It is midday Sunday February 14th, Valentine’s Day and I am in the midst of three pieces of writing, cleaning the inside of the refrigerator and preparing a roast chicken dinner, recovering from the second late night into the early hours in succession followed by a reasonable amount of sleep which meant it was 11 am before I was able to get going again. I thought it was BAFTA night but this is next week and alas Invictus was not released in time to be included in the BAFTA nominations, a double disappointment having mistaken the British Film Critics Society for the Academy. This means that it will have to be an exceptional film next year to take the main awards away from the film. Instead there is my boyhood supporting Club of Crystal Palace at home to Aston Villa in the cup this evening followed by Dancing on Ice and Larkrise.
I am fulfilling the promise made to myself to commence an inventory of the work completed to date in my installation projection and this includes, completing unfinished sets and their relocation as the area of display shelving is full and therefore the balance of completed set work needed to be storage boxed. I have also taken a decision about trying to arrange fro the work to be curated after I lose self aware consciousness.
Two of the pieces of present writing are for future Blogs, Lost and Babylon 5 where a composite of episodes is planned. Yesterday I worked hard on the installation project and was rewarded by a brilliant performance of Angela Gheorghu, singing the main role in Verdi’s Opera based on the Alexander Dumas story of Camille. I now understand why she is held in such high regard as she rendered the best female performance in an opera I have experienced to-date. The role requires constant singing at the highest levels through all three Acts which she sustained in such manner that I was moved, spine tingling in admiration and wonder. It is also an opera similar to Il Travatore, in being full of memorable tunes
I have experienced five operas by Giuseppe Verdi over the past years- Aida and Nabucco Il Travatore and La Travolta, and Don Carlos.
In act one of La Traviata, Violetta Valery, a courtesan is holding a large and lavish party to celebrate her recovery from illness and she finds out that nobleman Alfredo loves her and has visited her house to enquire of welfare during the illness. When she meets Alfredo her first reactions are not positive but as he professes his interest she begins to speculate if this is the one person to whom she could give herself wholeheartedly. However her need to control her life, and for personal freedom, is such, that she hesitates. Her current protector, a baron, realises their situation is changing.
He is proved right as three months later when Act 2 opens, Violetta and Alfredo are living together outside of Paris in what is described as a peaceful country house. However in order to fund their life style Violetta has been selling everything available until Alfredo discovers the situation and goes off to see his father for money. Alfredo’s father visits Violetta to ask that she breaks off the relationship with his son because her reputation is threatening the marriage of his daughter. He becomes impressed with her and even more so when she agrees, reluctantly, to his request, and he scene ends with her in tears.
She accepts an invitation to a party in Paris and writes a note for Alfredo saying goodbye. He returns and she professes her love but still leaves to go to the party. The maid gives Alfredo the letter she has passed to her as she left the home and his father returns as he finishes reading. Father tries to console his son reminding of their family, but when Alfredo reads the party invitation he suspects that the wealthy former lover of Violetta is behind the initiative.
With echoes of Carmen the party host has arranged gypsies and bullfighters to appear and perform. Alfredo arrives at the party before Violetta and starts to gamble. His suspicions are accurate when Violetta arrives with her former protector and the two men gamble with Alfredo winning a lot of money. Fearing that the situation will lead to a duel Violetta sees Alfredo in private and begs him go away, but he challenges her to deny that the reason is because she still loves Baron and in fear of what could happen she lies and confirms his belief In rage at her response and the situation, Alfredo denounces her to the rest of the party which he assembles and they turn denounce him for his brutish and ungallant behaviour. They demand he leaves. His father who has been searching for the son arrives and learning what has happened denounces his own son, Violetta protests her love as the Act ends.
The Final act is a short one as the tuberculosis illness which had affected Violetta has returned. She receives a letter from Alfredo’s father advising that although his son did fight a duel with the Baron,, only the Baron sustained a slight injury. Moreover he has told his son why Violetta had behaved as she had and that he was sending his son to beg her forgiveness. No sooner does she receive the letter, Alfredo arrives in person and the lovers are reunited, but it is too late for a happy ending and Violetta knows that she has only has moments to live. The couple sing the famous “0 God to die so Young.” The father arrives full of remorse for his part in what has happened only to witness the death of Violetta. The curtain came down prolonged applause.
Larkrise had a timely story about a war Veteran who had lost a leg replaced by the traditional peg and who visited Candleford once a year or so, to beg for pennies and free drink and was provided food and a bed overnight by the Timmins. Daniel Parish, Laura’s Beau sets up his own paper in the town and decides to make a campaign about the way the UK treats its returning service men from active duty, and in this he is supported by Laura’s father as Daniel agrees to raises the underlying issues in an article which is sold to the Illustrated London News and attracts a post bag of support letters.
However they have second thoughts when Mrs Timmins discovers that the old soldier has a number of five pound notes with him. Confronted he explains that he had converted some of the pennies into notes over the years for when he was old or the begging failed. The story is a damning indictment of the approach taken by the public in Victorian times and in this day.
The lunch was enjoyable followed by salami rolls in the evening with banana and custard and a tea time snack of anchovies on dry crackers. Breakfast was cereal.
Lat afternoon there was an enjoyable cup between the club I supported as a boy and young man. Crystal Palace, now struggling in the championship and Aston Villa who this season are performing well close to the top four in the Premiership. Unfortunately the Villa managed to equalise twice so both clubs went into the next round draw when the winner will have an away tie at Reading or West Brom. Chelsea, the only top four club remaining have a home tie against Man City or Stoke.
I watched part of the Ice Dancing beforehand and later a film with gratuitous violence but a concept which interested and stayed to see how it will pan out. I went to bed at a reasonable hour 12.30 but then started to think on first waking after less than an hour and rose once more to check the writing before publication.
I am fulfilling the promise made to myself to commence an inventory of the work completed to date in my installation projection and this includes, completing unfinished sets and their relocation as the area of display shelving is full and therefore the balance of completed set work needed to be storage boxed. I have also taken a decision about trying to arrange fro the work to be curated after I lose self aware consciousness.
Two of the pieces of present writing are for future Blogs, Lost and Babylon 5 where a composite of episodes is planned. Yesterday I worked hard on the installation project and was rewarded by a brilliant performance of Angela Gheorghu, singing the main role in Verdi’s Opera based on the Alexander Dumas story of Camille. I now understand why she is held in such high regard as she rendered the best female performance in an opera I have experienced to-date. The role requires constant singing at the highest levels through all three Acts which she sustained in such manner that I was moved, spine tingling in admiration and wonder. It is also an opera similar to Il Travatore, in being full of memorable tunes
I have experienced five operas by Giuseppe Verdi over the past years- Aida and Nabucco Il Travatore and La Travolta, and Don Carlos.
In act one of La Traviata, Violetta Valery, a courtesan is holding a large and lavish party to celebrate her recovery from illness and she finds out that nobleman Alfredo loves her and has visited her house to enquire of welfare during the illness. When she meets Alfredo her first reactions are not positive but as he professes his interest she begins to speculate if this is the one person to whom she could give herself wholeheartedly. However her need to control her life, and for personal freedom, is such, that she hesitates. Her current protector, a baron, realises their situation is changing.
He is proved right as three months later when Act 2 opens, Violetta and Alfredo are living together outside of Paris in what is described as a peaceful country house. However in order to fund their life style Violetta has been selling everything available until Alfredo discovers the situation and goes off to see his father for money. Alfredo’s father visits Violetta to ask that she breaks off the relationship with his son because her reputation is threatening the marriage of his daughter. He becomes impressed with her and even more so when she agrees, reluctantly, to his request, and he scene ends with her in tears.
She accepts an invitation to a party in Paris and writes a note for Alfredo saying goodbye. He returns and she professes her love but still leaves to go to the party. The maid gives Alfredo the letter she has passed to her as she left the home and his father returns as he finishes reading. Father tries to console his son reminding of their family, but when Alfredo reads the party invitation he suspects that the wealthy former lover of Violetta is behind the initiative.
With echoes of Carmen the party host has arranged gypsies and bullfighters to appear and perform. Alfredo arrives at the party before Violetta and starts to gamble. His suspicions are accurate when Violetta arrives with her former protector and the two men gamble with Alfredo winning a lot of money. Fearing that the situation will lead to a duel Violetta sees Alfredo in private and begs him go away, but he challenges her to deny that the reason is because she still loves Baron and in fear of what could happen she lies and confirms his belief In rage at her response and the situation, Alfredo denounces her to the rest of the party which he assembles and they turn denounce him for his brutish and ungallant behaviour. They demand he leaves. His father who has been searching for the son arrives and learning what has happened denounces his own son, Violetta protests her love as the Act ends.
The Final act is a short one as the tuberculosis illness which had affected Violetta has returned. She receives a letter from Alfredo’s father advising that although his son did fight a duel with the Baron,, only the Baron sustained a slight injury. Moreover he has told his son why Violetta had behaved as she had and that he was sending his son to beg her forgiveness. No sooner does she receive the letter, Alfredo arrives in person and the lovers are reunited, but it is too late for a happy ending and Violetta knows that she has only has moments to live. The couple sing the famous “0 God to die so Young.” The father arrives full of remorse for his part in what has happened only to witness the death of Violetta. The curtain came down prolonged applause.
Larkrise had a timely story about a war Veteran who had lost a leg replaced by the traditional peg and who visited Candleford once a year or so, to beg for pennies and free drink and was provided food and a bed overnight by the Timmins. Daniel Parish, Laura’s Beau sets up his own paper in the town and decides to make a campaign about the way the UK treats its returning service men from active duty, and in this he is supported by Laura’s father as Daniel agrees to raises the underlying issues in an article which is sold to the Illustrated London News and attracts a post bag of support letters.
However they have second thoughts when Mrs Timmins discovers that the old soldier has a number of five pound notes with him. Confronted he explains that he had converted some of the pennies into notes over the years for when he was old or the begging failed. The story is a damning indictment of the approach taken by the public in Victorian times and in this day.
The lunch was enjoyable followed by salami rolls in the evening with banana and custard and a tea time snack of anchovies on dry crackers. Breakfast was cereal.
Lat afternoon there was an enjoyable cup between the club I supported as a boy and young man. Crystal Palace, now struggling in the championship and Aston Villa who this season are performing well close to the top four in the Premiership. Unfortunately the Villa managed to equalise twice so both clubs went into the next round draw when the winner will have an away tie at Reading or West Brom. Chelsea, the only top four club remaining have a home tie against Man City or Stoke.
I watched part of the Ice Dancing beforehand and later a film with gratuitous violence but a concept which interested and stayed to see how it will pan out. I went to bed at a reasonable hour 12.30 but then started to think on first waking after less than an hour and rose once more to check the writing before publication.
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