and again
unapologetic spectacles and entertainment
I am thinking about …
I loved watching the Olympics in Paris, and I was impressed by the sheer audacity of the opening ceremony. Artistic director Thomas Jolly’s esprit de grandeur, the craziness and positivity of it all captivated me. I admit I was super sceptical and also have no idea how it all played out in more detail for the audiences who stood along the Seine (in the rain) and were able to view most of it on huge screens, but ….. I loved that Jolly basically did not seem to have dismissed any idea that came up in brainstorming sessions with his team (that’s how it felt like), and that he did not dumb any of it down.
He referenced so many things, some we might have missed not being French, some you missed even if you were French. The chosen artists, the music, dances, the tableaux, the historical references - most of the ideas worked on so many different levels that it did not matter if you got all or just some of them. It was spectacular, thought-provoking, over the top and entertaining - and the arts came up trumps (if not the weather).
I am reading …
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, a captivating book about friendship, creative collaborations and game design. The story follows three brilliant kids of the nineties from Harvard to LA, developing games, founding a video game company, and trying to figure out their changing relationships on the way. The book is extremely readable with a beautiful narrative flow.
Whilst the book examines our need to connect, Zevin touches on complex themes such as mixed race and belonging, complicated family setups, disabilities and gun violence but only skims the surface of these issues. Things always seem to work out, till they don’t. Nearly all the characters are charming and loveable (let’s not touch on the only less loveable person, whose character traits are far too glossed over for my liking), and the book will be easily turned into a feature film (the rights have already been sold, with Zevin as scriptwriter and executive producer). If this sounds all too rosé and shallow for you then, yes, the book is unapologetically glossy, though utterly absorbing and sparkles with beautiful descriptions of creative ideas and ideals. Here is one, that might as well summarise it all:
And what is love in the end? … Except the irrational desire to put evolutionary competitiveness aside in order to ease someone else’s journey through life?
I am listening …
to these two versions of Couperin’s Baricades mistérieuses, originally composed for harpsichord in 1717. I am intrigued by Thomas Adès’ arrangement for mixed chamber ensemble with members of the Aurora Orchestra (cl, bcl, vla, vlc, db).
This piece has fascinated, and inspired performers and listeners forever, and not just because of its title, which is as enigmatic and elusive as the music of this rondeau. I am sure the music will stay with you for a while - it’s so seductive.
Enjoy, and till next time,
Kirsten