I think Don Giovanni can be seen as both a comedy and a tragedy. Throughout the opera, I sensed the comedic aspects in Giovanni’s conversations with his servant Leporello about his desire for women.  I think Giovanni’s character is comedic; he charms a woman and shows great love for her, but forgets all about his relationship as soon as he sees another attractive woman.  For example, while one of his past mistresses, Donna Elvira suffers from the end of her relationship with Giovanni, he moves on with his conquests on other women including Donna Anna and Zerlina. He acts as if he never had a relationship with any of the women. He does not think twice about leaving his current mistress to pursue love with another, as if it is okay and he has done nothing wrong. As Elvira mourns for her lost love with Giovanni, he is busy wooing Zerlina and simply ignores her. I especially think that his conversations with Leporello are comedic because Giovanni asks Leporello to help him so he does not get in trouble for his numerous affairs. Of course he thinks he should not get in trouble, but he knows that society would punish him if his affairs were revealed. I think the tragic motif shows through when Giovanni’s actions hurt others. He does not pity the women’s feelings, but simply them for his own pleasure. Also, even though Leporello sees him as a friend, he does not treat him as so for he does not consider the pain Leporello has to go through to cover for him; Leporello almost gets killed by Donna Anna and Don Ottavio when he is forced to dress like Giovanni so he can pursue Zerlina. The character who seems to be most hurt by Giovanni’s selfish acts is Donna Elvira who constantly regrets Giovanni leaving her.

There were obvious class differences reflected in the libretto. Most of the couples included people from the same class: Donna Anna and Don Ottavio were both aristocratic and Zerlina and Massetto were both of the low class, maybe peasants. However, Don Giovanni did not discriminate women from different classes. He waged his conquests on both aristocratic (Donna Elmira and Donna Anna) and low class women (Zerlina). Also, as Don Giovanni tried to pursue Zerlina, Masseto, thought at first that he would not be able to speak out against an aristocrat like Giovanni.

The music definitely enhanced the story because it vividly depicted the mood and emotions of the libretto. When Don Giovanni woos Zerlina, the music had high pitch, harmonious sounds that fit well with the excitement in the scene. On the other hand, when Giovanni gets dragged into hell in his meeting with the Commendatore, the orchestra played low, strident sounds that emphasized the horrific situation. The music served the function of pouring out the intense emotions of this opera.

Seeing the opera was definitely as great of an experience as going to the contemporary performances. The difference between the opera and the contemporary performances was that we had read the libretto and were aware of how the opera would progress. On the other hand, the contemporary performances, such as that of RoseAnn Spradlin, were very intense and thrilling because we saw it for the first time. I think the contemporary performances included the element of awe more so than the opera because we did not expect certain things to happen. Don Giovanni opera was my first opera so it was a special, exciting event. However, it was like reading a book and watching a movie of it, which is less exhilarating than watching a movie or performance for the first time.

-Faryal

House/Divided was definitely a unique experience, but, honestly, I was too drawn into the content of the performance to note any differences mediatization may have brought about.  The fact that this mediatized performance was happening live seemed, to me, just like any other ordinary live play, dance or theatrical performance.  My take on the issue of live vs. virtual coincides with the mesmerizing effect any present event can have on an audience. In that sense, I agree with Phelan’s argument that a “performance’s life is in the present”, but that the essence of visualizing the event in the present place and time isn’t adulterated with the addition of media; it is rather enhanced.

Builder’s Association’s House/ Divided was really an amalgam of film and play.  As the actors played out their parts, some of them were projected on the screen for dramatization.  This kind of projection on screen is comparable to live concerts that make visible the important parts of the stage to the audiences sitting farther away. I think that the Association brought the book, Grapes of Wrath, alive in that they added a narrative voice and chronicled the journey of the Joad family to California in the wagon by providing images of the fields and sky on the screen. Had this been done without the projection of images, we would have only seen and heard the actors’ dialogue. So, mediatization actually captured the crucial voice of the narrator that dominates most of the book. Auslander does make an important point about the use of modern technology being inevitably incorporated into the performances. The present economic crisis wouldn’t have been depicted properly if media weren’t used. For example, the news anchors reporting the status of stock markets and the green screen with numbers associated with the market couldn’t have been accomplished without the use of technology. We even saw in Pina Baush’s performance the projection of waves on the screen in one of the segments. Builder’s Association was just displaying “behind-the-scenes” actions by having on stage the people in charge of making sound effects and the projections.  Even though I think Phelan rightfully points out the essence and effectiveness of live performances, I also agree with Auslander’s argument of performances reflecting the contemporary world that is, today, dominated by technology of the media.

André Kertész’s The White Horse drew my attention with its apparent contrast emanating from the white horse. The white color of the horse contrasts with the rest of the surroundings, so it inevitably catches the viewer’s attention.  The horse is also set apart by the diagonal, gray-topped wall.  Kertész put diagonals to good use by raising awareness of other elements of the photograph through them. Just as I was captivated by the striking whiteness of the horse, also the imaginary diagonal line extending from the white horse on the bottom left drifted my attention to the top middle of the photograph. That section brought into view a dog being walked by a woman. The shadows of these two are cast diagonally, almost parallel to the wall running diagonally from the top left to the bottom right of the photo. The diagonal shadows also enlarge the profiles of the woman and the dog, providing a clearer image of the two figures in a quick glance. Kertész emphasizes diagonals yet again with the sidewalk that runs diagonally from the left to the right of the photo; this particular direction of the diagonal displays to the viewer the direction that the woman and dog appear to be walking towards. Hence, a dynamic component is incorporated to the composition of the photo, which also manifests itself in the mobile stance that the white horse is pictured in.  Furthermore, the dark bushes and the tree contribute to the effect of contrast to the photo.  Kertész utilized their dark color strategically by aligning them parallel to the diagonals associated with the white horse and the woman walking the dog. Such an alignment creates a more effective contrast. The rule of thirds is loosely used here with the white horse occupying a little less than the first third of the picture. The dog is placed in the last third of the picture while the woman is roughly in the center of the photograph.

I will definitely attempt to incorporate the particular elements that André Kertész so successfully employed for an effective display of the photo’s subjects.  It seems that Kertész was able to capture the slightly illuminating effect of the street lamps to convey profiles of the woman and dog walking on the sidewalk. I may be able to capture the effects of street lamps at night. Also, I might be able to create the diagonals effect with the apartment buildings and the sidewalk near my neighborhood. The theme of contrast in Kertész’s photo demonstrated the profound effect of the element in black and white pictures. So, I might try to see if the subjects are more dramatically highlighted in a black and white photo. Contrary to Kertész’s loosely using the third’s rule, I might try to use it more accurately to emphasize the different ends of the photo.  Kertész’s captivating photo will highly influence the composition of my photo.

-Faryal

Roseanne Spradlin presented four women boldly and wildly roaming a square stage located in the vicinity of the audience seated on all four sides of it.

The audience was introduced to a deep, low humdrum of a bass played by the naked Rebecca Serrell Cyr.  These low notes gave way to the gloomy mood that encompassed the performance.  Cyr, later, started to walk in solitude wearing a silver-beaded headdress, occasionally observing her reflection in the mirrors hung on three sides of the stage. Her confusion consumes the three other women who join her in the repetitive act of staring in the various mirrors.  In contrast to Cyr, Natalie Green, Rebecca Wender and Rebecca Warner came dressed in costumes; after stomping back and forth in unison and screeching while scurrying in rambles across stage, they strip themselves of the garment one-by-one.  Roseanne Spradlin exuded the “emotional depths and extremity” characteristic of her style. Indeed, the women infused raw, powerful emotion in explosive bits (Elizabeth Zimmer, New York Live Arts).

Spradlin explored the tension that transformed the seemingly innocent women into confident beings through the presentation of simple, bold forms and fitting music compositions. The four women repetitively bounce on one leg while pointing the other upward.  At times when they gather together, pleading for help amidst the rampant confusion, two of them lend one some support as she attempts a quick lift in the air.  Seemingly, they try to fight a threshold that continually suppresses them. The force of gravity, for one, is often emphasized; the battles they rage against it may be metaphoric of their struggle in becoming strong women. Furthermore, there was live performance of the song, “Don’t Take Me Over” that perfectly fit the dancer’s casting off their costumes and strutting their bare selves; Spradlin draws the audience to the appreciation of natural beauty that need not be “refined” by the artificiality of fancy clothes or makeup.

Spradlin effectively conveyed a meaningful message through the choreography of definitive forms that spewed emotional extremes. The intimate atmosphere of the audience seated a few feet from the stage contributed to the touching effect of the performance. Music definitely played to the mellow, profound and fiery movements enacted by the dancers. All in all, I was greatly moved by a performance I was initially nervous about seeing, considering the nudity content.

-Faryal