Nutcracker

Ever since I saw the Nutcracker ballet for the first time, I have been wanting a nutcracker. I found mine from Munich. It is such a cute object.

A pilgrimage

A couple of years ago I fell in love with a dead woman. I had found Dalida. I had never heard about her earlier even though she had had an amazing career in the French speaking world. She was a super star of her era, the Marilyn of France without even being French by her origins. Dalida was Egypt born Italian. Her life seemed to be full of passion, tragedy and loneliness. If life would have been more kind to her, she would still be here. Now she rests at Montmartre Cemetery in Paris.

On my last weekend's Paris getaway I visited her grave. It is as grand as its owner. The statue with the sun beams have a strong reference to Dalida's origins and stardom. I almost got sick of Stendhal syndrome.

Geometry of Circles

My most avid readers must be aware of my love of patterns and symmetry. It has been a life long love and it is still blooming. My love got only deeper when I recently was introduced to Philip Glass' music. I like its minimalistic sophistication. It reminds me of the Bauhaus era that I adore.

Today I found out that Philip Glass has composed music for Sesame Street's Geometry of Circles in 1979. I could stare these shapes for hours and get hypnotized of the music.

At The Royal Ballet

I went to see yesterday the last performance of Chroma / Tryst / Symphony in C at the Royal Ballet. It was my first time at the Royal Opera House. My seat was almost touching the clouds at the highest point of the Amphitheatre. Mind you, the ticket was just £11. I thought I could not see a thing, but I did. And I was overwhelmed of what I saw.

The evening consisted of three different performances. I fell in love with the first one, Chroma. Very modern, very sleek, extremely fascinating. The music was something one does not often hear played by a big opera orchestra. Have a look and listen above. The music of Chroma is based on songs composed for a band called White Stripes and their album Aluminium. I just wonder where can I get the opera orchestra versions of those songs?

Don't go!

Eurovision time!

Picture by NRK/EBU

It is the time of the year when the Eurovision Song Contest isheld. Next week will be the official Eurovision week. After the mid-week semifinals there will be the grand final in Oslo, Norway on Saturday evening (Central European Time).

I have been a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest for many years, but now being in Asia I have not been following very closely which songs the national jurys have selected. I know, however, that Finland's entry will be a folk song called 'Työlki ellää' by duo Kuunkuiskaajat (in English 'You can also make living by working' by the Moon Whisperers). I am not sure if I like the song. It is a bit too similar with last year's winning song from Norway.

Google has developed a website for the real enthusiasts. It predicts this year's Eurovision winner based on number of Google searches.

And if you are really into Eurovision Song Contest, it is possible to watch it live next week here.

And those who can't get enough, despair not. Our Sound - the Asian version of Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the latter part of 2010.

Giuseppe Verdi: Un ballo in maschera

All photos from The Finnish National Opera / Heikki Tuuli

One of my favorite hobbies in Helsinki is going to the opera. This time I went to see a new version of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. The Finnish National Opera makes often fresh and interesting production of opera classics.

Un ballo in maschera was no exception to this. It was based on the Boston version of the opera, but it was put to happen in our time. Reality shows and ad hoc publicity were important themes. The staging was interesting, especially in the end of the third act where the masquerade takes place. The 1960's pop futuristic setup with the extravagant costumes was pure eye candy. The costumes were designed by a rising Finnish fashion designer duo Rinne Niinikoski. I enjoyed Verdi's music too with the big chorus scenes.

Ladies who lunch

One of the first Chinese words (see above) that I learned was 'tai tai' or '太太'. It is a nickname for a privileged lady does not have the burden of working. She can spend her days socializing and shopping, etc. There is not a single word describing these ladies in English, but something came up to mind. They could be called 'the ladies who lunch' like in the song below. It is from Stephen Sondheim's musical Company.

Guess which opera house?

Sydney Opera House, of course. I had to fly eight hours to see opera. It was an excellent, traditional version of Verdi's La Traviata. It is showing until late March 2010. Book here.

Calypso Cabaret ft. Wonder Girls

One of the many performers in Calypso Cabaret.

I spent last weekend in Bangkok. One of the highlights of the trip was Calypso Cabaret, a show mostly performed by shemales...so very Bangkok ;) The show was well made and entertaining. Most of the songs were Asian pop and one of the featured songs has been playing in my mind since. It is originally performed by a Korean girl band called Wonder Girls.

Rusalka

Photos by Finnish National Opera / Heikki Tuuli

My short visit to Finland was filled with culture. My trip started with a new interpretation of Swan Lake and it ended with the second performance of Rusalka. If I say I liked Swan Lake, I was overwhelmed by Rusalka.

I must admit I did not know much of Rusalka before I saw it. Still, it is one of the best operas I have ever seen at Finnish National Opera. Director Richard Jones is said to be one of the opera directors of his generation. It is easy to agree, so tense and visual he had made his Rusalka. Mr. Jones had divided Antonín Dvorak's famous opera in three sets: lake view, Czech gasthaus and final scene at a bordello. In every scene the often referred moon is hanging above the sets.

At the second night's performance Elisabet Strid was playing Rusalka and Mika Pohjonen the prince whom Rusalka falls in love with destructive consequenses. The lead couple was a bit unbalanced, but they both sung very well. I liked especially Ms. Strid's performance. In addition there were very good performers for Water Gnome (Gregory Frank) and Ježibaba (Maria Kettunen).

As a visualist I enjoyed the sets as much the music and singing. The sets were simple but eye catching, especially in the first and the last act. The first set was somewhat traditional although the was a diving board under the moon. The last act was set to happen at a bordello where blond girls were waiting their customers with devil-may-care looks. The whole act was a quite sad but it touched me the most.

Rusalka is not just an opera, it is a figure in Slavic mythology. If you would like to know more, click here.

Rusalka will be played at Finnish National Opera until January 19th 2010.

New Swan Lake

Picture by Antti Aimo-Koivisto, Lehtikuva

After a long SQ flight and a nice but rainy weekend in London, I am now in freezing cold Helsinki. My time here could not have started better. I went to see and feel a new version of the famous Swan Lake at Finnish National Ballet (FNB) today.

The performance was stunning. FNB's new Artistic director Kenneth Greve had made a modern interpretation of Ivanov's and Petipa's classic choreography. The lead dancers were great although the choreography seemed to be quite difficult for some male dancers. Tchaikovsky's music had gone through some modernization as well but it did not bother.

As a visual person I looked most critically the sets and the costumes. I was very impressed by the actual swan lake set. The lake was beautifully portrayed in a simple yet sophisticated and mysterious way. It was made using only lights and smoke. Costumes were great too, especially I liked von Rothbart's dark toned and a bit scary outfits. And his little helpers in black hoods - they were super cute!

There is only performance left this season, this Friday. Catch it if you can!

The Sailor song

Perfect Tuesday song from The Gadsdens.

Belle x 6

One song has been playing inside my head today. I do not know why. It is Belle, one of the best known songs from French musical Notre Dame de Paris. It tells a story about a gypsy girl and three very different men, who are in love with her. I have seen the Disney version in Finnish, but I would like to see this show on stage.

Here are six versions of Belle in six different languages. Which one you like the most? I think the French version is hard to beat, but I think the Russian version is very good too.

French version		English version
Spanish version		Italian version
Russian version		Korean version

Mon pays

Mon pays 23/11/09.

Twist in My Sobriety

Quite unexpectedly a song from the old archives of my mind popped up. It was Tanita Tikaram's Twist in My Sobriety. Of course I had to find the video from Youtube.

Twist in My Sobriety was a huge hit in Europe in the 80's. I liked the song back then and I still do. It has not lost its magic as years have gone by. Maybe the dark sound of the song appeals to my Finnish soul.

I have not heard much about Tanita since the 80's. I googled to see what had happened to her. She is turning 40 next month and is still in making music. Tanita has a website and even a blog. She also makes podcasts. I was a bit surprised to learn that her mother is Malaysian and father Indo-Fijian. By that she has a sort of a contact to my Singaporean life :)

Tropical shoes, part II

Another pair of my favorite shoes here in the Singaporean heat are these Dries van Noten brown slip on brogues. The design of the shoes is quite basic, but the perforated detailing and the colored straps add a perfect finishing touch. The shoes are also light weight and very comfy too.

The sound of my shoes:

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

People remember where they were when John F. Kennedy and Elvis died. I was then only a thought. But I will always remember where I was when Michael Jackson died. I was in Manila. Where were you?