 1961 Richard Tucker dutifully sang the rather stilted English translation but at the April 13 performance he reverted to the Italian in order, he said, to "let his fans know how Caruso sounded."  Unfortunately there is no recording of that performance but the Broadcast matinee a few days earlier when he sang it in English was recorded.

Listening to this, and that broadcast performance I think I may have misspoken earlier - the quartet of singers that evening were indeed part of a "Golden Age".

March 5 - 1960: Cuban photographer Alberto Korda takes his iconic photograph of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

A Tuesday By Many Other Names

This day in the church year is known by at least twenty different names depending on the area of the world and the branch of Christianity practised there. I was brought up calling it Pancake Tuesday at home and Shrove Tuesday at church.  The former because it was tradition to have pancakes for dinner that evening of the year, the later because in the old Anglican tradition it was the time to confess and be shriven of your sins.  We never questioned why pancakes on that particular day but I've since learned that it was because you used up all the flour,  sugar and eggs in the larder before the days of denial that traditionally marked the meals in Lent.   Of course there was none of this confession Popery tainting our small low-church parish in the out-most wilds west of Toronto.

An engraving from Harper's Weekly, March 1884

In other cultures the day had names such Fastnacht in Germany, Tłusty Czwartek (Paczki Day) in Poland, Máirt Inide in Ireland and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in more cultures than you can name.  And of course midnight on Mardi Gras official marks the end of Carnival in most cultures - I know of only one exception and that's Milan where it goes on until Saturday because of the observance of The Ambroisian Rite.  The word Carnival itself derives from the Lenten tradition of abstaining from meat -  carne levare (to take away meat.

Though Carnival is celebrated is many places the three most famous Carnivals are Venice,  Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.  I've been to the first, just missed the second by a week and have always vowed to go the one closest.  The first record of a Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans was in 1835 though its hard to believe that some form of Carnival didn't take place in earlier times in this most French-Creole of cities.  Cosmus, the first parade Krewe was formed in 1856 and the tradition of Krewes - secret societies - grew out of it.  There are now some 60 krewes holding events - parades, balls, theatrical performances, cook-outs, children's festivals - throughout the period of Carnival.

A parade through the French Quarter - date unknown.

In the early "Golden Age" of Carnival, colourful parade bulletins were published to give the public a glimpse of parade themes and float designs.  And postcards were issued so that friends and relative who were unlucky enough to not be joining in the fun could catch a glimpse of what they were missing.  The Krew of Rex has reinstated the bulletins however unfortunately any pictures of them are too small to be appreciated the way they should be.  However the New Orleans Mardi Gras Postcard Museum has a wonderful complete set of postcards from the 1907 Rex Parade.  A click on the postcard below will take you to it.

Rex - the King of Mardi Gras - led of the 1907 Rex Parade in fine style.  A right click on
the picture will take you to the complete 20 postcard set.  The theme that year was
Classics of Childhood.

I think I'll reaffirm that vow see the parades, maybe catch some beads or doubloons and hear the cries of "Mardi Gras is over.  Go Home." that are echo through the streets of the French Quarter even as they are doing while I am posting this at 2359 on Mardi Gras 2014. 

March 4 - 1837 - The city of Chicago is incorporated.

Lunedi Lunacy

I was going through some papers the other day - well actually trying to find a tax receipt, because god help us its coming up to that time of year again  - and I came across a birthday card from my friend Lara that I had kept.  Now I may have mentioned in the past that Lara is known for her...  let's just say unconventional sense of humour.

What more can I add???

March 3 - 1875: The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal. And it ended in a fight!