Criticulture à Paris

 One of the benefits of living in Paris is the regular opportunity to see (and perform) concerts in famous, striking venues. Recently I have seen a few of these. The concert quality and interest varied, but the setting was uniformly wonderful. Going from oldest to most recent: La Sainte-Chapelle is a famous church on the Île de la Cité in the center of Paris. It was built for the deposition of holy relics (eg Jesus' crown) in 1248 and is famed for its pure Gothic style, with walls that are nearly entirely made of stained glass. I saw an early music concert in this extraordinary chapel by its resident early music ensemble, about 12 professional singers who seemed well trained in medieval voice techniques. The hourlong concert was varied, with a mix of monophony (a single vocal line, eg Gregorian chant), as well as more advanced compositions from the 13th century, eg the Notre Dame polyphonic style, in which 2-3 lines are sung together, forming primitive and effective harmonies, usua...

In Paris, September is the month of return from vacation, the start of school, and the opening of the arts season. This week I sampled two offerings of the Paris opera, one at the Beaux-Arts Palais Garnier (1875), and the other at the newer (1989) Opera Bastille. The experience at the older venue was incomparably better.  The Palais Garnier, like much of Paris, was built during the reign of Napoleon III. It is to him (and his architects like Charles Garnier and Haussmann) that we owe the characteristic Parisian broad avenues radiating from spokes (eg the Arc de Triumphe) lined with 5-story apartment buildings with similar architecture. The Palais Garnier is large for a19th C. opera house, seating almost 2000. It is magnificently decorated and provides a real sense of occasion when attending an event there. A painting by Marc Chagall surmounts the ceiling. It's the most spectacular place in the world to see ballet or opera, and you should go sometime.  Because the newer Opera B...

I’ve moved to Paris! I wanted to be closer to the center of Europe and the other great capitals from where I’ve reported over the last few years. Plus ever since I first visited here in 1978 this has been my favorite city. I’ve visited several times but at last I get a chance to live here. I bought a small apartment in the 19th arrondissement with a killer 30th floor view, right by the Canal Saint-Martin.  A biweekly fruit, vegetable and seafood market is nearby and so I’m eating fresh oysters each week. Looking forward to Fall, there should be an abundance of cultural opportunities for me to review here. I’ll be going to the Philharmonie about once a month and will be seeing the complete Wagner Ring at the Paris opera in December. Plus, I’m two hours from London, so my theater opportunities should increase dramatically compared to Portugal. I’m very excited to be here. My first up-close comments on French culture and style lie mostly in the small details that I see as I get used t...

I recently saw, in the lovely port city of Setúbal Portugal, one of  the first performances of a new opera Eu So Alma (I am Alma), with music by João Malha, libretto by Diogo Faro, and staging/sets/lighting by Maria Madalena and Iolanda Rodrigues. I have a bit of a conflict of interest here, as Mr. Malha is also the conductor of the medical orchestra in which I play in Lisbon.  The opera was an uncompromising, passionate indictment of the Israeli occupation and violence in Gaza, proclaiming its anti-war stance openly. For example, the words "murder" and "genocide" came up often; this would be difficult to perform in the US or some other western countries, where censorship has become more common than in Portugal. Performed in Portuguese, this one-act opera was a powerful, raw experience with an excellent musical score.  The opera is the telling of how a Palestinian family is destroyed by Israeli bombing in Gaza. There is a brief opening scene showing domestic life. I...