For the past four days I have been a lapsed blogger. Today I take computer on lap and atone for my sloth. Brace yourself for a whirlwind account of half a week's worth of feverish activity.
On Thursday we split up, because Dick and I wanted to see the Army Museum and Jeanne and Ev did not—can you imagine that? The Army Museum is at L' Invalides, which was originally a hospital for disabled veterans. Your ticket also allows you admission to Napoleon's tomb in the church of the Invalides. Even though Napoleon was eventually defeated and deposed, his presence still looms large still here, especially at Invalides, where he is buried in almost overwhelming grandeur, in the center of a domed vault in seven successive coffins one inside the other, and surrounded by the names of his victorious battles. The Army museum includes a medieval armory; an exhibit of weaponry and arms from Louis XIV to Napoleon; a detailed account of World Wars I and II; and an exhibit dedicated to how Charles de Gaulle won the war.
Friday was our opera day, so we took it a little easier. Evelyn and Jeanne did some shopping, and in the afternoon we went out to the Luxembourg Gardens and sat and talked and enjoyed watching the children play with their toy sailboats.
We have been planning our opera visit for a long time now. For those of you who don't know, the four of us were deeply involved with opera in Las Cruces, New Mexico, when Evelyn and I lived there from 1987-2004. Dick frequently appeared in our shows, and both Dick and Jeanne were dedicated fans, friends, and supporters of our Doña Ana Lyric Opera. So you can imagine a visit to the Paris Opera was a grand treat. We saw Verdi's
Aïda. This year is the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, and Verdi is as good as opera gets. We decided to go all out with this one, bought tickets on the first day they were available, and got seats on the second row. We could see every bead of sweat on every singer's brow. Once I caught a glimpse of the tastebuds on Radames' tongue.
The Paris Opera lived up to its reputation for musical and visual splendor. Radames (the tenor) and Amonasro (the baritone) were astonishing, as was the chorus and the orchestra. Aïda was not stunning but negotiated the difficulties of the role gracefully. Her performance didn't deserve the boos she got at her curtain call. Amneris (the mezzo) had a romping chest voice and a ringing top, but she fell back and disappeared in the middle of her voice, which unfortunately is a lot of the role. The staging was appalling, with a big metal set, Fascist symbolism, tanks, naked rubber corpses, minstrel dancing, and the Ku Klux Klan. But in the end the opera was able to stand the abuse, and the show came down to a few fine singers, a great orchestra, and an incredible score. My reaction was encapsulated by a group of students in the second balcony, who when the curtain came down on the first half, shouted "Bravo Verdi" for the composer and his music, and then a loud chorus of "Boo!" for the director and the unfortunate decisions he made.
On Saturday we visited the Cluny Museum, which holds an exquisite collection of up-close and personal medieval art. So much of this kind of thing decorates the vast cathedrals and churches of France, and is so high and far away, or in the dark, or submerged in the riot of decoration that surrounds it. It was wonderful to see these works displayed individually and well lit and right before your eyes
In the afternoon we had lunch with Tara Khozein, a former vocal performance major at NMSU, but who attended after I left so I never got to teach her. She is here studying acting and movement. We ate lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant, a new treat for Evelyn and me.
Sunday morning Dick and Jeanne went him and left us, so to assuage our sorrow we went for a long walk, down the Boulevard St. Germain, down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, and back by the Invalides and the Government Quarter. Here is a figure from the Alexander III bridge, built in to commemorate a treaty between Russia and France in 1892.
And here is a Dixieland band that we heard playing next to St. Germain des Prez. They were so good I bought two of their albums, then made a movie with one of their songs. You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJk6ofoqCN8. We miss Dick and Jeanne terribly, but we're glad it was them that had to go home and us that got to stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment