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Somewhere – Bernstein- Sondheim Click here to watch With the worldwide release of movie Maestro, new spotlight has been cast on composer/musician Leonard Bernstein. His music, whether for the concert stage or for the musical theatre, is currently all around us and the film judiciously and intelligently excerpts music written at different times in his life for different purposes to demonstrate his musical range, his ambition and the particularity of his humanity. Before his death in 1990 he frequently worried about his legacy. “When I die,” he complained, “all anybody will remember is that I composed West Side Story. Everything else will be forgotten”. I believe that West Side Story would be enough for any one lifetime but of course there is so much more to Bernstein which Maestro is helping to uncover. The score for West Side Story has no bad songs but one of the most touching, musically and lyrically –the words were written by a very young Stephen Sondheim – is Somewhere, the longing for a special place and the belief that it exists for each of us. That song has come to have new meaning in view of the events in Israel and Palestine. Last week, 60 Jewish and Arab singers and musicians joined together on the Israeli Opera’s stage to record a special rendition of Somewhere in Hebrew, Arabic and English. United on one stage, this special project of the Israeli Opera, the Galilee Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Tel Aviv University, they convey a message of hope for a better future. The Music Director, Arranger and Translator is David Sebba. Solea de Aida – Irene Rodríguez Click here to watch Click here to watch Born in Havana, Irene Rodriguez graduated in 1999 as a professional performer of Spanish dances and joined the Ballet Espanol de Cuba. After becoming Prima Ballerina of the company in 2007, she also worked extensively with Alicia Alonso and the National Ballet of Cuba. Rodríguez founded her own company in 2012, and made her Jacob’s Pillow debut five years later with a program in the Doris Duke Theatre including the world premiere of Pena Negra. In 2019, not only did Rodríguez return as Director of the Flamenco & Spanish Dance Program in The School at Jacob’s Pillow, but she also led her company in a program that concluded with the dynamic solo seen here. In 2022, she premiered My Roots as part of the 90th Anniversary Gala. The soloist and choreographer is Irene Rodriguez herself. The music comes from Noel Gutiérrez based on "Soleá de Aida" by Juan Parrilla. Here too is an irresistible clip of Alicia Alonso, founder of the National Ballet of Cuba, talking about her time as a prima ballerina with the company that became the American Ballet Theater, having joined it when it was Lincoln Kirstein’s Ballet Caravan. Here, just before she died, aged 98 in 2019, and almost completely blind, she talks about her signature role as Giselle which she debuted with Ballet Theater in 1943. The Art of Islam – Foreign Yet Familiar Click here to watch This video is not new, except to me, as it was made in 2020, but it is a wonder. It reflects 14 centuries of changing political and cultural landscapes across three continents. This amazing exhibition, from the Louvre and the Met, contains artworks from all over the Islamic world and includes interviews with world-renowned curators and experts who patiently explain what those of us who are ignorant about these artworks and artifacts need to know about them. It is a television programme, part of a series called Great Museums. The descriptions, in French and English (the French is translated) are clear and fascinating. It is divided into six easily comprehensible sections: 1. The Ummayads and the Birth of Islamic Art 2. The Abbasids and The Golden Age of Islam 3. Islam and Europe 4. China and the Muslim World 5. The Modern Empires of Islam 6. The Last Empire The Ottomans Undoubtedly, my art history film of the week, maybe the year. Brother Can You Spare a Dime – Yip Harburg Click here to watch This song breaks my heart every time I hear it but I was horrified to discover recently that most people under 70 have never heard it. Worse, they have never heard of the Great Depression which devastated the world’s economy between 1929 and 1939. In 1931, at its height, there was no welfare safety net. More than 20% of all American workers were unemployed and the situation was not much better in Europe. The Depression affected virtually every country of the world but was worst in the US. Thousands starved. That year, Yip Harburg, the man who gave you the timeless lyrics for The Wizard of Oz, wrote Brother, Can You Spare a Dime, the greatest of all the cri de coeurs that emerged from that terrible time and it was recorded by, amongst others, Bing Crosby. Here is Crosby's version of this great song, accompanied by contemporaneous photographs, lest we forget, or never think about, how lucky we are. In the 1930s, the song reminded people of what they had lost, not just a job and a society, but also their pride. At this time when the economy is again teetering towards recession, with depression always a possibility, it is as well to remember to share what we’ve got as we embark on a New Year. I wish us all a healthy, peaceful and sane 2024.
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AuthorRuth Leon is a writer and critic specialising in music and theatre. Archives
March 2024
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