#aria mikado

[hello-vampire-kitty]

Servamp April Fools' event

Tanaka Strike reposted the event from 2023 that was about voting for characters' abilities/techniques. The first time I didn't look into the the event and I was surprised to see that among the abilities that were listed, there were a few that were revealed later in the manga,  for example Kuro's Wiedergänger (Ashes to ashes, dust to dust) that appeared in chapter 133.

In March 2023, chapter 128 was published, so it was 5 chapters later when the name of the ability was introduced in the story.

For the event, some characters have abilities that were marked as “lies” because they didn't appear in the manga however, Kuro’s ability was marked as a lie but that was actually true after all!

So yeah, Tanaka-sensei was playing with us. xD Abilities have two readings and you'll see that some of them either have one reading which is different or they some readings were assigned to other characters.

Mahiru: “Why is truth and falsehoods mixed in? Only the actual abilities should be voted!

Kuro: “Mahiru…In this world, you can’t survive on truth alone...

Kuro offering words of wisdom xD The abilities that were marked as "lies" have conversations or comments from characters which I translated.

Note: I listed the abilities based on the characters' names in alphabetical order.

GEAR

Mister Violence (Antique clock of night trick)

This is a reference to “Gear of Night Trick” on TanakaBox and that’s why I worded the translation like this. The clock referenced here must be Hlidskjalf. I wrote about it here when I posted chapter 96.

Youtarou: It's not an ability, it's just brute strength, isn't it?

Gear: I'm a wolf so I have no choice. It's a world that's tough to live in for someone like me.

Youtarou: Honestly! You always act like a wolf at times like this!

HYDE

Cute aggression (The Taming Of The Shrew).

Hyde: This is the most powerful ultimate technique that charms everyone! Kyui!

J-just joking...I don't have a technique like that... I'm s-sorry...I said I'm sorry...

JEJE

Mary Magdalene (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring)

In chapter 125 when Jeje was given his name by Mikuni, his contract item was the winding key from the music box that Kiriko gave to Mikuni and I read that fans discovered that the song it was playing was "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"

Jeje: This technique isn't... It's a lie...

KURO

Wiedergänger (Ashes to ashes, dust to dust)

Mahiru: Hey! If you're gonna lie, you should make it sound like it's… obviously a joke, or it'll just confuse people.

Kuro: Yeah...I don't really have a cool technique name. I'm just a humble cat...

LILY

Turandot (None shall sleep) Like I mentioned in the beginning, this is one ability that was given a different reading. The actual one is "The king is absent today as well." "None shall sleep " (Nessun dorma) is an aria from the final act of Turandot.

Mahiru: You had a technique like that?

Lily: Fufufu...Well… you could say it exists, or you could say it doesn't. Reality is such an uncertain thing. You should also be careful.

MISONO

Bridge falling down (The king is absent today as well)

So yeah, it's Misono and Lily that had their ability names switched and were also given different readings. The different reading is most likely a reference to the nursery rhyme "London Bridge Is Falling Down". And we don't have Misono, we have Mikado who comments about the ability xD

Mikado: Didn't Misono have a powerful technique like that?! Did you make it sound like it existed, Dodo?! Dodo: I included it as an option. Mikado: Nice work! Just for today, even a lie is permitted. I can’t believe Misono had only one technique, and it was from ten years ago (in real time)…As a parent I must do behind-the-scenes... Dodo: Young master is already in high-school...It's about time you... Mikado: This is a parent's duty! Should I add another one?!

SAKUYA

I will die yesterday by your side (Five-minute hypothesis theory)

Sakuya used this ability in chapter 139, however in the manga it says five "seconds" not minutes. The first reading sounds weird...Like, I haven't found a reference for it. "To die" is in the present tense even though it says "yesterday", so yeah, it's weird. I expected that it would be the name of a novel but I haven't found anything, so if some of you might have an idea about it, let me know!

Sakuya: I used this ability in the fight against Mahiru, didn’t I? It was such an emotional technique where I self-destructed to protect him. Tsubaki: Have you actually been reading Servamp??

TOUMA

The Beast of Gévaudan (The beast that crawls in a windowless room) (note, for the first part it's actually in French, La bête du Gévaudan)

Touma: What’s the deal with finishing moves? Aren’t you too old for this?

Iori: You're the one that has the most of them though....

Tooru: Shh!

TSUBAKI

Mahoroba (Under the moonlit night, rain and carnage)

Mahoroba isn't something that can be translated. It's a term that refers to an idyllic or perfect place, often associated with paradise or a beautiful land. The dictionary defines it as "great and splendid land (of Yamato)"

The other name of the ability is the title of chapter 84, which I initially translated as "On a moonlit night, rain and bloodshed"

Tsubaki: I don't recall mentioning such a technique name, but it seems okay as it is.

Ultimate Super Wars (Super Ultimate Form-Tsubaki-)

Tsubaki had another ability and when I googled アルティメットスーパーウォーズ a novel, I assume, showed up but I couldn't find much about it. Based on the cover of the book, I thought it was adapted based on a videogame but I didn't find a game with that title, so yeah, the name of the ability might not be related to it. Regarding these kanji 津薔鬼, they spell Tsubaki.

Tsubaki: Are there people who actually call me by such uncool name?

Get ready for an awesome technique in the next issue! Or perhaps the one after that.

YUMIKAGE

Valkyrie Brunhilde (Swan Lake)

Yumikage: This is actually my brother's...But I have many cool name ideas for my own abilities.

[kyle-steen]

Aria Mikado piece!

Fun little piece I did for a very cool Vtuber friend of mine!

[yuzu-adagio]

my issue with stuff like Monster Hunter or this Exoprimal Dinosaur Cull thing I'm watching Aria Mikado play is, I kinda just wanna be friends with the big monsters/dinos/whatever we're wiping out

[melodiaemfrp]

Hello, Attuned! Thank you for participating in Melodiae’s tenth Activity Check! Listed here are characters that did not pass the check (Five (5) days of activity in-server) for the period from Tuesday January 8th to Sunday, March 12th.

If you believe your muse(s) are listed here by mistake, you may reach out to the Masterlist on or before Friday, March 17th. All characters that do not have activity accounted for by 11:59 PM EST on this date will be removed from the server by the next inbox run (Saturday, March 18th).

If you did not pass the check, you also have until Friday, March 17th to reapp your muse(s) by sending an ask to the Masterlist indicating your intent to reapp the character. You DO NOT have to resubmit the whole application; simply provide your name, the character’s name & series, your OOC contact, and the date in an ask. Muses marked with an asterisk (*) have failed two consecutive checks, and are ineligible to be reapped this way unless they are an OC. These muses must wait one full week, and may resubmit their entire application on or after Friday, March 24th.

Muses that are not reapped by 11:59pm EST on Friday, March 17th will be removed from the server by our inbox run on Saturday, March 18th.

Thank you for your continued interest in Melodiae!

- The Melodiae Team

ACE ATTORNEY

THE GREAT ACE ATTORNEY

Kazuma Asougi (Kyuu)

ARKNIGHTS

Amiya (Mikey)

Elysium (Hika)

Ifrit (Spica)

Specter (Owl)

Thorns (Rosel)

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS

Yukichi Fukuzawa (Rosel)

CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD

Aichi Sendou (Isu)

COUNTDOWN TO COUNTDOWN

Lillium White (Myco)

Iris Black (Kendal)*

CRITICAL ROLE

Mollymauk Tealeaf (Myco)

DETECTIVE CONAN / MAGIC KAITO 1412

Heiji Hattori (Kyuu)

DEVIL SURVIVOR 2

Hibiki Kuze (Lucien)

DRAGONFABLE

Tomix Danao (Birb)

DUEL MASTERS

Gap (Dani)

DURARARA!!

Celty Sturluson (Ashely)

Shinra Kishitani (Gabby)

Mikado Ryuugamine (Gabby)

ENSEMBLE STARS!

Arashi Narukami (Aster)

Eichi Tenshouin (Alice)

Mayoi Ayase (Billie)

Rinne Amagi (Tech)

FINAL FANTASY

VII

Cloud Strife (Aria)

XIV

A'ciel Solesc (WOL GNB) (Mikey)

Lahabrea (Corvo)

Moren (Vitya)

Tacita oen Ignatius (Xeno)

Zero (Myco)

XV

Ignis Scientia (Cyan)

FIRE EMBLEM

GENEALOGY OF THE HOLY WAR

Seliph Baldos Chalphy (Emil)

NEW MYSTERY OF THE EMBLEM

Marth Lowell (Lucien)

AWAKENING

Inigo (Isu)

Tiki (Mikey)

FATES

Eponine (Nina) (Alice)

Joker (Corvo)

Leo (Myco)

THREE HOUSES

Ashe Ubert (Satsujin)

ENGAGE

Alear (F) (Mikey)

FROMARGONAVIS

Haruka Nijo (Isu)

GENSHIN IMPACT

Scaramouche (Noct)

Venti (Barbatos) (Noct)*

GOD OF WAR

Kratos (Stan)

INAZUMA ELEVEN

GO! CHRONO STONE

Fei Rune (Lottie/Vivi)

JUJUTSU KAISEN

Mahito (Spica)

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

PART 5

Bruno Buccellati (Cyan)

PART 6

Ermes Costello (Cyan)

KAMEN RIDER

FAIZ

Inui Takumi (Rosemary)

FOURZE

Gentaro Kisaragi (Ami)

Ryusei Sakuta (Jet)

DRIVE

Heart (Dani)

GEATS

Ukiyo Ace (Ruki)

MAGIA RECORD

Sana Futaba (Cue/Queen)

MISSION: YOZAKURA FAMILY

Yozakura Mutsumi (Ruki)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Christina Jules (Isu)

Marie/”Kamui”) (Bambie)

Nikon "Niko" Mstislav Alkaev (Sitri)*

Rovaniemi, Lapland (KB)

The Calid Saint (KB)

PANDORA HEARTS

Alice Baskerville (Ruki)

PERSONA

4

Naoto Shirogane (Lune)

Yu Narukami (Owl)

PROJECT MOON WORKS

LIBRARY OF RUINA

Angela (Freya)*

Angelica (Freya)*

PROJECT SEKAI

Hatsune Miku (Mikey)

Mafuyu Asahina (Vitya)

PROMISE OF WIZARD

Bradley Bain (Sitri)*

Mithra (Corvo)

Murr Hart (Laur)

REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA

Anthy Himemiya (Cecil)*

RWBY

Albireo Cross (Jun)

SIGNALIS

Elster (Cyan)*

SK8 THE INFINITY

Reki Kyan (Lune)

THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Annabelle Cane (Myco)

Gerard Keay (Kendal)*

Michael (Myco)

TOONTOWN

Brian (The Prethinker) (Eddie)

Graham Ness Payser (Caspian)

TOUKEN RANBU

Higekiri (Nils)

Mikazuki Munechika (Laila)

TWISTED WONDERLAND

Azul Ashengrotto (Aria)

Leona Kingscholar (Aster)

Silver (Jin2)

UNIKITTY!

Master Frown (Rascal)

XENOBLADE

Noah (Delta)

ZENO

Aki Maeno (Krypto)

[lostsummerdayz]

Lost Summer Sunbeams #2: Player Spotlight - Aria Mikado

By Nay Holland

Hello hello! Here we are, once again, back to another episode of Sunbeams! In case you missed the first chapter, where I covered the achievements of Mr. Deezee Kujaku, please check it out!

Our second spotlight this week will focus on an esteemed player and contributor within the FGC in her own right. Coming fresh from an ambitious project that brought a portion of the community together for a combo video, here’s our Sunbeams player spotlight, Aria Mikado!

If you hadn’t already seen this awesome video, please check it out below!

This was a community combo video project that brought over twenty different contributors over the span of thirty games, nearing to the total of a hundred different combos! This thirty-minute ode to fighting games can be seen as a love letter not just to the FGC, but to all various types of fighting games as a whole. If there was a fighting game, both known and obscure, that you could think of, chances are, it was featured.

Due to how large this project was, the end result was a clean presentation with almost professional-like quality. When I asked her if she made something like this before, she had this to say.

AM: Basically a friend of mine and I were fans of the old school combo vids done in a similar manner. They kind of fell off over time, and we kinda felt like they needed to be a thing again. We like the concept of people pushing their creativity. We like seeing the skill on display. We like seeing people bring up games that didn't really get a lot of time to shine and showing off what they're about so people can maybe get interest in them.

Having a friend push you to do your best and vice versa is one of the best qualities anyone can have, especially in the community. Then came the inevitable question. How long has Aria been invested into fighting games? 

AM: I've been playing fighting games since I was really young. The earliest one I can actively remember, like most, is Street Fighter II. I played a variety of them, though, as years went on, and I just found myself more fascinated with what was possible in those games as opposed to JUST trying to figure out how efficiently I could bat someone around, though in some ways, they go hand-in-hand. Eventually, I just wanted to take the things I could learn to try to teach people things, or at the least, to try to show people something cool, if possible.

Exploring “what’s possible” within said games is the cornerstone for new strategies being formed. This isn’t evident not just in fighting games when you “lab” in practice mode, but in other gaming communities as well. How does this tie into bringing people from various corners of the community onto the project? 

AM: My aim with the community combo video is always to bring people from different walks of life, at differing skill levels, together to give people a chance to show what they think is cool. For a lot of people I've talked to, there's a layer of intimidation when it comes to the concept of putting themselves out there, whether it's making tutorials or exhibition videos of any sort. My HOPE for the community CMVs is that they get to express themselves alongside others, and for them to be able to say "I was part of something cool."

AM: We also want to be able to show our love for the FGC. Fighting games have a deep history, more than what's covered by just the games you see on the main tournament stages. The community CMVs usually bring a decent bit of variety, so people get to see games they may not have even known about.

And what about being a content creator?

AM: I think there's a good deal of importance to it, honestly. Whether you're an avid content creator or a steady tournament player, supporting the scenes for the games you love is important for keeping those games, and in turn, the FGC itself, strong. There's also the factor of sharing information. I'd like to think that everyone in the FGC has their place. Content creators that make exhibition and tutorial vids can often dig out things very quickly that even some of the best players can overlook, so circulating that kind of information can be crucial to the growth of a game.

Don’t just simply mistake her as someone who exclusively theory crafts and create cool videos for the masses. She’s also naturally a fighter and a competitor herself!

AM: The first tournament I actually went to offline is Gwinnett Brawl, in Georgia. Pretty fun tourney experience, all things considered. It was a good starting point for someone like me that has severe anxiety issues, since it was an overall smaller venue. Personal hurdles aside, though, I've attended other locals, multiple Final Round tournies, and EVO, back in 2016. All fun experiences, and I got to meet friends I've known online for years, so massive bonus there.

AM: Just getting to see how I stacked up against others in games I loved playing was interesting, with EVO being the most prominent for me. Tied for 16th in the Nitroplus Blasterz side tourney that year, knocked into losers by one of my best friends, so I can't complain about that but so much. Definitely prefer being a content creator, though. I love to teach things when and where I can, and hope to help others progress if I can.

While at the time of writing, the thrill of competition has been placed on the backburner for Aria, the passion for fighting games hadn’t wavered. Perhaps a huge part of her identity is the voice she provides to others who are like her. An inclusive voice that the FGC has always been in need of.

As someone who is LGBT and isn’t afraid to identify with who she is as an individual, Aria represents the many members of the FGC who fights for inclusiveness.

I asked her what advice she could give to someone who is in the FGC that may find it difficult to come out and embrace their identity and individuality. I also asked about the current state of the FGC with its inclusion and representation of LGBT players.

AM: I think the representation of trans and non-binary players is integral to the overall growth of the FGC. Being accepting of LGBTQ+ players as a whole is important for ANY community, but the FGC in particular has seen its share of toxicity, both in a general sense, and in regards to bigotry within the community. As we've seen, though, the FGC is also capable of some truly amazing things when we come together, so players being supportive one another, regardless of orientation, is paramount to bringing more people in the community together. 

AM: As far as LGBTQ+ people who are hesitant to embrace who they are within the FGC, it's a tough road to walk in general, so it's understandable. Coming from someone who's been through troubles herself with coming out as trans to my family, It's all the more important that you accept and represent who you are, not only for yourself, but because your courage in doing so might in turn give others the boost THEY need to move forward and accept themselves. We have to support and care for one another. The FGC can be awesome for EVERYONE, and we can, and should show that.

A powerful answer from an equally powerful person. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re a high level competitor or a “casual” player. If you prefer to provide content via streaming or YouTube videos. Even if you’re writing about players and the FGC in general via articles! It doesn’t matter if you’re cis or LGBTQ+. 

Everyone who is a part of the FGC is all under one roof, one community. Watching her community combo video and seeing all of us, myself and my friends included, contribute. All of us from various backgrounds, various disciplines, and various histories. We can all come together to create something beautiful if we all put our heads together.

As far as Aria goes, expect a lot of things planned from her this year! Including a new super top secret YT channel! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions once again!

Check her out on these platforms! Twitter Youtube

[gakkou-sabisu-ni-iru-official]

SCHOOL SERVICE!! Gakkou Sabisu Ni Iru - SHIRO AND ARIA ARE HERE!!

WITH THE NEW PAGE COMES THE PROPER INTRODUCTION OF THE REST OF OUR KEY CHARACTERS! 

Shiroyami Takashi and Mikado Aria have finally arrived!

here’s a sneak peek!

Come see what they’re talking about!!

Patreon Tapas Webtoon 

(as always Patreon patrons are 3 PAGES AHEAD! If you can’t wait until the next page and have a dollar to give, come pledge!) 

[supercantaloupe]

sleepover saturday ask...2! hi its me again :) question, what is savoy opera/operetta? how are they different from opera? this is not a question but im listening through your list rn (chorus of maidens was wonderful and i love it. am currently in près des remparts de séville, specifically elina garanca from the metropolitan opera, and i am obsessed with her) and like 👉👈 if u have any more songs recs that include savoy opera/operetta/musical theatery ones 👀 i wouldn't say no 👉👈

omg yes!! i liked elina garanca a lot in the met's production of la cenerentola :)

so operetta (or light opera/comic opera/opera buffa) (teeechnically all different things but Close Enough, this is not a music history class LOL) is a style of opera/musical drama that is generally both shorter and more lighthearted/comedic than "normal" opera (opera seria, grand opera, etc...). some operetta include spoken dialogue as well as/in place of sung dialogue in the form of recitative, whereas most Opera opera tend to be sung through (but not always...."opera" is kind of a broad term).

"savoy" opera specifically refers to the works of gilbert and sullivan, a british writer-composer duo who penned several famous english language operettas in the late 19th century. these include pirates of penzance, hms pinafore, trial by jury, the mikado...etc etc. they have dialogue scenes, solo arias, and choruses; the plots all usually revolve around some misunderstanding or seemingly contrived conundrum, which is completely and comically resolved by the end; they also very frequently concern matters of love. they actually resemble musicals in a lot of ways (especially the classic/golden age musicals of the mid 20th century), and the popularity of g&s shows and other operettas had a direct influence on the development of american musical theater! (not surprising when you consider how popular some shows like pirates are among musical theater troupes!)

it's hard for me to pick Just A Couple favorites from the g&s catalogue since i'm just a huge fan of their writing style in general, but i think hms pinafore is a great show of theirs to start with! and a couple of my favorite tunes from other shows are Here's a how de do and See how the fates from the mikado, With a sense of deep emotion from trial by jury, So go to him and say to him from patience, and In a contemplative fashion from the gondoliers!

[ask meme]

[gakkou-sabisu-ni-iru-manga]

SCHOOL SERVICE!! Gakkou Sabisu Ni Iru - Ch. 1 Page 15 - Assembly Required

The word catches like fire, spreading through the school that the website won't be easily fixed anytime soon. Still, it's too early to call this battle lost, and the generals are assembling!

ALSO INTRODUCiNG -- From our Tumblr Original Character Applications Erima Chi (Cheria) and Chen Ito! Our School Council members!

Become a patron on our Patreon or support us on our Tapas Page!! Those who do will get quicker access to the pages! Patrons get neat surprises and fun rewards!!

See you next Friday!

Previous Pages / 1-3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / x

[carpe-mamilia]

The Ghosts as Gilbert & Sullivan songs

Sometimes a girl likes to be self-indulgent. Strap in.

Thomas:

"In a doleful train, two by two we walk all day,

For we love in vain, none so sorrowful as they

Who can only sigh and say:

"Woe is me, alack a day..."" (Patience)

There is literally no upper limit to how dramatically people weep and sigh during this song. Also I imagine Thomas would love Patience and identify himself, very wrongly, with Grosvenor.

Kitty: 'Oh Happy Young Heart', The Sorcerer. Less because of the content and more for being the most upbeat and sweetly naive of all the G&S soprano arias, and in an operetta Kitty would 100% be a soprano

Captain: 'I am the Captain of the Pinafore', HMS Pinafore. I really, really enjoy the image of him singing "I do my best to satisfy you all" and the sailors chorusing "And with you we're quite content", but as @rhymneybelle pointed out to me he also suits this piece from The Sorcerer:

"The air is charged with amatory numbers,

Soft madrigals and dreamy lovers' lays,

Peace, peace old heart, why waken from its slumbers,

The aching memory of the old, old days?"

Lady Button: this bop from The Mikado:

"There is beauty in extreme old age —

Do you fancy you are elderly enough?

Information I'm requesting

On a subject interesting:

Is a maiden all the better when she's tough?"

"Throughout this wide dominion

It's the general opinion

That she'll last a good deal longer when she's tough!"

I also see a lot of Lady Sangazure from The Sorcerer in Fanny, being another posh repressed horndog.

Julian: 'When Britain Really Ruled the Waves', Iolanthe, or this bit from the Act 1 Finale:

"I heard the minx remark,

She'd meet him after dark,

Inside St. James's Park,

And give him one!"

Mary: "Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, his leisure and his riches

He ruthlessly employed in persecuting witches." (Ruddigore)

Pat: 'Oh a Private Buffoon is a Lighthearted Loon', The Yeomen of the Guard:

"Though your wife ran away with a soldier that day,

And took with her your trifle of money;

Bless your heart, they don't mind —

They're exceedingly kind —

They don't blame you — as long as you're funny!"

Robin: "WITH CAT-LIKE TREAD, UPON OUR PREY WE STEAL

IN SILENCE DREAD, OUR CAUTIOUS WAY WE FEEL,

NO SOUND AT ALL!! WE BARELY SPEAK A WORD!!!

A FLY'S FOOTFALL WOULD BE DISTINCTLY HEARD!" (The Pirates of Penzance. Watch the video, seriously)

Humphrey: 'Alone and Yet Alive', The Mikado :( Or possibly 'Is Life a Boon?' from The Yeomen of the Guard since he's pretty chill

Plague ghosts: 'Happy are we in our Loving Frivolity', The Sorcerer. It's a goddamn creepy song in context but they're having fun

And of course, when all the ghosts are trying their hand at haunting, they're 'When the Night Wind Howls', Ruddigore:

"When the footpads quail at the night-bird's wail, and black dogs bay at the moon,

Then is the spectres' holiday – then is the ghosts' high-noon!"

[sullivansgilbert]

Reaching out across Tumblr to all my G&S fans, @carpe-mamilia and I just got back from Harrogate from this year’s G&S Festival, and I have some thoughts about the shows which I think I just needed to get down.

Also, bonus shoutout to @carlodivarga-s​ for being an all-round charming presence and delightful surprise in Harrogate this year!

OK. Here goes.

Princess Ida (Savoynet)

As Stephen Turnbull (he of Harrogate ramblings on Facebook) mentioned, this is a production that could have only worked at the festival. With the two kings portrayed as Gilbert and Sullivan themselves, and the rest of the company (with the exception of Ida herself) costumed as choruses from the rest of the G&S universe.

I know that Ida is written in 3 acts, but to have two 15 minute intervals is a strange experience. Especially as the curtain came down on the Act I at 8:15, it felt as though we were only about getting started and we were all back out our seats and into the bar. When I saw Ida done in Southampton earlier this year, they split Act II in half and placed a single interval more squarely in the middle, and I didn’t think that the pacing or structure suffered as much as it perhaps could have done then.

My greatest issue with Ida is that.. it’s not a very interesting story? And certainly not a very good ending. It feels as though Sullivan far outshines Gilbert. Some of the plot points, too, feel very, well, seen-before? Most noticeably, the male trio dressing up in silly costumes and singing witty songs about it? Done in Patience (and much better, I should add!). That said, Ida definitely has some standout solos, in particular Gama’s two patter songs (’I’m such a disagreeable man’ and ‘Nothing whatever to grumble at’), and Death to the Invaders! is such a TUNE at the top of Act III, though I actually preferred it in Southampton, just as there was more drama and sense of impending peril.

The ending of the whole thing is pretty crap though. Here’s Ida, a feminist ICON who shuns men and rules a chorus of strong academic ambitious women who look down on men, and yet she sort of just limps across the finish line like, oh yeah, I guess I’ll just love you and marry a man and I was wrong about all my studies and thoughts of independence. Ugh.

Y’know what I want to happen to Ida? I want her to shun all the men and grow old, independent, and married to a woman. Princess Ida: a queer legend.

Trial by Jury & The Zoo (LOpSoc)

I can’t say too much about the productions because it was my old university group and I’m sure I can’t write without any bias, so I’ll focus on the shows. 

Trial by Jury was my first real show as Musical Director so it’ll always have a spot in my heart, especially having studied law at university. Musically, it’s so well accomplished, at barely 30 minutes, Sullivan manages to cram in so much content, including the brilliant ‘A Nice Dilemma’ sextet (or septet if you count the chorus as one, too), as well as some beautiful patter songs and some great parts for the chorus. You can really see how the rest of the Savoy Operas took inspiration, and to a certain extent, structure, from this first piece. 

That said, there are a few familiar elements missing from the piece that become G&S standards later on in the canon, including the contralto exposition song, the romantic leads’ duet, and, well, a second act. Still though, one of my favourites. 

The Zoo on the other hand? I’ve now seen it three times, and whilst I enjoy the music, some of it really is quite good, I have no idea what actually happens. I think there are at least 3 plots intertwined with one another, but with no libretto to explore or explain those plots, it’s essentially three totally different stories happening at the same time, just... coincidentally at a zoo. Libretto is pretty naff, but there are some charming songs, such as the ‘Four Tarts and a Couple of Pairs’ jaunt, and the duel of the male and female chorus once the Duke has eaten and faints (??) (’Prop him up upon a chair, lay him flat upon his back’).

Good news though, that LOpSoc were nominated for best director and best chorus for this production which I thought was well deserved. 

Ruddigore (Charles Court Opera)

Oh my word. I confess I’ve never been Ruddigore’s biggest fan, but boy oh boy am I a fan of Charles Court Opera, so the chance to get to see this production was high up the list, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. With a cast of 9 (and totally omitting the male chorus), this production was lively, sharp-witted, and for the first time in any production of Ruddigore that I’ve seen, or indeed been involved with, I followed every detail of the plot perfectly. 

Only two bridesmaids made up the female chorus, and they also lent their voices to a mixed chorus for the ‘Painted Emblems of a Race’ and subsequent male-chorus numbers (though ‘Welcome Gentry’ was cut) which worked beautifully. Also, a nice little change to Mounted emblems of a race, as the three ancestors were portrayed as severed, mounted heads on the wall of the set. Sir Roderic did have an additional stage presence as he was also portrayed by the accompanying headless corpse come to life. 

One of the absolute highlights of this production, too, was lovely, wonderful Simon Butteriss, who is always an absolute joy. With John Reed-esque lightness, but with a voice on form as ever, it was a joy to see him on stage. As it was the whole cast, really. Having seen CCO’s HMS Pinafore at the King’s Head in London in a tiny 100-odd seat fringe theatre with just a pianist, to see them on stage at the Royal Hall in Harrogate with a complete orchestra was really special. 

Yeomen of the Guard (National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company)

Oh boy. I was so excited for this performance. And I was so disappointed. The victim perhaps of a festival matinee crowd, as I said to dear friends over dinner after the show, there are a certain number of ‘minimum requirements’ I expect of the NGSOC:

The cast remember their lines. Having a certain member of the principal cast prompted from the wings was... well. Awkward to say the least. And garnered the intake of breath you can imagine from the audience. 

I expect the principal cast to be able to stick to time with the orchestra. Several times, the cast fell wildly out of time with the orchestra, making for highly awkward listening. 

I expect the principal cast to be able to hit all the notes they’re expected to. Naming no names, but, with a certain soprano aria in Yeomen, there’s a rather important note towards the end that you cannot get wrong. And yet. 

I expect the show to be lit well. If actors are stood singing in darkness, either the actor needs to find their light, or the lighting director needs to do a better job. 

That all said, the chorus were fantastic, to the point I actually longed for them to come back on to stage whenever they were gone, but I must say of Andrew Nicklin’s direction... I found it lacking. The staging was particularly dull and unimaginative, with barely any choreography, or even any movement come to that. My first time actually seeing Yeomen on stage and... ugh. Y’know? That said, there were reports from a friend having seen it earlier in the week at the festival and it being remarkable, so.. maybe just an off-performance. 

The Mikado (National Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company)

Now, THIS is how you do G&S. The company were almost unrecognisable from the afternoon, and the show was packed to the rafters with joy, energy, and sheer brilliance. Genuine laugh out loud moments from a full auditorium who are, I’m sure, more than familiar with the source material! Andrew Nicklin who was conducting, made sure that the pace was kept up, and my word, just, my heart was pounding with, well, a combination of relief and amazement. I loved it.

In particular, Mae Heydorn as Katisha. Fuckkkkkk. This wasn’t your usual Katisha, this was a dazzling, glamorous Katisha, and although you’d think that might not work, it did. And what a voice. On the final note of Act I, Mae managed to outsing the full assembled company and orchestra with a note that travelled and reverberated into our very bones. 

My only criticism would probably be that Richard Gauntlett, who also directed the show, delivered some of Ko Ko’s lines so fast, if you weren’t familiar with the show, you wouldn’t have a clue what he’d just said. That and Nanki-Poo, in a typical tenor manner, did tend to rush some of the songs, even when singing as part of a trio - perhaps a little indicative of not listening to his cast-mates. But alas.

____

OK, I think that’s all. A brilliant, lovely few days away. So much G&S. I loved it. So much so, I think I’m going to start a bit of an artistic project to create some more G&S content, so keep an eye if you’re interested! 

-- Thomas

[disregardcanon]

i’ve been wrestling a little bit, recently, about the merits of uh, lets go with “insensitive” art in and out of context as i’ve been singing “the sun whose rays are all ablaze” in voice lessons which is out of context a lovely little gilbert and sullivan aria and out of context. is. uh. 

more complicated?

i liked this article about an asian-american reimagining of the mikado a lot, especially the prologue that it adds in that ensures to frame the setting not as “japan” but as an englishman from the 1880′s parody of his own limited understanding of japan. i think that this issue is very complicated and muddy if we try to preserve things like this, but that finding ways to frame the history and context is good at least. 

the opera is also, in a lot of ways, accomplishing the same task that shakespeare accomplished by setting so many of his plays that were indictments of british culture in italy where the audience goes “ooo! foreign! cool!” and doesn’t realize that they’re being satirized because there’s the veneer of “far off land” veiling the criticism of modern society. 

but there is like, the uh, racial caricatures thing. it’s a tricky subject that i’m doing more reading on, but in the short term: the sun whose rays are all ablaze slaps

another article of interest

[iltrombadore]

Bottai , i “redenti” e gli antisemiti : ovvero scoperte e massacri di Mielazza , Mister Sancio e Trotterellona

L’amico fraterno (minor et maior) Giuliano Ferrara mi invita (vedi “Il Foglio” del 23 Novembre 2005) a esporre per esteso una versione personale su “Primato”, la rivista di Giuseppe Bottai apparsa negli anni 1940–1943 che egli chiama eufemisticamente “complicati per tutti”. E tanto più lo furono per i collaboratori di quel progetto che sommò in modo affascinante le firme e il pensiero di centinaia di intellettuali italiani concorrenti a delinearne il profilo politico e culturale (scrittori, poeti, artisti, architetti, filosofi , cineasti, archeologi, letterati, giornalisti, musicologi e altro ancora). Tra i  più  giovani ma non meno agguerriti “bottaiani” - termine non inadeguato - spiccavano Mario Alicata, Renato Guttuso, Carlo Muscetta, Giaime Pintor e Antonello Trombadori. 

E siccome i problemi  storiografici sono sempre, crocianamente, suggeriti dall’urgenza di un problema attuale, non deve essere stato un caso se le fotografie di questi personaggi (eccetto Trombadori e Muscetta: al loro posto ci sono Giulio Carlo Argan e Roberto Rossellini, che su “Primato” non scrissero nemmeno una riga, e in testa domina quella volpe da pellicceria che fu Palmiro Togliatti) campeggiano sulla studiata copertina de “I  redenti” di Mirella Serri. Che ha ritenuto così di dover saggiare più a fondo la  pasta morale di alcuni uomini politici e di cultura per avere essi condotto  una “doppia vita” tra fascismo e antifascismo nel  cruciale  intermezzo della seconda  guerra  mondiale . 

Il libro secondo me  è una solenne puzzonata e però sembra oggi andare per la maggiore visto il peso attribuitogli da vari commentatori (la pubblicità è l’anima del commercio).  “Intelligenti pauca”, direbbe il conciso latino. E Giuliano Ferrara ha  detto in breve ciò che io pure penso. E cioè che i “bottaiani” furono una “ricchezza della cultura italiana” nel tempo delle sconvolgenti conversioni sotto il fuoco delle potenze alleate (i vincenti russi di Stalin legati agli angloamericani di Churchill e Roosevelt) che giorno dopo giorno annientava il presuntuoso e poco lungimirante calcolo dell’arcitaliano Benito Mussolini  che aveva imposto alla nazione il suo impellente desiderio di entrare in guerra a fianco di Hitler e del Mikado. 

E così potrebbe bastare. Ma a seguire l’ultima uscita di Mirella Serri (la dottoressa aveva già cucinato in salsa piccante una grottesca biografia di quell’anima vibrante di cultura e intelligenza superiore che fu il purtroppo mai conosciuto e sempre ammirato Giaime Pintor), verrebbe avanti  una ben più inquietante e imbarazzante domanda. E cioè delle due l’una: i  bottaiani furono una “ricchezza della cultura italiana” oppure furono, a dir poco, complici del progetto antisemita di cui la rivista ‘Primato’ era latrice nemmeno tanto occulta?

Intendiamoci. La Mirella Serri non è persona che incide pensieri come questi sulla pietra: da buon muletto di biblioteca trotterella tra fascicoli polverosi e tesse, cuce e ricuce, per dare corpo e consistenza alle due sole idee - una sua, una presa in prestito - che sorreggono e autorizzano nel libro la grave e infamante ipoteca di razzismo antisemita lumeggiandola per accostamenti tanto insinuati quanto decisamente campati per aria (c’è cascato perfino Bruno Vespa che, discettando di “vincitori e vinti”, ha dedotto analoghe inesattezze in televisione lunedì 14 novembre). 

Le due tesi esibite dalla Serri sono le seguenti: la rivista ”Primato” fu primaditutto una “corazzata della cultura fascista” e di conseguenza per il tempo in cui nacque non poteva non essere “totalitariamente e programmaticamente ariana e antisemita”. La prima idea, propria della Serri, dimostra solo una cosa: l’autrice non sa o non riesce a distinguere tra cultura “fascista” e cultura “italiana”, forse perché tra l’altro non conosce bene gli studi, le pubblicazioni e gli uomini che durante la dittatura (totalitaria a chiacchiere, non solo al paragone di  Russia e Germania) nutrirono di opere, e che opere!, la vita spirituale della nazione. Cito a volo soltanto la ermetica e pre-liberalsocialista “Solaria” di Alberto Carocci e la cattolica ”Frontespizio” di Piero Bargellini :    fu tra queste  squisitezze intellettual-politiche che il gerarca Bottai andò tra l’altro a pescare molti dei suoi “bottaiani” (vedi Giansiro Ferrata e Nicola Lisi). 

Ma forse la Mirella Serri non ha tenuto conto nemmeno del fatto che la stessa cultura “fascista” non riuscì mai bene a identificarsi in proprio (anche su questo tema esiste una letteratura approfondita) tanto che l’Istituto Nazionale di Cultura Fascista venne all’ultimo - in tempo cioè di legislazione razziale - diretto perfino da Camillo Pellizzi, uomo di primaria qualità ( chiamiamolo pure “fascista  di  sinistra”: poi definì il fascismo una “rivoluzione mancata”) che fondò nel dopoguerra la fiorentina scuola di sociologia a contatto di gomito con Fabrizio Onofri ,Franco Ferrarotti e Francesco Alberoni. Chieda pure la Serri a loro, se le interessa, di che pasta era fatto il “fascista” Camillo  Pellizzi. 

Una volta precisato che “Primato” non fu per nulla una corazzata della “cultura fascista” ma un composito della “migliore cultura italiana” (che il  Bottai ideò e capitanò per motivi nemmeno tanto difficili da intuire: visto bene il suo diario, riletto il suo comportamento politico dall’entrata dell’Italia in guerra nel 1940 fino al 25 Luglio 1943, e rivisitato il suo ruolo di “fascista critico” tanto bene indicato da Giordano Bruno Guerri) si tratta di passare alla seconda e altrettanto vana tesi che sorregge il tremolante argomentare della Serri.

L’idea è ripresa come oro colato da una frase (e pensiero) infelice dello storico Michele Sarfatti esposta ne “Le leggi antiebraiche spiegate agli italiani di oggi” (Einaudi, 2003), secondo cui il quinquennio 1938-1943 costituirebbe un orizzonte storiografico definito dall’avvento della legislazione antiebraica, dal che si dovrebbe dedurre che la rivista “Primato”, in quanto emersa nell’incriminato periodo, avrebbe inevitabilmente fatto parte di istituti che - cito l’autore - “ furono programmaticamente e totalitariamente ariani e antisemiti”. 

Michele Sarfatti indulge magari per formazione allo schematismo dottrinario. E si comprende perché ritenga possibile interpretare la storia e tanto più la cultura tagliandole a fette come il salame, ragionando più o meno così: “fino alla data fatidica dei decreti razziali del 1938 tutto il mondo era fatto in un modo; ma da quella data in poi tutto il mondo radicalmente cambia”. Di  questo modo di valutare la storia e la vita - che certi snobboni contemporanei chiamerebbero “symptomale” - già si era fatto beffe Victor Hugo quando, dinanzi a un parruccone “louisphilippard” che tanto lo elogiava per avere egli finalmente risollevato la lingua francese “decaduta il 14 luglio 1789”, lo mise in braghe di tela interrogandolo così: “Et à quelle heure, s’il vous plait?”. E appunto, mutatis mutandis, vale la pena di domandare allo storico Sarfatti: “Et à quelle heure, s’il vous plait”, tutto ciò che accadde in Italia dopo le leggi razziali del 1938 cominciò a essere “totalitariamente e programmaticamente ariano e antisemita”? 

La domanda l’avevo già posta sul Foglio (“Perché Primato, la rivista di Bottai, non può essere definita antisemita”, 2 dicembre 2003), opportunamente correggendo una avventurosa sortita del Mielazza (così gli amici chiamano da un po’ di tempo Paolo Mieli) che sul Corriere della Sera aveva assunto “l’aria del cosestato” di fronte alla scoperta di una tesi potenzialmente in grado, secondo lui, di far reinterpretare le biografie di tanti protagonisti del “secondo antifascismo”, combattenti armati e non nella guerra di Liberazione e durante la resistenza clandestina sotto l’occupazione tedesca tra il 1943 e il 25 Aprile del 1945. Tra questi l’amico Mielazza metteva in primo piano, guarda un po’, i “bottaiani” Alicata, Muscetta, Guttuso e Trombadori, poi divenuti intellettuali organici del PCI togliattiano, soffiando con il solito candore nel vetro muranello di questo vago sospetto: ma non saranno mica stati anche costoro “nu’ poco antisemiti”? Chi sa perché al mio articolo correttivo - con qualche piccolo ma non irrilevante argomento - non seguì né una precisazione né una sia pur fugace smentita. 

Mirella Serri, beneducata, oggi lo annota tra le “reazioni polemiche” al libro di Sarfatti curando però di non elencarne né giudicarne il merito (e come avrebbe del resto potuto, se alla fine quel merito comprometteva in radice tutto il suo faticoso trotterellare da uno scaffale all’altro per imbastire la fumosa trama de “I redenti”?). Il merito era questo: su “Primato” non si scrisse non solo di razzismo antisemita (tanto più in proporzione della circostante campagna propagandistica di guerra in atto contro le demo-plutocrazie  giudaiche e bolsceviche: allora c’era “La difesa della razza” a guidare il coro) ma nemmeno di antigiudaismo, neppure per caratterizzare l’idea imperial-nazionalista  della “razza” e “civiltà italiana” , nel confronto con il montante pangermanesimo della ideologia nazista sulla superiorità biologica tedesca , e  a sostegno di quella terza via tra capitalismo e comunismo che aveva sempre orientato l’idea bottaiana di una “missione europea” della rivoluzione fascista.                

Che una simile impostazione disturbasse i manovratori di una efficace propaganda  bellica filo-tedesca (e filo–nazista) è indubbio e comprovato dalle pagine stesse di “Primato”. A partire dalla inequivoca polemica contro la “esterofilia” e il sospetto di “filo-ebraismo” in arte rivolto dai camerati di Roberto Farinacci, e non solo da loro nel tempo in cui con il Premio Bergamo (1940 e 1942) Bottai conferì allori significativi a Mario Mafai e Renato Guttuso. Per la famosa provocazione più che anticonformista e politicamente allusiva rappresentata dalla “Crocifissione” dipinta da quest’ultimo, con il Cristo proletario girato di spalle (anticipazione luminosa dello “Stracci” di Pier Paolo Pasolini) il Golgota infiammato come l’Etna in eruzione e Maria Maddalena discinta e supplicante (tanto simile alle prostitute vangoghiane nel bordello di Arles) i nemici della “arte degenerata” e per altro  punto di vista certi alti prelati  se l’ebbero molto a male ( allora : oggi, si sa, non più). Ma la Serri, che di pittura non sa e non capisce niente, in questa occasione farnetica ipotizzando addirittura un uso strumentale della libertà dell’arte da parte di Bottai come pretesto per favorire “lo spirito di guerra” contro le esitanti gerarchie ecclesiastiche . 

Quanto invece il cattolico Giuseppe Bottai fosse uomo di profonda consapevolezza artistica, proveniente dal mondo vivo e più moderno della cultura italiana lo sanno perfino le pietre. Futurista in gioventù, amico personale di Rosai, Morandi, Maccari, Bartoli, Soffici e De Pisis (come di Alfredo Casella e  Goffredo Petrassi, per non approfondire altri campi), egli aveva da poco fondato l’Istituto Centrale per il Restauro e la rivista “Le Arti” (con Cesare Brandi e Giulio Carlo Argan), avviando un’opera legislativa in materia che resta suo vanto principale ancora oggi. E non solo. Tutti sanno  dell’amicizia di Bottai per donna Laetitia Pecci Blunt, non casuale animatrice romana della Galleria La Cometa, dove dal 1934 al 1937 si sperimentarono le novità espressive dell’inquieto “antinovecento” a sfondo trasgressivo (e dove tra l’altro una fin troppo libera sessualità  era di casa): qui si incontravano i già più che scontenti del fascismo Trombadori e Alicata con Guttuso e altri amici pittori e scrittori ebrei, Scialoja, Cagli e Moravia, i poeti omosessuali De Libero e Sandro Penna, e chi più ne ha più metta tra quanti non potevano andare a genio alla “maschia civiltà” invocata e privilegiata dal regime. Ce n’era ben donde per certi camerati antagonisti che aspiravano a far la forca al Bottai in quanto intellettuale “ebraizzante” in fatto di arte moderna. Senza contare quell’odorino “social-cattolico” che emanava dal suo corporativismo a sfondo associativo (indizio chiaro di intenzioni liberali) che tanto infastidiva gli statalisti più organici e aveva già finito col provocarne le dimissioni (1932) quand’egli era ministro delle Corporazioni.  

Fu un “fascista critico” fin dall’origine Giuseppe Bottai. E un intellettuale di prim’ordine che puntò sul mito politico e la fede nel “duce” come i migliori “chierici traditori” (Julien Benda) o, se si vuole, i più colti e disperati uomini “freischwebend”, oscillanti nel vuoto, del XX secolo (Karl Manheim) . Non fu probabilmente un frondista intenzionale  , come vuole il detto corrente . Ma di sicuro maldigeriva l’entrata in guerra dell’Italia e visse la crisi finale del fascismo come il crollo delle sue stesse speranze di riformarlo e modellarlo secondo una visione “liberal-corporativa” . Appare così più che naturale l’avvicinamento che poi ci fu tra la sua condizione di fascista in bilico e la nascente generazione di “chierici” altrettanto inquieti e ribelli che solo un cervello tarato dal rigido stalinismo anni Trenta come Velio Spano avrebbe un giorno potuto definire “redenti” (ma redenti da chi? Da lui? E pensare che la Serri, con mezzo secolo di  ritardo intellettuale e morale, ha voluto perfino intitolarci un libro). Malgrado la incancellabile  responsabilità che grava su Bottai per la zelante firma delle leggi razziali del 1938, la sua politica e le sue amicizie rivelano dunque - prima e dopo, caro Sarfatti - una trama di rapporti che impongono, accanto alla condanna, una riflessione ben meditata. 

Inutile dire che Mirella Serri, trotterellon-trotterelloni, non è nemmeno rimasta sfiorata dalla avvincente complessità dell’argomento. Ma sfogliando “Primato”, la nostra trotterellona avrebbe potuto quanto meno notare che la rivista era sostenuta (un numero sì e l’altro pure: che ci fosse una qualche intesa?) dalla pubblicità della Comit, banca fondata prima dal magnate ebreo Toeplitz e poi governata saldamente da Raffaele Mattioli, uomo che per ciò stesso - a seguire le arguzie di Sarfatti e Affini - dovrebbe essere oggi considerato un sostenitore di progetti “totalitariamente ariani e antisemiti”, quando è notoria al mondo intero la sua strettissima affinità con l’ambiente di “Giustizia e Liberta” nonché i legami riservati con l’economista ebreo e comunisteggiante Piero Sraffa, per mezzo del quale custodì gelosamente i “Quaderni” di Antonio Gramsci subito dopo la morte (1937) fino alla consegna nelle mani di Togliatti. E ci sarebbe quasi da giurare che fu anche grazie alla benevolenza di Mattioli se pervennero alla  rivista di Bottai le penne eccellenti di Sergio Solmi, Eugenio Montale e  forse pure quella di Arrigo Benedetti: tutte figure, notare bene, di chiara ispirazione “ariana e antisemita” (!) a cominciare dagli scritti per finire al nome e cognome. 

Ma torniamo alla biografia dei “redenti” che più interessano la Serri e i suoi odierni esegeti: i vari Alicata, Guttuso, Muscetta e Trombadori, tutta gente imputata di avere vissuto “due volte” e in buona sostanza di avere scelto nel comunismo del PCI una comoda nicchia (pronuba la volpe Togliatti) per obliare in qualche modo il passato in camicia nera e, come si è visto, perfino “nu’ poco antisemita”. La Mirella che trotterella non ci crederà: ma deve sapere che uno storico più anziano e competente (n. 1918) e che oggi ahimè non è più, il beneamato Paolo Alatri, sui “redenti” di Primato la sapeva molto lunga e ne aveva già scritto prima di lei e con maggiore conoscenza di causa. Infatti Paolo Alatri, di eminente famiglia ebraica romana, aveva conosciuto gli aspiranti “ariani-antisemiti” (!) sui banchi del Liceo Tasso dove, assieme all’altro importante intellettuale ebreo, il non dimenticabile Bruno Zevi, stabilì una amicizia di ferro con Mario Alicata ed Edoardo Perna (poi vennero anche Guttuso, Trombadori e Muscetta) nel comune passaggio dall’istintivo antifascismo al liberalsocialismo alla Calogero e poi di alcuni al comunismo tra il 1936 e il 1937, quando presero parte vincente ai Littoriali e successivamente organizzarono una opposizione nemmeno tanto dissimulata alla politica di guerra del regime, subendo processi e finendo in parte al confino e in carcere tra il 1941 e la fine del 1942. 

Per quanto riguarda la vicenda di un altro testimone non irrilevante di quel tempo difficile, ma non così equivoco , valgano poi a memoria di trotterellona le parole di un uomo limpido come Maurizio Ferrara (n.1921), divenuto comunista nel 1940 dopo avere visto suo padre Mario difendere nel tribunale speciale un gruppo di imputati comunisti (tra cui Lucio Lombardo Radice, Aldo Natoli, Bruno Corbi) e dopo avere per un po’ oscillato “tra il liberalismo paterno, l’azionismo di Giuseppe Orlando, il comunismo di Antonello Trombadori”. L’elenco dei nomi, dei fatti e delle informazioni sulla generazione “resistente” nella Roma degli anni ’40-’43 potrebbe  continuare a lungo . E ci dice che certi “redenti” dovevano avere un fondo di pensiero politico abbastanza formato quando decisero di concorrere alla avventura “bottaiana”, dopo avere presenziato alcuni di loro oltre che in casa Amendola ai primi incontri con le cellule operaie del PCI clandestino. 

Un ultimo particolare aggiuntivo: il 1° Luglio 1942 compariva, sempre sulla rivista “ariana e antisemita” (!) di Bottai , anche un intervento scritto di  Mario Labò, bravo architetto modernista e di animo liberalsocialista. Era il padre di Giorgio, anche lui architetto e amico di Bruno Zevi, gappista e partigiano comunista catturato dalle SS solo un anno e mezzo dopo e fucilato al termine di sevizie per non avere rivelato i nomi dei suoi compagni e comandanti (tra questi il famigerato “bottaiano redento” Antonello Trombadori: ma allora giravano più uomini e meno pentiti o dissociati). Giorgio Labò è Medaglia d’Oro al valore militare italiano. 

Questi fatti e connessioni non suscitano interesse nella mente storiografica della Serri e Affini? E non interessa nemmeno ipotizzare se per caso il potente gerarca Bottai, associando tali personaggi al suo progetto editoriale “ariano e antisemita” (!), non fosse poi così tanto all’oscuro di quanto andavano dicendo e combinando quei tipi fuori dalle stanze redazionali? E se non questo, cosa è che veramente interessa? Forse soltanto la pallonata in aria  dell’allegro Mister Sancio (così gli amici chiamano da un po’ di  tempo Pierluigi Battista, esegeta a bocca aperta della Serri sul Corriere della Sera), secondo cui i soliti “redenti” (gli Alicata, i Guttuso, eccetera) non solo non avrebbero “raccontato la verità” ma si sarebbero inventati di conseguenza “un passato inesistente, raccontando percorsi esistenziali mai veramente vissuti”? Se le cose stanno davvero così, allora tutto diventa più chiaro. Ci eravamo un po’ stupiti quando il non dimenticato Bettino Craxi parlò di storici “dei miei stivali” . Adesso però sappiamo che un tal genere di figuranti è molto diffuso tra i professionisti   dell’informazione.   

P.S. Accludo in ordine alfabetico l’elenco pressoché integrale di  coloro che hanno scritto sulla rivista Primato tra il 1940 e il 1943 . Perché  parla da solo.

Abbagnano Nicola, Airoldi Aldo, Aleramo Sibilla, Alicata Mario, Alvaro Corrado, Angioletti Giovan Battista, Aniante Antonio, Antonioni Michelangelo, Arcangeli Francesco, Argan Giulio Carlo, Bacchelli Riccardo ,Badano Nino, Banfi Antonio, Bargellini Piero, Bardi Pier Maria, Barilli Bruno, Barolini Antonio, Bartoli Amerigo,Benco Silvio, Benedetti Arrigo, Bernardi Marziano, Bernari Carlo, Betocchi Carlo, Bilenchi Romano, Binni Walter, Birolli Renato, Bonsanti Alessandro, Bontempelli Massimo, Bragaglia Anton Giulio, Brancati Vitaliano, Brandi Cesare, Briganti Giuliano, Buzzati Dino, Cabella Giorgio, Campigli Massimo, Cantatore Domenico , Casorati Felice, Carabellese Pantaleo, Cardarelli Vincenzo, Carli Enzo, Carrà Carlo, Cecchi Emilio, Chiarini Luigi, Colacicchi Luigi,Coletti Luigi, Comisso Giovanni, Contini Gianfranco, Cremona Italo, Dal Fabbro Beniamino, De Libero Libero, De Pisis Filippo, De Robertis Giuseppe, Della Volpe Galvano,Dessì Giuseppe, Emanuelli Enrico,Fazzini Pericle, Ferrata Giansiro,Ferrazzi Ferruccio, Forcella Enzo, Fulchignoni Enrico, Funi Achille, Gadda Carlo Emilio,Galvano Eugenio, Gatto Alfonso, Gentile Giovanni, Guttuso Renato, Guzzi Virgilio,Isani Giuseppe, Labò Mario ,La Cava Mario, Linati Carlo, Lisi Nicola,Lupinacci Manlio, Luporini Cesare, Luzi Mario, Maccari Mino, Macchia Giovanni, Mafai Mario, Manacorda Gastone, Manacorda Paolo Emilio,Marini Marino, Masciotta Michelangelo, Mazzacurati Marino, Michelucci Giovanni,Migliorini Bruno ,Morandi Carlo, Monelli Paolo, Montale Eugenio, Montanelli Indro, Muscetta Carlo, Negri Ada, Paci Enzo, Pagano Giuseppe, Pallucchini Rodolfo, Pancrazi Pietro, Pandolfi Vito, Pasinetti Francesco, Pasquali Giorgio, Patti Ercole, Pavese Cesare, Pavolini Corrado, Pellizzi Camillo, Penna Sandro,Pepe Gabriele,Piacentini Marcello, Pintor Giaime, Piovene Guido, Ponti Giò, Pratolini Vasco, Praz Mario, Puccini Gianni, Quasimodo Salvatore, Ricci Berto, Rodano Franco,Rodolico Nicolò ,Romani Bruno,Rosai Ottone, Russo Luigi, Salvatorelli Luigi , Sassu Aligi , Schiaffini Alfredo, Seroni Adriano, Sestan Ernesto, Severini Gino ,Silipo Alfonso, Sinisgalli Leonardo, Socrate Mario, Solmi Sergio, Spagnoletti Giacinto, Spini Giorgio, Spirito Ugo,Squarcia Francesco, Tamburi Orfeo, Tecchi Bonaventura, Timpanaro Sebastiano, Titta Rosa Giovanni, Tobino Mario, Traverso Leone, Trombadori Antonello, Trompeo Pietro Paolo, Ungaretti Giuseppe, Valeri Nino, Valgimigli Manara, Valsecchi Marco, Vecchietti Giorgio, Vergani Orio, Viazzi Glauco, Vigolo Giorgio, Vigorelli Giancarlo, Volpicelli Luigi, Zavattini Cesare,Ziveri Alberto.

[goodkitty-comics-blog]

SCHOOL SERVICE!! Gakkou Sabisu Ni Iru - Chapter 3 - PROMO!

I’M BACK SUCKAS

For those of you who remember the old kidge manga project, Chapter 3 is coming in late August. I’ve changed a lot of the series’ plot, so you’re in for a wild ride! Also, for those of you who submitted characters in for the manga, Every single one is going to be included in the series. 

Characters you can see in the 3 promo art -From Left to Right - 

Chen Ito – Student Council VP and second in command to Mikado Aria. (OC by pidgenerd)

Mikado Aria – Student Council President!

Erima Chi – Student Council Treasurer and third in command. (Originally known as Cheria. unfortunately, I cannot find the creator of this char!) 

Chapters will be updated to my patreon! as well as Webtoons and Tapas.io!

Can’t wait to see how you precious nerds react.

<3

- K-Lionheart

[stoportotouch]

For ths opera ask Im not sure if its allowed to ask this much but here you go: 1, 3, 9, 24, 27, 30

i. your first opera

if we’re allowing gilbert and sullivan, then the mikado. if not (as i have said many times before), seraglio. i also have an incredibly vague and blurry memory of listening to the catalogue aria at some point in the very distant past but i can’t remember when, where, or how old i was.

iii. character you have a crush on

rodrigo, and kinda leporello. (even tho they’re both in love with their Pals. i’d still date either of them; they just seem like very nice people.)

ix. would you like to be on don giovanni’s list?

[eyes emoji]

xxiv. do you know any opera fanfics? links please!

i’m gonna shamelessly plug my own work, because i’ve written a whole load of opera fanfic, but there’s also this lovely iolanthe fic (maybe a little bit nsfw) from a few years ago, and this other one posted this year. plus this (somewhat nsfw) is my favourite don giovanni fic (and one that i’m having to force myself not to take too many Concepts from).

xxvii. which opera would you like to direct, and how?

gonna make a separate post about this because otherwise i WILL write you a novel, but i have a don giovanni i’ve been kinda mentally planning for months.

xxx. role you’d most like to sing?

to just sing, either don giovanni or rodrigo. if i’m also playing them (here i go being overly literal), then don giovanni, leporello, rodrigo, tolloller, and bunthorne, probably. (i really want to play tolloller again, even though i think he would probably be awkwardly high now.)

[growhunter407]

Alcina Handel

French soprano Patricia Petibon sings one of the biggest handelian arias. Her voice in this recording is just amazing, and she adds a lot of dramatism. Handel’s Alcina Handel’s Alcina ● by Chris Lynch This February, Indiana University Opera will present Handel’s fantasy opera Alcina in a new production designed by Robert Perdziola, directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, and conducted by Arthur Fagen. On musical grounds, this is a more-than-competent reading of Handel's classic opera, with some fine singing throughout. Naglestad is a lovely Alcina, and other principles are strong (notable standout is Mahnke's Oberto). Conductor Hacker coaxes a good reading out of the Stuttgart forces. Handel: Alcina / Curtis, DiDonato, Rensburg, Beaumont Release Date: Label: Archiv Produktion (Dg) Catalog #: 4777374 Spars Code: n/a Composer: George Frideric Handel Performer: Kobie van Rensburg, Vito Priante, Joyce DiDonato, Sonia Prina.

Mio Bel Tesoro Handel Pdf

Quite possibly Handel's most magnificent opera, Alcina is filled with extraordinary musical riches & a lot of magnificent magic. Two exceptional women lie at the heart of the story: Alcina is a potent sorceress, which Bradamante counters with her self-confidence and determination on her quest to rescue her lover Ruggiero from Alcina's spells. If she succeeds, they will escape and no doubt live happily ever after. However, if not, Ruggiero will be transformed into the newest trophy in Alcina's enormous gallery of former lovers. Which will it be? Can he resist her magic?

Now in his fourth season as music director of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers, Clinton Smith also maintains a position on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, where he most recently served as cover conductor for Leonard Slatkin on a production of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. During the 2017–2018 season, he will make three company debuts, conducting Il barbieri de Siviglia at Dayton Opera, Le nozze di Figaro at Tacoma Opera and Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead Opera. He will also return to Pacific Northwest Opera to conduct Turandot, and to Atlanta Opera to prepare The Seven Deadly Sins. Clinton’s recent conducting credits include The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, Hansel und Gretel and Norma for Pacfic Northwest Opera, Il barbieri di Sivigliafor the University of Michigan Opera Theater, and La finta giardiniera for Baldwin Wallace University.

He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atltanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and Ash Lawn Opera. Other recent posts include four seasons as artistic director and principal conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony, assistant conductor and chorus master for San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, assistant conductor for Glimmerglass Opera’s productions of Tolomeo and The Tender Land, music director of Western Ontario University’s Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, and guest coach at the National University of Taiwan.

For four seasons, Minnesota Opera engaged Clinton as cover conductor and chorus master, where he led mainstage performances of La traviata and Madama Butterfly and covered the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera Orchestra in over 20 productions. During 2011, Clinton conducted a workshop and prepared the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night, which subsequently won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. For Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, and as an avid fan of new music, Clinton prepared workshops of Douglas J. Cuomo’s Doubt, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and the North American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, as well as Dominick Argento’s Casanova’s Homecoming and Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights.

Patrick Hansen continues his unique career throughout North American as an operatic stage director, conductor, and vocal coach. His stagings have garnered praise in both Canada and the United States. Opera Canada wrote, ' Patrick Hansen captured the opera's bohemian vitality - the city of Paris itself was the characterful backdrop to the action. When he ran out of space in Act II, the crowd simply spilled down into the auditorium . . the comic business was well handled . . . The acting, indeed, was a strong point throughout.'

Mr. Hansen has been on the musical staffs of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, The Juilliard Opera Center, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as being the Director of Artistic Administration for Florida Grand Opera during the opening of the Miami Arts Centre.

At ease in opera and musical theatre, his stage directing credits encompass the entire spectrum of repertoire now being presented in opera companies; Alcina, Orfeo ed Eudridice, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflute, L'elisier d'amore, La traviata, Dialogue des Carmelites, Albert Herring, Hansel and Gretel, La Boheme as well as the musicals Camelot and Trouble in Tahiti.

Alcina Handel Opera

Currently the director of Opera McGill in Montreal at McGill University, Mr. Hansen is the former director of the Young American Artist Program at Glimmerglass Opera, and has presented masterclasses and coachings with the Young Artists of Virginia Opera and for many years served as the stage director at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Chorus' Essential Verdi. Mr. Hansen returns to Fargo-Moorhead after successful stagings of Fille du Regiment, Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, and The Magic Flute in previous seasons.

Miriam Khalil is an acclaimed Lebanese-Canadian soprano specializing in opera and concert performance. She has been lauded as a 'skilled, versatile artist' with a “signature warm lyrical voice” by Musical Toronto and described as 'dark, dangerous and alluring” by Opera Going Toronto. Miriam is a graduate of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, the Steans Institute for Young Artists (Ravinia) and the Britten-Bears Young Artist Programme in England. While in her last year of the COC Ensemble Studio, she advanced to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Council auditions and represented the Great Lakes Region on the Met stage, during which she was featured in the documentary film The Audition.

Miriam has appeared on numerous opera stages across Canada and Europe, including a stint at the renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the United Kingdom. Notable roles include Mimi in La bohème (Minnesota Opera, Opera Hamilton & Against the Grain Theatre); Musetta in La bohème (Edmonton Opera); Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Opera Tampa & Against the Grain Theatre/The Banff Centre/Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival); Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande (Against the Grain Theatre); the Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Against the Grain Theatre); Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); Almirena in Rinaldo (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Lyra Ottawa & Against the Grain Theatre).

Holly Flack is a coloratura soprano praised for “wielding an impressive range, effortlessly reaching higher than high notes” with her unique vocal extension beyond an octave above high C.

Ms. Flack has performed with the Bel Canto Opera Festival, Astoria Opera Festival, and Operafestival di Roma. She made her debut at the Trentino Music Festival in Mezzano, Italy singing the role of the Vixen in Leos Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She was most recently seen on the FM Opera stage last season as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute.

Additional roles include Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Frasquita (Carmen), Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), and Peep-Bo in The Mikado. In 2015, Holly was part of the Gate City Bank Young Artist program where she covered the role of Marie in Daughter of the Regiment with FM Opera.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Ms. Flack holds a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance from St. Olaf College, and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Kentucky, where she studied with soprano Cynthia Lawrence.

Lyric mezzo-soprano Holly Janz is a versatile singing actress with a voice that is evenly blended with clarity, richness and warmth. She has performed with opera companies across the country including Skylark Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, and Union Avenue Opera Theatre (St. Louis). Past credits comprise a variety of characters from the trouser roles of Cherubino, Hansel and Prince Orlofsky, to the ingénue roles of Nancy (Albert Herring) and Valencienne (The Merry Widow), to the more dramatic roles of Carmen and The Secretary (The Consul).

In addition to her operatic stage credits, Ms. Janz is a compelling concert artist in both oratorio and recital. Orchestral credits include the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greater Grand Forks Symphony, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony as well as the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Janz, a native of Marshfield, WI, is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (BM). She has also received degrees from the University of Colorado (MM) and the University of Kansas (DMA, with honors), and is an associate professor of voice at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.

Called “winningly wily and dauntless” by Boston Classical Review, American Mezzo-soprano, Kate Jackman, is multifaceted musician and actress who excels in a variety of musical expression. As a2017 Gate City Bank Young Artist, Kate was seen as the Waitress in “Speed Dating Tonight!” as well as the Sergeant of Police in FM Opera’s recent production of “The Pirates of Penzance”. She also sang the role of Giovanna this summer in Ash Lawn Opera’s production of “Rigoletto”. Other roles that Kate has performed include the lead role in Oliver Knussen’s “Higglety Pigglety Pop” at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Hansel in “Hansel and Gretel”, the title role in “Carmen”, Dorabella in “Cosi fan tutte”, Bloody Mary in “South Pacific”, and Dinah in Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti”.

An avid performer of new works, Kate has premiered roles in “Piecing It Apart” by Paul Matthews and “Lux et Tenebrae” by Douglas Buchanan for The Figaro Project’s Contemporary Opera Trio. She also premiered the role of Megan 2 in Robert Patterson’s “The Whole Truth” with Urban Arias, and Patricia Hutton in Joshua Bornfield’s“Camelot Requiem”, in which she “expressed emotional intensity with the weight of her soothing mezzo-soprano voice” (Maureen L. Mitchell, Opera Today)

Ms. Jackman holds a Master of Music Degree from the Peabody Institute and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of North Texas.

Alcina Opera

Tenor Jianghai Ho has appeared most recently as tenor soloist in the DePaul Symphonic Choir’s presentation of Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Nerone in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea, Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Abraham Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Dr. Blind in Johann Strauss Jr’s Die Fledermaus with DePaul Opera Theater. He has also performed with the Duke Vespers Ensemble in Dietrich Buxtehude’s rarely-performed Membra Jesu Nostri at the Boston Early Music Festival, as well as the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

Born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Jianghai first discovered his passion for opera under the tutelage of Professor Susan Dunn at Duke University, where he graduated with a B.S. in music and biology. He graduated in vocal performance from DePaul University, where he studied with David Alt and Michael Sylvester.

Mark Billy is a lyric baritone and Native American (Choctaw tribe) from Finley, Oklahoma. Mark’s undergraduate studies in voice at the University of Oklahoma were under the mentorship of baritone Richard Anderson. Mark has also had additional study with the legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.

Mark made his operatic debut as IlCommendatore in 2012 with OU Opera Theatre's production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. The following season he appeared as Thoas in Gluck's “Iphigénieen Tauride”. In 2014 Mark appeared as Simon in OU’s choreographed production of Haydn’s oratorio “Die Jahreszeiten” and in 2016 Mark was featured as Moralès in “Carmen” with Indiana University.His graduate studies at Indiana were with soprano Carol Vaness.

Handel Operas Youtube

Mark most recently concluded a traveling production at OU opera theatre of John Davies mash-up children’s opera: “The Billy Goats Gruff” where he played the role of Osmin, the bully billy goat; this brought opera to Norman, OK area schools and carried the important message against bullying. In the Spring of 2017 Mark placed first in the Oklahoma NATS competition graduate level division. This past summer Mark sang Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina” as well as covering the role of Marcello in “La bohème” for the Red River Lyric Opera Festival. As a 2018 Gate City Bank Young Artist with the Fargo Moorhead Opera Mark will be reprising the role of Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina”as well as the role of the bartender in Michael Ching’s comic one act opera “Speed Dating Tonight!”

[bonjourxrenae]

So I’ve had this concept for a t-shirt I want to make for a while -

WITCHES

& BITCHES

& BRITCHES

because mezzo-sopranos and contraltos are often typecast as either an older woman/witch, a female antagonist, or as a trouser role.

And y’know what? After singing arias from the roles of Orpheus (Orfeo ed Euridice), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Katisha (The Mikado), Xerxes (Serse)... like, you might as well own it...