MANY OPERA CAPSULAS por SARAH SCHINASI, Opera Director

IRA BERTMAN (Tel Aviv)

OUR ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE MASTER OF TENSION DIED EXACTLY 40 YEARS AGO

By Iv Luin

Films, whether wanted or unwanted, are always a reflection of the society, culture and geopolitical situation in which they are created. The bad guy, for example, is the (Nazi) German, the (Communist) Soviet, the (Terrorist) Arab. And if the enemy image does not reveal when a film was made, the hairstyle of the main character usually helps. Of course – just because of the technical circumstances – the films by Alfred Hitchock (1899-1980) can be seen from which era they originate. Nevertheless, the stripes of the master of the suspense seem strangely out of time.

However, many of Hitchcock’s works defy the ravages of time better than some other films, which are commonly referred to as masterpieces or cult classics, but from today’s point of view, they still look very antiquated. But when James Stewart in “Das Fenster zum Hof” (1954) worries about Grace Kelly in tearing tension or the violin staccato in “Psycho” (1960) saws his nerves, this has not failed to have an effect for 66 or 60 years. The standing ovation of the neck hair is the best proof of timeless tension. Here are some extraordinary facts about a truly extraordinary spirit.

Alfred Hitchcock has shaped cinema history in many ways, whether stylistically or in terms of content. He is attributed, for example, to the creation of the term “MacGuffin”, an actually insignificant object that triggers or drives the action. And the twist in “Psycho” (here literally a twist, turning a chair) was unprecedented.

But the filmmaker, who was born in Leytonstone, England in 1899, was also a master at staging himself. At the age of 28 he already knew how important self-marketing is. In the 1930s, he was one of the first filmmakers to found his own company (Hitchcock Baker Productions), which operated publicity for and with him.

“Rebecca” (1941), “The Lifeboat” (1945), “I’m Fighting for You” (1946), “The Window to the Court” (1955) and “Psycho” (1961 ″ – Hitchock was five times for the Oscar nominated for best director. Incredible, but true, he never won him once. How angry he must have been about this fact became clear in 1968.

When the special prize (Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award) was presented to him at the Academy Awards, he honored this with polite but clearly eaten five words. “Thank you”, and after a pause: “Very much indeed.” It was not until shortly before his death in 1980 that Queen Elizabeth II made him Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire – 17 years earlier, he still had this honor declined.

Hitchcock was one of those perfectionist filmmakers who want to see every facet of the film in their own hands, from start to finish. Of course, it did not suit him at all in the stuff that his artistic freedom through the so-called Hays Code (guidelines for US films) was pseudo-moral ankle cuffs from 1930 to the 1960s.

But of course the clever slit-ear found more or less obvious methods to wipe out the censorship-guards. The most famous example is the sex scene between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint at the end of “The Invisible Third”. Hitchcock cut the couple’s kiss, which was still allowed, onto a train roaring into a tunnel – it doesn’t take Sigmund Freud to know what the train and tunnel symbolized at that moment …

Hitchcock was responsible for more than 50 films from the silent film era until 1976 (his last film: “Family Grave”). To date, he is the director with the most films in the top 250 of the website “imdb.com” (Internet Movie Database). Eight of his films have made it into the prestigious leaderboard, more than any other filmmaker.

Martin Scorsese (77), Steven Spielberg (73), Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) or Christopher Nolan (49) all currently have seven stripes in it. Given his age, the latter could have the best chance of catching up with Hitchcock or, God forbid, even outperforming. That would still be a thorn in the side of the exceptional director 40 years after his death.

https://www.ilawjournals.com/alfred-hitchcock-the-master-of-tension-died-exactly-40-years-ago/

WALLIS SIMPSON ET SISSI DE RETOUR SUR NOS ÉCRANS! NETFLIX.

           La première a sans douté été la femme la plus détestée du Royaume-Uni, la seconde la souveraine la plus adulée d'Europe... Wallis Simpson et Sissi s'apprêtent à faire leur grand retour au cinéma et sur Netflix.

"Je ne pensais pas que le monde puisse s'acharner à ce point sur deux êtres dont le seul crime est de s'aimer". Réfugiée à Cannes, harcelée par les photographes, Wallis Simpson n'est pas sortie de sa chambre depuis plus d'une semaine. À Londres, le roi Édouard VIII vient d'abdiquer. Par amour pour elle. Triste épilogue d'une passion scandaleuse.

Disparue en 1986, la scandaleuse duchesse de Windsor a, depuis, quelque peu redoré son blason, malgré ses frasques, ses dépenses somptuaires et ses amitiés douteuses... Au point de devenir une héroïne romantique?

En 2011, Madonna, lui consacre un film, W.E. Entichée du "mythe Wallis", la Madone demande même à la famille royale l'autorisation de tourner à Windsor et Buckingham. Son porte-parole déclare alors: "Madonna est désireuse de faire le film le plus authentique possible." Ce sera non. Le film est d'ailleurs un cuisant échec commercial même s'il est nommé aux Oscars en 2012... pour ses costumes! Wallis Simpson n'a pas trouvé son public.

Mais depuis, l'immense succès planétaire de The Crown est passé par là. "Méfiez-vous de votre famille", chuchote la comédienne Geraldine Chaplin, boulersante duchesse de Windsor, à l'oreille du tout jeune prince Charles, interprété par Josh O'Connor. De quoi relancer l'intrigante américaine.

Selon Hollywood, Cate Blanchett sera la prochaine Wallis Simpson

"Alors que Meghan, est de retour à Hollywood, il est temps de reconsidérer le destin de la première duchesse américaine, Wallis Simpson. L'une comme l'autre peut en attester: la vie des femmes qui épousent un membre de la famille royale britannique est loin d'être facile..."

Anna Pasternak peut se réjouir. Auteure d'une biographie remarquée de Wallis Simpson outre-Atlantique —The American Duchess, The Real Wallis Simpson, publiée en 2019—, la journaliste vient de vendre ses droits à une maison de production. La passion des Américains pour le feuillleton Mexgit a-t-il joué? Très certainement.

"C'est très excitant, ils m'ont fait une offre très généreuse", a même confié au Daily Mail Anna Pasternak. "Personnellement, je pense que Damian Lewis serait merveilleux en tant que mari de Wallis."

Mais qui aura la lourde responsabilité d'interpréter Mrs. Simpson? À en croire les rumeurs, Cate Blanchett serait pressentie. Un retour à la monarchie britannique pour la comédienne qui a déjà interprété Elisabeth Ière à deux reprises, en 1998 et 2007.

Le mythe Sissi est de retour... sur Netflix!

C'est du moins ce que croit savoir la presse allemande. Fort du succès de The Crown —justement— le géant américain s'apprête à dépoussiérer la légende de l'infortunée Élisabeth de Wittelsbach, duchesse en Bavière, et impératrice d'Autriche par son mariage.

Romy Schneider dans Sissi, en 1955. © Getty Images

L'écriture aurait déjà été confiée à Katharina Eyssen, la scénariste de Holiday Secrets, autre production Netflix. Aucune autre information n'a filtré, ni sur la date éventuelle de sortie, ni sur le casting possible.

Le défi est de taille, même pour Netflix. Une quinzaine de films, trois séries, une comédie musicale... Sissi est, avec Marie-Antoinette, l'une des figures féminines les plus interprétées. Et comment faire oublier Romy Schneider, interprête à quatre reprises de l'impératrice en 1955, 1956, 1957 et 1972? Un rôle à l'origine de son immense notoriété, dont elle aura tant de mal à se défaire, malgré son talent.

https://www.pointdevue.fr/culture/wallis-simpson-et-sissi-de-retour-sur-nos-ecrans_14668.html?xtor=EPR-1-[]-[20200429]&utm_source=nlpdv&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200429

NUEVA BALBUCIENTE PRIMAVERA EN ROZAS DE PUERTO REAL (VI)

El discreto encanto de las peonías salvajes. Esperando la libertad, que será vigilada y un poco de calor.
A.P.
Foto y Webmaster, Julio Serrano

EN EL GENERALIFE EL 22 DE JULIO.LA COMPAÑÍA NACIONAL DE DANZA . DON QUIJOTE DESDE HOY HASTA EL 3 DE MAYO

NOTA DE PRENSA


LA COMPAÑÍA NACIONAL DE DANZA Y JOAQUÍN DE LUZ, DIRECTOR DE LA CND, BAILARÁN EN EL TEATRO DEL GENERALIFE EL 22 DE JULIO

La Compañía Nacional de Danza regresa a los escenarios de la mano del Festival de Música y Danza de Granada con un programa que rinde tributo a los sanitarios por su entrega y profesionalidad durante la crisis del COVID-19. El programa supone el regreso de Joaquín De Luz, en A Suite of Dances, sobre música de Bach, e incluye un homenaje al músico bilbaíno Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, un estreno encargado a la CND por el Festival de Granada, que supone una coproducción entre ambas entidades.

Joaquín De Luz, actual director de la CND desde septiembre de 2019, bailó durante años A Suite of Dances, de Jerome Robbins, en el New York City Ballet, la que fue su casa artística hasta octubre de 2018. Con esta pieza regresa a los escenarios en España. Una vuelta que simboliza también el regreso a los teatros de toda la CND, después del confinamiento por la crisis del COVID-19. El programa incluye, además, Festival de las flores en Genzano, de August Bournonville; Love Fear Loss, de Ricardo Amarante, y el mencionado estreno de Arriaga, con coreografía de Mar Aguiló, Pino Alosa y Joaquín De Luz.

Don Quijote de la Compañía Nacional de Danza, Spain ballet en tres actos, con Maria Kochetkova y Joaquin de Luz coreografía José Carlos Martínez

Grabación y montaje vídeo Mateo Martín - Foto portada: Jesús Vallinas

MYSTERIOUS APPEAL OF ART THAT DEPICTS FIGURES FROM BEHIND

Jacqui Palumbo

Figura en una finestra (Figure at the Window), 1925

Museo Reina Sofía

In the early 1800s, German painter Caspar David Friedrich returned to the same subject again and again: figures looking at sublime landscapes, their backs toward the viewer. He painted a couple peering out from a ship’s bow; a woman gazing from her window; and, most famously, a wanderer on a cliff, overlooking a tempest of fog.

Painting subjects from the back was not a new compositional device. In the 14th century, the Italian artist Giotto became one of the first artists to use it when he turned the backs of Christ’s mourners to establish depth of field. The technique occasionally cropped up in the canvases of Raphael and Vermeer. Yet Friedrich and his fellow German Romanticists popularized this aesthetic mode, naming it Rückenfigur, or “figure from the back.” They used it to both evoke longing and invite the viewer into the scene as the faceless subject. With its heroic, mysterious figure, its loose and emotive brushstrokes, and its sense of awe at the sublime, Friedrich’s WandererAbove the Sea of Fog (ca. 1817) became the movement’s archetypal work.

Grob Gallery

Man Ray

Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924

Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Rückenfigur generates tension as it creates a paradox: The technique simultaneously invites viewers into a landscape and reminds them of the border between themselves and the scene. “It functions as a placeholder we can imaginatively occupy, allowing us a virtual existence in the landscape,” art historian Julian Jason Haladyn wrote in 2016. “[The] distance, however, requires us to be more actively involved in the experience of the painting if we are to enter its world.”

Since Friedrich popularized it, Rückenfigur has crossed the boundaries of visual culture, appearing across art movements and disparate media. Surrealists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte painted backwards figures to instill a sense of mystery and introspection. One of Dalí’s most traditional works, Figure at a Window (1925), creates a sense of yearning by capturing a woman gazing seaward from an airy window. To highlight the allure of the female form, artists including Gustave Courbet

Iconoclastic and influential Realist painter Gustave Courbet is often regarded as the 19th century’s pioneering artist. Courbet rejected academic …

, Man Ray, and Horst P. Horst all created works reminiscent of Ingres’s La Grande Odalisque (1814), with sensual backs revealed and faces concealed. Adding a dose of voyeurism, Edgar Degas drew a series of pastels of anonymous women drying themselves after a bath.

In contemporary photography, Rückenfigur adds an air of mystique. Cig Harvey uses the device in her contemporary surrealistic self-portraits, and Erik Madigan Heck in his bold, enigmatic fashion images. Lakin Ogunbanwo puts a different spin on Rückenfigur with tightly cropped portraits of the backs of men’s heads. Their hats become symbols of their Nigerian identities.

In film, figures from the back can create drama—what happens, the audience wonders, when the subject finally turns around? As an eagle-eyed YouTube user showed in 2011, actress Jennifer Connelly has stood on a pier with her back turned in three different films. In a dream sequence in the dark drama Requiem for a Dream (2000), Harry (played by Jared Leto) tries to approach Marion (Connelly) on Brighton Beach, yet she disappears when he reaches her.

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), a mind-bending moment occurs when Joel (Jim Carrey) tries and fails to turn his girlfriend’s new lover around to see his face. And in Jordan Peele’s horror film Us (2019), the young Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) meets her doppelgänger in a house of mirrors; when she turns and finds herself facing the back of her twin—a visual parallel to Magritte’s Not to Be Reproduced from 1937—the sight elicits immediate dread. In both situations, Rückenfigur amplifies a sense of unease.

Nowhere is Rückenfigur more suspensefully used than in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Vertigo (1958). Kim Novak plays a tortured beauty who may be possessed by her late great-grandmother. A lovelorn detective, played by James Stewart, follows her as Hitchcock films his heroine from the back. In an eerie museum scene, Novak gazes at a painted portrait of the ancestor whom she has been emulating through style and dress. The camera slowly skims every detail of her turned figure as Stewart stealthily studies her from behind. He desires her and knows he can’t reach her—just as Friedrich’s wanderer appears unable to cross the abyss in front of him.

These days, Rückenfigur is finding novel uses online. On Instagram, influencers use its mystique to gain fans: The turned back is especially prevalent, especially in front of open vistas in far-flung locations. Followers can imagine themselves in glamorous destinations, enjoying vicarious thrills. The account @followmeto is the most famous example, with photographer Murad Osmann and his model wife Nataly taking viewers around the world as he captures the back of her slim figure and outstretched arm. As he takes her hand, Murad becomes a surrogate for the viewer. Nearly half a million followers virtually join the pair on their journeys around the world, tapping into the same longing for the sublime that Friedrich harnessed more than two centuries earlier.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-mysterious-appeal-art-depicts-figures?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20125693-newsletter-editorial-daily-04-24-20&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=st-V

E IL MELODRAMMA? NASCE A FIRENZE NEL 1600

Il Melodramma? Nasce a Firenze nel 1600

23 Aprile, 2020|Pillole di spettacolo

È il 1600, la Firenze dei Medici si appresta a celebrare le nozze di Maria de’ Medici e di Enrico IV di Francia. A latere dei tantissimi e sfarzosi spettacoli organizzati per festeggiare il grande evento, vi è la messa in scena dell’Euridice , su libretto di Ottavio Rinuccini e la musica di Jacopo Peri. È la più antica opera lirica giunta sino a noi. È la nascita del Melodramma.

Matrimonio di Maria de’ Medici e Enrico IV – Jacopo da Empoli

Parigi val bene una messa

L’Euridice fu rappresentata il 6 ottobre 1600, nel teatro di Palazzo Pitti in occasione delle nozze di Maria de’ Medici ed Enrico IV di Francia. L’apparato scenico era di Bernardo Buontalenti.

Il finale, troppo amaro e infelice, certamente non adatto a una festa di nozze, fu modificato. In origine infatti Orfeo perde per sempre la sia amata non riuscendo a salvarla dagli Inferi. Nella trama rivista invece, l’infelice Orfeo ritornerà agli Inferi accompagnato da Venere che convincerà gli dei a restituire Euridice al suo amato sposo.

Le origini: la Camerata de’ Bardi e la sperimentazione teatrale

Ma qual è l’ambiente in cui nasce l’opera e quali sono i suoi padri? Firenze tra il 1500 e il 1600 è una fucina di attività, di movimenti e sperimentazioni intellettuali, il luogo in cui i più grandi artisti del momento avevano l’occasione di lavorare e dar vita alle loro opere.

La Camerata de’ Bardi è un circolo culturale facente capo a Giovanni de’ Bardi conte di Vernio, uomo d’armi e intellettuale. Il gruppo comprendeva teorici, poeti, musicisti del calibro di Vincenzo Galilei, padre dell’astronomo Galileo Galilei, Giulio Caccini, Pietro Strozzi e molti altri.

Gli adepti della Camerata de’ Bardi intendevano ripristinare l’antica tragedia greca. Le ricerche iconografiche e le fonti a disposizione avevano dimostrato ampiamente che le tragedie fossero interamente cantate. L’obiettivo era pertanto quello di elaborare uno stile musicale e recitativo adeguato in grado di cadenzare la parlata corrente ed il canto: il recitar cantando. Si aprono così le porte del Melodramma.

Il primo successo della Camerata de’ Bardi: gli intermedi della Pellegrina

La Camerata de’ Bardi ha finalmente l’occasione di progettare l’evento che rimarrà una pietra miliare per la storia del teatro e della musica occidentali. È il 1589, l’anno delle nozze di Ferdinando I e Cristina di Lorena.

La Pellegrina, commedia di Girolamo Bargagli, sarà così allestita nel Teatro Mediceo degli Uffizi per i festeggiamenti del grande evento. Tra un atto e l’altro, sono previsti 6 intermezzi che trattano “Il Potere della Musica”. Si tratta di brevi composizioni eseguite fra un atto e l’altro delle commedie per interrompere la rappresentazione, spesso molto lunga e anche noiosa.

La Camerata de’Bardi ha così l’occasione di sperimentare attraverso gli Intermedi l’introduzione di brani monodici (il nuovo stile che sarà alla base del melodramma), in un processo di creazione collettiva di tutti i partecipanti al vivace circolo di intellettuali. Ciò che accadde in quello spettacolo, costituirà il modello di ciò che diverrà una norma nell’allestimento scenico di tutta Europa nei successivi duecento anni. È un trionfo di spettacolarità:  un tripudio di macchine sceniche ed apparizioni nel fantasmagorico allestimento di Bernardo Buontalenti.

Jacopo Peri, dalla più informale Dafne all’Euridice

Jacopo Peri, detto “lo Zazzerino” per il modo in cui portava i capelli, aveva composto e interpretato la parte di Arione, il mitico cantore greco, nell’intermezzo marino della Pellegrina nel 1589.

Nel 1597 fu lui a scrivere la musica della Dafne su libretto di Ottavio Rinuccini. Si tratta della prima vera opera scritta nella storia, il primo esempio di melodramma che fu rappresentato in casa di Iacopo Corsi.

Dafne è di fatto un sequel del terzo intermezzo della Pellegrina. Apollo colpito dalla freccia di Eros si innamora della ninfa Dafne che però lo rifiuta. Il finale appare come un ammonimento goliardico per le fanciulle troppo restie a concedersi all’amore: Dafne sarà tristemente trasformata in alloro per sfuggire al morboso amore di Apollo!

La perfezione dell’opera con Monteverdi

La sperimentazione del 1600 con l’Euridice resta però una produzione a latere, mai completamente compresa e apprezzata nel suo immenso valore dalla Corte de’ Medici.

Fu invece Claudio Monteverdi pochi anni dopo, nel 1607, che portò a perfezione il melodramma alla Corte dei Gonzaga. Nei saloni del Palazzo Ducale, il “Divin Claudio” mise infatti in scena l’Orfeo su libretto di Alessandro Striggio.

Nel 1960 l’Euridice di Zeffirelli

L’Euridice di Jacopo Peri, Giardino di Boboli, 28 giugno 1960, Regia di Franco Zeffirelli

Il 28 giugno del 1960 Franco Zeffirelli mette in scena al Giardino di Boboli, di fronte alla Fontana di Nettuno, l’Euridice di Jacopo Peri: “La messinscena dell’Euridice non presentava particolari problemi per me, perché l’opera in origine era già stata pensata come un grande spettacolo per celebrare il matrimonio tra Maria de’ Medici e il “delfino” francese. Trecentosessanta anni dopo, la presentammo di nuovo in quello che era stato il suo teatro originario, il Palazzo dei Medici, ora Palazzo Pitti. Piero Tosi venne da Roma a lavorare con me, e creò costumi di rara bellezza: ci sembrava di rendere omaggio alla nostra città natale per tutto quello che ci aveva insegnato.”

CON ANTOINE GALLIMARD: “NO CREO QUE EL MUNDO VAYA A CAMBIAR, SERÍA DEMASIADO BELLO”

El presidente de la editorial Gallimard, que fundó su abuelo, analiza los efectos en el sector del libro durante la crisis del coronavirus

MARC BASSETS

Antoine Gallimard, director de la editorial fundada por su abuelo, en su casa de París.DANIEL MORDZINSKI / EL PAÍS

El catálogo de autores que su abuelo, su padre y él mismo han publicado es un canon de la literatura francesa y mundial. Proust, Céline, Camus y Sartre, Yourcenar y Modiano… La lista cuenta con decenas de premios Nobel (entre los más recientes el propio Modiano, Le Clézio o Peter Handke). Colecciones como La Blanca, La Pléiade o Folio forman parte del paisaje vital y cultural de cualquier lector en francés y son también un compendio de las letras universales. Antoine Gallimard (París, 73 años), hijo de Claude y nieto del fundador, Gaston, es el presidente de la editorial Gallimard y del grupo Madrigall, que incluye sellos como Flammarion, P.O.L. o Casterman, además de varias librerías. Desde su confinamiento en Normandía, Gallimard analiza los efectos en el sector del libro de la crisis del coronavirus.

Pregunta. Nada será igual, se dice. ¿Coincide?

El premio que descubrió un nuevo continente literario

Gallimard suspende la publicación del panfleto antisemita de Céline tras la polémica

Respuesta. Desconfío de esta visión, es demasiado finalista. Siempre se dice, y vuelven los mismos comportamientos. Es verdad que, después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, hubo fiestas y ganas de consumir, pero no por ello el hombre se volvió bueno. No creo que el mundo vaya a cambiar, sería demasiado bello.

P. ¿Qué teme?

R. El eslabón débil de la cadena del libro son las librerías y las pequeñas editoriales. Son la expresión de nuestra diversidad, de nuestra riqueza. Veo un riesgo de concentración y la desaparición de los débiles más que un cambio de comportamientos.

P. ¿Teme por la supervivencia de estos “eslabones débiles”?

R. Sí, el riesgo es real. Las librerías están cerradas ahora. En Francia, los editores hemos aceptado aplazar las fechas de pago, todo se postergará dos meses. Felizmente, se han movilizado cinco millones de euros por medio del Centro Nacional del Libro: es un dispositivo serio, aunque aún insuficiente para mí. Si no se hace un esfuerzo serio de solidaridad con estos libreros, se les amontonarán las facturas. Y, si no pueden pagar, toda la cadena derrapará.

P. ¿Qué ocurriría entonces?

R. Mire la FNAC, nuestro primer cliente. Por suerte ha obtenido un préstamo de 500 millones de euros [garantizado por el Estado en un 70%]. Si la FNAC no pudiese pagar, imagínese las dificultades con las que nos encontraríamos nosotros, que ya hemos gastado en costes de fabricación y en adelantos para los autores. Si las librerías no pudiesen pagar, podrían cerrar, y detrás vendrían muchos editores, autores, impresores… En Francia, el conjunto del sector emplea a unas 50.000 personas.

P. ¿Deben abrir las librerías el 11 de mayo, el día del inicio del desconfinamiento?

R. Una ciudad sin librerías es extremadamente triste. Para mí una vida sin librerías es como un día sin haber tomado un café y haber charlado con un amigo. Es indispensable. Deben abrir, con la seguridad necesaria, claro está.

P. ¿Ve un riesgo también que los lectores dejen de comprar libros con la crisis?

R. Esto me inquieta menos. Ya tenemos muchos competidores: lo audiovisual, las series en televisión, la dificultad de aislarse dos horas para leer un libro. El mundo del libro ya estaban amenazado por este consumo demasiado alto. Es cierto que habrá personas con problemas, con reducciones de salario o en paro, pero siempre habrá los medios para comprar un libro. Un libro no es caro: en formato de bolsillo, en Francia, cuestan seis euros. Hay ganas de reencontrarse con los libros. No me inquieta el libro, me inquieta más la red.

P. “Lean”, dijo Emmanuel Macron al ordenar el confinamiento. ¿Se lee más ahora?

R. El problema es el tiempo de lectura. Pero la gente ha descubierto que podía gestionar mejor sus vidas. Lo vemos con las ventas en libro digital, que se han triplicado. El libro de Leila Slimani ha vendido más de 10.000 ejemplares en tres semanas en digital.

P. ¿Y el papel?

R. Se venden en las grandes superficies de alimentación. Amazon, al no respetar la distancia necesaria para proteger a los asalariados, están ante los tribunales. La FNAC tuvo problemas porque La Poste [la empresa pública de correos en Francia] no trasladaba sus paquetes.

P. En Francia la resistencia a Amazon es fuerte.

R. Sí. Es cultural. Pero si no tenemos Amazon, ¿qué hacemos?

P. Se dice que Amazon es un depredador, que hay que limitar sus actividades.

R. La cuestión es que todos cumplan con las mismas reglas. Si Amazon respeta el precio único del libro, si no impone condiciones insoportables a los proveedores, no hay razón de impedirle trabajar. Por contra, cuando desarrolla lo que llamamos marketplace, es decir la venta de libros de segunda mano, y lo propone a ciertos libreros y otros, perturba el mercado. No está remunerado para los autores ni para los editores y se convierte en un problema. Se necesita una cierta concertación profesional. Hoy, cuando lanzamos una novedad, lo hacemos en comunión con los libreros, que son nuestros lanzadores libros. No es el caso de Amazon, que sirve a los consumidores respecto a sus gustos y a los libros susceptibles de interesarle, pero sin el lado de descubrimiento y búsqueda que es la sal de nuestro oficio.

P. ¿Lamenta que Amazon no pueda trabajar ahora con normalidad y pueda suministrar libros en papel a quienes lo deseen?

R. Nuestro volumen de negocio ha caído un 90%. Hemos mantenido el 10% gracias a las grandes superficies de alimentación [que en algunos casos también venden libros], y también pequeñas tiendas de vino y quesos que venden libros. Es una catástrofe. Podemos lamentar que no exista un sistema de ventas directas al lector, un Amazon respetuoso con nuestra manera de ser y en confianza complicidad con los editores para el lanzamiento de los libros.

P. ¿El desarrollo del libro digital no compensa la caída de las ventas?

R. No. En Francia, nos desconfinarán el 11 de mayo, pienso que habrá una recuperación lenta, el mercado estará reabierto a principios de junio, si todo va bien y entretanto no hay una segunda ola del virus. Es como estar sobre una cuerda tensa entre dos paredes de montaña pero no hay que pesar demasiado para que la cuerda no se rompa.

P. ¿Le ha obligado la crisis a alterar su programa de publicaciones?

R. Todo está paralizado de momento. Es como un tren que va a descarrilar y los viajeros esperan y el tren no llega. Nos reorganizamos poco a poco: hemos mantenido una pequeña red de distribución y, en lo que concierne al resto, lo diluimos en el tiempo. Pienso que la crisis durará. No es porque en mayo todo comience de nuevo que podremos hacer una fiesta y celebrarlo. Al contrario. Puede durar hasta fin de año. Por eso no he dudado en reducir nuestras programaciones, tanto en la casa Gallimard como en la casa Flammarion u otras casas pequeñas, en un 40%, una reducción del 40% en la producción. Algunos libros que ya habían salido los deberé relanzar, como el de Le Clézio o el de Slimani. Y antes de lanzar el libro de Elena Ferrante, previsto para fin de mayo, quiero asegurarme antes de que todos los mercados estén abiertos, no quiero fallar con este libro.

P. Cuando mira la historia de su editorial, de su abuelo o su padre, ¿hay algún momento comparable?

R. No, en absoluto. Mi abuelo y mi padre me hablaban de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, mi abuelo incluso de la Primera Guerra Mundial. Había problemas para encontrar papel pero las librerías no estaban cerradas, había una vida editorial, controlada por los alemanes durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Ahora todo está parado, es inédito. Los efectos no han acabado de notarse. Pero, como le decía, no pienso que perdamos el gusto por la lectura, en esto soy optimista. Lo que sí me inquieta es la concentración de empresas en nuestro sector.

P. ¿Piensa en lecciones que su padre o abuelo le hubiesen dado?

R. Yo quería mucho a mi abuelo. En él había, a la vez, sabiduría e ironía. Me enseñó a tomar una cierta distancia respecto a las cosas, y a ser perseverante. Como editor, significa acompañar a escritores —yo me siento próximo de Modiano o de Le Clézio—, y estar con ellos en lo peor y en lo mejor.

https://elpais.com/cultura/2020-04-27/antoine-gallimard-no-creo-que-el-mundo-vaya-a-cambiar-seria-demasiado-bello.html

ET LES BAGUETTES CAPTURÉES - EPISODE 4 LEONARD BERNSTEIN

Cette semaine, nous vous proposons donc de vous plonger dans la 7e édition de notre liste d’envies, et de visionner le 4e épisode de notre mini-série dans laquelle Frédéric Pfeffer, Fondateur de La Fugue, vous présente entre multiples anecdotes, ses baguettes ayant appartenues aux plus illustres chefs d’orchestre de l’histoire de la musique. Éclectique et attachant, la vedette du jour est : Leonard Bernstein !

Chef d'orchestre, compositeur, pianiste, pédagogue, animateur de télévision, Bernstein est devenu une légende de la musique. Inclassable, il s'intéresse à tous les styles de musique, de l'opéra au jazz en passant par les musiques du monde, et bien sûr, la musique dite classique. Inspirées par ce mélange des genres, certaines de ses œuvres comme West Side Story, Mass, Candide, sont aujourd'hui considérées comme des chefs-d'œuvre.

Nous vous proposons ici de voir ou revoir cet homme aux multiples talents dans des exercices qu’il maitrisait à la perfection.

Nous nous attardons ici sur une activité majeure dans la vie de Leonard Bernstein : l'enseignement.

Lui pour qui transmettre son savoir fut une mission, un don mais aussi un destin !

C’est avec régal que nous écoutons Bernstein, pendant 4 courts épisodes, nous expliquer que nous devons oublier tout ce que l’on nous a appris sur la musique jusqu’alors.

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT COLLECTING RESPONSIBLY DURING A CRISIS, ANSWERED BY AN ART ADVISER

Nicholas Campbell

Nan Goldin, 1st days in quarantine, Brooklyn, NY, 2020. © Nan Goldin. Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery New York, Paris, and London.

For the second edition of this advice column, art adviser Nicholas Campbell (founder of Narcissus Arts and Campbell Art Advisory) gives us insights on how to collect art responsibly during the current crisis.

We know all too well that we are living in extraordinary times. COVID-19 is devastating families, corroding financial markets, and keeping many of us confined to our homes. Our beloved art world is one of many sectors being hit in untold ways, and it’s anyone’s guess what the art market will look like once this is all over.

Museums are shuttered, galleries are going under, creative hotspots are no more, and for the first time in modern history, we have no other place to view physical art objects up close but in our homes. As an adviser for 10 years who set up his business in the midst of the last financial crisis, I know that the lower end of the market is now where the action is, but we need to take many factors into account. This is an excellent time to help support a wounded industry while adding to the world of art surrounding you.

How can I best support artists and galleries right now?

For some, this unplanned, extended period at home might have made you aware of some blank walls, or given you the inspiration you needed to start buying art. But where to go, even on a tight budget? Firstly, this crisis has given birth to some excellent initiatives that support independent artists. On Instagram, Paper Patrons allows you to buy original works on paper for £50 ($62). Alternatively, the Artist Support Pledge, set up by British artist Matthew Burrows, allows patrons to purchase artworks for no more than £200 ($249). Every time an artist makes £1,000 ($1,246) in sales, they pledge to buy an artwork for £200 from another artist, forming a self-sustaining lifeline between independent artists. And we have witnessed a huge number of artists creating works purely to raise funds for charities, such as Harland Miller’s print release from White Cube—which sold out in under 24 hours, raising £1.25 million ($1.5 million) for organizations in the U.K., New York, and Hong Kong; and An-My Lê’s and Nan Goldin’s limited-edition photos from Marian Goodman Gallery (benefitting NYC Health + Hospitals and Urban Survivors Union, respectively).

Many of you might well be seasoned collectors who know which artists and works you like, so what can you do to help? Pick up the phone, call the galleries and artists you know well, and ask how you might support them. Perhaps there are some older works in their inventories you could make an offer on? Or maybe you could put a down payment on a piece or two scheduled for a future show? The art world relies on good relationships, so take this opportunity to build on yours by helping others.

How should I feel about asking for a discount?

Each one of my clients thinks they should be getting a considerable discount at this time, and in some cases, this is undoubtedly true. But generally I’ve advised them to be sensitive and sensible. Consider the artist and gallery, and what their situations might be. Sure, if a mega-gallery is selling an established, big-name artist, then be bullish and go for the most significant discount possible. However, if the artist is emerging, and the gallery small, then be courteous and maybe don’t even ask for a discount; a difference of 20 or 30 percent might not break the bank for you, but it could be hugely significant to them.

I was thinking of selling a piece from my collection, but now I’m unsure. Is this a bad time to consign?

This crisis has brought about an influx of buyers who are using this opportunity to grab works by artists that got away, or fill gaps in their collections. But what about the other side: What if you were thinking of selling, but are now worried that you won’t get the right price? First and foremost, be realistic. The art market at large has been wildly over-inflated for some time, and this crisis is bringing around a badly needed price correction. As a result, the fact that the piece you are selling might not get what it would have a few months ago should not put you off, as it’s probably now just in line with the times. Similar to when buying a work, establish a price you would be happy to receive and try to stick to that.

I’m overwhelmed by what’s on offer and how to access it. What is the best way to navigate this new online art world?

I would argue that using the services of an art adviser is more important now than it has ever been. For the foreseeable future, the luxury of being able to pop into a gallery, view a piece at an auction house, or fly off to an art fair is off the table. Instead, would-be buyers are confronted by an infinite number of dealers, galleries, and other outlets to choose from online. All we have is our screens, allowing us to peruse the online auctions, log into the viewing rooms, or search the immense digital marketplace. Everything is now two-dimensional. Details, depth, material, and scale are hard to ascertain online, so how do you know what’s best?

It’s our job as advisers to have already seen as much as possible, enabling us to give you our advice. Second to perhaps auctioneers, we are the ones who see the most material, by traveling the world and experiencing art in every setting it’s sold or shown in, and as such we are well positioned to give sensible, reliable advice. Provide us with a budget and criteria of what you are looking for, and we can sift through all the noise that is now the art world online and bring you what you want. Gone are the days of home visits to discuss options and view bare walls; instead, we can have Zoom calls to conduct meetings and have virtual tours of your home(s).

The art world is very different from what it was even a month ago, but the opportunities are still as exciting as ever, so embrace this new reality, support the industry, and call upon an adviser like me if you are seeking some guidance.

Do you have a question about collecting art you’ve been dying to ask?

Send your question to pitches@artsy.net with the subject line “Collector Advice,” and we’ll put your submission up for our collecting expert’s consideration. And if you would like to get Nick’s advice, or maybe just find out his favorite works he saw this year before the shutdown, you can reach him at nick@narcissusarts.com.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-questions-collecting-responsibly-crisis-answered-art-adviser?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20125693-newsletter-editorial-daily-04-24-20&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=st-V

HOW ARTISTS WITH BIG STUDIOS ARE SUPPORTING THEIR ASSISTANTS AND MAKING NEW WORK

Alina Cohen

Christmas photo of Marilyn Minter’s studio and their families. Courtesy of the artist.

From Renaissance workshops to contemporary fabrication studios, artmaking has always been a team effort. 

Photographers, painters, glassblowers, and sculptors often hire assistants to help them transform their ideas into aesthetic objects—in time for the next gallery or museum show. But how do these typically collaborative, consolidated efforts happen when we’re all social distancing? Amid COVID-19, artists—particularly those who run large studios—are having to get inventive.

Marilyn Minter, for example, has been coordinating with her two full-time employees and six freelance painters by phone and on Facetime or Zoom. Using photographs Minter made just before quarantine, the team creates reference images for future paintings. Once a week, Minter travels down from her studio in upstate New York to her apartment in New York City to print images and water her plants. “We have been working at a different pace and we’re all being flexible,” she told me. “We are all in uncharted territory.”

Marilyn Minter, untitled work in progress. Courtesy of the artist.

These days, artists managing bigger studios must address challenges that many businesses are now facing: paying rent and wages, with reduced income. For Minter, that’s meant trying to negotiate a rent reduction on her studio in Midtown Manhattan, which has been shuttered for the foreseeable future. “The good news is that I was able to deliver paint and smaller panels to my painting assistants that help start my paintings, so they are able to continue working and have a wage,” she said.

Minter is one of many artists who have had to reconsider the administrative roles they play as employers. For JR, this has meant upping the communication between his multiple teams in Paris and around New York City. “We now have more regular team check-ins online, and somehow even achieve better communication,” said JR’s New York studio director, Marc Azoulay. The artist was still able to put his studio to work on creating the cover for Time magazine’s annual Time 100 edition, which comes out on April 27th................

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artists-large-studios-supporting-assistants-making-new-work?utm_medium=email&utm_source=20159803-newsletter-editorial-daily-04-28-20&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=st-V

(INVIATO DA RENZO BELLARDONE). ECCO CHE NEL 75° ANNIVERSARIO DELLA LIBERAZIONE D'ITALIA, AVVENUTA IL 25 APRILE 1945, IL TEATRO REGIO TORINO DEDICA AL RICORDO DELLE DONNE E DEGLI UOMINI CHE LOTTARONO PER LA LIBERTÀ L'INNO DELLE NAZIONI (1862) DI GIUSEPPE VERDI

 Il Teatro Regio di Torino è veramente effervescente e pur con le restrizioni imposte dal responsabile Lockdown, ha ideato diverse iniziative volte a mantenere vivo il rapporto con il pubblico e l’interesse che lo stesso nutre per l’Opera in teatro.

Ecco che nel  75° Anniversario della Liberazione d'Italia, avvenuta il 25 aprile 1945, il Teatro Regio Torino dedica al ricordo delle donne e degli uomini che lottarono per la libertà l'Inno delle nazioni (1862) di Giuseppe Verdi. Eseguita nel 2010 dall'Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio diretti da Gianandrea Noseda con il tenore Francesco Meli in veste di solista, la pagina verdiana è un omaggio all'Italia risorgimentale che nella rilettura di Arturo Toscanini del 1943 si caricò di nuove ispirazioni, diventando messaggio di rinascita per il Paese in lotta contro il nazifascismo.

Per  la Giornata mondiale della Terra viene invece proposta La Pastorale di Beethoven nell'esecuzione dell'Orchestra del Regio diretta da Giandrea Noseda.

Altre iniziative prestigiosa è stata #operaonthesofa ovvero vedere o rivedere delle belle produzioni comodamente seduti sul sofà di casa; a questo riguardo ricordiamo che con Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino, sono state trasmesse Manon Lescaut, Musica di Giacomo Puccini, con interpreti principali María José Siri, Gregory Kunde, Dalibor Jenis, Carlo Lepore, Direttore d'orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, Regia Vittorio Borrelli; Faust Musica di Charles Gounod, Interpreti principali Charles Castronovo, Ildar Abdrazakov, Irina Lungu, Direttore d'orchestra Gianandrea Noseda, Regia, scene e costumi Stefano Poda; Il barbiere di Siviglia, Musica di Gioachino Rossini, Interpreti principali Antonino Siragusa, Marco Filippo Romano, Chiara Amarù, Roberto de Candia, Nicola Ulivieri, Direttore d'orchestra Giampaolo Bisanti, Regia Vittorio Borrelli;

La Sonnambula, Musica di Vincenzo Bellini, Interpreti principali Ekaterina Sadovnikova, Antonino Siragusa, Nicola Ulivieri, Direttore d'orchestra Renato Balsadonna, Regia Mauro Avogadro; Agnese, Musica di Ferdinando Paer, Interpreti principali María Rey-Joly, Markus Werba, Edgardo Rocha, Filippo Morace, Direttore d'orchestra Diego Fasolis, Regia Leo Muscato; L'italiana in Algeri, Musica di Gioachino Rossini, Interpreti principali Martina Belli, Xabier Anduaga, Carlo Lepore, Paolo Bordogna, Sara Blanch, Direttore d'orchestra Alessandro De Marchi, Regia Vittorio Borrelli;

Violanta, Musica di Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Interpreti principali Annemarie Kremer, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Norman Reinhardt, Peter Sonn, Soula Parassidis, Anna Maria Chiuri, Direttore d'orchestra Pinchas Stainberg, Regia Pier Luigi Pizzi; Il matrimonio segreto, Musica di Domenico Cimarosa, interpreti principali Carolina Lippo, Marco Filippo Romano, Alasdair Kent, Markus Werba, Monica Bacelli, Eleonora Bellocci, Direttore d'orchestra Nikolas Nägele, Regia Pier Luigi Pizzi; Nabucco, Musica di Giuseppe Verdi, Interpreti principali Giovanni Meoni, Csilla Boross, Ştefan Pop, Riccardo Zanellato, Enkelejda Shkosa, Direttore d'orchestra Donato Renzetti, Regia Andrea Cigni.

IL Teatro Regio però non si è fermato qui ed infatti leggendo sul sito del teatro www.teatroregio.torino.it  si possono trovare tutte le info  ha lanciato :

#LOperaTiSomiglia si ispira alla campagna di comunicazione del Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali e per il turismo “L’arte ti somiglia” nell’ambito di #ArtYouReady, in rete con i musei italiani, che rende accessibile e fruibile il patrimonio artistico italiano.

Partecipare a #LOperaTiSomiglia è molto facile e divertente perché si tratta molto semplicemente di un gioco.

1. Scegli la tua opera preferita o il tuo personaggio d’opera preferito
2. Cerca cose che hai in casa per vestirti e dare vita al titolo o al personaggio che hai scelto
3. Ricrea l’opera, il personaggio e scatta una foto
4. Condividila con #LOperaTiSomiglia e #teatroregiotorino, e tagga il Regio su Facebook, Instagram e Twitter

Noi ricondivideremo la tua Opera!

Nella gallery sui social abbiamo pubblicato immagini di alcuni dei titoli più noti, per darvi qualche spunto.
Il gioco ora è nelle vostre mani.

La Musica vince sempre

Renzo Bellardone

27 aprile 2020