1825 Honouring Pavarotti, Intrigue , The warrior and the slavegirl, and Merlin

To day I celebrated a meaningless personal achievement having completed the 22.3 of Luxor Majong, this recovered the Statue of Isis as I finally completed the trek across Egypt, also recovering various treasures along the way and being promoted to various positions of employment as I progressed, Because I ended the task with 4 lives I received an additional 400000 bonus points which sent the final tally to 13258200, demolishing the previous best total by some 10 million points having previous only reached level 9.1 I reckon that I have used about forty hours of precious time on the task over the past two weeks to achieve this self congratulation.

I accept it is a poor achievement but I suspect given the way our respective lives have progressed it is a feeling akin to that experienced by Luciano Pavarotti, when celebrating his three decades of performances at the Met Opera, New York, and one of the greatest tenors of the 20th century especially of you like mature powerful voices which can nevertheless communicate the sensitive and tenderest of feelings.

I say a similarity of feeling because when commenting on the occasion it was not the fine words or honour done to him which mattered, but that he was able to put in the best performance he was capable of on the particular night. I am usually hopeless as seeing what there and spotting pairs of matching tiles with unfamiliar symbols is not something I am naturally good at, although patience and persistence is something developed over the decades rather than something natural to my personality. So although the vast chasm in terms of skills and worldly recognition I reckon the sense of personal achievement was similar.

Most people in the world, unless they have to live as peasants or nomads without access to the radio will have heard the voice of Pavarotti and the majority will have at least seen his performance, along with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, as part of the three tenors concert during Italia 90.

Last night I experienced his performance at the Metropolitan Opera New York to celebrate three decades of appearances there. He played three roles from three operas in succession- the final act of L’ Elixir de Amor one of his favourites because he plays a character with whom he identifies and because of the vocal requirements of the role. This was followed by the penultimate Act of La Boheme which was the first role he ever performed after winning a competition in Italy while continuing his life as a young primary school teacher. He was not paid for the performance and his next two brought him £25 dollars each. This was however progress because he had grown up in combative poverty with his parents and their three other children in two rooms. His father a baker and an amateur tenor and his mother working in a tobacco factory. While he was influenced by Gigli and Caruso the individual who inspired his childhood was Mario Lanza, imitating his performances at the mirror when he came home from seeing the films. It was his success in the singing competition than made him decide to try and become a professional opera singer.

The final performance at the gala was the last scene from Aida and thus the gala evening included two of the operas which have influenced me so much over past weeks. At the end of the evening as the great and the good took the stage including Mayor Giuliani to name the day Luciano Pavarotti day in the city Luciano commented that when considering how to celebrate the occasion he had decided that what he wanted to do was to satisfy himself of his continuing ability to sing for that is all he ever wanted to do. He also spoke of Puccini who at the end of his life returned to his home for pasta and wine thus echoing the wisdom of the ages about what is important in life and what is not. Pavarotti was also able to die in thee town of his birth when the fight against cancer became lost

.For the first four years of his professional career he toured the opera houses of Europe but he did not become established as a leading tenor until touring Australia on the recommendation of Joan Sutherland in 1965 and it was not until 1968 that he first appeared at the Met, also La singing, La Boheme and then at La Scala in 1972. Luciano continued to perform until the end of his life dying before his 72nd birthday It was at the Winter Olympics at Turino in 2006 that he performed on the stage for the last time singing Nessum Dorma.

He was married twice with three daughters from his first marriage of 34 years and one from his second who he had married in 2003 having been his personal assistant for many years. As often happens with the death of men of wealth who have married more than once there were problems over the estate when it was found that he had made a new will which was different to the first which followed Italian law and practice. However the matter was settled between the lawyers representing the various family interests. He had owned property in Italy, Monte Carlo and three apartments in New York as well as having funds based in the USA and Italy. The family were well provided and we all have his records and DVD’s.

I had not planned to watch the Pavarotti Gala performance having decided on Renee Fleming who introduces many of the Live HD Relays but who I have not heard sing. I choose the first Opening Night Gala in which like Pavarotti she sings three Acts from three Operas and where the show was telecast live to Times Square. However for some reason I could not turn the picture into full screen and therefore abandoned and searched until coming across the Pavarotti. It was the first I had seen and heard him perform in these operas.

I had planned to write about O Lucky Man the 1970’s cult Lindsey Anderson film about aspects of the never have it so good post World Wear British Society starring Malcolm, McDowell and featuring Alan Price and his music. Unfortunately I fell asleep towards the end of last night’s Channel Four showing and very tired when I awoke made my way to bed and instant sleep. It was well after 1 am. So I will leave to another day. It does give me time to catch up with Intrigue, an excellent example of the post war approach to the Orient and the worldwide problem of the Black Market. In the cities of the UK families were used to surviving on very little as food and clothing was rationed and shops had very little to sell so that queues formed daily for whatever was available. There was always something however for those prepared to pay and who had the right connections. The film stars George Raft one of four men cashiered from the USA airforce after being caught with contraband on their plane.

Two of the four were dead as George and his dependent alcoholic comrade attempted to make a living flying freight in a ramshackle plane and ostracised by everyone he is driven to undertaking a smuggling flight of genuine US whisky. However this proves exceptionally perilous and George demands from his unknown employer a substantial increase in payment to undertake further missions. In order to get to see his boss he hijacks the whisky. He finds that the employer is a woman of undoubted sexual charm played by June Havoc. Madame Tamara Baranoff is indeed the lady from Shanghai where most films about the Orient were then set. He does a deal with the lady which includes a partnership and her personal favours much to the disgust of her former right hand man who goes off and joins her main competitor for the dark business.

This is the cue for the arrival of Linda Parker who is really Linda Arnold the sister of one of the discredited four flyers whose living parents remain emotional destroyed by what happened and the loss of her son. She has taken the job with an orphanage as a means of trying to clear his name and befriends Raft in an effort to uncover the truth. Raft likes her but is in ignorance of what happened and becomes even more embittered when his remaining colleague kills himself. He therefore embarks on his new career with enthusiasm and steals back several tons of rice which have been hijacked by the competition. Also arriving on the seen is an airforce friend of Raft who is a reporter attempting to expose those involved in Black Market and its impact upon the average citizens who sleep on the street and die of hunger. There are some heart rendering scenes at the orphanage of eastern child who speak English and like to play baseball and same heavily underlined statements about the evil nature of the trade. When the reporter discovers the identities of those involved and persuades and local editor to print the story he is mown down when an employee steals the copy and warns the competitor who in turn has a pow wow and together they first sanction the killing and that of Raft when he sees the error of his ways. Madame Baranoff and the competitors as well as her former assistant all meet appropriate ends as Raft discovers that she was behind the smuggling which got him discharged without honour from the service. He goes off to live happy ever after with the sister of his former comrade as he opens the store of food to the populace to help themselves.

The spirit of what is good and honourable also flows through a production on the latter years of St Peter played by Omar Sherriff. This has strong echoes of Quo Vadis, Demetrious and Gladiators and such like without the quality of script, acting and cinematic production. It is a blatant attempt to preach the original core value of Christianity but all too sugary to have any effect except with the already converted. It does not shy away from the barbarity and immorality of the time but somehow fails to have the edge which will have any effect, even if such films have little effect anyway. The exception being Mel Gibson’s Passion although I would be surprised if all but the already converted to a religious faith would go to see this film and which is a horror movie but not of the kind which attracts young people on weekend evenings.

The Italian film industry is understandably much into making films about the toga wearing decades and the latest in the genre is the Warrior and the Slave girl. The only true love during this period appears be between slaves and their masters! In this instance the young and upcoming son of a Senator close to the Emperor Nero fixes for his son to become the military head to Roman Consul or Armenia, ) I think) where the token King is a sickly child managed by his older and attractive sister who in turn has a chief adviser from a neighbouring nation anxious to take over the power and the riches not yet handed over to Rome. Enter the leader of the rebels who has earned his keep as a Gladiator and the requisite fiery slave girl. The young Warrior remains idealistic about Roman values which in reality never existed and frees most of the slaves and dissenting population who are in custody. The exception is the fiery slave who he packs off look after the ailing boy king suspecting something is not right and in fact he is being slowly poisoned by his older sister who pretends to be interested in the warrior as a means of gaining power of him. There are various adventures and double dealing before the Princess in stopped from taking over the throne and giving control to her advisers and his mercenaries. The ex Gladiator leader of the rebels losses his life on behalf of his people (the gladiator in the film of the life of St Peter lays down his arms and escapes with his wife and family in contrast). Also dying is the best friend of the Warrior and the midget fool, fool in the historical sense of entertainer, to the young king. The warrior and slave girl survive for each other and to protect the young king to achieve a model Roman controlled state within its empire.

I also caught up with three episodes of the second series of Merlin which included a two week episode called Beauty and the Beast which was great fun for five year old boys and the likes of me. A Troll, those who like to eat rotten food and dung and who farts at every opportunity finds with the help her serpent like assistant, the means to make her look not only beautiful but the grown up daughter of the deposed king and friend of the Prince Arthur’s father who has remained single since the loss of his wife. He is quickly besotted by the Troll in disguise who gives him a charm which makes him see her as he would like to, even when Merlin finds a way of destroying the potion which turned into a adorable human being. Everyone has great fun and five years old and the likes of me enjoyed the farting and the farcical situations.

It was a fitting end to a week of political hypocrisy.

La Boheme Metropolitan Opera on I player Relay 2009

There is much to write about but until today no inclination to write about experience as I immersed in new additional experience although not necessarily original experience.

I have seen La Boheme before, on stage at Oxford and possibly on the small screen although no recollection and it may have been one of the operas I was taken to see as a schoolboy by my birth and care mothers and their eldest sister. I went to see Carmen definitely either as a schoolchild perhaps later because it was about Spain and gypsies and I knew that my care mother and maybe some of her other sisters had been on at least one trip to see gypsy women as well as Spanish ladies in traditional costume over the border probably at some Catholic festival. I am vague about their recollections before they came to England because their memories were not recorded and there was a long period when we did not talk about their life in Gibraltar. Harriet wanted to, but Mabel and Lena did not. I was a decade too late when I wanted to know Now all their brothers and sisters have also gone as have my older first cousins

It was a good day to watch La Boheme on the BBC i player, the coldest since last Winter, just above zero C for most of the 24 hours. La Boheme is perhaps the most watched opera along with Madam Butterfly and Carmen because of the almost continuous romantic lyricism to the extent that the audience can become overwhelmed by its combination of beautiful singing and profound emotional intensity. Most have heard the aria Che gilda manina What a cold little hand. La Boheme opened the Metropolitan Live relay season this year and I had arranged a weekend trip to see it but then Cineworld bottled out and although I could have gone locally if there were places I decided against and hesitated on discovering there was a recent production, possible the same as being shown on the live relay

La Boheme is intended to convey a place where Bohemians live and although written in Italian by the great Italian composer Puccini, the author of Madam Butterfly, Turandot and Tosca, it is traditionally set in an artistic quarter of Paris such as Montmartre of garrets and cafes, the land of Toulouse Lautrec and Berlioz. In this instance the hero is a poet Rodolfo who shares lodging with Marcello a painter, with friends Schainard, a musician and Colline. a philosopher. The heroine is Mimi, a seamstress, often portrayed as innocent and with Musetta, the singer, as worldly. The friends are cold and hungry until the musician arrives having secured work with an eccentric Englishman. They decide to celebrate with a meal out at cafe in the evening but Rodolfo remains to finish some work and Mimi who lives in the building calls for a match as her candle has blown out. She then loses her key and they interact as they fall in love, one of the most celebrated couplings in culture.

In the Met production there is one of the most dramatic scene changes in the history of opera presentation because of the speed at which the stage is transformed from the garret into a spectacular street and cafe scene filled with people including marching soldiers at one point. There are hundreds of extras and chorus including school children and some 80 stage hands are used to make the switch Rodolfo takes Mini along to meet his friends where Marcello finds a past love, Musetta. dining with a government Minister of my years. She sings provocatively trying to win back the affections of the painter. Musetta leaves the whole bill for the two parties for the Minister to pay when the total is more than the money gained from the work for the Englishman.

Time has passed with the third act in which Mini visits Marcello who is lodging at an Inn where he is working to complain that Rodolfo is rejecting her. Rodolfo is in fact inside the Inn and when he comes out Mimi hides and overhears him explain that he is pretending not to love because he believes she has become seriously ill and as he does not have the means to provide for her care, he is feigning a lack of interest so that she will find someone who can care for her properly and finding that he is overheard the two are reunited in their profound love for each other while Marcello and Musetta quarrel as a counterpoint.

In the final act Musetta discovers Mimi wandering the streets overcome by her illness having lived for a time with a wealthy viscount while Marcello and Rodolfo have been sharing lodgings working hard while separated from their true loves. They do their best to provide medical help and medicine for Mimi but it is too late and she dies. In 1957 papers were discovered which revealed that Puccini had written a middle third act which explains how Mimi came to meet her wealthy suitor after Musetta had been thrown out of her home with her furniture after crossing her protector.

The story is therefore not complex and as with all Puccini it is that unique combination of the operatic voice with beautiful and sensitive music, and with great acting and wondrous settings creates an experience where only the most gifted can match with words. Although on the comparatively small screen and without the sense of immediacy it was as great an experience as with Madam Butterfly and AIDA.

Turandot relayed from the Metropolitan 2009

My third live HD performance from the New York Metropolitan Opera House was Turandot which I have always pronounced and Turando but it is dot and which means I did not listen to the as intently as I should to my Deutsche Grammophon Herbert Von Karajan recording with Placido Domingo as Calaf and Katia Riccardelli as Turandot.

On my first visit to a performance at the Tyneside Film Theatre I used the Hewath long stay car park, returning to find there were two cars left in the isolated and darkened area with the attendant long since departed. Tonight I chose the short stay park in front of the Metro and bus station and where there is also a taxi rank. There is a maximum stay of four hours during the payment period so that by arriving after 4pm one pays £1.70 and this takes you past the time when charges are made. The cost is about the same as the all day charge for the long stay park. I had prepared a salad which I eat most after which I had a banana. I had only eaten a piece of fish for lunch and a cereal breakfast determined to continue to reduce weight having achieve 16.7 which means I have lost a full stone since letting the it get out of hand again. This time there will be no return and I will not be content until another stone has been removed.

Arriving in the city centre around 5.30 I assumed there was time to take a quick look at suits at the British Homes store and indeed after a brisk walk through Fenwicks noting that the Christmas window display was being watched by the usual large crowd and I checked that while there are suits with 44in waists there were only 31 inch trousers and not the 29 I need and a brisk return the clock was only striking 5.45 as I joined a large queue entering the classic cinema stalls. On entering the auditorium I discovered there were only seats left in the first three rows and that every seat had been booked. making the total audience 200 as evidently by word of mouth the good news has spread. On leaving I had a conversation with a woman who said that she and her husband and attempted to gain tickets on Friday and they had been offered the last one. From next until December 11th remains Operas can be booked for a package price from £85 to £110 and then open to the general public. I would not be surprised if the demand continues to accelerate. To mark the development the Cinema provided a programme which was quickly snapped up.

Turandot is not a great opera although it does contain Nessum Dorma although the third act provides the opportunity for some brilliant singing and where the three main performers were exceptional. The settings were also on the scale of Aida.

The story is a simple one with no complications. Prince Calaf and his father who is accompanied by a devoted slave girl are on the run in China. The son meets up with his vanquished father who he has not seen for many years in the city of Peking just as the 12th suitor for the hand of the Princess is to be executed for failing to answer all her three riddles. The penalty for failure to be drawn and quartered and after your head after being severed from the body to be stuck on a pole outside the palace as a warning to other suitors. The Princess is a powerful woman who has no intention of yielding her will or body to a man. The prince is impressed by the devotion of the slave girl played by Marina Popavskaya whose performance was the outstanding one the night although it has come in for some criticism from Lisa Lindstrom. She came to fame in London in 2007 when she took over a role in Don Carlos after Angela Gheorghiu decided was not for her.

A Russian born performer until 2005 Marina has the looks and figure to play young women who can drive any man into passionate madness, as well as the kind of voice I prefer, full of subtlety and sincerity rather than range and power. She was totally convincing as the slave girl who had stayed with the deposed king in the hope she would one day come across his son the only love of her life, a love which she knew was hopeless.

When interviewed by the Evening Standard Marina was very revealing stating that although her mother was a trained chemist with five specialist diplomas she worked as a Taxi driver because it paid more and despite her daughters own new wealth and married to a man forty years her senior with three step sons older than her, and seven step grand children, her mother insisted on earning her own keep. Marina was said have refused to speak of her father or of the Russian billionaires and was spending her time between London and the USA which she now regards as home.

The Calaf is played by the large Marcello Giordani who I saw as the ruthless and despicable Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly in March and again on the Met I player within the past two weeks. This time his role is that of teh crass insensitive and foolhardy Prince who despite knowing that she has callously sentenced 12 predecessors to horrible death, falls in love with Turandot on seeing her at a distance and being able to detect that her perfume fills the night. I could not help thinking that the stench of her blood spilling would have made any honourable young man nauseous. Despite a great performance of Nesum Dorma which brought the house down, but a long way short of Pavarotti of course.

Maria Guleghina played Turandot. She is also Russian born and internationally regarded as one of the great contemporary soprano’s with 130 performances at the Met already to her name and has played all the major female roles for soprano’s around the world. She was brilliant as the bitch from hell prepared to slaughter everyone in the city rather than be forced by her father to give herself to any man let alone the out of town stranger without an entourage or the apparent means to keep her in the lifestyle of someone self proclaimed as no ordinary woman.

The first act also introduces us to Ping, Pang and Pong, something which it was possible to get away with in 1926 when Puccini created this his last operatic work. These are the three trusted servants of the Palace who are usually responsible for the funeral of the rest of the remains of beheaded suitors but who also have plans for a wedding should an individual be successful. They provide humorous interludes between the high drama.

The second Act concentrates on the decision of the Calaf to sound the gong three times to announce his intention to the Princess and the rest of the city to meet the challenge of the three riddles. There are great efforts on the part of the slave girl, his father and Ping, Pang and Pong to dissuade him from attempting the challenge but as is Puccini’s wont, passion always overcomes reason and brings havoc and causing the life of at least one young innocent and good woman.

In fairness to Turandot she was not necessarily born the way she has become but somewhere along in her education, and there is no reference about what age she lost her mother, she learnt than one of her ancestors and been abducted and then killed after he had had his way by a conquering Prince. There is also an element that all woman want a man who will in fact conquer and tame them, a sentiment which Shakespeare also exposed in the Taming of the Shrew and which is frequently the defence of the rapist, she was asking for it or she really meant yes when she was crying out no.

Calaf having worked out the answer to the third riddle Turandot appeals to her father and then to Calaf not to hold her to the marriage, and Calaf also typical for his character is not content just to have her but wants her to submit willingly and gives her the challenge to find out his name and which if she does before dawn he will free her by giving up his life as had the previous suitors. Big Mistake.

The third act deals with the repercussions of this folly. The city is ordered not to sleep and the King‘s men ravage the city in search of clues as to the name of the suitor. Understandably rather than be massacred the citizens draw attention that the suitor was seen in the company with a man and his slave girl and they are apprehended.

Meanwhile Calaf is made offers which most sane men would not refuse. He can have as many young women to be his marital slaves as he wishes, he can have untold riches and he can have power in being given a kingdom to rule all if he flees the city and abandon his hold over Turandot, and in which instance she will stop her reign of terror. After capture the slave girl pretends that while she knows the name her employer does not, thus saving the life of her master. She also fears she will reveals the name under torture and stalls in order to be able to seize a knife to kill herself. This appears to have some effect on Turandot and after we the audience recover from the singing finale of the slave girl there are dramatic and moving exchanges between the Calaf and Turandot in which she eventually succumbs after he forces on her a kiss. I have to say this was the approach of the son good for nothing son of Burl Ives in the Big Country after he had abducted Jean Simmons in order to make her his wife and thus gain control of the Big Muddy. The Opera ends in a grand finale chorus which reminds of One fine day and the couple appear to prepare to be married, to rule together and to live happy ever after while the body of the slave girl, still warm is carried off with the old king holding her hand.

However having listen to the second CD of the Placido Domingo version while writing this, playing Luxor Majong and attending to my feet after soaking them in hot water, I realise that the words and attack on the construction and morality of the story has to be put aside when listening to the Puccini at the height of his creativity and the singing, such glorious singing which led the audience in the cinema to break out in applause along with the Met audience at every opportunity. In the interval I felt in need of a coffee and went downstairs to the street bar where I had a chat with one of the young male assistants who was most interested to hear about what was happening at the theatre and had attracted such a large audience. I also learnt from the programme that at the Tyneside bar which is upstairs between the two upper cinemas shows the interval programmes on screen and is something I must explore in the future especially if they also provide coffee. It was a good cup of Americano. I finished off the salad in the car before going home where I rounded of the evening with a ready made sausage mash and onion and a Christmas film I thought I was to see at midday.

The European lottery of £90 million was won last night with both tickets having been issued in England/ By this morning no one had come forward and then someone had, but another is yet to be confirmed. I checked and double checked my on line numbers and the ticket bought at the supermarket but alas I was not close. Drat Drat and more drat. What I could do with £45 million.

Film 24plusfree channel i.e. within the Sky entertainment subscription ,is showing back to back Christmas films with this afternoon and evening Chasing Christmas and The Christmas Card followed by 12 days of Christmas Eve and A boyfriend for Christmas for Christmas both films viewed yesterday.
The 12 days is a take on Groundhog Day, the film in which the same day is repeated without change until the hero finds the key to move on. In teh twelve days Calvin Carter (played by Steven Weber) is a successful business executive who has it all, but neglects those closest to him. On Christmas Eve, all that changes when the sign on his office building falls on him. He awakens in a hospital bed, attended by Angie (played by Molly Shannon), an angel in the guise of a nurse, who informs him that he has twelve days—that is, twelve chances—to get his act together and achieve the "perfect" Christmas Eve, or there will be dire consequences. The film does take account of the song the Twelve days of Christmas and has elements of a Christmas Carol and surprise surprise he does manage to work out that grand financial gestures especially those of a public kind get him back on the ward and that the solution is to be kind without having other motivation and spend quality time with his family.

A boyfriend at Christmas is three stories into one. A man has spent his whole life creating a year long theme park about Christmas which falls on hard times, especially after his wife who handled teh finances dies and as a consequence he is unable to communicate in a meaningful way with his daughter who goes off to the big city and becomes a successful business woman with no time for Christmas home with dad until he has an accident. She returns to find the business in peril. Many year ago when I youngster she had an influential conversation with a young visitor about Ballet and the Nutcracker favourite for Christmas time. He is the only child of a wealthy couple who have little time for his direct care and he returns to the town where he had a memorable Christmas and where he makes crafted wooden dolls. The two re-meet up and with a common interest in the quality of life and maintaining the Christmas tradition they join forces to try and save the theme park turning to a visitor who appears anxious to help. He is part of a syndicate who successfully take away property in financial difficulties and which has development potential. How they do this is main flaw in this Christmas tale. However a combination of brilliant money raising ideas and Christmas spirit the theme park is saved, the boyfriend becomes financially independent though his individually crafted toys, father and daughter are reconciled and she returns home to a new and better life and love. Oh if real life were so! For the two winners of the £45 million Christmas come early.

Aida at the Metropolitan in 1989 and 2009 with Krajick Wondrous

Yesterday I had one of the great cultural experiences of a lifetime, visually stunning, musical perfection and I still have the tingles from the rich power of the Metropolitan Opera House New York production of Aida, relayed to the Tyneside Film Theatre in HD. Then today I bought a subscription to the Library of previous productions, some 200, and watched the original production of Aida in 1989 with Dolora Zajick playing the same role spread over two decades and to complete the excitement discovered that the Odeon Gateshead Metro Centre has over a dozen relays at various operas, ballets and plays including Carmen from Le Scala Milan an La Traviata from Madrid.

This was my first time back into the Royal Circle of the Tyneside Film Theatre which has become a contemporary auditorium of half a dozen rows of armchairs and two person settees with space between pairs of seats for wine glasses and snacks if you book the back row there is a table ledge running across the front of the seating. The is a small bar area for the occasions with chilled wines, crisps nuts chocolates and such like.

I had intended to read up on the Opera and get to know something of the cast for the performance to be experienced but other priorities prevented. I have seen one live performance of Aida in a showy production at Earl’s Court where the seat was at the back of the auditorium so I moved them to almost behind the front stage but which provided a view of the singers and chorus as they moved about the stage as well as the scene changes during the intervals

I had one record, an EP of the Rome Opera Chorus from Aida Triumphant march bought from the only record shop in Wallington and which cost a fortune, nearly as much as a Long Play record and which I cannot now find. I have also seen a performance or two on television but I always viewed the opera as a spectacle which great interaction between powerful singers and a large chorus. It has taken 70 years to appreciate that this is a masterpiece and which with the right singers can reaches the greatest heights of the art.

It is an opera about love and passion and the consequences when the love cuts across national and political divides.

The Opera is set in ancient Egypt as information reaches the court that the Ethiopians have invaded the country and Radames, a favoured soldier, is entrusted with the responsibility of leading to army to drive out the enemy. The complication is that he in is love with Aida the Ethiopian slave assistant of the Princess Amneris, the Kings daughter and heir, while the Princess is in love with him. The Princess urges her father to appoint Radames to defend the nation although she has suspicions that her slave is also in love with her hero.

In the 1989 Met Opera Production the Princess is played by Dolora Zajick, American by birth and who came to international attention as a top level performer with this role when in her late thirties and her voice with is power and range had fully developed. At the age of 57 and with the frame to match the first reaction is to be concerned at a portrayal of what is written in the libretto as a young Princes, especially if one did not know that she has sung the role to acclaim throughout the operatic world in over a score of productions and some 250 performances and that it remains as strong and yet beautiful with a remarkable range. Her solo performances are breathtaking and rightly received the greatest applause in both performances experiences and applause which broke out in the cinema which is something I have not previously experienced since my childhood.

For the most recent production the part of Radames is played by Johan Botha, a South African leading tenor who has the build to match AIDA and Amneris and at 54 is regarded as one of the great tenors of the present generation. However he cannot be compared with the 1989 production where the part was played by Placido Domingo now in his late sixties and the most well known and loved tenor in the world since the death of Pavarotti. He has sung 128 roles, more than other tenor, and opened the Metropolitan season 21 times, four more than Caruso. He was 50 when he performed with Krajick. Aprile Millo played Aida when she was only 39 and proved she had a voice to match that of Domingo and Krajick and all three had suburb dramatic presence which is often lacking in the productions which tour provincial theatres. The 2009 performance of Aida was played by Violeta Urmane, a Lithuanian -Urmanaviciute, aged 48.

Because of the same generation frames the three singers connected in terms of passion and anguish because oft he triangle of affections and conflict over nationality. What both sets of lead singers are able to accomplish is to make their performances so convincing that it should make young people re think their attitudes to the older generation and their relationships.

In the same way that Madam Butterfly which I experienced last season opened my eyes as well as ears to what lead live opera performances are about this had widened and depended my appreciation in a profound way. There are several videos on You Tube which communicates the reality which all words must fail.

Back to story and with Radames off to lead the army consecrated by the High Priest Ramfis at the Isis Temple Aida is torn between anxiety for him and for father the Ethiopian King, a fact which is unknown to the Egyptians.

The second act is in two parts before then as with Madam Butterfly there were interviews with the lead singers as they came from the stage and there was opportunity to watch the scene being dismantled and re assembled. The back stage is vast .I have been back stage of companies putting on Operas ballets and West Musicals but this is incredible in width, depth, below stage and with height which is mouth opening. There set involved major construction and a minor army of dedicated construction workers rather than stage hands.

In the first part of the second Act the Princess, having grown more suspicious of Aida tests by saying that Radames has been killed and as a consequence Aida reveals her position, but hides her distress at learning that her people have been defeated..

There is then the Triumphant March scene fames all over world because of its spectacle and which includes a dance performed by the Ballet company and choreographed by the former head of the Bolshoi for the present production. The climax is when the prisoners are brought in and Aida sees her father, the king in shackles. The Egyptian king offers Radames anything he asks and he, pleads for the freedom for the slaves who are allowed to return home with the exception of Aida and her father who has said the King had died. The Egyptian King then throws the proverbial spanner in the works by giving Aida to Radames in marriage, a gift which cannot be refused and which is to the pleasure of Amneris

The final act is in major contrast to the second an act of great emotion between the trio, Amneris’s father and the High Priest. Amneris goes to Temple to pray until dawn and thus is in a position to overhear when Radames and Aida meet and plan to run away together. Aida father has also met up with his daughter and asks her to try and find out the battle plans as his countryman have risen up and invaded once more to free their King and his daughter and gain revenge for the defeat and plundering of their country. As soon as Radames reveals the route plan, Aida‘s father reveals himself and he and his daughter beg Radames to flee with them. He however is horrified at having unwittingly given away the battle route information and when confronted by Amneris who are summoned the High Priest, he surrenders to their judgement. Their decision is for him to be entombed in the vaults below the temple and here is finds that Aida having learnt of teh verdict has hidden away and shut away with him so they can face death together. Meanwhile above teh Princess is beyond consolation for having given Radames over to the judgement of the Priests after he refused her offer to save him if he gives up Aida for her.. While everything beforehand was outstanding it is the dramatic singing of the last act which for me has taken operatic singing go a new height. It is of coincidence that the previous event in my life of this order was to hear Verdi’s Requiem Mass at the Royal Albert Hall at the age of sixteen years in the year that I left school. There have been other magical moments from the Live Aid Concert, to the stage musical Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, to the Bruce Springsteen concerts and to hearing Louis Armstrong play in the half a century ago. But as with the voice of Krajick it is only from the accumulation of a lifetime of emotional highs and lows than one can appreciate the significance of the work and the magnificence of the voices.

Then to be able to experience the original production using the same set and costumes and libretto added an even greater dimension to the experience. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity and to now be able to experience more.

Madam Butterfly at Metropolitan Opera House A Cineworld relay March 2009

It is about ten years since I have experienced opera live, making special visit to the Opera House in Leeds for a performance of the Magic Flute. I cannot say that cost has prevented or lack of opportunity as Opera North, based in Leeds, performs regularly at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle and by coincidence the summer programme arrived in the post on Friday for the Theatre, revealing that three works are to be performed in English in June with prices from £35-£50, although in fact none of works appeal.

For the past three months Cineworld cinemas has relayed performances from the Metropolitan Opera House of New York at six pm on a Saturday evening, and when I saw that there was to be a Performance of Madam Butterfly on the weekend of my three years and ten I decided to book a seat and attend without knowing what to expect from the relay although by coincidence I had seen a full performance of the opera on a satellite TV channel within the past year and switched on the radio earlier in the week as an established artist sang a few lines of “one fine Day” talk a little about the opera and her role in the led and sang a few lines more, it was an auspicious omen.

Although booking six weeks beforehand the available seat was in the first row of auditorium banking with four rows in front after a wide space on the same level. Although not ideal therefore there was plenty of room to stretch legs and with the relay in High Definition there was no strain from the proximity to the screen. All seats were sold.

Before talking about the performance I must mention the nature of the relay where there was a sound connection to the Opera House before visual so one could hear the arrival of the patrons with their combined chatter and orchestra tuning up and then with a couple minutes to we looked on to the stage with a small countdown clock to the lower right hand corner. This was repeated during then two intervals for their middle section of 15 mins, either side of which there were behind the scenes interviews and films related to the opera and others to come and in the planned season for next Winter of nine relays The performance time is about 145 minutes plus the two half an hour intervals.

The short interviews included Cio Cio Patricia Racette, Maria Zifchak as Suzuki, the maid, and Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton and the widow of Mr Minghella as well as excerpts from an interview with Anthony about the production. All this together with subtitles and close ups as well as full stage shots created a memorable theatrical experience to what was an emotionally overwhelming experience because of the depth of acting and singing, the like of which I have not previously encountered.

The Metropolitan Association of New York was formed in 1880 and has become the biggest classical music organisation in the USA with over 200 performances a year. The Present Opera House, created in 1966 has one of the biggest stages and an auditorium with 3800 seats and is one of twelve cultural organisations which form the Lincoln Arts centre for Performing art. Because of the height of the stage it is not possible to show sub title translations as in the practice of many establishments so the solutions has been to create a small screen version before each seat which can be switched on or off and is designed not disturb those in adjacent seats. In addition to English the titles are available in French, Spanish, Italian and German depending on the opera and performance language

Luciano Pavarotti achieved world fame singing at the Met along with Placido Domingo and Renee Flemming who hosted the evening telecast.

Since 1931 it has broadcast a performance live each week and on TV on a regular basis since 1977. In 2006 the Opera commenced the Satellite transmission of live opera four times a week and then HD quality performance to cinemas throughout the world including the UK, the Far East and Australia. Although each production costs $1 million dollars to transmit such as been the interest in the live TV showings that there are more seats sold for these than for live performances at the theatre and the income generated now adds to that of the Opera House. Basic ticket prices range for $10 dollars to $375 for the average performance although up to £650 for a long Wagner, There are handling charges and house maintenance charges to these. It is now possible to listen to radio broadcasts direct for the Met, there is one tonight available on the internet. It is also possible to take out an annual, six monthly or monthly subscription to be able see on line 150 previous productions going back half a century on an unlimited basis, or pay to see individual works, including some of those recently shown on HD.

A major development during my lifetime is the open stage on which the performers are secreted or appear during the second that the auditorium and stage is cast in total darkness. Gone is the solid fire safety “curtain” and swing across curtains. For Butterfly, as the orchestra played an overture, Minghella adopted blackness and then a young dancer/mime artist, representing Butterfly, the young Geisha girl, came down stairs from the back of the theatre to create the illusion of a hill with black clothed and veiled mime artists in attendance unravelling swathes of cloth from around her waist and also introducing the use of puppets, and in particular the use of a puppet to represent the subsequent three year old son of Cio Cio San.

The story of Butterfly is one of the best known of all Opera’s along with Bizet’s Carmen and which because of the Spanish setting was the first to which I was introduced by my birth mother who also introduced to Swan Lake, the Tchaikovsky Ballet.

Originally a short story by John Luther Long in 1898 it was made into a stage play by David Belasco It is understood the core events of the opera took place in Nagasaki in the early 1890’s. The original version of the opera was in two acts and opened at La Scala Milan in 1904. This was not a great success and Puccini re wrote as three acts and continued to make different versions, five in total with the last in 1907. It was first performed in England in 1905 and New York in 1906 in English.

Cio Cio San, is a fifteen year old innocent Japanese Geisha girl in the port city of Nagasaki who has been the older Lieutenant in the USA Navy on a visit, desires her but finds in order to have sexual relations he must agree to a marriage formally arranged by a local marriage broker and the American Consul. He hires a traditional Japanese house overlooking the harbour on a lease and agrees to participating in a wedding ceremony according to Japanese custom and which involves relatives and Geisha girl friends. The house is rented along with servants including a maid Suzuki, who Minghella has turned into the second important role, of even greater significance to Pinkerton.

Unlike the majority of the girls who understand the impact of being a Geisha on the rest of their lives, Suzuki comes from a wealthy family of standing who have fallen on hard time, and waiting in the wings is a young Japanese warrior of good birth wanting to marry her. The American Consul , the marriage broker and Pinkerton are all aware that the wedding ceremony is a façade to enable him to enjoy the experience of the young woman while he is in port, and that whatever he says or promises he has no intention of returning or establishing a permanent relationship. He admits his love em and leave him, a girl in every port, approach, the Consul who warns, from his knowledge of the girl that she is likely to put all her trust in him and take the marriage seriously. Pinkerton notes that the contract can be terminated by him at any time without notice or penalty. To appreciate the situation it is important to appreciate the cultural and language divide between the two, and the role of the Geisha in Japanese society at that time.

A major in ingredient to the first act is that Madam Butterfly as she has become is that in order to adapt and fit into her husband’s life she has gone to the local mission to become a Christian thus alienating herself for her uncle, the Bonze(Buddhist Monk) who is also one of her uncles and from her other relatives. This is where Suzuki quickly becomes her confident, mother figure and ally. Cio Cio San has had some education and on being told that she is as beautiful as a butterfly by Pinkerton she responds from knowledge that some men in the West collect Butterflies destroy Butterflies to which Pinkerton explains that they do pin them so as to stop them flying away.

Minghella has divided the second act into two parts, which the usual way the Opera is presented in order to achieve maximum dramatic effect. In the first part of the second act three years have passed and Butterfly has remained constant in love and expectation that what he said about returning was truthful and she spends time taking note of the arrivals in the port from her vantage point in the hillside. Suzuki is loyal but sceptical and tries to help her to be more realistic especially as their money begins to run out. The marriage broker brings the young warrior who wants to marry her despite the relationship she has had with the American. She sends them both away.

Pinkerton’s ship returns and she is full of expectations and commences to make preparations and the Consul arrives with a letter which queries whether Butterfly remembers him and which goes on to explain that he has married and American girl and therefore will not be in a position to see her. Such is her enthusiasm and expectation that the Consul is unable to explain this, especially when Butterfly introduces him to her son of three years. The consul goes off to inform Pinkerton that he has a mixed race looking son. The two women and the boy sit overlooking the harbour and roadway up the hill for the arrival of the husband, accompanied by the humming chorus. Earlier in the this second part Butterfly has sung one of the most famous if not the most famous, arias of belief and hope, One Fine day “Un Bel di”

In the second part, Butterfly goes to bed having waited up all night and Pinkerton, his wife and the Consul arrive early to speak to the maid in the absence to ask her to break the new to Butterfly. Although devastated and heartbroken for her mistress Suzuki agrees, but when the child is seen and the position changes again with the decision to take the boy with them because of the better life which can be provided. Pinkerton consumed with guilt at what he has done cannot cope with the situation and goes off leaving his wife and the Consul talking with Suzuki but before they can leave Butterfly arrives and immediately senses correctly what is going on. She agrees to hand over the child on condition that Pinkerton comes in person for him. As he approaches she commit suicide using the knife which her father used, “to die with honour.”

The approach of Mr Mingella (who Directed Truly Madly Deeply1990 and won an Oscar for The English Patient 1996, and he Talented Mr Ripley 1999, also Produced Iris 2001, The Quiet American 2005, Michael Clayton 2007 and The Reader in 2008) was to encourage the singers to emphasise the emotional and dramatic, and as a consequence to pare down the set to essentials sot hat the focus is on the singers. This approach meant that those of us watching on screen with the close ups were at an advantage and able to appreciate the emotional involvement and depth of the principal performances. Dwayne Croft, a baritone, has sung 3000 performances in twenty productions for the Met was convincing as the diplomat, attempting to ensure Pinkerton understood what he was doing and showing great compassion for the plight of Butterfly. As Pinkerton, the Sicilian born Marcello Giordiani also commanded and impressed for his ability to communicate his role as an irresponsible paedophile who is confronted with the reality of his behaviour and exposed as a coward. Over the past twenty years he has created a repertoire of 40 of the great operas and has performed in the leading opera Houses in the world and in the United States. In 1994 he developed vocal problems which imperilled his career until he re-established himself after retraining his voice. He has sung of 170 performance with the Met.

For me the second outstanding performance of the evening was that of Maria Zifchak, mezzo soprano, who is a winner of the Metropolitan Young Performer award which led to her appearing as Mrs Pinkerton in a previous production of the opera at the Met in 2001. She is known to have played Suzuki for at least the past five and is scheduled to do so again during the rest of this year at other Opera houses in he USA and again in 2010. She communicated brilliantly the role of a servant who becomes a confident, supporter and protector of Butterfly, devastated by the course of the events. The interaction between her performance and the extraordinary Patricia Racette, who has surely now given the most emotional performance of any in the title role. She explained in interview that she gave over her life emotionally to her roles cutting herself off from everyone and she is reportedly known for dismissing those who want to discuss her performances and opera in technical terms, by asking them he question but how does it make you feel. She also joked about the difficulty of playing a girl half an age, when in fact she is 43/44, but all her movements and facial expression were that of such a young woman. In 2002 she made public her sexual orientation, marrying fellow opera diva Beth Clayton in 2005.
There are two other aspects of this extraordinary experience which I need to mention. I had reservations about the use of a puppet for the three year old tried. This was a decision taken early on by Mr Minghella because the use of a child of such a young age has always created a distraction for the singers. The cinema watchers throughout her world were able to see that the puppet was manipulated by three veiled mine artists dressed in black and veiled but in close we could that the showed on their faces the emotions they were attempting to communicate through the puppet. I was won over.
The widow of Anthony Minghella was also interviewed and was invited on stage for the curtain call. Dressed in black herself she added to the emotion of the evening. The curtain call was as stunning as the rest of the production with the performance appearing down the slope looking steps and they moved off stage as suddenly and slowly Madam Butterfly herself appeared, replicating what had happened during the overture and audience in the theatre rose up from their seats to greet her. At the cinema there had been a magnificent stunned silence when the opera ended and everyone stayed in their seats to enjoy the curtain calls. I thought out silence and our awe was more fitting an immediate response to that of the applause and cheers at of he Opera House, although I also thought that having recovered composure with many taking a handkerchief to their faces it would have also been good if we two had give a clap and a cheer where Ms Racette came forward.
I have an inexpensive 2 CD record of the opera and a single Long Play record of Madam Butterfly as well as full recording of Puccini’s Turandot with Placido Domingo and the orchestra conducted by Herbert Von Karajan as well as a recording of Bizet Carmen, as well as compilations of arias ranging from a 2 CD edition of the recordings of Beniamino Gigli to the three tenors and Maria Callas, but I have never previously been moved by an individual work or performance as I was on Saturday evening. I understood why some individuals spend their whole lives trying to capture and then repeat such an experience. It has taken me as close 70 years as is possible and to have done so once is a blessing.