#Stephen Costello

[muchadoabout]

Carmen at the Bavarian State Opera

Music Direction Daniele Rustioni* Producer Lina Wertmüller Carmen Aigul Akhmetshina Don José Stephen Costello Escamillo Erwin Schrott Micaëla Vuvu Mpofu | 30.09.2023

*The conductor was replaced by someone else whose name I didn't catch. He was flown in from London overnight to Munich to conduct this run.

Wertmüller's staging of Carmen was traditional and fuss-free. The first act opened with a scene at a town centre in Seville; the second act was at Lillas Pastia's tavern; the third act was set in a dark hideout with rocky mountains as the backdrop; and the last act was in Seville again with a prop depicting an amphitheatre.

There was one quick scene transition done very cleverly in the first act. When José escorted Carmen to the prison, the once brightly-lit town centre went dark. The stage light then subtly projected an illusion of prison bars, effectively shifting the Seguidilla duet into a captivating scene.

That was, however, the only time where the staging truly contributed to the narrative, giving something to write home about. Although the sets and the changing lighting hues were objectively beautiful at first, they gradually lost their charm over time. Therefore, much of the success of this production was at the hand of its performers and they certainly did not dissapoint.

Akhmetshina, who made Carmen her debut role at the Bavarian State Opera, sang the role with total conviction. Her melliflous mezzo and playfully seductive stage presence brought Carmen into a riveting character. My favourite moment of her Carmen was her rendition of Les tringles des sistres tintaient, especially when she ended up singing and dancing a little flamenco on the table. It was such a fun number that you wished would never end.

Her José was sung by Costello and it was a presentation of quality singing and acting. His Flower Song blossomed as he confessed his feelings for Carmen. The Don José character is never supposed to be a likable man, and Costello succeeded in interpreting the character as a genuine walking red flag for the women around him.

Schrott gave an impressive performance as Escamillo. He might be the most senior singer among this cast, but his voice still sounded fresh and vigourous. From his mannerism to his gait, he had the character down pat.

Overall, I was simply pleased that all the principal singers and the rest of the cast, including Mpofu as Micaëla, were in their prime condition that evening. They might have taken a while to warm up, but by the time of their respective big arias, everyone delivered.

The audience's reaction was somewhat more subdued compared to the Don Carlo performance I attended back in July. Perhaps they, like me, were expecting more from the production? Who knew.

[labrecha]

Kristine Opolais y Stephen Costello en la Gala de Ópera

#KristineOpolais y #StephenCostello en la Gala de Ópera del #DIFSaltillo

** Un éxito presentación del tenor Stephen Costello y la soprano letona Kristine Opolais. Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza / Com Soc / Diciembre 1 de 2024.- Cientos de saltillenses disfrutaron la noche de este sábado la Gala de Ópera con el tenor estadounidense Stephen Costello y la soprano letona Kristine Opolais, artistas reconocidos internacionalmente, que se presentaron a beneficio del…

[arcimboldisworld]

Messa da Requiem/Ballett Zürich - Oper Zürich 28.03.2024

Messa da Requiem/Ballett Zürich - Oper Zürich 28.03.2024

CHRISTIAN SPUCKs wundervolle Produktion “Messa da Requiem” von 2016 ist immer wieder – immer noch – ein bewegendes Erlebnis, hervorragend gealtert, zeitlos. Aktuell ist sie als Wiederaufnahme in hervorragender Besetzung im Opernhaus Zürich zu sehen… Continue reading Messa da Requiem/Ballett Zürich – Oper Zürich 28.03.2024

[oldschoolfrp]

Battle at the Ziggurat -- David Menehan's cover for Prime Directive: The Star Fleet Universe Role-Playing Game, by Task Force Games, designed by Timothy D Olsen and Mark Costello (1993).

Prime Directive obviously is a Star Trek RPG, but one that does not mention "Star Trek" by name. It was published under the same license as Star Fleet Battles, granted to Stephen V Cole's Amarillo Design Bureau in the late 1970s by Franz Joseph, creator of the 1975 Star Fleet Technical Manual.

Like Star Fleet Battles, Prime Directive is focused on military actions. Player characters are members of a Federation Prime Team, an elite special forces unit assigned to the most dangerous missions.

Prime Directive describes a United Federation of Planets, phasers, and Vulcans, but you won't find Kirk or the Enterprise in this book, even in its detailed Star Fleet Universe Timeline. For that you need Star Trek: The Role Playing Game by FASA (1982-89), based directly on the original series, animated series, and first movie.

From Prime Directive:

[doctorwhoisadhd]

jack harkness + hurt people by the garages

[k-wame]

RAIN DOGS 1.01 | It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City

[warhead]

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

During December I play Mom her favorite Christmas song but I can’t say the title for fear of my brother hearing it. That special song she depends on me to hear?

St. Stephen’s Day Murders

Yeah, I live in dread of the day my brother hears his name and pays just enough attention to assume it is a comment about him!

[nedison]

Like Licorice - The Coward Brothers (2024)

Any time they let David Mansfield loose on the fiddle on national television is gonna be a good time.

[velvet4510]

Apocalypse? Dark Phoenix? Never heard of them.

First Class and DOFP Rogue Cut are forever masterpieces.

YT song links for reference:

“Beauty and the Beast”

“Hello”

“If There Was a Man”

“It Might Be You”

“Just the Way You Are”

“The Most Beautiful Girl”

“Say You Say Me”

“She”

“Truly Madly Deeply”

“The Very Thought of You”

“When I Fall in Love”

“Yesterday”

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: The Coward Brothers - “Like Licorice” (Colbert)

The idea of an Elvis Costello/T Bone Burnett collaboration turns out to be more intriguing than an actual Elvis Costello/T Bone Burnett collaboration.

Performing “Like Licorice” - Costello rhymes it with ticklish - as the Coward Brothers on “the Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Costello and Burnett, backed with fiddle, double bass and steel and playing guitars, are lo-fi and amateurish. If it weren’t for their names, listeners might wonder how they landed on late-night television in the first place.

There’s a joke in here somewhere - the project is part of an Audible Original radio play - but it either doesn’t translate to the music or isn’t the slightest bit funny. Worse, “Like Licorice” is tough to take seriously.

Grade card: The Coward Brothers - “Like Licorice” (Colbert) - D-

11/21/24

[operafantomet]

Auction Scene / Old Raoul / Christine as a memory / End scene

Florin Ristei, Bucharest 2015 (auction scene)

Nadim Naaman, Thessaloniki 2023 (auction scene)

Carl Lindquist, Oslo 2019 (auction scene or Final Lair)

Nadim Naaman, Thessaloniki 2023 (auction scene)

Astrid Giske, Oslo 2019 (Masquerade)

Astrid Giske, Oslo 2019 (Final Lair)

Astrid Giske, Oslo 2019 (Final Lair)

Dougie Carter and Bridget Costello, Sofia 2024 (Final Lair)

(Directed by Stephen Barlow, design by Andrew Riley)

[hotvintagepoll]

god I’m sad stephen fry didn’t make the hot vintage cut. Any chance he’d be included in future polls? His Oscar Wilde portrayal 🥵

also in general noticed a lot of the same body type (an unfortunate bias within hollywood…). Do you know any fat hot vintage actors?

Stephen Fry was acting in the 90s-2000s so he would never have qualified for this tournament. We are polling on actors working in the 1910-1970 window of classic Hollywood, not actors who have portrayed vintage roles.

But that’s a good question on fat hot vintage men. Here are a few who fit the criteria for the bracket but were not submitted:

Buddy Hackett

Jackie Gleason

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle

Oliver Hardy

J. Scott Smart

Lou Costello

You could also look into Orson Welles and Peter Lorre, who were eliminated in round 1.

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica #333 - Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Get Happy!!, 1980

Quando, in una sera del 1976, gli venne l’idea di presentarsi con un nome d’arte omaggio alla sua nonna, pensava forse che sebbene volenteroso, il suo vero, Declan Patrick Aloysious McManus, sarebbe stato preso per uno scherzo. Quella sera si presenta come D.P. Costello, che cambierà nel definito Elvis Costello, come omaggio al Re del Rock’n’Roll. Occhialoni alla Buddy Holly, look che esibiva orgogliosamente il suo essere fuori moda, a metà degli anni ’70 Costello è un giovane arrabbiato che ha le carte in regole per dire la sua, in modo interessante, oltre il nichilismo furbetto del punk. Quando Nick Lowe, suo amico e collaboratore, gli trova un ingaggio per la Stiff Records, lui non essendo in totale fiducia decise di non abbandonare il proprio posto da operaio nella ditta di cosmetici Elizabeth Arden (a cui dedicherà una stupenda canzone, I’m Not Angry). In effetti non erano tempi da cantautori, ma bastano i primi guizzi di My Aim Is True (1977) per sgombrare il campo: l’offensiva antifascista di Less Than Zero unite a doti melodiche di alto livello (la mitica Alison, suo pezzo culto) presentano al pubblico un nuovo modo di raccontare musicalmente i tempi. La seconda prova è ancora meglio: This Year’s Model (1978) lo vede insieme ai The Attractions, il gruppo di Stevie Nieve (alle tastiere) e Bruce Thomas (basso) e Pete Thomas (batteria, i due non erano parenti), e in un disco multiforme, dai testi lunghissimi, sciorina la sua bravura in canzoni stupende come I Dont’ Want To Go To Chelsea, Pump It Up (altro inno di quegli anni), Little Triggers e Night Rally. È richiestissimo e parte per Tour in Europa e Stati Uniti. Nelle pause delle date, scrive sull’onda dell’entusiasmo altre canzoni, che compongono il terzo disco in tre anni, Armed Forces (1979): segnato dallo stress e dai primi, evidenti eccessi di vita, è un disco ansiogeno e un po’ frettoloso, che alle belle e ormai garantite belle canzoni aggiunge riempitivi. Sarebbe tutto normale, ma le cose stanno prendendo una brutta piega: le dipendenze da alcool e droga lo rendono nervoso e aggressivo e durante il tour americano, a Columbus, in Ohio, si incontrò con Stephen Stills nel bar dell’Holyday Inn. Qui in preda a deliri alcolici sbiascica pesantissimi insulti razzisti a James Brown e Ray Charles, litiga fino alle mani con la cantante Bonnie Bramlett (che era diventata famosa nel duo con il marito Delaney & Bonnie) e vede in un attimo disintegrarsi la sua reputazione negli Stati Uniti. Ci furono ulteriori polemiche poiché la vicenda fu quasi semi oscurata dai giornali britannici. Le successive scuse in una goffa conferenza stampa non servirono a nulla. Torna in patria e nel 1979 produce il primo, storico, album degli Specials, fa l’attore in Americathon (semisconosciuto film di Neil Israel, dove Costello si esibisce cantando Crawling In the USA). Durante la produzione del disco degli Specials, scrive e suona da solo tutti gli strumenti per del nuovo materiale nei piccoli studi di registrazione Archipelago (scritto così) di Pimlico, nei sobborghi londinesi. Costello ha la necessità di dare un taglio al suono precedente e per il nuovo si ispira alla musica afroamericana degli anni ’60, allo ska, e ha tantissime cose da dire.

Get Happy!! (che esce nel 1980) prende il titolo dalla canzone omonima composta da Harold Arlen, con i testi scritti da Ted Koehler, negli anni ’30 del ‘900, che riprendeva un testo di tipo evangelico. Fu portata al successo da Judy Garland e negli anni è divenuto uno standard per centinaia di artisti. Registrato tra Londra e i Paesi Bassi, a Hilversum, prodotto da Nick Lowe e Roger Béchirian, è un disco-mondo dove Costello mette 20 brani, molti dei quali brevissimi, meno di 2 minuti. È una prova di amore per quella musica, e anche di liberazione in un certo senso (nonostante anche durante le sessioni perdureranno i problemi con alcool e droghe). Ci sono due cover: I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down di Sam & Dave e I Stand Accused dei Merseybeats come omaggio al mai abbandonato amore per il suono di Liverpool. Per il resto, l’enormità (per l’epoca dove esistevano solo i vinili) dei 18 pezzi rimanenti passano dagli omaggi fin troppo sfacciati (Temptation è in pratica la Time Is Tight di Booker T & The MG’s con un testo diverso),a canzoni stupende come Love Me Tender (che apriva il disco), Possession, King Horse fino ai capolavori come New Amsterdam elegia sulla selvaggia New York, High Fidelity, doloroso e drammatico affresco sulle delusioni dell’amore e Riot Act, canzone scritta sui fatti di Columbus. L’omaggio alla musica r’n’b è evidente nella copertina: dalla grafica e dai colori cari alla Stax di Memphis, vedeva tre foto identiche di Costello sfalsate in colori acidi, e aveva una particolarità: l’effetto vissuto del cerchio bianco proprio al centro, a imitare il consumo dell’uso eccessivo. Tra l’altro le prime edizioni avevano la scaletta scritta al contrario, con Riot Act primo brano e Love Me Tender ultima, e valgono di più nel mercato dei collezionisti.

Il disco all’epoca fu accolto con grande favore dalla critica e dal pubblico: numero 2 in Gran Bretagna e un sorprendente numero 11 negli Stati Uniti. Negli anni il disco ha guadagnato ancora più favori, sottolineando la scelta niente affatto facile di Costello di distaccarsi sempre con intelligenza dai generi imperanti per la ricerca di una via personale alla sua necessità di musica. Scriverà un altro disco capolavoro, Imperial Bedroom (1982) che è una grande prova di pop d’autore, che aprirà le porte ad una nuova trasformazione verso un colto, raffinato, ma un po’ meno eccitante, modello di voce-pianoforte che diventerà il modulo classico della maturità costelliana. Ne ha fatta di strada in decenni quel tipo con gli occhialoni che prese in prestito dalla nonna il suo nome d’arte per la celebrità.

[1966jpg]

Critical Theory Recommended Reading List:

Principles of Communism (Friedrich Engels)

Wage-Labour and Capital Value, Price and Profit (Karl Marx)

Das Kapital (Karl Marx)

The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx)

On Practice & On Contradiction (Mao Zedong)

The Motorcycle Diaries (Che Guevara)

Latin America Diaries (Che Guevara)

Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War (Che Guevara)

Guerilla Warfare (Che Guevara)

Che (Jon Lee Anderson)

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Friedrich Engels)

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Friedrich Engels)

Orientalism (Edward W. Said)

The Unwomanly Face of War (Svetlana Alexievich)

The Wretched of The Earth (Frantz Fanon)

A Dying Colonialism (Frantz Fanon)

Black Skin White Masks (Frantz Fanon)

Inglorious Empire (Shashi Tharoor)

Remembering Che (Aleida March)

Against Empire (Michael Parenti)

Blackshirts & Reds (Michael Parenti)

Revolutionary Suicide (Huey P. Newton)

Confessions of an Economic Hitman (John Perkins)

The Mismeasure of Man (Stephen Jay Gould)

The State and the Revolution (V.I. Lenin)

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (V.I. Lenin)

Imperialism in The 21st Century (V.I. Lenin)

Liberalism A Counter History (Domenico Losurdo)

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism (Ha-Joon Chang)

October (China Miéville)

Kill Anything That Moves (Nick Turse)

Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany (Norman Ohler)

Late Victorian Holocausts (Mike Davis)

Ten Myths About Israel (Ilan Pappe)

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (Walter Rooney)

Reform or Revolution (Rosa Luxemburg)

Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat (J. Sakai)

Killing Hope (William Blum)

Unequal Exchange and the Prospects of Socialism (Arghiri Emmanuel)

Unequal Exchange: A Study of Imperialism and Trade (Arghiri Emmanuel)

The Wealth of Some Nations (Zak Cope)

Divided World Divided Class (Zak Cope)

The Law of Worldwide Value (Samir Amin)

Unequal Development (Samir Amin)

An Economic History of the U.S.S.R (Alec Nove)

Human Rights in the Soviet Union (Albert Szymanski)

Is the Red Flag Flying? (Albert Szymanski)

Soviet Democracy (Pat Sloan)

The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia: The Socialist Offensive (R.W. Davies)

Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation (Sidney and Beatrice Webb)

Socialism in the Soviet Union (Jonathan Aurthur)

The Soviet Form of Popular Government (The U.S.S.R Academy of Sciences)

Workers Participation in the Soviet Union (Mick Costello)

The Great Conspiracy (Michael Sayers and Albert E. Kahn)

The Soviets and Ourselves: Two Commonwealths (K.E. Holme)

The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq (Hanna Baratu)

South Yemen A Marxist Republic in Arabia (Robert W. Stookey)

The Arab Left (Tareq Y. Ismael)

Post-Marxism and The Middle East (Feleh A. Jabar)

The Unmaking of Arab Socialism (Ali Kodri)

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (Rashid Khalidi)

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Ilan Pape)

A Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine (The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine)

Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky)

Blood in My Eye (George Jackson)

Why You Should Be a Trade Unionist (Len McCluskey)

The Pitfalls of Liberalism (Kwame Ture)

[winterspiderpurrs]

Christmas bonus scene for @professional-benaddict and mine collaboration HeadHunted (link below)

Merry Christmas Rafni!

**********************************************************

Giggling could be heard from the main living room of the manor. It overshadowed the argument going on in the background.

Peter was sitting in front of the fireplace, his cell phone out, as he recorded his newest presents. Who knew what fun it would be to be a third in a marriage. Outside of the whole kidnapping being shot at and all the things being with a mob boss entailed.

Currently, in front of Peter was the non communication present of the husbands trying to ensure Peter had the best first Christmas with them. And them trying to compete with each other.

A large great dane puppy that Tony got him was currently playing with the new kitten that Stephen had gotten him.

Peter was too busy gushing over the newest additions to the family he was tuning out Stephen and Tony, being annoyed with each other by what the other bought

" We already have 2 big dogs, a kitty is perfect and small"

" Yes 2 dogs what is one more? He passed his training, that cat isn't trained"

" Guys, I love them both. Now come sit so I can get a picture of all of us!"

Peter arranged everyone on the couch, his camera sitting on the mantle as he got them ready to pose. Stephen and Tony on either side of Peter in the middle, Diablo the doberman beside Stephen, Rogue the other dobie next to Tony. On the floor in all of their laps was newly named Pixie, the great dane puppy, and the kitten called Costello.

The flash of the camera catching a glint of jewelry around each of the mens neck. Peter was nervous about what to get his partners. He wanted to give them something that showed how much he loved and appreciated them, allowing him to join them. Not like he really had a say, as they wanted him first. But something to remind them and himself that they were together.

So he had custom made jewelry designed for them. They each had the same style of necklace, Tony's in gold, Stephen's in white gold and Peter's in rose gold. They each had a small rectangular pendant, and on the sides were engraving.

Tony's had Peter's and Stephen's names and the dates of when Peter just met him and then the wedding date of Tony and Stephen's.

Stephen's had the first date of meeting Peter with his name and his wedding date with Tony.

Peter's had both of their names and the date of when he met Stephen and when Peter came to work at Tony's nurse.

Peter actually gave them the gifts early on Christmas Eve. He was too nervous and after dinner that night, when they went to cuddle up together in bed he gave them the gifts then. He knew he made the right decision when he saw the look in their eyes as he put his own necklace on that had their names engraved.

Then, they spent the rest of Christmas Eve in bed with each other. Reminding each other how much they love each other and in Peter's case, how much these two men own him in every possible way.

Have a Merry Christmas, and I wish you the best for the New Year!