The Chorégies d’Orange et Elmer Fudd

Monday evening, we drove an hour north to the ancient theater of Orange for the Chorégies d’Orange music festival. The Roman-style outdoor theater was built during the reign of Augustus in the 1st century. It was restored for the purpose of presenting opera performances back to 1869.

Last night’s show featured the renowned Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel, and the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra – considered the finest in France. I’m not a huge fan of opera, nor Wagner in particular (who composed most of the pieces that were performed.) Like my friend Jim who sat with me at the concert, I prefer my Wagner performed by Elmer Fudd.

A highlight for me though, was when Terfel closed the evening with a Welsh traditional song that I’ve always loved. I may be one of a very few humans who own Bryn Terfel’s recording of Welsh folk songs,  We’ll Keep a Welcome. I’ve probably listened to this CD more than any other recording in a language that I can’t understand. I love it, and Bryn clearly loves his native land enough to close the program with a song from Wales.

Sitting in the theater itself is certainly worth the price of admission – even withouth world-class orchestras and vocalists. Though last year’s concert was more memorable, I can’t think of another place I would have rather have been than at the Chorégies d’Orange.

Some pictures from the event with myself, Linda, Jim and Shirley

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Picnic by the Eiffel Tower

 


The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1889 which celebrated the first centenary of the French Revolution. Its construction in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days, was a real technical and architectural performance.

The picnic was a technical achievement as well, as we ate the lunch portion near the base of the Eiffel, and the leftovers for dinner at a small park near Pont Neuf.

Les Choristes on the couch

After a short morning hike through the woods and a delicious  lunch with our friends Shirley and Jim,  along with special guest Grezelda from the village, I’ve finally surrendered to the head cold I’ve been fighting the past few days. Now I’m sniffling through what I hope is a restorative  nap on the sofa, while listening to Les Choristes soundtrack CD, which I bought in Paris for only $1.50.

This 2004 movie is about a new teacher winning-over his students at a brutal French boarding school through music. The Petits Chanteurs de Saint Marc choir supply the on-screen boys’ angelic vocals. Think Dead Poets Society, only the kids wear tight shorts and sing with very high voices (perhaps cause and effect). I joke. The film is excellent. Try it some evening.

Cool breeze, warm hosts

When traveling, it is always so very wonderful when your innkeepers become your friends. This was the case in both Paris and Uzes for us.

In Paris, we stayed in the 15th,  a short walk from Georges Brassens Park. Our host Gildas is a brilliant photographer (he would modestly say “non”) and world-traveler (recent trips to Iran, India.)  In the evenings, after walking miles across Paris, it was tres groovy to sit with Gildas at the table and talk bout all sorts of things –  France, the USA, Macron et Trump, Paris metro tips, climate change, music, films, photography, life. We were instant friends and hope to keep in touch via Facebook.

lobster.jpgIn Uzes, we stayed with Yannick, her son Jean-Phillipe, along with their three dogs: Juan, Tataeille, and Merika. Last evening, Yannick shared a delicious bottle of vin de St. Joseph with us and we talked and laughed for a few hours. Using the modest French I remember from my lessons at St. Peter School, I  somehow communicated to our friends that prior to climate change, the lobsters in Maine grew to the size of a Shetland ponies (I exaggerated a bit.) They said, “Mon Dieu” and I said “Oui!”

This morning, there is a cool breeze in the air.

I often forget whether or not I visited a famous monument, but I never forget the people I share laughter with.

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Saw this in an Uzes shop window. Je t’aime.

‘From the Land of the Moon’ Review: Cotillard Deserves Better

After winning a surprising awards circuit sweep in 2007, Marion Cotillard found herself in a special position. Suddenly, she could command big Hollywood paychecks and also get European art house fare bankrolled just by signing on. Since then, she’s regularly leaped across oceans to do both. While there have been some brilliant movies made in Cotillard’s name, far too many have been like ‘From the Land of the Moon’. This stilted, dull, and often nauseatingly navel-gazing exercise in misery porn exists purely to let Cotillard emote hard and stare out in dull pain even harder. She’s good at it, but it would be nice if the movie surrounding all that acting offered as much to audiences as it did to the actress.Cotillard stars as Gabrielle, a woman who [ . . .  ]

More at ‘From the Land of the Moon’ Review: Cotillard Deserves Better – High-Def Digest: The Bonus View