sábado, 30 de maio de 2015

Yoná Magalhães: a felicidade

Quanta verdade...


Obrigado, Yoná!

domingo, 24 de maio de 2015

Autre fois (Recit de Cassard)


Uma das minha preferidas...


...de um filme querido de toda uma vida!
(Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, 1964)

domingo, 17 de maio de 2015

The days of wine and roses...



"They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream."

Ernest Dowson ("Vitae Summa Brevis", 1896)

foi a fonte de inspiracao para JP Miler (TV drama play), depois Blake Edwards no seu filme "The days of Wine and Roses" (Vício maldito, 1962) assim como para Henri Mancini que criou uma das baladas mais "sentidas e sofridas" dos nossos tempos...

Considero esta "figure of speech" (the days of wine and roses) uma das coisas mais inspiradas possíveis...

Como vejo e revejo pessoas só pensando nos seus tempos glamourosos e de sucesso sendo infelizes no seu presente, esquecendo de viver o momento AGORA...
Se soubessem já de antemão como tudo é efemero e que outros valores são os que realmente contam, importam... ah, se soubessem...


"Tertúlia" dedicada aos imensos talentos de Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Henri Mancini, JP Miller, Blake Edwards e John Frankenheimer que dirigiu o original em 1958, na TV...

The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play
Through a meadow land toward a closing door
A door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before

The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses and you


quinta-feira, 14 de maio de 2015

Muñequita linda: Esther Williams, o maillot rosa-choque e muitas maluquices...


Muñequita linda
de cabellos de oro
de dientes de perla
labios de rubí...

tra la la...

Existiu carinha mais emblemática e representativa do Cinema nos anos 40?

Existiu maior protótipo das modas e "carinhas e boquinhas" da época?

Esther Williams e seu escultural corpo, adornado pelo "traje de maillot" mais lindo do cinema - rosa choque, incluíndo uma "saída de praia" glamourosamente hollywoodiana, lacinho nos cabelos de mel e maquillage à prova d´água...


Estherzinha... pena Leslie Caron, em sua autobiografia, nos ter revelado sua arrogancia e falta total de respeito com os "colegas" da Metro, chamando-a de uma das pessoas mais desagradáveis que conheceu em sua vida...

Sua imagem no cinema era bastante diferente - a "menina" legal, boazinha, simpática...
Bem, nobody's perfect!

Aqui a cena inicial de "Bathing Beauty" (MGM 1944)



e depois, no mesmo filme, num dos momentos mais "kitsch" da história do Cinema:
como "Venus" nascendo do mar, aos sons de "Wiener Blut" de Strauss... pode este "melánge"? (Também bastante enfeitado de "rosa-choque!).
Viva a MGM!

segunda-feira, 11 de maio de 2015

Wiener Staatsballet: Premiere 2015, May 9th - Adagio Hammerklavier/ Cacti/ Bella Figura

What to expect of such an eclectic programme? van Manen, Ekman and Kylián mixed up in an evening? The “cocktail” results could not have been better…


…even if I have to start saying that van Manen’s “Adagio Hammerklavier” left a certain “emptiness” within me. Perhaps I was expecting too much and was sort of disappointed. “Kammerklavier” is definitely not one of Mr. Van Manen’s “best”. I first got in touch with his work during the 70’s as “Nederlands Dans Theater” was doing some guest appearances in Rio – since then I have been fascinated by his work and very specially by his musicality.
Like it always happens with such great talents, his choice of music, his motivation in fact (Beethoven’s Adagio aus der Sonate für Hammerklavier op. 106) may be a bit too highbrow for simple ballet audiences. Yes.

Not strangely (and according 100% to the music) he used in his choreography some very unusual resources to the movements. The all seem to “come”, to be “projected” from a very, very low back… causing some dancers to look very stiff and tense. This was made quite clear to me while watching Nina Polakova – who tends to be very tense on the shoulder region – and Roman Lazik - who normally does not have this problem but was, during this premiere, so tense – even if always so very predictable - that his chin seemed to be much ahead of him than it normally should. Ketevan Papava and Eno Peçi were more relaxed but I do not think that they were the right choices to the roles.

(copyright: Wiener Staatsoper/Ashley Taylor)

The choreography is sort of “ungrateful” to dancers bodies. It is not “easy” technically but audiences with less ballet experience will not “see” that.

Vladimir Shishov and Olga Esina were the “icing on the cake” of the piece. Mr. Shishov and his well-known stage presence, Miss Esina delighting the audiences with a certain new approach to her roles, which is not passing unnoticed to them.

Even at the risk of being snubbed on as being “superficial”, I must point that Miss Esina’s high “chignon” is most becoming to her, giving “the special touch” to her anyways long, very well balanced, proportioned neck-line... Beautiful!

Costumes that reminded me of nightgowns and old-fashioned men underwear, and some terrible “gold chains” for the men, were definitely a negative point…

“Cacti”

A lovely, funny, exciting surprise.
I must be very honest and say that I had only “heard” of Mr. Ekman’s work but had never ever seen it. I am more than delighted!

The choice of dancers is a very special one: the crème-de-la-crème of expression of today’s company:
Nikisha Forgo, Kiyoka Hashimoto, Rebecca Horner, Clra Soley, Céline Janou Weder, Franziska Wallenr-Hollinek, Marcon Demp. Alexis Forabosco, Andrey Kaydanovsky, Masayu Kimoto – more than wonderful, by the way – Greig Matthews, Richard Szabó and Dumitru Taran.

(copyright: Wiener Staatsoper/Ashley taylor)

The company seems to have FUN while performing it – yes, an exciting, excited performance (on the first part Greig Matthews, center stage, dominating the scene. Good!): musicality, joy, happiness blessed by a beautiful musical choice and incredible light design by Doef Beernink.
Many dancers expressed their Thanks for the wonderful coaching by Miss Nina Botkay – brazilian-born dancer with whom I had the the joy to chat a lot… but that is another Story…

But still, somehow, I keep repeating Mr. Ekman’s words within me.

- How come someone may have this conceited behaviour to criticize someone’s work?

And “who are we” to write critics anyways?
How come we can take such liberties?
I prefer to think that I am just opening a discussion about art, a “tertúlia” as it is said in Portuguese and Spanish, which means just a space, just a short time to exchange and discuss opinions, thoughts about art…

A night to remember... so much talent onstage at once...


“Bella Figura”

Just at the beginning of the after Premiere-Party I had the chance to exchange some words with Manuel Legris. Speaking about “Bella Figura” I had the possibility to express my thoughts about a “new reading” of Kyllián’s work… and to add that I thought that “age” had given me the opportunity to once more make other interpretations in my own reading of the piece… adapting it to my own experience… It may be so…

(copyright: Wiener Staatsoper/Ashley taylor)

Maria Yakovleva was the biggest surprise of the evening – she brought so much emotion to a role that was danced in a sort of “je n'est sais quoi way“ by Marie Claire D’Lyse many years ago. Masha Yakovleva gave flesh and blood to this otherwise “technical” role, on the contrary of some not so gifted dancers that just try to understand it…

Ketevan Papava in a show-stopper performance – but the role is a show-stoppen anyhow.
(copyright: Wiener Staatsoper/2011)

Irina Tsymbal, Eno Peci and Vladimir Shishov simply perfect.

And Alice Firenze and Davide Dato… yes Alice Firenze and Davide Dato…

Miss Firenze: a certain sweetness around her eyes, never any sort of tension around her mouth and neck… all this involved in such an atmosphere that contains, shows, proves so much awareness on stage…
Miss Firenze and Davide Dato made me cry. And that had not happened in quite a while.

I must say…



Ekman, Manen, Kylián - Trailer from DelbeauFilm on Vimeo.




Ekman, Manen, Kylián - Trailer from DelbeauFilm on Vimeo.


(Video's Copyright: Balàzs Delbo/Delbeaufilms)

domingo, 3 de maio de 2015

Ravel / Béjart: Bolero (Nicolas Le Riche)

...e por que gastar palavras? A despedida de Nicolas Le Riche da Ópera de Paris em 9.7.2014.


Está tudo aí. Dito. Na música. Na coreografia. Nos movimentos de todos os bailarinos. Em casa segundo...