Latest news with #Carmen
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
Operatic concerts lined up this weekend
The South Asian Symphony Orchestra will perform excerpts from 'Carmen', 'La Traviata' and 'Romeo et Juliet'
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
At 'Ehdeniyat,' Abeer Nehme reaches 'saltana'
While the temples of Baalbeck drew festival-goers to the spectacular "Carmen" staged by Jorge Takla, Ehden offered its wooded cocoon to Abeer Nehme, arguably one of the most beautiful voices in the Arab world. A "specialist in all styles," the Lebanese diva once again showcased her vocal and cultural cosmopolitanism. From Egyptian classical to tarab, through Asmahan, the Rahbanis, French songs and Anglo-Saxon pop, she integrated into her repertoire personal songs that speak of love, culminating with a song in Syriac as a tribute to Ehden, which retains a dialect accent of this extinct language, preserved only in the Maronite liturgy. Pure joy, tenderness in song To sing about love in front of a spirited audience at the Ehdeniyat festival, where the stage is set amidst a majestic fir forest, Nehmeh is supported by a choir and her orchestra led by Marc Abou Naoum. In a simple black sheath that is subtly low-cut, contrasting with the deep red of her lips, her appearance is brightened by the unique smile she offers her audience — a blend of childlike joy and tenderness. Behind her, her name shines in golden letters against a backdrop of blue lights. Throughout the show, stunning projections added to the hypnotic magic of the moment. With the first notes of "Inta," the great classic by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, the audience is already captivated, connecting with the lyrics on a personal level. She continues with a long program that is both impressive for her audience and almost acrobatic for her voice, which spans all registers. Her soulful notes in English on "Simple Things" evoke Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. She confidently uses her agile soprano on the tarab of " Lamma bada" and Piaf's " Hymne à l'amour," generating enthusiasm whose echo resonates in the surrounding mountains. At times, especially during a mashup, dancers from the Carel Wardini Dance Academy performed a contemporary choreography on stage. On the giant screen that makes her tiny silhouette appear larger, one can sometimes see her reach the saltana — that nearly altered state of total mastery and fusion with the sound that also infects the audience, especially during the trance of "Chou Bhessellak." One of the highlights of the concert was a love song in Syriac, set to the popular tune of " Tallou hbabna tallou" in operatic style. It was dedicated to Ehden, the last village with the characteristic Zghorti accent of its people, whose "a" and "e" sounds are similar to the "o" sound — a reflection of the Aramaic roots of this dialect, which preceded Arabic as the region's common language. She would have liked to add Armenian to Syriac Backstage, she told L'Orient-Le Jour that she never rehearses her voice except on the day of a concert. "It's the worst thing to do, but I don't find the time. In this job, we run and travel nonstop," she says, expressing her gratitude to the large team around her, without whom nothing would have been possible. One might expect her to be exhausted and drained after an hour and a half of nonstop singing, which is physically demanding, but she leaves as fresh and smiling as when she first stepped on stage. "It's the audience that carries me, feeds me, gives me the energy to give again and again," she says. Discussing her Syriac song, this musicologist — an expert in ancient ethnic music and a kanun master trained at USEK — mentioned she wanted to include an Armenian song in the program that evening. However, the director objected, citing the program's length, so it was postponed. Abeer assures it will be included later. Krikor Jabotian's stage outfit We were joined by designer Krikor Jabotian, who explained his stylistic choices for this particular concert. "Everything started from the necklace," the creator detailed, who is also known for his baroque jewelry. The gold necklace features pearl shapes with irregular outlines and varying sizes. Jabotian paired it with earrings, and the diva's pearlescent nails completed the look. "Abeer doesn't need a dress to make her shine," the designer said. "She shines with her own light." Hence, the radical simplicity seen in the black dress is the result of long, collaborative conversations between the creator and the singer. "We then acknowledged the vastness of the stage and the large crowd that would be coming. That's why I decided to add a black satin cape with just the right volume to accompany her movements and amplify her silhouette from a distance," he added, admitting he was inspired by something Maria Callas-like when designing the ensemble. Since we were in Ehden, the diva gently bid farewell to her audience amidst heartfelt ululations, softly continuing to sing between goodbyes and gratitude. She turned towards the peaceful forest surrounding her and finally stepped down from the stage, almost with a hint of reluctance.
The Australian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Australian
Break it Down: Norfolk Metals
Stockhead's Break it Down brings you today's leading market news in under 90 seconds. In this episode, host Tylah Tully looks at the latest from Norfolk Metals (ASX:NFL), who have raised $3.5 million to drill the Carmen copper project in Chile. Watch the video to learn more. While Norfolk Metals is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this content.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- L'Orient-Le Jour
No, 'Carmen' is not a French opera
This is a staging of "Carmen" that will no doubt be hotly debated and rejected, as the appreciation of this most popular opera is so often based on a misunderstanding of its true values in favor of a routine falsely called "tradition". Whether we like it or not, no, "Carmen" is no longer a French opera. It is one of the few masterpieces to have been internationally appropriated. This internationalization has been both Bizet's greatest triumph and an open door to all sorts of new interpretations beyond the habits of public and music lovers alike. It is this kind of recreation that director Jorge Takla and conductor Father Toufic Maatouk brought to life last Friday and Saturday at the prestigious Baalbeck Festival. Let's say right away that the result differs quite a bit from what we're used to. Changes were made to the opera, likely due to a time limit of two and a half hours and probably budget constraints as well. But to me, Father Maatouk's direction is a complete success — not just for how it blends music and action with Takla, but because the action itself seems to grow naturally from the music. It is always difficult to achieve convincing staging in an open-air setting, and Takla managed to adapt it perfectly to the venue. The freedom of this direction will no doubt be criticized, even though there are no flashy effects, nor even the less gratuitous ones found in some familiar versions. The movements change constantly, adjusting to the fluidity of emotions and, most importantly, to the space and stage. Yet, in the rare places in the score where Bizet gave specific directions, these are always respected. For example, the marking "don't rush" at a particular moment in the Act II quintet, which the so-called "tradition" never observes. Otherwise, one notes that the flexibility of tempos, accents, and rubato bring out both the pure musical value of Bizet's inspiration and writing, and add to the dramatic meaning of the music. Generally speaking, the main originality of Maatouk's conducting is how he creates a dialogue between the orchestra and the singers. This goes beyond simply accompanying the voices, the orchestra becomes a protagonist, just like Carmen or Don José. Its presence is an active force, immersing the characters in a brilliant sound environment, but also shaping them in spite of themselves, the sonic expression of the fate that, as Carmen sings, is the true master. The progression is fascinating and culminates fantastically in the final scene. All of this is achieved with a restraint that the singers' occasional excesses only barely disrupt. But what about the singers? Marie Gautrot is certainly a remarkable Carmen. Her interpretation is as compelling as Callas', but her vocal timbre is even better suited to the role of the gypsy, and at rare moments, she tends to push her acting — perhaps because this is open-air rather than a traditional opera stage — though not in the veristic style of Puccini, but more in the direction of realism. Julien Behr has a voice whose impact is stunning in the most violent passages and in the climaxes of Acts III and IV. His Don José, more external than Jon Vickers', has the raw power of a wounded animal. The lyrical moments — "Parle-moi de ma mère", "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" — shine with melodic elegance and intrinsic vocal beauty. Vannina Santoni, on the other hand, phrases delightfully as Micaëla, and though Jérôme Boutiller's tone lacks a little brilliance for Escamillo, he sings with all the desired panache. The secondary roles are overall well cast: Mira Akiki (Frasquita), Grace Medawar (Mercedes), César Naassy (Zuniga), Fadi Jeanbart (Morales), Philippe-Nicolas Martin (Le Dancaïre), and Jason Choueifaty (Le Remendado). The Antonine University choir and the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra were magnificent, possessing tremendous dynamism. As for the "Olles!" and other added exclamations that will no doubt shock some purists, I think they form an integral part of the realistic aesthetic deliberately chosen by the conductor and director, without disfiguring Bizet's musical intent. In conclusion, bravo to the Baalbeck Festival committee. A grand spectacle, an extraordinary version for Carmen fans — many of whom perhaps love Bizet's masterpiece for the wrong reasons? One thing is certain: you had to be there. Because beyond the striking impression it made, many music lovers that evening discovered, thanks to the conductor, new beauties in a score they thought they knew well.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
South Asian Symphony Orchestra's opera in Bengaluru from August 2
Bengaluru: Former diplomat Nirupama Rao's musical initiative, the South Asian Symphony Orchestra (SASO), will perform an opera in Bengaluru from Aug 2-4. The performance will include arias from the operas Carmen (Georges Bizet, 1875), La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi, 1853), and Roméo et Juliette (Charles Gounod, 1867). The concert will be held at Christ University on Aug 2 at 5pm, Bangalore International Centre on Aug 3 at 6pm, and a workshop at Sabha Blr on Aug 4 at 7pm. Nirupama founded the musical collective in 2018. "This is a mission to encourage togetherness, promote conversation and dialogue across borders, and to diminish ignorance, prejudice, and stereotypes about each other," she said. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The performance will feature conductor Maria Badstue, soprano Chery Bains, and tenor Alok Kumar.
