Le Bonheur and Mozart's Adagio and Fugue

Does anyone remember the 1965 French film, Le Bonheur (Happiness)? It was directed by Agnès Varda.

I remember the soundtrack most of all, it had a huge impact: Mozart's Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K546.

The film seems dated now, but the music has haunted me ever since, especially an old Czech Supraphon recording (on LP) of the Czech Chamber Orchestra conducted by Josef Vlach (Supraphon J SUA10190: 0 SUAST50035) . It got an indifferent review in Gramophone in 1965, but I loved it!

Did the music influence the meaning of the film, or did the film change the meaning of the music?

Old Harry Rocks

If Sappho had found herself in England, instead of on Lefkas, she would have made her leap from one of these cliffs or rocks near Studland.

Britten, Les Illuminations

I must have six or seven different recordings of Benjamin Britten's "Les Illuminations", based on Rimbaud's sequence or group of poems.

I started reading Rimbaud in Ethiopia. I even visited the house where he is said to have lived in Harar. It is the Abyssinian Rimbaud who interests me most.

Since then, I have found myself in other parts of the world with Rimbaud associations, Brussels, Stockholm, Soho in London, the Troodos mountains in Cyprus.

I don't claim to understand all of his poetry. I like the sound of it. Britten has selected and captured the essence. I always find the opening Fanfare thrilling and arresting:

"J'ai seul la clef de cette parade sauvage."

"I alone have the key to this savage parade".

The work was first performed in 1940 (two songs were performed in 1939). On the whole I prefer the recordings I have by sopranos rather than by tenors. It was originally written for Sophie Wyss.

La musique savante manque à notre désir.
Assez vu...Assez eu...Assez connu...Départ dans l’affection et le bruit neufs!


I can almost imagine Rimbaud declaiming these lines from "A Season in Hell" to the accompaniment of his Ethiopian harp:

"Ma journée est faite; je quitte l’Europe…les climats perdus me tanneront.Je reviendrai, avec des membres de fer, la peau sombre, l’oeil furieux: sur mon masque, on me jugera d’une race forte. J’aurai de l’or: je serai oisif et brutal. Les femmes soignent ces féroces infirmes retour des pays chauds. Je serai mêlé aux affaires politiques. Sauvé.
Maintenant je suis maudit, j’ai horreur de la patrie. Le meilleur, c’est un sommeil bien ivre, sur la grève".

Rimbaud's Poems, a selection in English translation by A.S.Kline;

http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/Rimbaud1.htm


Related:

Hans Krása, 3 Lieder for baritone, clarinet, viola and cello after Rimbaud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2SsKE_k7Q

Sensation (A.Rimbaud)

Par les soirs bleus d'été, j'irai dans les sentiers,

Picoté par les blés, fouler l'herbe menue:

Réveur, j'en sentirai la fraîcheur mes pieds.

Je laisserai le vent baigner ma tète nue!

Je ne parlerai pas, je ne penserai rien:

Mais l'amour infïni me montera dans l'âme,

Et j'irai loin, bien loin, comme un bohémien

Par la Nature, -- heureux comme avec une femme.

Nezval's Czech translation :

Vzrušení

Za modrých večerů si vyjdu po pěšině,

lechtán obilím, se brouzdat svěží travou;

a zasněn ucítím, jak vítr na mýtině

mi bude kroužiti nad rozcuchanou hlavou!

Ni slova neřeknu a nepomyslím na nic.

Však budu míti duši lásce otevřenou.

Jak cikán půjdu dlouho, dlouho podél hranic,

v nesmírné Přírodě, šťasten s ní jako s ženou.

Sir Charles Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE

The world of music is mourning the death of Sir Charles Mackerras, who died on 14 July, 2010, aged 84. He was born on 17 November, 1925.

His conducting introduced me to the operas of Janáček, and my long-time favourite opera, "The House of the Dead", which seems to me to convey aspects of the atmosphere of Eastern Europe before 1989.

 In 1947 he won a British Council Scholarship to study in Prague under Vaclav Talich, at the Academy of Music.

The fact that he was an Australian, and had studied in Sydney and in Prague, made it a natural development and partnership that the British Council in Australia and Sir Charles should co-finance a scholarship for young Australian composers and conductors, who were encouraged to study in the UK and in Prague. Sir Charles and Lady Mackerras were extraordinarily generous in agreeing to this joint scholarship, which continued for a number of years.

I was very fortunate in that I had the opportunity to go to many operas in Prague in Sydney (even though I am more of a bluesman!). I miss having the chance to attend a Mozart or Janáček first night at the Sydney Opera House. Most of all we shall miss Sir Charles Mackerras; but his legacy will live on. The Czechs, in particular, will always be grateful for what he did for Czech Music.

Sir Les Patterson, Australian Cultural Attache, New Images

One can understand why Barry Humphries' creation, the Australian Cultural Attache, was not popular with Australian diplomats abroad. Les didn't do much for the image of Australia, they complained. He wasn't politically correct. He was crude, drunk, sexist, racist. You name it.  But he could be very funny.

I won't claim that Sir Les was my mentor or role model, but he did make me laugh, and certainly provided the perfect model for any aspiring Cultural Attache- on what NOT to do or say. He remains an icon and one of Australia's greatest cultural exports! We did try to create new images of the UK and Australia during the newIMAGES campaign (and I think we succeeded), but Sir Les is indestructible.

(from Les Patterson's Australia, Melbourne, 1978)

Officials in the Arts Councils in the UK and Australia are not likely to be so generous with their grants in future, I fear.

Long live Sir Les! Bravo Barry! We need you now.

Barry Humphries is also a marvelous artist and poet, for the record. He has the ideal qualities for a Poet Laureate.

Whilst I am on the subject of newIMAGES, I would like to quote what Sir Roger Carrick had to say about our efforts to help modernise the bilateral relationship between the UK and Australia. Sir Roger was British High Commissioner to Australia, 1994-1997. These generous comments come from his book Rolleround OZ, Reflections on a Journey around Australia, Allen and Unwin, 1998 (page 150):

Edward Gilly (centre)

Doc Watson and Snooks Eaglin

I once saw Doc Watson live in Kilburn, London. At the time it was a lot closer than Deep Gap, North Carolina!

Here he is performing the great "Deep River Blues" .

Doc was born on March 3, 1923.

You don't know my mind

Blues Stay Away from Me

I also had the chance to see Snooks Eaglin in London. Here's another great song, "Alberta".

Snooks, from New Orleans, played 6 string, 12 string and electric guitar. Born 21 January 1936, Snooks died, aged 72, on 18 February 2009. "Remember Me".

Two of the greatest guitarists, for my money, whether playing country/acoustic or rockabilly blues.

It's a shame they never played together.