2024 年 5 月 4 日
Georg Friederic Händel recognized a good story when he saw one - a story with power, sex and self-interest. And he knew the public would love it, because nothing changes. "Julia Caesar in Egypt" hit 18thc. London in 1724.....
I love the inscription: Frederick Handel, Gent. (ie Gentleman)......and at the bottom of the poster......... ".....Printed at Cluer's Printing-Office in Bow-Church-Yard, and sold there, and by B. Creake at ye Bible in Jerymn St, St. James.
Messrs. Cluer and Creake sound like some shady characters from Charles Dickens` Oliver Twist !
300 years later, the poster at the Frankfurt opera house is rather different......and the audience rather too well-behaved for such a powerful production.
先週、ヘンデルのエジプトのジュリアス・シーザーを観るためにフランクフルトのオペラに行きました。 素晴らしいパフォーマンスです👏👏
Whilst I am taking the photo above a "Free Palestine" demo is passing directly behind me, accompanied by scores of police. I hate to think what Caesar would have done with a "Free Egypt" demo....
私が上の写真を撮っている間、「パレスチナ解放」デモが大勢の警察を伴って私のすぐ後ろを通り過ぎていきました。 カエサルが「自由エジプト」デモで何をしただろうか、考えたくありません...
So you think a baroque opera would be boring? We forgot to buy a programme so had to follow the plot on stage. But with a knife-edge baroque orchestra 🎻 twisting and turning the emotions, top class singers who could act as well as sing, and a clear un-fussy production that brought you face to face with the basics, there was one word for it: Superb.
There was a standing ovation at the end 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Hard to imagine that the Romans were once in the Rhine valley. But I've heard that it is they who brought the grapes 🍇. Did they bring the bunnies as well? I think not.....We started the hike in Bacharach..........
かつてローマ人がライン渓谷にいたとは想像しにくいです。 でも、ブドウ🍇を運んできたのは彼らだと聞いています。 彼らはウサギも連れてきましたか？ 私はそうではないと思います....私たちはバカラックでハイキングを始めました.....
Photo Bénédicte
Bacharach has bunnies.....
Photo Bénedicté
It's a bit early in the year for grapes, but not for walking and shooting (.....photos that is...). This is just above Oberwiesel. This side of the valley is Rheinland Pfalz, the other is Hessen. Thankfully you don't need a passport to use the ferry.....
ここはオーバーヴィーゼルのすぐ上です。
Photo: Phe
We had parted company with a larger hiking group, who had got stuck in this castle lured by the beer ......Schönburg Castle....now a hotel. I've often wondered what it's like to stay in one of these places......
こういう場所に泊まるのはどんな感じだろう、とよく考えます……。
Down below........one of the churches in Oberwiesel.....
........and the old town walls.....Now if you look at the sides of the valley they look pretty undemanding for a walker. But further around the corner there were ladders and iron steps let into the rock. With a sheer drop down to the Rhine below. My old fear of heights grabbed me here, and while my companions simply bounded up the rocks like monkeys, I struggled on behind, sweating from fear......
What is this acrophobia, and where does it come from? It seems to get worse the older you are.
🫤 Strasbourg Cathedral tower.....the spiral steps surrounded only by the open stone lattice work.......
😣 Yokohama Marine Tower with its glass lift. I only survived this by concentrating very hard on the two little children beside me, who were excitedly asking their mother...."will we see grandad`s house from the top?" ...."will we see Tokyo....?"
😧 The vertical ladder on a cliff face of the Rhine valley 😧....rock in front of you...heaven and earth behind you.....Thank you Phe and Bénedicté for your encouragement.....!
遠くにライン川の岸辺が見えます。 ある場所では非常に急な坂だったので、はしごや鉄の階段を使わなければなりませんでした。 私は高いところが怖いので楽しくなかったです！
My life-savers .......they had the mercy not to take photos of my ordeal.....🤳
......💦.... and this isn`t even the worse bit......
A pause to admire nature......
アザミ
...and later on....the famous Loreley, the narrowest, and for shipping, the most dangerous part of the Rhine....
...そしてその後...有名なローレライ、ライン川で最も狭く、輸送船にとって最も危険な部分です...
Same view, March 2021...........so much has happened since then.....
Random thoughts:
Are these trees "midori" 緑 (みどり?) or guri-n (グリーン?)........😅.........just don't worry about it.........that's the secret. You would think that in Japanese colours would naturally be adjectives wouldn't you? No. Sorry. Green is a noun. Western logic will not help you here. Purple is a noun. Light blue is a noun. gold is a noun. The colour of my shirt (grey) is a noun (well, I did buy it in Meguro didn't I?). But red is an adjective. Red wine 赤ワイン Akawain 🍷
色についてのランダムな考え
日本語では色は形容詞にも名詞にもなります。
Wolves are spreading through Europe apparently......but I'm sure I saw this guy in exactly the same place last year........
オオカミはヨーロッパ中に生息しているらしい……でも、確か去年も全く同じ場所でこいつを見たな……。
This guy wasn't moving either.....
I found a classic German eating place for them - my friends from Beijing. Rindwurst, Spargel and a robust Schweinehaxe was served. The latter is the one with the knife sticking out of it......
北京から来た友達
Lots of reminiscences about the CTK Choir....is it really 5 years ago? A charming present......"A new Forbidden City"....a notebook with famous Chinese poems inside.
Laughs over communication.....That's me struggling with Google Translate.......No google or whatsapp available for my friends though, only sms and email work......
北京の友達は Google や whatsapp を利用できず、SMS と電子メールだけが使えます。
They couldn't bring the cat with them, so I had to do with a photo from Beijing. Apparently his name translates into English as Fly. Well he looks as though he's just landed here.........😅
See you next week.......また来週...........and thank you Tomoko-san for translation advice
....そして翻訳のアドバイスをくださった友子さんに感謝します.....
⚔️ Thank you for reading "..Power, Sex and Self-interest.."
".. 権力、セックス、そして私利私欲 .."を読んでくれてありがとう
Feel free to share the blog with friends.
⚔️ よろしければ、リンクを友達と共有してください
⚔️ And and I enjoy hearing from you...!
コメントすると楽しいです!
THE END
🐉
終わり