De fleurs

 

One of the perks of working at the John Cleary Gallery is that I have free reign to explore drawer after drawer of the gallery’s collection.  I have mentioned in a previous post my love of Maggie Taylor’s work and when I came across “The Patient Gardener” I was reminded of a song from Claude Debussy’s Proses Lyriques entitled “De fleurs” (The Flowers).

Maggie Taylor: The Patient Gardener

 

Debussy’s lyrics, which he wrote himself, are as follows.  (Translation by Faith J. Cormier via The Lied, Art Song, and choral Texts Page)

In the desolate green boredom of pain's hothouse, flowers surround my heart with their nasty stems. When will the dear hands return to delicately untangle them from round my head? The tall purple Iris cruelly violated your eyes by seeming to reflect them. They were the pools of reverie into which my dreams softly dove, absorbed by their colour. And the lilies, white jets of water with perfumed pistils, have lost their white grace and are but poor invalids who do not know the sun. Sun! Friend of evil flowers, dream-killer, illusion-killer, holy bread of miserable souls! Come! Come! Saving hands! Smash the windows of lies, smash the windows of evil spells, my soul is dying from too much sun! Mirages! Joy will never flower again in my eyes and my hands are tired of praying, my eyes tired of crying! In an eternal crazed noise, the black petals of boredom drip constantly on my head in pain's green hothouse!

But really… why reference a Debussy song and post the poetry without also putting up a stunning performance?  My friend Janai, whom I have mentioned here before, sang the set on her master’s recital at the University of Michigan a couple of years ago and her performance of this song in particular has managed to stay buried in my sub-conscience.  Pianist (and dear friend) Jeremy Reger also brings the requisite foggy lushness to Debussy’s accompaniment.

And as always I’ll add my caveat that the image above is only a representation of what it really looks like up close.  So come in the gallery and check out this piece or any others in our collection!

Artist: Janai Brugger-Orman, Jeremy Reger

Trouble is a Friend

 

Niagara falls, baybay!

 

Yesterday was my friend, Jennifer’s, twentywguskn-th birthday and I thought I would take this opportunity for a skip down memory lane if you will.  Oh, and YOU WILL!!

Jennifer and I met when we were freshmen at Baylor and shared a music theory class together.  Sometimes we’d even sit at football games together if I could find her. I always enjoyed finding someone I knew so I could just chat and joke around and not really have to pay attention to the game.  She remembers them a bit differently, though: “Yeah… did you know that I really didn’t know who you were when you used to sit by me? It was really awkward.”  I guess I revel in awkward, though, because I had no idea.  Or like the time when I asked for her phone number so we could hang out:

Me: (after getting her number) So your last name’s Whalen, right? How do you spell that?

Jennifer: W-H-A-L-E-N. Aaaaaaaaaaaand how is it that you spell yours again?

Me: Ummm, it’s Roberts.  You don’t even know my name, do you?

Jennifer: I knew your first name was Joseph, let’s just go from there.

And so a great friendship was born, like most of mine are, out of sheer determination and sticktoitiveness. Like when I met my friend Janai and said: “Yeah, you may not know this, but we WILL be good friends.”  I basically just wear people down until they can’t give up much of a fight any more—you may not like me in the beginning, but eventually you’ll learn it’s just easier in the long run to just nod and smile.  (Just like you’re probably doing right now).

At any rate… HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, JENNIFER!!!

Playing a rollicking round of “Catch My Leg”  Apparently I won that round. (Other favorite games include “One, Two, Three Pick-a-Note” and “Scrunch Your Face”, the latter of which she almost always wins. [She can’t help it, her face just looks that way.])

 

Weez be ejucaded!!!!!

 

In Chicago, after she drove up from Texas to Ann Arbor for the first time with the General

 

It’s kinda hard to look this cool in a McAlisters… but I’m pretty sure we’re the exception to the rule here

 

We’re not actually singing here, it’s all STAGED!

 

Artist: Lenka/ Album: Lenka

I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too

On May 29th my dear dear dear friends Janai Brugger and Javier Orman hopped a ride on that downward spiral known as marriage... and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else than at their wedding that weekend!!!

A little back story: Janai got her Masters degree in voice at Michigan while I was finishing up mine/beginning my Specialist and we were quick to become close friends.  I believe this is how our first meeting went.

Me: Hi, you're names Janai, right?
Janai: Um, yes?
Me: K, thought so.  I'm Joseph.  We're going to go have lunch because I don't know if you know it, but we WILL be friends.

Honestly... that's almost word for word how it went.  Javier was here getting his degree in violin performance at the same time and blah blah blah they met, they fell in love, they now share a last name.

YAAAY!

Watching our friends Nicole and Lenora singing!

It's like a movie shoot up there

Why does Javier look like he's a bullfighter?  PAMPLONA IS NOT IN URAGUAY!!

Now, there was a picture of Janai and I from her wedding, but quite frankly it's not a good one of me.  Don't get me wrong, she looks great, but this is my blog after all and I can't have her taking all the focus!!!!!!!! So instead I found this picture of us "pre-Javier". 

Tacky? Probably.  Will she get a kick out of it? Probably :)  Look how serious we look! I'm pretty sure we cracked up laughing right after it was taken

Next up for Janai and Javier is a big move from Charleston, South Carolina to the gold-digging gold-panning city of angels.  Mrs. Orman is headed to work for Placido Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera.  HOW COOL!!!!  You'd better get that music mem.o.rised NOW!

The Kids Don't Stand a Chance

 

Last night I had the honor of getting to sing in a master class for world renowned bass Samuel Ramey.  A master class, for those of you who don't know, is an opportunity for a guest artist to come in and coach students in a performance setting.  (In a nutshell it is basically a one-on-one lesson but done in front of an audience). 

While Professor Katz was giving an introduction to the audience-- "Mr. Ramey is the most recorded bass ever in history" "he is known for his portrayal of the devil in many different operas" "he has sung roles by composers from Mozart to Mussorgsky, from Bellini to Bartok"-- Sam leans over to me and says: "He left out the most important role I've ever done: I've sung on Sesame Street!"

So here you are folks... a collection of all the opera stars that have sung on Sesame Street!!! Oh, and by the way... I've met every single one of them! Now that my Opera/Sesamie Street collection is complete, I can now move on to the cast of Designing Women.  One down (Delta Burke), four more to go!

 

Samuel Ramey:

 

L is for Low (to the music of  the Toreador from Bizet's Carmen) Look at those cape twirling skills! Btw I don't think his hair has moved an inch since this video.

Renee Fleming*:

 

 

 

 

Counting is so much fun! (to the tune of Caro nome from Verdi's Rigoletto) Oh, Renee... there are so many amazing moments in this clip.    I'd like to note that Texas gets a shout out in reference to the pigs from Galveston and, though the way she pronounces "fun" ("fine") doesn't really rhyme with our island city, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt because she pulls off that amazing plaid sheet wrapped around her shoulders.  Honestly, I want one seven. [*Technically from The Muppet Show and not Sesame Street, but whatevs!]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marilyn Horne:

This isn't so much a picture of me with Marilyn Horne as it is a picture of me with a record of Marilyn Horne and one signed by Marilyn Horne and Martin Katz

 

What I love most about this video, aside from the obvious inclusion of a cookie literally springing forth from Marilyn's head, is that I can just picture Professor Katz coaching her on this.  "How much do you love this cookie, Marilyn?" "Pretend your coloratura is a landscape of chocolate chip mountains on a soft, chewy landscape!" "I can't tell what's hotter: these snickerdoodles or those slavepuppets?"

 

 

 

 

 

Denyce Graves:

The Michelle Obama of the opera world... you should see her arms!

 

Because what doesn't a seduction aria have to do with getting your kids to sleep? I also appreciate that the dancing sheep are all representatives of different operas.  I think I count Aida, Madama Butterfly, La traviata, Turandot, I Pagliacci, Le nozze di Figaro, Die Walkure and Salome.  I'll be honest...chickens one and three have kinda thrown me for a loop.  On the plus side, though, I would absolutely love to see a chicken do the dance of the seven veils.

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: Well unfortunately I am going to have to put my stalking of Dixie Carter on the back-burner, because I have been rightly informed that there is another opera singer who has been on Sesame Street!! Janai, when you work with him next year at L.A. Opera, could you introduce us, please?  I have a collection to complete.

 

Artist: Vampire Weekend / Album: Vampire Weekend