Death In Venice - Death In Liceu

Accompanied by the hypnotic melody of Britten, the tragic musical drama "Death In Venice" of Gustav von Aschenbach will be performed for the last time tomorrow evening in the famous Liceu Opera House of Barcelona. As had imagined Thomas Mann in the original novel, An old writer pathetically made-up to conceal his decrepitude sighing his last breath trying to attract the attention, unfruitfully, of the adolescent boy Tadzio.

The authors of the stage script had resisted the popular trend of situating the period of the story in more recent times and contemporary locations, so Aschenbach dies amid the decadent elegance of the Lido of Venice in the beginning of the 20th century, as Thomas Mann decided in 1912, same as Visconti in his film in 1971, and not for instance, in the Barceloneta of the Hip-Hop era with high-tech settings of 2008. That film was shown on TV last year and I enjoyed it even though I had seen it previously at least a couple more times. Dirk Bogard was absolutely super in this unusual roll.

-
Apparently the fidelity to the scenario and the original period of the production in Liceu had not decreased or diminish the emotion of this classic, amongst other dramas, bordering on the sad theme of lost youth. Perhaps it was because of this implicit invocation, on the first night of the premiere half the audience stamped out when the curtains came down, while the other half stayed and applauded during a full 20 minute standing ovation, showing their appreciation of the lavish display of intensity and talents, delighting in the last artificial radiance of the sunset in the Liceu.

The people in a great hurry to run out of the theatre would be those who wished to live the night to the limit, off to a late night supper maybe, or to a discotheque. Showing courtesy and appreciation to the actors, musicians, tech team and the director would, in their reckoning, have been included in the ticket price. It could also be for the very simple reason that they wish to beat the crowd jamming up the exit passage.

Transferring the act of Death in Venice to the 21st century might have been more in keeping with these people who are always in a great hurry, even when enjoying an evening out. With Aschenback transformed to the present day executive of a multinational cultural concern in Barcelona. Instead of relying on the barber or hairdresser, he could check himself into some specialized clinic for hair-transplant and liposuction to stylise his sagging body. His object of desire, Tadzio, could have been a beautiful Brazilian boy, or a stylish DJ he met in Port Vell.

At the end, his dead body could have been taken out on the stretcher sent by 061, instead of alone and forlorn sitting in a chair in the garden, wearing a sad smile and bearing a vague suggestion that even Tadzio would grow old and not so pretty one day. All that should make the play contemporary, but then it should also have a different new name; definitely not Death in Venice.

Tags:deathinvenice,dirkbogarde

Current Mood: Artistic

A Bite Of Truth

The Organization of the United Nations has alerted that more than 1000 million people are suffering hunger, many bordering on starvation in the world, and the problem will become more serious if the prices of basic food continues to go up in such alarming pace, as it had done during just one year. We are all paying more than double in most places for the same amount of food now compared with prices paid a year ago. I don't really know how it affect other people in other countries, but in Spain, in Catalunya anyway, some basic food has gone up indeed more than double, certain things close to triple since about April last year. The crises we face now calls up the memory for many of the Great Depression era.

Scientists, economists and politicians have been debating on creating energy resources and, in theory, plausible solution . They came up with bio-combustible but, unfortunately, it proved to be not only polemic, but the cause of a whole series of problems: increase of prices of cereals, shortage of food worldwide, and necessity of huge areas for cultivation. Alternative is necessary and urgent.

The analysis: - of the International Evaluation of Science and Agricultural Technology Group, 65% of the increase of prices are due to increased transport costs. Food is not produced for the national but for the world economy. Decisions are not made by governments but by the multinationals. The problem is not because there's shortage of food products but excessive costs, linked to the price of petroleum, for ocean transportation, the voracious demands from the Asian countries and the extreme climactical conditions occurred in some countries.

The explanation: - by Willie Reimer, Director of ONG America, of Food, Disaster and Material Resources: - "The alimentary inflation multiplies the number of starving people and globalises the crises. 70% of these hungry people are in Africa, and the rest of the 4000 million are made up of those in 58 poor countries." Well It affects also the western countries where the 500 million better off people live, as they too now pay more than double for the basic food purchase. The difference being, that they can still manage to pay for it.

My opinion, as layman in politics and finance: - In this high tech world, millions now find themselves all of a sudden so helplessly facing starvation, just like in the worst period of the bygone years. Something has not been done right or has gone terribly wrong. The index of production seems to indicate satisfactory figures, but such a lot of it is now produced not for feeding the hungry people but to turn it into fuel, the so-called bio-combustible. For instance the corn, a basic stable food for many countries and diverse cultures, as are soya beans and some others, have been cultivated to be transformed into fuel instead of feeding people. Shouldn't people be of the foremost consideration before all else? No country can be strong if it's people are weak, hungry and desperate.

Starving people in favour of gaining fuel is to me far too high a price to pay and totally inhumane and illogical. What are your opinions or views?

Tags:Biocombustible,WorldHunger

Current Mood: Anxious

ET. - My Cousin

The eternal debate on whether Human are created by God or developed from Apes seems to have been confirmed any way years ago, yet people are still arguing about it.

As from 2008, we could believe in the existence of aliens, without committing misdoing or sin. The Vatican had then given the green light for us to think that there is life in another planet, including, that this other universe is even more evolved and developed than our own. We can now freely talk about our extraterrestrial brothers without entering in conflict with the Christian faith.

This firm affirmation is not any Hollywood fiction but came from Jose Gabriel Funes, Chief of the Astronomic Observatory of The Vatican and Accessory of Benedict XV1. Strange way of showing that the Holy doctrine had extended it's arms to embrace reason, science and faith.

Who would have thought that such a statement would come out of an institution, that maintains throughout the ages, it's almost medieval structures of command, exercise of power and identity. Although the inequality and disparity of women, religious or not, even within the institution, remains a reality of discrimination, but the church had bestowed us the approval to dream with our far away relatives. All of us God's creatures.

God didn't just create Adam and Eve; He created also E.T.

Tags:ET,Vatican

Current Mood: Calm

The World's Longest Taxi Ride

This is the true story of the world's longest taxi ride, covering 12,000 kilometres, right through the Australian desert from Victoria to Darwin. I guess I better tell the story the proper way, from the beginning ...

Once upon a time, in the 1930's, a very rich Australian heiress stopped a taxi one day and asked the driver, whether he was willing to take her on a long journey, from Victoria all the way to Darwin, in the era when there were no motorways in existence yet. The journey had to go on mainly desert and dirt tracks, across rivers infested with crocodiles and all kinds of hash elements.

12 weeks later, and after the Hudson convertibles had consumed 2,000 litres of petrol, but without having suffered a single breakdown or any kind of damage, the expedition concluded with people and machine safe and sound in the longest taxi ride in world history. Miss Ada paid the the taxi driver the equivalent of some 20,000 € which took him out of the most difficult period of the Depression and enable him to buy a service station.

Neither the children of Miss Ada nor those of Mr. Charles Heard, the taxi driver and owner of the Hudson, had consciousness of the magnitude of that adventure. A simple man of few words, upon his return, he only said that "the journey was good, without big problems." He had left it like that for the rest of his days. But now, the grandchildren had found an album of photos and a diary that recorded the Odyssey, stayed hidden for more than 50 years under some shoe boxes in a cupboard. Without anybody recognizing the significance that this episode constitutes an interesting little part of the history of Australia.

Steve Heard, one of the grandchildren of the taxi driver, had told the story to the British newspaper the "Independent" and, had announced that they themselves are going to embark on the same journey in a similar vehicle, but with a backup truck full of water and provisions, and followed by a television team to record the whole experience in a documentary.

That safe and successful adventure with no mishaps whatsoever to people nor vehicle seems like a miracle, no doubt attributed to Heard's capability of organization and survival skills. (He had combated in France in WW1) He would send telegrams ahead to remote townships en route to order petrol and provision. For the very dangerous crossing of rivers, he would go in first to test the depth while one of the 3 women was to use the binoculars to check whether there were crocodiles in the horizon.

The Hudson returned to Melbourne with the original 4 wheels and the motor in perfect condition, despite the many occasions it was bogged down in water and mud, more than a few times having to count on the help of aboriginals pushing them out of it's predicament.

Steve Heard said it's ironic that his grandfather made the 12,000 kilometre journey in a convertible on mud tracks, while city people today use all terrain vehicles to do supermarket
shopping and collect children from their schools.

Tags:TaxiRide,Australia,Hudson

Current Mood: Acomplished