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Don Basilio
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« on: 15:46:25, 17-12-2007 » |
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Walking round the National Gallery of European Art in Bucharest last month I came across the following to my suprise:  It is a large allegorical portrait of the great castrato Farinelli by Jacopo Amigoni. I thought it was one of three works in the collection that were worth the journey, or at least merited the detour. The others were a Rubens portrait and a wonderful El Greco Nativity. They are not mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook. Shame. |
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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Kittybriton
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« Reply #1 on: 16:40:58, 17-12-2007 » |
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I am ashamed to say I don't know the paintings of Amigoni. But I do love his style.  So, what's in your wallet then?  |
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Click me -> About meor me -> my handmade storeNo, I'm not a complete idiot. I'm only a halfwit. In fact I'm actually a catfish. |
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martle
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« Reply #2 on: 16:54:25, 17-12-2007 » |
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Green. Always green.
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #3 on: 17:21:57, 17-12-2007 » |
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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trained-pianist
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« Reply #4 on: 17:29:20, 17-12-2007 » |
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don Basilio,
Thank you for your post. It is good to know about picture of Farinelli.
Did you like Bucharest as a city? Is it old?
People tell me that there are beautiful mountains in Roumania and that people are nice.
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #5 on: 17:41:08, 17-12-2007 » |
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Hello tp.
I loved Bucharest, and I find it hard to say why. I had never been behind the Iron Curtain before, so there was a sense of adventure. It is not that historic: only a few churches from before 1700 and they are much restored and, like Orthodox churches generally, rather small.
It was a country with a Romance language, so I felt I might be able to understand it. I'm lousy at languages, and I feel I could never manage a Slavic language. At the same time it had been part of the Ottoman Empire, so it had a degree of exoticism for me.
Although the traffic was busy, it was much quieter than a Western town and hardly commercialised - mind you it was very difficult to find anywhere to eat or have a coffee.
It had a particularly meglomaniac communist dictator, as you know, and the Romanians are very proud that they overthrew him - the monuments to people who died in the revolution in ordinary streets were very moving.
There is a lot of rather tatty early C20 buildings in the French style. I like things looking a bit tatty.
We went to see Trovatore at the Opera House, but I am saying bits about that on another thread.
It was far poorer than any European city I have seen - the pavements were often not paved and there were no smart shops. But that made it seem more relaxed.
And the people were very sweet by and large. Bit disorganised, but that reminded me of Italy. And the one full day we were there the sun shone beautifully, which was lucky in November.
Funnily enough, I've never been to Dublin, so I can't compare it.
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #6 on: 18:33:24, 17-12-2007 » |
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I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip, Don B, and thanks for the Farinelli (and Kitty's imaginative spoof!). If you ever get a chance to go back to Romania, Sighisoara is really worth your time... completely contrasted with Bucharest, it's the "authentic Central European medieval city" experience  And it has lots of nice cafes for the "coffee & cake" experience, probably due to its ethnically Hungarian roots? And it hasn't been "tidied up" by a "Heritage Committee" or anything like that, either Sibiu, and Poiana Brasov are also well worth exploring - Romanians like new things, so you can find potty old C19th hotels to stay in quite cheaply, as local business travellers value wifi and cocktail bars over atmosphere and period decor |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #7 on: 21:32:25, 17-12-2007 » |
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Thanks reiner
I did enjoy my visit and would love to go back some time to the out of Bucharest Romania. (My fondness for Orthodox Christianity is part of my reaction. I loyally attended the Anglican Church in Bucharest on Sunday but afterwards I went into the nearest Orthodox church and found it much more moving - one old lady pressed a piece of blessed bread into my hands totally unself-consciously,) I will leave further impressions about Trovatore at the Bucharest Opera in the other thread. I loved it. Just shows you shouldn't have pseudy young Germans doing your production.
Why don't they hire you?
PS If you have anything to do with Lonely Planet, please note comments in my initial message.
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #8 on: 21:58:32, 17-12-2007 » |
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. Just shows you shouldn't have pseudy young Germans doing your production.
Why don't they hire you?
PS If you have anything to do with Lonely Planet, please note comments in my initial message.
Yes, pseudy middle-aged Brits can be relied on to do a much better job I'm no connection with LP, luckily - they're "the other lot". I'm not surprised they're a shower... their Russia book has said for years that the statue in the middle of Ernst Telman Square in Moscow is "of Lenin" (you pass it on the way to the airport, so every visitor sees it). The plinth on which it stands clearly reads - as if you couldn't have guessed already - "..erected to the memory of the great humanitarian and Communist, Ernst Telman" |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #9 on: 22:21:18, 17-12-2007 » |
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I wouldn't have thought of you as Rough Guide to anything, reiner, but there we are.
I'll give gruesome details of the production of Trovatore when I feel less frozen. Yes, I know reiner, you know cold that makes the UK feel like Hawaii, but all the same. I lived a very sheltered life until I found these boards.
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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richard barrett
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« Reply #10 on: 22:25:18, 17-12-2007 » |
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The plinth on which it stands clearly reads - as if you couldn't have guessed already - "..erected to the memory of the great humanitarian and Communist, Ernst Telman" ... that would be Ernst Thälmann in proper writing, I suppose. |
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martle
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« Reply #11 on: 22:26:31, 17-12-2007 » |
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I lived a very sheltered life until I found these boards.
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Green. Always green.
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #12 on: 22:43:18, 17-12-2007 » |
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... that would be Ernst Thälmann in proper writing, I suppose.
It probably would, Richard - I have only ever come across him in his cyrillicised incarnation, where he's become "Telman"  On the other hand, we have composers here called Giorg Fridrikh Gendel and Ioxhan Sebastian Bakh... I used to spell quite well before I moved here I shall start referring to Pyoterr Chaicoffskiy soon, and my assimilation will be complete |
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« Last Edit: 22:48:16, 17-12-2007 by Reiner Torheit »
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #13 on: 00:20:10, 18-12-2007 » |
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Ioxhan Sebastian Bakh...
He's the guy we call Bax, isn't he? |
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #14 on: 05:38:58, 18-12-2007 » |
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He's the guy we call Bax, isn't he? that's the fella - wrote an excellent miniature called 'In A Vodka Shop' which Shura Cherkassky used to play as an encore item |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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