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Turandot

October 28, 2015 / / 1 Comment

I’ve seen a handful of operas before, but “Turandot” has the craziest plot out of all of them. Princess Turnadot is an icily independent person who refuses to marry anyone based on an ancestor’s terrible experience. To completely avoid matrimony, she employs a system where any man could marry her as long they solve three riddles. Simple enough, right? Not so much. The one disclaimer is that if you get any of the three riddles wrong, the princess reserves the right to murder you.

Turandot

The story focuses on Calàf, a prince who is willing to risk his life (seriously dude?) to obtain the love of Princess Turandot. Despite this seemingly Disney-esque plotline, the story contains much more drama than the stereotype denotes. Calàf becomes the first person to solve all three riddles out of a plethora of men, and Turandot throws a hissy fit; she refuses to have her independence taken away from her. Calàf says he’ll make an exception to his rule: as long as she can guess his name by sunrise, the marriage will be broken off. Oh, and this agreement also states she could totally kill him if she wants to. Turnadot sends out a decree that everyone must find his name, or they’ll all be killed (seriously what does everyone see in this girl?!). They accuse Liù, Calàf’s slave, of knowing his name, and continue to torture her until she says it. Long story short, Liù says that she’s madly in love with Calàf, murders herself, and then Calàf and Turandot end up in love by the end of the opera.

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I have a major problem with one aspect of Puccini’s masterpiece; this opera perpetuates the primitive stereotype that one’s looks defines who they are as a person. Boys are literally giving up their precious right to live for a princess whose sociopathic ways frightened me during most of the play; she treats killing people like a completely normal topic. Additionally, Calàf ends up loving Turandot in spite of the fact that she was the driving force behind the death of Liù, the girl who saved his life. Overall, it reflects a society that places a grater emphasis on materialistic and self-absorbed values, while completely ignoring characteristics such as intelligence and loyalty.

I am very excited to see how this work will be brought to life on stage Tuesday.

Themes in Turnadot

October 27, 2015 / / 1 Comment

After reading Turnadot, I noticed one particular thing: the play was quite odd. The story started in the middle of an execution. Following that event, the proposal of the UNKNOWN PRINCE–later discovered to be Calaf, who fell in love with the merciless princess at first sight. Although his father and slave Liu asked him to not take the challenge to marry the princess, Calaf ignores them. Miraculously, he was able to solve all of the riddles posed by the Emperor and the minister. The princess disagrees to marrying Calaf, but in the end, she falls in love with him. As you can probably tell from that short summary, the story was pretty brief and transitioned pretty quickly.

Therefore, I asked myself, what is the theme of this opera? After much pondering, I realized the themes of the opera were women’s merciless character , and cruelty of Chinese dynasty. It’s no coincidence that the writer wanted to begin the play with the exalted, dignified, and scary princess executing a prince. She was unforgiving and didn’t even flinch when she passed the order to execute the prince. How merciless! Later on in the play, we do find out why she was so merciless but does, in the end, yield to the unknown prince.

To portray the totalitarian system of ruling in the dynasty eras of China, the writer puts in the scene of executions and fear. After Calaf finished answering the question, Turnadot seems less than hesitant to end all life in the kingdom if no one can tell her Calaf’s name. This seems to be quite extreme; however, it is somewhat accurate. I say that not based on experience but based on numerous TV shows, produced in China. They demonstrate the ruthlessness of the emperors. If you were so much as to make an unnecessary remark, you would be arrested, tortured, and probably have your head cut off. That’s how ridiculous it was.

My reaction to the videos: After listening to Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma,  I can hear the music building off each other, just like the piano and the violin we listened to in class. The sounds built off each other harmoniously, creating quite a pleasant rhythm. However, the Turnadot performance was quite abstruse. I couldn’t quite understand what was going on: I couldn’t understand what she was singing. In short, I’m not a big fan of the opera.

Turandot

October 27, 2015 / / 5 Comments

I really liked reading “Turnadot” by Giacomo Puccini. Did I enjoy the parts where Liu was begging to be tortured while proclaiming her love and killing herself with a dagger, or when the servants threw half-naked ladies at the feet of Calaf? No, I didn’t. I did feel some disgust at certain parts of the dialogue. However, I couldn’t stop reading, and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next.

Poster_Turandot

In summary, Turnadot is a princess who does not want to be possessed by any man because of her ancestor who was treated badly by a male. So, anyone who wanted her hand in marriage had to answer three riddles. If that suitor failed, he was executed. One unknown prince (whom we never find out where he’s from) has a slave and is reunited with his father. He sees the princess and falls in love. He takes the challenge to answer the three riddles and succeeds. Between this and the next dawn so much happens. Liu, his servant, proclaims her love for him and kills herself. Calaf is horrified but still tries to woo Turnadot and succeeds by forcing a kiss on her. She melts from his expressive love and they live happily ever after. The end.

Once summarized, it’s a pretty short plot. But the opera lengthens and draws it out with so much dialogue and emotion, that the readers learn so much. While there may be many points in this opera to argue and discuss about, there is no doubt that this opera has hooked the readers or audience.  As an example, for myself, I was very anxious and eager to see if Calaf could answer the riddles or not. And when he did get all of the answers, I was very surprised.

patrick

After watching the videos though, I had a different feeling. When reading the opera, I read how cold and angry Turnadot was. Yet, it was difficult for me personally to feel that anger and frost from Turnadot when she was singing. Singing opera is so melodic, it’s difficult to feel any anger coming from the singer. I definitely could sense and see any feelings or emotions of love or romance. If I hadn’t read the opera before watching the clips, I would assume that the singers were singing about a tragedy of wanting love or singing about a new love experience. Maybe it had to do with the music, which didn’t really express any anger or negative emotions.

Anyways, I’m looking forward to watching the Opera and hopefully it will change my mindset.

Drake’s Hotline Bling: How Drake Memed Himself

October 25, 2015 / / 19 Comments

Meme. A meme, as defined by Urban Diction, is an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media). In the past decade, memes have increased in popularity and became a modern art form. You either like it or you’re not familiar with it.

Recently, Drake’s music video, Hotline Bling, became extremely popular, but not because of the “awesome music” he creates. Instead, it is the memes that are created after the video is made. The original video is not exceptional and I did not care about it either. How did I find out about his Hotline Bling then?  Through the hilarious and ridiculous memes created by others on social media! In fact, the memes of the videos are so widespread, the New York Times even has an article on it.

So what made this video is meme-able? Simple. The video is simple: just him dancing for extended periods of time in front of a plain background that’s constantly changing colors. Because the backdrop is so simple, the social media let their minds run wild with his gestures. The New York Times article calls his moves “concise, universal, more about implication than full expression. The author believes that is what makes his video so meme-able.

“In part, that has to do with the unclutteredness of the video, which mostly surrounds Drake with blank space. There’s also the nature of the dancing itself, which is also more or less blank: a series of slight shifts of weight, quick hand gestures, head bobbles and side-to-side steps. They’re small moves that he repeats — in essence, he’s making a GIF of himself, anticipating what will inevitably happen to him online.”

Here, you can see some of the memes created.  Be warned, you may disturb others with your laughter as you watch this.

His dance partner-choreographer, Tanisha Scott, told Complex that Drake knew this was going to cause these interestingly new gifs.  For that, he should be respected: he inspired people indirectly to create their own stories based off his dance movement. Dance is about expression of the dancer and the interpretation of the viewer. What better way to express this idea than with such an open video.

In essence, “you don’t meme Drake; Drake memes Drake.”(Caramanica)

Old Photos, Same Problems

October 23, 2015 / / 8 Comments

Jacob Riis gained fame in the 1890s by releasing a photojournalism publication calledriis1 “How the Other Half Lives.” These photos depicted the poor living conditions that the tenements on the Lower East Side housed. From now until March 20, 2016, the the Museum of the City of New York is presenting “Jacob A. Riis: Revealing New York’s Other Half.” The exhibit will feature 125 letters, manuscripts and other printed material and artifacts, generously provided by the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress.

The mysterious and unanswered questions that arise from these photos are what makes them so interesting. Upon viewing them, you might wonder “whatever happened to the three children of the English dockworker and his family living in a one-room flat…near what is now the High Line? Or the barefoot boys, who posed huddled above a grate on Mulberry Street in Little Italy?” The answers might never be solved, which is what makes their artistic statements unbelievably powerful. However, the concepts of these photos aren’t so archaic. In fact, they reflect modern society quite accurately.

New York City Still hosts “the other half,” but not just in the Lower East homeless_in_nycSide; penniless people are scattered throughout the concrete jungle. These poverty-stricken citizens are littered on the streets begging for change, digging through garbage cans, and sleeping through harsh weather conditions. What does the half that is better off do? Nothing but pass them by. I myself am guilty of this. While sparing a dollar to every homeless person I see is not possible, I wish that I had more sympathy when I ignored them all those times to avoid being late for class.

Riis used to give illustrated lectures, speaking to an audience of amateur photographers for two 23riis-night-quarters-articleLargehours about 100 of his slides. He later titled these lectures “How the Other Half Lives and Dies,” to show just how gruesome this way of life was. But 1890 isn’t so far off from 2015, because poor
people die in a very similar fashion to the way he depicted: “thousands of forgotten New Yorkers are buried annually in the same unmarked trenches on Hart Island off the Bronx that Riis photographed.” Aside from making me feel terribly sad, this statement really gave me a reality check of how lucky I am to be financially stable and to have a good support group of family and friends surrounding me.

453561177So while I sit here typing this blog post on my free computer, to be submitted for a grade at my prestigious university, someone else sleeps on the streets, waiting for enough change to purchase McDonalds’s. Jacob Riis’ photos are truly shocking, but they’re just art to the better half. To the “other half,” these photos are a reality.

Superheroes: Born in New York City (October 15, 2015)

October 16, 2015 / / 11 Comments

Comic books have been around in the United States for over 80 years now. Popular amongst all ages, they are a unique form of entertainment separate from other books or films alike. Made up of mainly pictures, comic books paint a visual story most often depicting a superhero and his acts to save victims from threatening villains. It’s from these comics, one of the most famous titles being Marvel, where the most famous superheroes and their many adventures have been born. As the appreciation for comic books as a type of enjoyment and art grows, it’s important to know the history behind them. In the New York Times article title, “Superheroes: Born in New York City”, Michael Powell describes the start of the Comic Book Craze and the influence these stories had on his childhood.

Action Comics

One commonality found throughout many of the well-known comic books is that they are based off of facets of real life. According to Powell, the “Founding Fathers” of comic books consisted of many young, creative minds throughout high schools in NYC. To think that such a remarkable ‘world’ of illustrations began in the hands of students not even in college yet is incredible. This just proves that a great, constructive imagination is not limited to any age. In one paragraph, it describes how three huge names, Bob Kane, the mastermind behind Batman, Will Eisner of the Spirit, and Stan Lee, maker of Fantastic Four, Spider Man, the Hulk, and many more all came from the same high school in the Bronx (DeWitt Clinton High School). This makes me wonder if the school has a great art program or if they were just lucky enough to attract a bunch of incredibly talented kids.

Super Man

Newsstand

It is obvious that people are attracted to superheroes because they provide an escape or false reality for those going through personal troubles. What’s interesting to note, though, is how the era in which they began helped promote their success. With the country recovering from hard times after the Depression, it became a output for stress for a good percentage of the American population. All movements have a history, and it is important to take the time to learn it to understand their origins and connections in society.

Comic books play a large role in the entertainment and art world today. Hit heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman will continue to be an inspiration for our culture into the coming generations. I really appreciate the ending of the article. Powell states, “a Bangladeshi kid in Elmhurst and a Senegalese kid in University Heights are doodling in their seventh-grade math classes, and they have their own ideas. You may hear about them in the New-York Historical Society’s next superhero show, in 2060.” Who knows what sketches will be created next.

 

 

The Connection Between Art and Theology

October 7, 2015 / / 11 Comments

A century-old theatre has taken a new risk in its production of “Sisters’ Follies: Between Two Worlds”. According to Alexis Soloski’s article, “At 100, the Abrons Arts Center Revels in the Risky”, the Abrons Arts Center has chosen to commemorate its one-hundred-year anniversary by performing a satirical play mocking the Center’s founders, Alice and Irene Lewisohn. What makes the production risky, as Soloski described, is that the sisters will be portrayed by drag icon Joey Arias, and burlesque actress Julie Atlas Muz.

sisters_folliesThe Abrons Arts Center current artistic director, Jay Wegman, is often described as “outrageous” although his current involvement in suggestive theatrical productions is distinctly polar to his upbringing. Wegman grew up as a churchgoer, and eventually moved to Manhattan to attend seminary. At the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Wegman was hired as the canon for liturgy and the arts, and it was after he left this position that he started work with Abrons.

Wegman claims that his interest in the arts and his theological experience are more closely related than one would believe. He explained that while watching plays “he seeks transcendent experiences” similar to in a church service, and that “artists grappling with grand themes are pursuing ‘another form of theology.’” I would have to disagree with this specific opinion.

I feel as though art and theology share a similar sense of passion and expression. The décor of prominent religious buildings and landmarks cannot be excluded from the realm of art. However, I don’t think that artistic expression can be a platform for “another form of theology”. Religion, though ambiguous, possesses limited ambiguity. Each religion has a set of values that are meant to be followed in order to maintain righteousness and/or receive some sort of divine reward for struggling against worldly desires. So when referring to religious document for these rules, the interpretation of the text is often debated amongst religious leaders and theologians; however, the ambiguity is limited to the words of the text and a claim must be supported with evidence from the text. I feel that unlimited ambiguity is the core of art and its perception to the public. If one is to experimageience an example of performing arts, and claim that as a result they experienced a certain sensation, someone else cannot deny their experience to be genuine, even if the latter lacks evidence to make his or her claim.  Art does not pertain to rules, definitions, nor limits.

I do not believe that religion is non-ambiguous. In fact, I think that the debate on religion is never-ending. However, I believe that religion possesses a limited scope of interpretation compared to art. I do not discourage Wegman’s passion to trifle in “risky” art in the slightest. If anything, I feel that Wegman’s theological background provides him with perspective that adds to the experience of the productions Abrons Arts Center. In fact, “Sisters’ Follies: Between Two Worlds” sounds rather intriguing, and I would consider attending the play myself. I simply disagree with his conjecture that artists pursue in “’another form of theology’”.

Reading Response: Frank Wedekind’s “Spring Awakening”

October 4, 2015 / / 3 Comments

As i’m writing this, I am still unsure of what to think about Wedekind’s work, “Spring Awakening”. During my reading of the play, I felt a varied group of emotions ranging from disbelief to disgust for the characters. I found it odd that there is no relief from the depth of depression that the reader feels for Melchior, Moritz, and Wendla. This German drama is very unique in that. The lack of relief almost makes me feel uncomfortable. I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie, read a book, or saw a play and it didn’t have some kind of reprieve from any left over tension. The left over tension leaves me still analyzing what I just read, I wonder if that is what Frank Wedekind intended. I wish we were able to discuss this play in class, I would love to bounce ideas off of other people and get their opinions on the characters and plot and see if they felt as lost as I do.

The story is truly tragic, two out of the three main characters end up dead and the last one ends the play at the others’ graves. The reader or listener never feels anything but sorrow for everyone involved. The final scene is especially morbid as it plays with our uncertainty about death. As humans, we have an addiction to certainty, and this certainty is completely absent when it comes to the topic of the afterlife. Many religions tell us that they know the answer, and this has gained them many followers, but the fact of the matter is that science’s vast knowledge ends after our death. With this in mind, Melchior’s conversation with Moritz’s ghost is disturbing for me because it seems to me that Melchior has simply gone insane and is standing at a grave, babbling to himself, and thinking that he is actually talking to the deceased Moritz. It seems like his rough life has caught up to him and made him insane.

Wendla seemed to have a strange fascination with beatings. I understand that she was trying to be empathetic for her friend in wanting to take her place when she was being beaten, but I cannot comprehend why she would egg Melchior on, wanting him to hit her, to a point where he could have caused serious damage to her. This and the fact that Melchior beats her so intensely shows me that these are two truly disturbed characters.

The Awakening of Spring by Frank Wedekind

October 4, 2015 / / 3 Comments

The Awakening of Spring by Frank Wedekind is not too long of a play to read yet it is filled with so many shocking topics that society does not and did not really address such as – suicide, homosexuality, sex, abortion, and etc. As I read this play, I was very surprised to find what I was reading .

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Throughout the reading, most of the dialogue was simple and short in the interaction between certain characters. However, through the words the character exchanged between them, the readers are able to know instantly what the topic is being discussed and is definitely astonished about the content of the dialogue. I certainly was.  Frank Wedekind is very successful in squeezing in many topics that children maturing into young adults find themselves thinking about or involved with. One can also say that the content of this play can be relatable to some teens in today’s society. Wedekind writes of a play from the adolescents’ perspective and what they have dealt with or thought about when growing up into teenagers and adults.

One main theme is education – a very important subject for students and parents alike in any age. Moritz is very focused on his education and passing his exams. And when he learns to discover that he disappointed his parents, Wedekind describes through the dialogue of certain people of his suicide.

Another main theme is innocence of children and them losing their innocence. For example, Wendla is a fourteen year old girl and she in page 109 is begging her mother to explain to her how a baby is made. She no longer believes that the “stork brought the baby in”. And once she finds out, she finds herself involved with Melchior and she is pregnant. She later on dies from trying to have abortion.

Many of these themes or topics are talked about and described among the children in their actions and dialogues in simple terms which can evoke some criticism. However, the main point gets across, and the rest is up to the imagination and creativity of the readers. It will be definitely interesting to see the actual play’s interpretation of this thought-provoking and this curious piece of writing

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Spring Awakening

October 3, 2015 / / 4 Comments

I can clearly understand why Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening had an aura of controversy surrounding it since its birth in 1891 . The themes present are somewhat taboo even in contemporary society  and we are significantly more open and accepting. I felt that the scene involving adolescent rape was unnecessarily grotesque, I cannot seem to fathom any artistic advantages of including this. I understand that Wedekind was trying to comment on his society’s repression of sexual topics, and I agree that it should be done, but I do not appreciate the way he chose to express his opinions.

I would side with the people who chose not to have Spring Awakening produced in their theater. My rationale is that, after painfully reading the play and its suggestive qualities, I would not want to voluntarily subject myself to its performance especially 100 years ago where issues like homosexuality were strongly hated by the public. If the main characters are thirteen or fourteen year olds, then thirteen and fourteen year olds should be able to watch this plays performance, and I would never allow my thirteen year old sister within a mile of Spring Awakening. I think the biggest objection I have is the age of the characters, they are too young.

In a performance of Spring Awakening, the scene of Hanschen and Ernst kissing

I am not trying to say that Sexual subjects should not be allowed in society, because they are part of human nature and as a progressive society the topic should be discussed. However, discussion of our sexual nature contrasted with adolescent rape and masturbation are not even on the same planet. All people should be educated about Sex and the fact that sexual desires are natural and human to enhance the knowledge of safe sex. Furthermore, some of Wedekind’s expressions are correct and stand to better society like showing that Wendals mother hid what sex is,what pregnancy is and even the fact that Wendal was pregnant from her. Focusing on elements like misinformation of sex would, in my opinion, create a more beneficial play.

 

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