grondfic

Hadestown (National)
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Richard II (Almeida)
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Don Quixote (RSC at the Garrick)
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A lifetime ago (last June), we saw Macbeth at the National, starring Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff (https://grondfic.dreamwidth.org/16142.html ). It went down badly with the critics, but we loved it.

Well now, THIS Macbeth was being reviewed at the same time, having just begun its run at Stratford. We managed to catch it right at the end of its subsequent run at the Barbican. So I can't do a direct comparison; which might be a good thing because it was a very different kettle of witches!

Whilst the National Macbeth was set in a wild and lawless dystopian future, the setting for this one appeared to be contemporary. All the action took place in something like an office anteroom, with a water-cooler and plastic cups at one side. An upper balcony or mezzanine lay above the back of the stage; and this was used for the Macbeths' reception of King Duncan; and later for appearances by the witches and for their 'show' of Banquo's descendants during the second prophecy scene. (We can no longer call it the Cauldron Scene, because – like the National Macbeth - there was no double double toil and trouble. At least in this one, there was a cogent reason why not – see Witches in Part 2.)

A mysterious figure sat by the water-cooler throughout the action. Played by Michael Hodgson, he was officially designated 'Porter', but in addition he appeared as an extra murderer of Banquo, and in the later stages of the play as Seyton, Macbeth's lone servant. There may be a clue in that name - usually pronounced 'Satan'. If so, he's been sitting there throughout, chalking up the death-tally on the wall and waiting to collect the Big One at the end! In any case, the fact that he was permanently onstage made it appear that the whole play was being filtered through his gaze.

In addition, a digital clock manifested over the water-cooler at the moment of Duncan’s murder, and counted down the hours and minutes to Macbeth’s death. Time and the devil; waiting by a water-source...

One anomaly about the modern setting was that the armies' only weapons were swords and daggers; there was no sign of any guns or cannons. It made for a lot of bloody sergeants (and others), though.

Let’s see, in Part 2, how the actors developed their characters, within this rather limiting and doom-laden setting.

My record on AO3 is modest, to say the least. I read with awe various memes with collected hits of millions, and how Kudos relates to hits, and whether comments come into it ....

Well, my stuff is mainly in obscure fandoms (or even no-existing-fandoms), and I spread my net far too wide, hopping hither and yon and only touching on the big stuff (LOTR, Harry Potter) in passing.

So my stats have never been worth the brag ... until NOW. Because NOW, even as I type, my most popular work - Ajax Renown'd (fandom: Georgette Heyer) is trembling on the brink with 999 hits!

Please somebody - go over there and access it, and tip me over into the heady joys of One Grand! (It's only taken since 2010 to get there)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/72800

I know, I know! I'm late; and it's not a live commentary, just a live resume of a recording. Still, here we go.

This year's Conductor is Gustav Thielemann.

Schönfeld March, op. 422 (Carl Michael Ziehrer)
We immediately start spotting ladies in the orchestra: one flautist, three violinists, one cellist, one harper, one bassoonist. Better than some years; but still a bit feeble.

This is a very 'marchy' march.

Transactionen (Transactions). Walzer, op.184 (Josef Strauss)
Scenes of the Volksgarten whilst this plays. Maybe a bit like Monet's Japanese-style garden. It's near the Hofburg and, photographed in a bright summer, looks idyllic.

Josef's waltz is dreamier and more subdued than some of Johann Sohn's. It's for lovers not waltz-hall denizens.

Marks 100 years of Austro-Japanese friendship (hence - Transactions)

Elfenreigen (Dance of the Elves) (Josef Hellmesberger, Jr.)
Musically these elves are clearly small and dance on mushrooms; although in the second movement, we may have progressed to Oberon and Titania loved-up, post-reconciliation.

Nope - these were not SERIOUS elves!

Express. Polka schnell, op. 311 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
This is a cheer-up-Vienna! polka to console the citizens after defeat in the Austro-Prussian War. They'd have finished up so breathless that they wouldn't have had the energy to repine!

Nordseebilder (North Sea Pictures). Walzer, op. 390 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
Inspired by Strauss's summer holidays on the North Sea island of Föhr. Very light, as befits a holiday-snap; but where is the hidden menace of the North Sea?

Ahh - there's a bit of a build-up to a storm, which appears to blow-over quite quickly!


Mit Extrapost (Special Delivery). Polka schnell, op. 259 (Eduard Strauss)
Polka celebrating the fast-post service that covered the Austro-Hungarian Empire (you can see their distinctive yellow buildings all over Austria and into places like Bratislava).

Interval, during which we get a visual tour of the Staatsoper.
There's a rehearsal of Die Fledermaus in progress.

Now we're looking in on a string-section rehearsing Mozart's Don Giovanni overture.....

... and a Donizetti chorus.

Now some ballet - Hurrah! They're doing a waltz from Raymonda, which we saw the Trocks doing, back in September - somewhat differently!

Now a bit of Pappagano/Pappagana from The Magic Flute.

Der Rosenkavalier plays whilst we visit the makeup and wig room. And the costumiers.

Back to Part 2 of the Concert now.

Ouvertüre zur Operette "Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron)" (Johann Strauss Jr.)
Petroc Trelawney introduces this piece by reminding us that 100 years ago in 1918/19, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was breaking-up in the wake of WW1. (I'm not sure why, because this operetta was composed in 1885! - mainly for the Hungarian overtones in the music, I think)

Die Tänzerin (The Dancer). Polka française, op. 227 (Josef Strauss)
Jolly but more like a march.

Künstlerleben (An Artist’s Life). Walzer, op. 316 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
The ballet school will dance to this one. Yays!

We see them first on the roof of their School in Vienna, then inside the Opera House. Oh dear, polka-dots! Not a good look in a tutu. The pale grey stripe and harlequin-diamond are OK, but the pastels always win out in my book. (The boys are dead boring in dark trousers and white turtle-necks)

Die Bajadere (The Bayadere). Polka schnell, op. 351 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
This is so 'schnell' that you couldn't ballet to it, surely!


Opern-Soiree (Opera Soirée). Polka française, op. 162 (Eduard Strauss)
Eduard's stuff is always very smooth - his polka is less wild than Johann's previous one.

Eva-Walzer (Eva Waltz). Nach Motiven aus "Ritter Pásmán" (Johann Strauss Jr.)
From a failed serious-opera by Johann, hastily repurposed as concert pieces. Blimey - I just read a resume of the opera's plotline and it is booooring! No one dies, and has to sing an aria with their last breath; no one goes mad on their wedding night; no one bargains the brother's life for the sister's virginity (and then has him executed anyway). Oh well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritter_P%C3%A1zm%C3%A1n

Csárdás aus „Ritter Pásmán“, op. 441 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
Ballet at Schloss Grafenegg! Hurrah!

Costumes are a bit wacky (crude primary colours), but the castle courtyard is worth the view. The inside is in grand-reconstruction style. The grounds are sundrenched, but look like just a lawn.

Egyptischer Marsch (Egyptian March), op. 335 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
The name of this was changed to 'The Circassian March' - either way, it's a very Viennese Egypt/Circassia! It's one of those where the orchestra stops playing and lalala's in the middle.

Entr'acte Valse (Josef Hellmesberger, Jr.)
Written to cover a scenery-change-pause in a dramatic work. It's slight, delightful and would possibly send the audience to sleep.

Lob der Frauen (In Praise of Women). Polka mazur, op. 315 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
Petroc refers (quite unironically, I think) to the recent controversy about the lack of women in the orchestra for this piece. The femme-count is still very low IMHO; only 11 this year, says Petroc, though we only counted 7.

Besides - there appears to me to be a heavy overtone of God bless them around this piece's title.

Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres). Walzer, op. 235 (Josef Strauss)
I love this piece; and I just LOVE the title - what a beautiful, onomatopoeic word!

We have a snow-arama showing as this pieces comes to an end (for no discernible reason)

Nice quiet ending, featuring their wondrous lady harper.

Im Strumschritt Polka Schnell Op.348 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
They do get a bit samey, after a full programme, I have to say; even though this is Strauss' version of the Can-can

An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314 (Johann Strauss Jr.)
Here we go - the beginning of the end, accompanied by a Danube panorama starting at -
Schloss Greinberg; then Basilika Maria Taferl; Schloss Artstetten; Ruine Weitenegg; Schloss Leiben; Schloss Schönbühel; Bergruine Aggstein; Ruine Hinterhaus; Durnstein; Burg Greifenstein.

Radetsky Marsch (Johann Strauss Sr.)
Here we are at the end again. We get a quick glimpse of President van der Bellen.

And, guys, I very much fear that this BBC broadcast might be falling victim to Brexit-uncertainty. Petroc tried to reassure us that 'there would be plenty of music from around the world, this year on Radio 3. The silence about this concert's future on tv was rather deafening.

I hope that wasn't the last one we get here; because it was not really one of their best. Plus we need to see if there are more women in the orchestra in future years.

I am well behind with reviews of our complete autumn's theatre visits. So, in a hurried attempt to clear the decks before we begin our 2019 viewing tomorrow(!) and Thursday(!!), here's Part 1 of Plays Wot We Seen in Autumn 2018:

The Height of the Storm (Wyndhams)
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Allelujah (livestreamed from The Bridge)
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A Very Very Very Dark Matter (The Bridge)

Possibly the worst play I've ever seen.
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Measure for Measure (Donmar)
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Doctor Doolittle: the Musical (Churchill Bromley)
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Honour (Park Theatre)
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The Madness of George III (livestreamed from Nottingham Playhouse)
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Still to come: The Wild Duck, Summer and Smoke, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Antony and Cleopatra

..... to my friend thesmallhobbit

I hope you're having a great day.

Since you've recently been in Vienna, here's something from our Easter visit:
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These are what pass for underground stations in Vienna!

Here is Part 1 of a round-up of the rest of our theatrical adventures since mid-September.

About Leo (Jermyn Street)
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The Lehman Trilogy (National)
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Alice Oswald's Memorial (Barbican)
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Peer Gynt (Arcola)
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.... to my dear Friend busarewski

Hope you're having a great day.

... so I took all the play-programmes on holiday, to do the outstanding reviews ....

Came back on Tuesday, still toting unused programmes *sigh*; and in the meantime I've been to another performance, thus lengthening the outstanding list.

So here are the first three (the runs finishing or already-finished now ... oh well ...)

The Lieutenant of Innishmore (Noel Coward Theatre)
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Exit the King (National)
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Aristocrats (Donmar Warehouse)
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