#baudelaire & piano

[sinceileftyoublog]

Susanna Interview: The Heart is a Muscle

Photo by Ida Fiskaa

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Susanna Wallumrød dives deep. When I last caught up with her in 2020, she had released Baudelaire & Piano, sung interpretations of poems from Charles Baudelaire’s The Flowers of Evil over piano arrangements. She told me at the time that the Baudelaire project "will be my main thing for a while," which turned out to be a severe understatement. 2022's Elevation added a couple more collaborators and instruments to the arsenal of Baudelaire adaptations, and last year saw the unveiling of Baudelaire and Orchestra, a collaboration with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra to bring Baudelaire's words to a full-on ensemble. While her fascination with Baudelaire and its subsequent manifestations have ballooned, Wallumrød's been focusing on something more simple, yet infinitely more complex at the same time: love. In August, via her SusannaSonata label, Wallumrød shared Meditations on Love, a project written over five years that concerns anything and everything about how and why we feel deep affection.

Unlike the Baudelaire trilogy or 2019's Hieronymus Bosch-inspired Garden of Earthly Delights, Meditations on Love has no concrete source material, Wallumrød taking inspiration from her own stories and that of family and friends. That said, she still treated her exploration of such a broad-reaching theme with her usual scrutiny, and the songs as growing, shifting entities in need of the right caretakers. She chose to work with someone new, Finnish-Norwegian composer Juhani Silvola, as her co-producer; together in the studio, they augmented Wallumrød's arrangements, ditching her usual minimalism for something more rhythmic, and encouraged the session musicians to add in instrumental flourishes. As a result, various aspects of the songs sound like they're in conversation with one another. On album opener "Everyone Knows", the narrator confronts a cheating lover. They're heartbroken and angry but terrified at the prospect of life without their partner. Harald Lassen's alto sax flutters, Dag Erik Knedal Andersen's hand drums pan, and Wallumrød's vocals descend into wordless melisma, mirroring the narrator's mental back-and-forth. On "Battles", Wallumrød posits that relationships can feel like war. Her vocals, the pulsating percussion, and the horns sound like they're chirping at one another.

The best quality of Meditations on Love is its embrace of the intangible and the surreal. That is, even if Wallumrød's groundwork making the album was intense, her conclusions are unconcerned with traditional logic. Her lyrics delve into dreams, colors, and nature rather than interpersonal drama. On closer, “I Was Never Here”, she's so forlorn that she begins to doubt her own existence and dissociate. "Black Heart", whose pulsating bass tones and sharp and wincing guitars and synths act as an initially unintentional but eventually doubled down homage to Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks theme, explores, "What's hidden in the light / Beyond the blue sky." On "Elephant Song", her ultimate declaration is, "We don't know what will happen in the end," words that are presented alongside swelling strings and percussion, like the grand reveal in an epic film. Wallumrød's meditations are not peaceful. Instead, they're sonic tornadoes that lay bare their inconclusive paths.

Next month, Wallumrød will start to play Meditations live, yet another infinite-seeming puzzle to conquer. She'll be part of a five-piece band, which will include Silvola and Morten Barrikmo, the clarinetist who played on the album, as well as drummer Jan Martin Gismervik and multi-instrumentalist Marthe Lea. (Espen Høydalsvik will provide sound design.) Because Wallumrød--and any artist who doesn't sell out arenas--can't really afford to fully tour such an ambitious project, especially internationally, it's hard to predict how much the Meditations songs will continue to morph as they're performed in front of an audience. She's thankful that the album has physical distribution not only in Norway but throughout Europe and in the U.S., making it easier for folks throughout the world to get physical copies, listen, and perhaps decide what its main, all-encompassing theme means to them.

A couple months ago, I spoke with Wallumrød over Zoom about the construction of Meditations on Love, the relationship between music and imagery, and nature. If you happen to live in Norway, you can catch her a few times next month. The album's record release show is November 2nd in Oslo at Parkteatret Scene. She's performing with just vocals and Silvola on guitar at the Nesodden Jazzklubb in Akershus on November 20th. Finally, the five-piece band returns November 29th at USF Verftet in Bergen. Whether or not you live in Norway, read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

SILY: With the Baudelaire material occupying so much of your time, you knew you wanted to do something different going into your next record. Was there something specific that made you want to focus on the theme of love?

Susanna Wallumrød: Yeah, I guess from the start of the writing, I started to go in that direction, of the matters and condition of the heart. I was curious to see if I could attack the heart from different angles, because I got curious about the ability to love. I feel like it's almost a muscle that needs to be trained.

SILY: Did you cull from personal experience, the experience of friends and family, or from other art when trying to get at matters of the heart and love?

SW: It was a mix of all of that: my own experiences, and devastating things that happened in my family that opened it up some more than what I already knew about. It's been a research project.

SILY: I wouldn't expect anything less from you, the same approach and level of diligence you put into musical interpretations of classic works of art and poetry, you put in for music inspired by a more abstract theme. Did you find that your research-like approach was similar to when you were writing songs based on Baudelaire and Bosch?

SW: I think so! Of course, I had been doing interpretations for a while, but I keep on learning from those different processes. There are a lot of things to bring onto the next project.

SILY: Do you feel like you had to adjust your vocal approach for these songs, that are so much more rhythmic and expansive than what you had done recently?

SW: Yeah, I guess there's some different approaches to that. I made all of these songs on the piano. The next step in the process of the recording of it [was] to see how we could expand the songs with the arrangements and production. The vocal approach [fell] into that. [For some] songs, like "I Took Care of Myself" and "Big Dreams" and "Elephant Song", [it was] quite late in the process when I had already started to play with how they could be presented.

SILY: Are you the only one singing on the record? I know your vocals are layered, so I was wondering if when I was hearing different voices, it was just your voice, pitch-shifted.

SW: Yeah, it's only me.

SILY: It's effective on "Big Dreams" when you sing, "I have big dreams for you." The voice becomes an instrument as much as a communicator of words and ideas.

SW: Absolutely.

SILY: I love that the video for "I Took Care of Myself" takes place in a hockey arena because the organ on that song reminded you of the organ played at hockey games.

SW: When we were in the studio and working on the organ theme, we started to get these images of being at a hockey game. It was super fun to actually be able to realize these images for that song.

SILY: When I read that, and listened to the song again, I thought to myself that it sounded like a more sped up, weirder version of what I might hear at a hockey arena in the U.S.

SW: [laughs] Sure.

SILY: When making "Black Heart", were you trying to make a direct homage to the Twin Peaks theme music?

SW: I wasn't, but it turned into that more and more when we were working on it. It started out quite different. When we had the guitar sound layered out, the ground core of the song, it was easy to move in that direction. [laughs]

SILY: Does that happen to you a lot, where you're subconsciously inspired by something and discover you unintentionally paid tribute to it, so you lean into it and just accept it?

SW: I think so! It's a fun way to work. I like so many things about Twin Peaks, so it was obvious when it happened even though I didn't know it would happen.

SILY: A lot of the instrumentation on this album does sound filmic. At the end of "Elephant Song", when you sing, "We don't know what will happen at the end," the swell of strings and percussion is very orchestral. Do you ever look at your music as something that inspired images?

SW: I think it does. I think of my music in images a lot of the time. This time, Juhani Silvola, the producer, talked a lot about using a lot of different instruments and to "paint" different sound worlds and soundscapes and universes for the songs. You can compare that to short movies.

SILY: You do have a lot of lines on the album referring to colors: "blue heart, blue night" on "Black Heart", and on "Where Has the Love Gone", lines about how when you're in nature, the colors of various elements, like trees, give you certain feelings. Do you feel like you experience your life in colors every day?

SW: It's getting more and more the way I experience things. I have a special focus on that for this album. The lyrics or the meditative themes on this album are linked to nature. I've had really good experiences of being outside in the forest.

SILY: Do you tend to spend a lot of time in the forest in Norway?

SW: I try to when I have time. It started during the pandemic, when we were stuck in the city center of Oslo and everything shut down, it was really sad and boring. [laughs] We got all this hiking equipment so we could go outside. My husband and I started during the pandemic, which was a huge help during that period. When I don't travel that much or I have the time, for sure, I'm a lot more outside.

SILY: Do you see a lot of wildlife?

SW: A little bit. The forest is quite a big part of the Oslo area. It doesn't take that long to get out there. So, lots of birds, some snakes, elk. The big scary animals don't live here. [laughs]

SILY: Can you tell me about the album art?

SW: The main cover is an illustration by an artist called Ingrid Torvund. I came across her not that long ago when I was working on these songs and the album. I really like her pictures, illustrations, sculptures, and video art. She makes films from the forest with weird animals and creatures, with sci-fi vibes to it. They are really gorgeous. I thought I could use some of her stuff, and I had been working with other artists before, and some are really reluctant to make something new on commission. I was thinking I could use some of her already existing work if she didn't want to make something for the album. I just asked her, and we hadn't really figured out exactly how to do it, but she had made the main cover illustration, and sent it to me, and I really loved it. I found it so fitting and soothing for the album and songs. It felt like a really good match.

SILY: Have you played these songs live?

SW: I haven't! We just started to rehearse with a couple of musicians, and we're being joined by a couple more in a month. We'll be a five-piece band to try to do this live. It will be fun, but it's a process to find out what elements we want to keep for the live editions. I really don't want to do tricks. I really want it to be played, so we have to find out how to work the chorus of songs and sounds.

SILY: What else is next for you?

SW: The Baudelaire orchestra project has become massive. I made a full orchestra concert last year, and then we altered those arrangements for a smaller soloist ensemble, with one person per instrument with really good musicians. That project, the Baudelaire trilogy, and the orchestra, has been so massive alongside this Meditations album.

I haven't really recorded anything [new], which feels a bit weird, actually. I usually have a lot of things going on at the same time, but now, I'm more in the writing process for a couple of other projects. I'm making some music in relation to Hildegard of Bingen, an 11th century nun who made Gregorian music and wrote several books about ecological gardening, the mystics and religion, and also early feminist thoughts. That's super interesting to explore.

SILY: Even if it feels weird to not be recording, does it feel good to be in the early thought process, creation, and writing phase?

SW: Yeah, I love that. I have several writing projects. I'm looking forward to keeping on working with that.

SILY: Is there anything you've been listening to, watching, or reading that's caught your attention or inspired you?

SW: I stumble across things all the time. There are a lot of things going on in the Norwegian music scene these days, a lot of young people doing really interesting hybrid genre projects. I was recently in Gothenburg and saw Anna von Hausswolff. She just played at the Opera House there with some dancers from a Dutch company. It was really interesting to see.

SILY: Are you planning on coming to the States?

SW: You never know. [laughs] I have been trying or planning to several times, but things have certainly gotten so much more difficult, travelling and playing. I was hoping to come next year, but we'll see if it's possible to realize.

SILY: I know you've played Big Ears in Knoxville before. Is that usually the catalyst, where a festival invites you over and then you book a tour around it?

SW: Yeah, absolutely. It makes more sense. That is exactly what we need. [laughs]

[wow-an-unfunny-joke]

Trying to figure out names for the flags (I’m writing a highschool au and need them to have normal names)

So Lippmann is Walter Lippmann- apparently Chuuya (irl) knew a guy who was a pianist who might’ve been an inspiration for piano man???? And I saw someone say Albatross is Charles Baudelaire. I’m still looking into those two though.

If yall knew anything PLEASE TELL ME

[unfortunatetheorist]

Orwellian Secrets: Is Brett Helquist in the Netflix series?

I would like to dedicate this theory to @snicketstrange, as well as credit him for the concluding ideas of this theory.

After TCWOCL Part 7, TMM Part 1, I noticed a theorist's window of opportunity. In the scene where Georgina hypnotises Klaus, one of the pictures she shows him is the picture of the burnt remains of his home: the Baudelaire mansion after the fire.

She asks him, "Fire or accident?" ... I'll lay out my thoughts on this in a separate post.

In TBB:RE, Lemony describes a part of his research at the Baudelaire mansion:

pp. 12-13 Here and there, the children could see traces of the home they had loved: fragments of their grand piano, an elegant bottle in which Mr. Baudelaire had kept brandy, the scorched cushion of the windowseat where their mother liked to sit and read.

Curiously enough, Mr. Baudelaire's brandy bottle was found on the remians of the dining table, with no coasters nearby. This would indicate that either the coasters were burned beyond recognition, or the Baudelaires had received a visitor who had no manners whatsoever.

The picture in the series (when paused at the correct moment!) can be identified due to the large 'portion' of grand piano. But @snicketstrange has helped me come to the conclusion that:

Brett Helquist is NOT in the Netflix series; instead, it is the photographer of LSTUA, Julie Blattberg.

In LSTUA, we get this:

Crucially, this proves: the fact that Mr. Helquist made an illustration does not mean that the only source of images available are the ones he created.

Plus, logic (@snicketstrange, thank you for providing this logic 😅) dictates that photography and film are closer than drawing (illustration) and film.

Therefore:

THEORY: Julie Blattberg, Lemony's photographer, is a part of the Netflix canon.

Possibly:

As an undercover member of The Daily Punctilio

As herself, helping Lemony and Beatrice II write 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.

With help from @snicketstrange,

~ Th3r3534rch1ngr4ph, Unfortunate Theorist/Snicketologist

[nonsensicalramblings79]

L'albatros and parallels in OFMD

1.4k word meta

If you haven’t read my other posts about why I’m talking about albatrosses in the first place, as well as the literary significance of referencing them, read those and come back! All of this will make the most sense if you read all of the parts I’ve written – I’ve split them up for ease of reading, because holy shit this is long.

This particular post is what I will deem as less likely to be supported by canon than the one talking about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, but I still want to get this out because regardless of whether it’s intentional or not, L’albatros sums up a lot of what I feel Ed is thinking regarding his life and his place in the world.

For future reference, I’m writing this on 10/8/2023, so I’m only working with season 1 and the first three episodes of season 2. More than likely, extra information concerning my theories will come up when new episodes are released – I’ll see about reworking these posts then if necessary.

TWs: suicidal ideation, depression, isolation, canon-typical mental health problems

MAJOR OFMD SPOILERS THROUGH S2E03

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just like in my post about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I’ll clarify that yes, this is anachronistic – this poem wasn’t published until 1859. I also don’t care: Oluwande is wearing crocs, Stede’s “corpse” is crushed by a piano whose maker won’t exist until 1863, Blackbeard’s got his whole leather-daddy getup, Zheng Yi Sao won’t be born until 1775 – OFMD plays fast and loose with historical accuracy, and I am never going to dismiss an OFMD theory because the ~timeline~ doesn’t match up.

L'albatros is a poem written by French poet Charles Baudelaire that describes the plight of the albatross – a mighty king of the sea and sky, with massive wings that dwarf other seabirds (no, for real, these things are gargantuan – its wingspan is wider than most humans are tall) – who is well suited to its environment, but only its own environment.

The poem is originally in French, and while there is an English adaptation of it, when I quote from the poem, I’ll be drawing from the original text and translating it. I think that method best captures the original intent of the word choices.

So, the poem starts out by describing a common pastime of sailors – catching albatrosses that fly alongside their ships, bringing them down onto the deck and keeping them from flying away (how exactly they do this is not made clear in the poem). The poem describes the downed birds as pitiful, clumsy, and ashamed/shameful (French: honteux). Their great big wings trail beside them as they try to walk, dragging like oars. Here are the first 2 quatrains, if you want to try to read them or translate them.

Souvent, pour s’amuser, les hommes d’équipage

Prennent des albatros, vastes oiseaux de mer,

Qui suivent, indolent compagnons de voyage

Le navire glissant sur les gouffres amers.

À peine les ont-ils déposés sur les planches,

Que ces rois de l’azure, maladroit et honteux,

Laissent piteusement leurs grandes ailes blanches

Comme des avirons traîner à c��té d’eux.

The third quatrain essentially describes, from the perspective of an onlooker, how utterly stupid this bird looks. He is gauche – a word you might recognize from its English usage – which is translated as “awkward,” but I would argue that in the case of describing humans, this word also can be translated as “socially inept.” That’s important, I’ll come back to it later. The bird is veule – a word that translates directly as “weak” or “spineless.” He, who was so beautiful just a short time ago, is now comical and ugly.

Ce voyageur ailé, comme il est gauche et veule !

Lui, naguère si beau, qu’il est comique est laid !

Continuing the third stanza, the sailors poke and prod at the albatross, making fun of how he has been crippled by having landed on the deck of the ship.

L’un agace son bec avec un brûle-gueule,

L’autre mime, en boitant, l’infirme qui volait.

The fourth and final quatrain makes a link between the author of the poem and this albatross that he observed. To me, the wording here is really what drives home the connection between Ed and the poet/the albatross, so I’m going to translate each line.

               Le Poète est semblable au Prince des nuées

               The Poet is similar to/like the Prince of the Clouds

               Qui hante la tempête et se rit de l’archer

               Who haunts the tempest and laughs at the archer/bowman

               Exilé sur le sol, au milieu des huées

               Exiled on the earth/soil/ground, in the midst of jeers/booing

               Ses ailes de géants l’empêchent de marcher.

               His giant wings keep him from walking.

Quick clarification - I’ll admit that there’s a huge assumption that I’m making in that the writers of OFMD decided to reference this specific poem in this extremely tangential way, despite the albatross here representing something entirely different than its normal meaning in literature. For the sake of argument, I’m going to assume for the rest of this post that they did do that, and that this poem exists in-universe over 100 years before it was written in real life. Ok? Ok! :D

So at this point, if you’re familiar with Our Flag Means Death, you may have guessed that the connection I’ve drawn is between the narrator of this poem (the Poet) and Ed. In my mind, at some point in his life, Ed has read this poem, and he has also heard that little factoid about albatrosses spending their entire lives away from shore (and read my first post if you need clarification on that!). And over the course of his life, and especially the past several months, he’s come to associate himself with the views he’s cultivated of the albatross – never meant to leave the sea, never meant to be a part of life on shore (“polite society”), and he would look stupid and silly if he tried. This is a view he’s held since childhood – as we see with his conversation with his mother in S1E06 –

…

We’re just not those kinds of people.

…

And it’s a view that Stede had started to put a dent into during their time together. Where Ed says he’s not a good person, Stede vehemently defends his good character. Where Calico Jack says pirates don’t have friends, Stede tells him that he’s his friend. That Ed wears fine things well, that he’s quite sophisticated. All things that Ed has never allowed himself to believe could possibly be true – until he met Stede, he never even considered that he could “land” – and for a few precious weeks, Ed believes him.

And then Stede leaves. After Ed has laid himself bare, more vulnerable than he has ever let himself be in his life, after Ed has exposed who he really is – the only person who has ever wholly accepted him leaves. And Ed is left floundering, like the mighty prince of the sky trying to walk on the deck of a ship. That fourth quatrain brings a lot of scenes from the show to mind – here are some examples.

The Prince of the Clouds, who haunts the tempest.

The one who is exiled on the Earth.

In the midst of jeers. (recall the use of the word “gauche”? I believe that in this case, the “socially inept” definition applies even better than the simple translation of “awkward”)

His giant wings keep him from walking.

The way this poem describes the plight of the albatross is nigh on exactly how Ed is supposedly seeing himself post-breakup. He just was never meant to have the kind of life that he wants; he’s extremely good at one thing, and one thing only – violence. He will never have any other life.

This is why I think Ed has read this poem – because he references the albatross as a “bird that never lands,” and in the poem, this bird just so happens to also be seen as stupid, ugly, and gauche when it is put into any situation other than what it excels at. And regardless of whether this is actually intended to be a canonical reference or even if it was completely unintentional on the part of the writers, this poem holds a special place in my heart because of how well I believe it captures Ed’s emotional situation.

So, thanks for making it this far – I’d love to hear some feedback if any of you have anything to add! As always, my inbox is open, feel free to DM if you want to do any reciprocal info/opinion-dumping about the beloved Pirate Show!!

[littlestsnicket]

baudelaire mansion ( @asouefanworkevent )

Beatrice plays several jaunty arpeggios, improvising along with her smallest daughter’s delighted shrieking. She is not a talented pianist but she does alright enough to entertain her family, and if not her, who else will play the grand piano in the ballroom?

It seems a waste to let such a lovely room, with its wide windows, gilt mirrors, and glittering chandelier, go unused just because hosting balls has fallen out of fashion.

She smiles at her three children, unaware of the significance of the green varnish that remains in the divots of the floor despite an unnecessary number of refinishings.

[arrowstothehearts]

From the beginning of its existence, Alaska knew it could do significant things.

James Baudelaire, who in his early twenties was part of an influential family of founders of British high society in Birmingham, UK. The man in his youth was determined to explore the beauty of the world, where he was first captivated by North America, as soon as he set his eyes on the majestic glaciers of Alaska, US. His adventures and spirit attracted Elizabeth Brown, an aspiring actress who was known for her beauty and almost unearthly resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor. She was the next promise of Broadway as soon as she managed to go to New York City, but with her angelic face, it didn't take long for James to notice the woman in her various shows.

It didn't take long for her to be conceived from such love, a girl with almost celestial blue eyes, golden hair and rosy cheeks. James knew the very moment he saw his daughter, he remembered the first time he was swept away. Alaska Baudelaire. Born on April 16th.

Elizabeth, in fact, did not have such devotion to her daughter, the replica of Marilyn Monroe that grew around her reminded her of the life she had left behind, and even though she knew it was unfair and self-centered, she blamed the girl for the end of her career, but after all, she chose that. So, Elizabeth Brown transformed herself into Elizabeth Baudelaire, erased her glorious past and swore to herself that her career would be her family, she would raise a prodigy daughter. James put aside his adventures around the world, despite remaining true to his spirit, he followed the family business, which led to him becoming an important judge.

During her childhood, Alaska's every step was scripted to make her stand out, from ballet, painting and piano classes. The girl was dedicated and even with her mother's demand for perfection, in the name of her unconditional love, Alaska wanted to be a source of pride for her mother and did everything she could to impress her.

At the beginning of her pre-adolescence, “unconditional love” sent her away from her family, friends, everything she knew and loved, where Alaska spent long years at a boarding school in Germany, where luckily for the girl, she had the chance of making friends who helped her discover her real personality, dreaming her own dreams and inheriting from her father the same passion and desire to see the world as it really was.

She always had a camera in her hand, capturing moments around her. The girl captured every feeling, curiosity that surrounded her, from colleagues, landscapes, everything became beautiful in her lenses. In addition to using her beauty naturally given by her parents to venture as a photographic model, as she loved how each photograph could capture fragments of her identity, she felt as if they were pieces of her soul that were spread through each capture.

At the end of her stay in Germany, the girl, now almost a woman, felt that her heart was calling her to see the world, so with the help of her beloved father, she went to the United States, leaving behind the cloudy weather of Birmingham and being welcomed by the warm Miami sun.

The city was exotic and new, everything she needed to follow her new steps, the woman managed to find her peace in the midst of American chaos. Her greatest find in the city, Andrew Rockefeller, a man who reminded her of her father, was successful, restrained, a true German with his strong and imposing accent, had his air of mystery and that intrigued her from the first day.

Over the course of a short time, they developed a connection that transcended all rules of time, it was instant like a meeting of souls that led to the most genuine and purest friendship Alaska had ever experienced. The man was of great influence in her maturation and growth to become who she’s today. Luckily for both of them, after four years of living, loving each other as a family and overcoming the most diverse obstacles, they both found love in each other. For many it was simply destiny, Alaska deep down always knew that all the paths she took would lead her there.

Their new lives called for new air, and her mother's old passion for New York City returned to her memory, as if that concrete jungle now called Alaska too.

Upon arriving in the new city with her lover and dogs and cat, she instantly fell in love with the energy. The streets pulsed with life, skyscrapers touched the sky and cultural diversity fascinated. Every corner presented a new scene, a new story to be told. The soft night light reflecting off the buildings, the people running, every expression captured by the lens became a masterpiece. New York developed to explore its creativity, experiment with different techniques and understand the beauty of urban imperfections. The city, with its parks, street art and variety of cultures, has become her personal museum.

For her, each photo was a window into the soul of the city, and photography became a way to bring her passion for photography to life. Now feeling truly at home.

[localfanbaselurker]

Hey! 👋 do you have any headcannons about the Quagmire triplets from asoue?

YES!! Okay okay

for order of birth they’d definitely be boy, girl, boy, because they’d mirror the Baudelaires, and a lot of the siblings surrounding vfd tend to mirror one another’s (there’s also almost always 3)

but in specifics it would be Quigley, Isadora, Duncan.

Quigley would be the more sporty one out of all of them, he just gives that vibe yk?. Since he’s a cartographer, I feel like he’d like geography and ancient world history, like how the world was like before, earlier maps, Pangea, etc. His aesthetic, if I had to choose one, would be light academia mixed with casual chill.

Isadora would definitely play lots of instruments, while I feel they all know how to play the piano, and/or a violin family instrument (violin, viola, cello, bass)—though Isa and Duncan might want to stay away from them after TAA—Isadora would know how to play the most instruments out of all of them (if u ever make a band au just know im here) Her aesthetic would be dark academia mixed with coquette

Duncan would definitely be on the debate team or the school council and he’d be in charge of the school newspaper or the morning announcements. He’d be really good at math but would prefer English either way. He definitely cried at titanic. His aesthetic would be writer’s aesthetic (yes ik that sounds unoriginal but nothing else fit my idea according to google/pinterest so) mixed with early 20th century paper boy.

General hcs

they all cried when they found Quigley, but Duncan almost cried so hard he passed out.

I don’t think they actually died when they got attacked by the eagles, because lemony is kinda an unreliable narrator, he could’ve just not researched it too much because he was busy with the Baudelaires lives. I think that they would’ve fallen into the ocean a little after finding quigley, and would’ve ended up on briny beach like the Baudelaires ended up on the island. Thoug of course, with more damage because they fell out of the sky into the ocean, because somewhere in the “an incomplete history of secret organizations” official book based off the netflix series, it states something along the lines of “two sets of friends (something, something) will meet again on briny beach”

they’d be those kids at school that you wouldn’t know were siblings until you see them together and realize how similar they look or notice they’re the only ones in school with their last name.

you can kinda guess what I think they’re favorite colors are here, but I feel like Quigleys is yellow they just don’t have it here.

that’s all I can think of as of now I might have more tho !!

[sangcreole]

( have a couple! ) what's your muse's niche interest that they could talk for hours about? what's a quote that best describes your muse? does your muse have a green thumb, or are they a notorious plant killer? what's their experience with plants like? what's one memory your muses wishes they could relive over and over?

In-Depth Headcanons

what's your muse's niche interest that they could talk for hours about? Okay so obviously the answer is 18th Century Romantic symbolist literature and poetry— Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Keats, and occasionally Byron and Shelley. But specifically, I think Louis in the modern era got really into more modernist rhetorical and literary theory and using it as a new lens to look at his precious symbolist texts. I know for a fact he was out there licking Kenneth Burke's boots and devouring essays on the Dramatic Pentad and evaluating the meaning of communication through symbols in an evolving society. He's a fucking nerd okay.

what's a quote that best describes your muse? Just. All of Keats' Guy's Hospital. "I am a wound and you stitch me whole again."

does your muse have a green thumb, or are they a notorious plant killer? what's their experience with plants like? He does have a green thumb! He was a plantation owner, after all, so at the very least he knows how to grow indigo. But I've always headcanoned that Louis is very hands-on with the landscaping at any place he lives. He enjoys researching native plants and keeping a more natural garden, which has sometimes gotten him in trouble with the HOA for letting the plants grow too high.

what's one memory your muses wishes they could relive over and over? The night he taught Claudia to dance, when Lestat played at the piano and her hands felt so tiny in his, and every time he bowed to her she would erupt in a fit of giggles.

[unfortunate-sapphic-disaster]

Hi! What are your favourite hcs for asoue? :)

Hi! sorry it took me a while to answer, I was going to come back to it but i forgot.

here are some of my favourite asoue hcs :)

Isadora is trans (this is a pretty popular one)

Quigley likes to draw

Klaus and Isadora are best friends (It's been a while since I read the books but I always liked their dynamic)

Violet and Klaus know a bit of piano (I actually just came up with this)

Klaus is fluent in Latin because he got bored one day and just decided to learn it. He probably taught some words to Violet too

And two extras that aren't really story relavent

-If any of them ever has a daughter they name her after Olivia

this isn't technically a hc but if Justice Strauss and uncle Monty ever met they would've been a great couple because a) they both said they wanted kids but were too busy with work, b) they both loved the Baudelaires, and c) they both have big-ass libraries in their homes.

I'll post again if I come up with more, thanks for the ask :)

[afterthegreatunknown]

Anwhistle Family Breakdown

(Or, a self-reference post to help me keep track of the OCs I created for the Anwhistle Family, alongside the Canonical Anwhistle Family, and Others)

Golden (Quiet) Generation Anwhistles

Anwhistle By Blood

A: the A stands for Aengus. The eldest of his siblings, Aengus is well-respected within VFD. But well-respected doesn’t mean Aengus is well-liked. Whistling Song Specialty: Rocky Road to Dublin

S: the S stands for Seachnall. The Black Sheep of his family (and VFD) through actions that weren’t approved of. If given the choice, he would do it again. Whistling Song Specialty: Maggie Mae

U: the U stands for Una. A lovely woman who many men wanted to marry, Una has high standards that only one man met; someone her family disapproved of. Whistling Song Specialty: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Anwhistle by Marriage

E, or Q: the E stands for Enrique, with the Q standing for his nickname of Quique. An immigrant from Mexico, Enrique risked the Anwhistle Family’s ire for his love for Una, and thought it worth marrying her.

A: the A here stands for Audrey. A fierce woman who supported Seachnall’s actions. She called out the Anwhistles and other families (mainly Baudelaires, Denouements, and Snickets) as cowards and hypocrites over it.

(Original) Schism Generation Anwhistles

Anwhistle by Adoption

F: the F stands for Francisca. A woman who adores opera, she is Aengus’ daughter. She marries C (Clovis) Baudelaire, who she less than adores. Whistling Song Specialty (being adopted doesn’t mean she can’t whistle): Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1

Anwhistle by Birth

I: the I stands for Ira. The first son of Seachnall and Audrey. Ira is a polite-speaking marine biologist with goals that aim high. Whistling Song Specialty: Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (New World Symphony), Fourth Movement.

G: the G stands for Gale. The second son of Seachnall and Audrey, Gale is a jack-of-all-traits who loves film-making. Whistling Song Specialty: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Fourth Movement (Ode To Joy)

Z: Also known to some as O, which stands for Ocho (Eight). The only child of Una and Enrique, Z tried his best to protect his childhood friend, who still lives in Village of Fowl Devotee, and his family safe from VFD, but failed. It’s a failure that sends Z to his deathbed. Whistling Song Specialty: Étude Op. 10, No. 3 (Tristesse)

Anwhistle by Marriage

B: the B stands for Belladonna. A formidable woman who lives up to the flower she’s name after in order to do the right thing. B, despite Gale’s many warnings, always tries to to vindicate Seachnall’s actions (which she believed as correct) to certain VFD Families, to usually no results.

D: Formerly known as D. Snicket. D’s loyalty to VFD, for they helped her and her siblings escape their terrible guardian, pales in comparison to her loyalty for the family she started with Z, as well as the Snickets. D will do anything to keep her family safe, and most importantly, alive.

Proven False Rumor Anwhistle

‘H’ Anwhistle: Now, Seachnall prior to his marriage to Audrey, was something of a flirt and womanizer. After marrying, Seachnall stopped his Casanova ways and remained true to Audrey. Due to Seachnall’s Black Sheep status and that some VFD families were still polite and friendly to him (mainly the Quagmires, Widdershins, and Montgomery Family), a cruel rumor spread that Seachnall cheated on Audrey, and 'H' is his lovechild. The rumor was proven false because Audrey found the culprit who started it, and Audrey got him to confess publicly after threatening to expose his own affair to his wife.

Sugar Bowl Generation Anwhistles

Anwhistle by Birth

Gregor Anwhistle: the oldest son of Z and D Anwhistle, Gregor is an almost soft and baritone-ish speaking man that takes people by surprise when revealing his volatile nature. 100% judge Seachnall’s actions that lead to him becoming the Black Sheep, even though Gregor admits he would have done the same. Whistling Song Specialty: Bourrèe Fantasque

Helen Anwhistle: the Original H. Anwhistle, daughter of Z and D Anwhistle. Helen died at the age of three in her VFD recruitment. In a universe where she lived, Helen wins the heart of a non-hesitating submarine captain. Also, in this universe, Helen’s Whistling Song Specialty is The Garland Waltz from Tchaikovsky‘s The Sleeping Beauty ballet.

Isaac ‘Ike’ Anwhistle: The youngest son of Z and D. Anwhistle, Ike was a curious child growing up, and his curiosity transformed into (reckless) bravery. Ike is one the few people who doesn’t extend the ire/ban of Seachnall’s onto his descendant. Whistling Song Specialty: Beethoven's Fourth Quartet (Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4)

F: the F here stands for Felix. The son of Gale and Belladonna Anwhistle, Felix is a traveler, going everywhere and anywhere. While having a decent relationship with Ike, Felix moved his family to New England to escape the ire/judgement of the other Anwhistles/certain VFD Families. Whistling Song Specialty: Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata).

Anwhistle by Complications

Hector: the son of Victor Cuervo (Z’s childhood friend) and María Carmen Aguilar. Legally name Hector Aguilar, his informal full name is Hector Cuervo-Aguilar (Land of District law states only one surname can be on a birth certificate, and Aguilar was chosen). In a universe where he wasn’t recruited, Hector still gets roped up into the canonical unfortunate events. Whistling Song Specialty (because he too, can whistle): La Llorona

Anwhistle by Marriage

Josephine: Formerly Josephine Gonzalez-Swayer. Despite her bravery and fearless nature, Josephine is above all else, a cautious woman. Josephine always prioritizes safety first. Such safety is why she convinced Ike to allow and accept Felix and his family’s move to New England.

M: the M stands for Miriam. An adventurous woman who joined Felix on his travels. They later married in their time in Greece (Miriam’s suggestion). Miriam likes Ike and Josephine, for they treat Felix as his own person, and not as an extension of Seachnall’s actions.

Anwhistle Relatives

Beatrice Baudelaire: the daughter of Clovis and Francisca Baudelaire nee Anwhistle, she is the second cousin to Gregor and Ike through Francisca (being Z’s first cousin). Clovis and Francisca Baudelaire love their daughter, but not one another, and the two had one too many verbal fights at home that has Beatrice being ashamed of being a Baudelaire, especially as a child. Beatrice as such enjoyed visting Gregor and Ike’s home, taking those visits as a temporary sanctuary from her parents. Whistling Song Specialty: Mozart's Fourteenth Symphony (Symphony No. 14)

Jacques, Kit, and Lemony Snicket: the children of E and Jacob Snicket, they are the first cousins to Gregor and Ike through E. Snicket (being D Anwhistle’s sister). Jacques and Kit have little memories of Helen to where they forgot about her existence. Lemony in contrast, never have memories of Helen, thinking the Anwhistle Siblings are Gregor and Ike (and later Hector). Gregor prefers the company of his cousin Jacques, while Ike prefers the company of his cousin Kit. Lemony is equality like by them. Whistling Song Specialty: None.That said, Jacques can whistle.

Next Generation Anwhistles

Gideon Anwhistle: the first son of Felix and Miriam, he’s a sixteen-year-old who looks very polite, especially with his hexagon glasses, though he has a hidden anger that shows itself on occasion. Gideon has an interest in the paleontology field: paleobotany, the study of plant fossils. Whistling Song Specialty: Rhapsody in Blue

Elijah Anwhistle: the second son of Felix and Miriam, he’s a fourteen-year-old who sometimes let curiosity get the better of him. Elijah excels in sports (mainly swimming, canoeing, tennis, and baseball), but his real interest is art. Specifically, the traditional mediums of color pencils, markers, and inks. Whistling Song Specialty: Helter Skelter

Clementine ‘Clem’ Anwhistle: the last child of Felix and Miriam, as well as their only daughter. An energetic ten-year-old who loves creating buildings and decorating room interiors, be it on paper or on the computer due to having games that allows Clem do what her heart wants to make. Whistling Song Specialty: Walking on Sunshine

Regarding Beatrice and Lemony’s Engagement...

When Beatrice and Lemony announced their eventual short-live engagement, some people within the Anwhistle Family and Baudelaire Family wondered if it was legal. After all, Beatrice is a second cousin through the Anwhistles through her adopted mother F, and Lemony is a first cousin through the Anwhistles through D. and E being sisters.

Turns out Beatrice and Lemony before dating (hell, even before they asked each other on their first date), did their research.

By the Land of District’s law that the City follows, Beatrice and Lemony are able to date and marry. Beatrice’s relationship to the Anwhistle Family is a second cousin, meaning they don’t share a direct relative. While Lemony’s relation to the Anwhistles is a first cousin, because Beatrice has no Snicket relation through blood or adoption, the law doesn’t consider their relationship as incest in any way or form.

(Violet in TBB being force to married Olaf despite it being incest through adoption was through a loophole of the law of a minor being able to marry via permission from a guardian [or parent].)

[c-etait-ailleurs]

La Lune, qui est le caprice même, regarda par la fenêtre pendant que tu dormais dans ton berceau, et se dit : “Cette enfant me plaît.” Et elle descendit moelleusement son escalier de nuages et passa sans bruit à travers les vitres. Puis elle s’étendit sur toi avec la tendresse souple d’une mère, et elle déposa ses couleurs sur ta face. Tes prunelles en sont restées vertes, et tes joues extraordinairement pâles. C’est en contemplant cette visiteuse que tes yeux se sont si bizarrement agrandis ; et elle t’a si tendrement serrée à la gorge que tu en as gardé pour toujours l’envie de pleurer. Cependant, dans l’expansion de sa joie, la Lune remplissait toute la chambre comme une atmosphère phosphorique, comme un poison lumineux ; et toute cette lumière vivante pensait et disait : “Tu subiras éternellement l’influence de mon baiser. Tu seras belle à ma manière. Tu aimeras ce que j’aime et ce qui m’aime : l’eau, les nuages, le silence et la nuit ; la mer immense et verte ; l’eau uniforme et multiforme ; le lieu où tu ne seras pas ; l’amant que tu ne connaîtras pas ; les fleurs monstrueuses ; les parfums qui font délirer ; les chats qui se pâment sur les pianos et qui gémissent comme les femmes, d’une voix rauque et douce ! “Et tu seras aimée de mes amants, courtisée par mes courtisans. Tu seras la reine des hommes aux yeux verts dont j’ai serré aussi la gorge dans mes caresses nocturnes ; de ceux-là qui aiment la mer, la mer immense, tumultueuse et verte, l’eau informe et multiforme, le lieu où ils ne sont pas, la femme qu’ils ne connaissent pas, les fleurs sinistres qui ressemblent aux encensoirs d’une religion inconnue, les parfums qui troublent la volonté, et les animaux sauvages et voluptueux qui sont les emblèmes de leur folie.” Et c’est pour cela, maudite chère enfant gâtée, que je suis maintenant couché à tes pieds, cherchant dans toute ta personne le reflet de la redoutable Divinité, de la fatidique marraine, de la nourrice empoisonneuse de tous les lunatiques.

Charles Baudelaire, “Les Bienfaits de la lune”, recueil Le Spleen de Paris

[hoodie-prince-kid-archived]

Monty who wanted to play a prank on the entire Herpetological Society. Who named the least dangerous snake in the world the 'Incredibly Deadly Viper' because it looks big and intimidating. Uncle Monty who got locked in a piano with the Baudelaire parents when the three of them were teens. Dr. Montgomery Montgomery and his Reptile Room where no harm will ever come to anyone. Who got secret messages from a black and white movie with subtitles. Who was willing to go to Peru out of nowhere just to keep the kids safe. Monty :'[ who got murdered by Count Olaf.

MONTYYYYYY.

[redangeldragnet1982]

my reading list +_+

🍀=currently reading

🐜=on my bookshelf (locked and loaded)

🐜🐩On the Road- Kerouac

🐜🐩From Bauhaus to Our House- Tom Wolfe

🐜🐩The Subterraneans- Jack Kerouac

🐜🐩The Electric Koolaid Acid Test- Tom Wolfe

🐩 The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini

🐜🐩 Naked Lunch- William Burroughs

🐜🐩 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey

🐜🐩 Doctor Rat- William Kotzwinkle

🐜🐩 The Picture of Dorian Grey- Oscar Wilde

🐜🐩 Still Life With Woodpecker- Tom Robbins

🐜🐩The Dharma Bums- Kerouac

🐜🐩Slaughterhouse Five- Kurt Vonnegut

🐜🐩The Cat Inside- Burroughs

🐜🐩The Wild Boys- Burroughs

🐩The Fall- Albert Camus

🐜🐩 Dr. Sax- Kerouac

🐜🐩 Another Roadside Attraction- Tom Robbins

🐜🐩 Breakfast of Champions- Vonnegut

🐜🐩 The Sirens of Titan- Vonnegut

🐜🐩 Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates- Tom Robbins

🐜🐩 Timequake- Vonnegut

🐜🐩 Slapstick or Lonesome no More- Vonnegut

🐜🐩 The Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby- Tom Wolfe

🐜🍀 Totem and Taboo- Freud

🐜🍀 Society of the Spectacle- guy debord

🐜🐩 Even Cowgirls Get the Blues- Tom Robbins

🐩 Queer- William Burroughs

🐜🍀Junkie- William Burroughs

🐜🍀 Player Piano- Vonnegut

🐜🐩 On Dreams- Freud

🐜🍀 Woolgathering- Patti Smith

🐜🐩 Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood- Freud

🐜🐩 Diary of a Genius- Dalí

🐜🐩 Radical Chic & Mau-mauing the Flak Catchers- Tom Wolfe

🐜🐩Satori in Paris- Kerouac

🐜🐩The Pump House Gang- Tom Wolfe

🐜🐩Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris

🐜🐩Small Scale Subversion: Mail Art & Artistamps- John Held Jr.

🐜🐩 With William Burroughs- Victor Bockris

🐜🐩 Frank Lloyd Wright's Furnishings- Carla Lind

🐜🐩 Mauve Gloves and Madmen, Clutter and Vine- Tom wolfe

🐩The Hasheesh Eaters- Fitz Hugh Ludlow

🐜🐩Illuminations- Rimbaud

🐩A Season In Hell- Rimbaud

🐩The Color Out Of Space- HP Lovecraft

🐩Suspiria de Profundis- Thomas De Quincy

🐜🐩The Poetics Of Space- Gaston Bachelard

🐩The World As Will And Representation- Arthur Schopenhauer

🐩Correspondences- Charles Baudelair

🐩Les Champs Magnetiques- André Breton + Philippe Soupault.

🐩Geek Love- Katherine Dunn

🐩 Visions of Cody- Kerouac

🐩Scattered Poems- Kerouac

🐩The Holy Goof- William Plummer

🐩 Learning from Las Vegas- Robert Venturi

🐩 Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture- Robert Venturi

🐩 Desolation Angels- Jack Kerouac

🐩Drugs are nice- Lisa Crystal Carver

[smn-artistagency]

TOUCH ME NOT - HARA ALONSO

Hara Alonso is a pianist, composer and sound artist from Spain.

Her compositional process is based on bodily experience, exploring multisensory practices, memory, imagination and space as tools for sound creation. In recent years she has expanded the sonic and performative possibilities of the piano through extended techniques, somatic practices and signal processing. Her sonic universe, described as 'gloomy bubbling electronic power ambient', navigates between lush landscapes, minimal rhythms and hypnotic layers with a strong micro-lyrical presence. 

Her music has been presented as an ensemble, soloist and sound installation at numerous festivals such as Mutek (CDMX), She Makes Noise (Madrid), STRP (the Netherlands), Keroxen (Tenerife), OUT.SIDE (Barcelona) or Malmö festivalen (Sweden) among others.

In 2018 her first EP. 'Pianoïse' for piano and electronics, was released by the label Keroxen.  In 2021, Eotrax released her acclaimed first solo album ‘Somatic Suspension’. Free jazz album ‘Ritual para acercarse’ came out in 2022 in collaboration with Susana Santos Silva, Elsa Bergman and Camila Nebbia by Ramble Records. ‘Notions of hope', released on pianoandcoffee records, came out in autumn 2023 with 10 meditative piano tracks. In 2024 he released together with Mexican artist Concepción Huerta the album ‘Hacia la melancolía del futuro’ on the Superpang label.

Hara Alonso works as a researcher in the project ‘Body as Ears’ at the Stockholm University of the Arts. She lectures composition, music programming and improvisation at the Royal College of Music (KMH) in Stockholm and has been a guest lecturer at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona and the Escuela de Música Creativa in Madrid.

PROJECT

touch•me•not emerges as a reflection on the corporeal relationship between the skin and the surrounds a surface, the ocean, a dried flower.

Hara Alonso's new album delves deep into our approach to sensoriality as bodies and sentient beings, by refusing to operate a discrimination of species. In that sense, it invites us to forget the tyranny of the visual, the lineal and the logic and pay attention to the haptic, evoked through a touching sound. It raises the question about the place we inhabit in a world that is weeping to be reenchanted and touched.

In the 18th century, Emanuel Swedenborg introduces the idea of correspondence and takes seriously the senses and the events of the sensual world as a proof of the spiritual world. A century later, Baudelaire, inspired by the Swedish theologian, writes the poem Correspondances, in which the senses are confused, immersed in a synesthetic hallucination.

Hara Alonso takes us on a walk not far away from the path Baudelaire strolled, through meadows, symbols, light and perfumes, entering a dimension of inverted senses where the body spills into a circle of desiring sensations and sensational desires, enclosing an innocent memory surrendered to the whole.

Accompanied by the percussions of Ryan Packard, the double bass of Ville Bromander and Ellen Söderhult’s voice, Hara Alonso weaves a loom composed of halos of harmonies, field recordings, Juno 6 and prepared piano.

touch•me•not will be released as vinyl in February 2025 in the Berlin based label FUU.

Hara Alonso :: https://haraalonso.com/ :: Soundcloud :: IG ::

Press kit and stills :: download here ::

Head photo by Virginia Delfino

HARA ALONSO

Hara Alonso es una pianista, compositora y artista sonora española. Su proceso compositivo se basa en la experiencia corporal, explorando prácticas multisensoriales, la memoria, la imaginación y el espacio como herramientas para la creación sonora. En los últimos años ha ampliado las posibilidades sonoras y performativas del piano a través de técnicas expandidas, prácticas somáticas y procesamiento de señales. Su universo sonoro, descrito como «power ambient, electrónico, burbujeante y sombrío», navega entre paisajes exuberantes, ritmos mínimos y capas hipnóticas con una fuerte presencia microlírica.

Su música se ha presentado como ensemble, solista e instalación sonora en numerosos festivales como Mutek (CDMX), She Makes Noise (Madrid), STRP (Holanda), Keroxen (Tenerife), OUT.SIDE (Barcelona) o Malmö festivalen (Suecia) entre otros.

En 2018 su primer EP, Pianoïse para piano y electrónica, fue publicado por el sello Keroxen.

En 2021, Eotrax publica su aclamado primer álbum en solitario Somatic Suspension. El álbum de free jazz Ritual para acercarse salió en 2022 en colaboración con Susana Santos Silva, Elsa Bergman y Camila Nebbia por Ramble Records. Notions of hope publicado en pianoandcoffee records, salió en otoño de 2023 con 10 temas meditativos para piano. En 2024 publicó junto a la artista mexicana, Concepción Huerta el álbum Hacia la melancolía del futuro, en el sello Superpang.

Hara trabaja como investigadora en el proyecto Body as Ears de la Universidad de las Artes de Estocolmo. Imparte clases de composición, programación musical e improvisación en el Royal College of Music (KMH) de Estocolmo y ha sido profesora invitada en la Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña (ESMUC) de Barcelona y en la Escuela de Música Creativa de Madrid.

PROYECTO

touch-me-not surge como una reflexión sobre la relación corpórea entre la piel y lo que la rodea, una superficie, el océano o una flor seca. El nuevo álbum de Hara Alonso ahonda en nuestra aproximación a la sensorialidad y a una no discriminación entre especies, invitándonos a olvidar la tiranía de lo visual, lo lineal y lo entendido como lógico y prestar atención a lo háptico, evocado a través de un sonido conmovedor. Plantea la cuestión del lugar que habitamos en un mundo que llora por ser reencantado y tocado. En el siglo XVIII, Emanuel Swedenborg introduce la idea de correspondencia y pone el foco en los sentidos y los acontecimientos del mundo sensorial como prueba del mundo espiritual. Un siglo más tarde, Baudelaire, inspirado por el teólogo sueco, escribe el poema, Correspondances, en el que los sentidos se confunden, inmersos en una alucinación sinestésica.

Hara Alonso nos lleva a un paseo no muy lejano del que recorrió Baudelaire, a través de prados, símbolos, luz y perfumes, adentrándonos en una dimensión de sentidos invertidos donde el cuerpo se derrama en un círculo de sensaciones deseantes y deseos, encerrando una inocente memoria entregada al todo.

En el directo está acompañada por Elle Söderhult a la voz y el percusionista, Ryan Packard.

touch•me•not saldrá en formato vinilo en Febrero de 2025, editado por el sello berlinés, FUU.

Hara Alonso :: https://haraalonso.com/ :: Soundcloud :: IG ::

Dossier de prensa e imágenes :: descargar aquí ::

[victoire777]

Un 25 de octubre

Entramos. Forcé la entrada, no fisicamente sino emocionalmente. Ocho años después de mi primera oportunidad para rendir esa prueba tan definitiva, lo logré y mejor de lo imaginaba. Una ceremonia de una solemnidad increíble. Llamaron mi nombre con la acentuación de esa lengua. Al acercarme me reconocieron, él quien me escucho hablar de mi delirio por pertenecer a su nación y ella quien me enseñó su lengua, me sonrieron. Yo sonreí. Me dieron mi gran sobre y me dirigí hacia el embajador y el director del instituto, había que tomarse una foto con ellos. Al estar cerca del embajador le dije que era un honor estar ahí, mi alegría era tal que no veía con claridad solo me movía. En la foto quedó inmortalizada mi sonrisa más pura, una herida cerrada, volver a donde mismo siendo otra.

Venía la celebración después de aplaudir a todos quienes también rindieron esta prueba. Traían vestidos de blanco y negro con bandejas relucientes, copas y copas de champaña, bebí, bebí bastante. Entre querer calmar los nerviosos y en querer celebrar. Llegó la pequeña E. y le dije cuál era el plan. Madre tiene que lograr hablar con el embajador. Las tres nos preparamos para acercarnos a él que muy sincero se paseaba entre los distintos grupos de gente. Ya oscureció por fin logramos acercanos y entablar conversación. Yo dije poco, madre fue quien no paró de hablar como por hora y media. El señor Rogeau estaba cautivado por la historia y no paraba de hacer preguntas. En esa conversación madre no pudo huir de sus privilegios, este señor embajador, una pequeña imagen de Armando, refunfuñaba de asombro y risa al enterarse de los barrios en que ella vivió en esa ciudad, el liceo al que fue, los lugares que ahora habitaban sus hermanos, todo reflejaba una exclusividad que solo el dinero permite. Nadie antes había logrado bajarla de su soberbia, porque antes solo veía su historia como una tragedia. Y tragedia es, sin dudas, una tragedia lujosa y protegida.

E. tocó Bach y el cascanueces en el piano de la embajada, la gente asombrada por su talento, ella un poco nerviosa pero feliz.

Valérian me saludó muy educadamente y le comentó al resto de personas que nos rodeaban que el había sido mi juez, me inundó la vergüenza de tener que recordar que le derramé todas mis inseguridades con la esperanza que eso también ayudara conseguir el gran título, hablé con torpeza, ya todo era hilarante.

Era hora de partir, nos volvimos a acercar o acechar más bien al embajador que se encontraba hablando con un joven que le hacía infinitas preguntas. El señor Rogeau hasta incluso recitó un poema de Baudelaire de memoria como respuesta a una de las preguntas del joven, todos nos sorprendimos. Una señora que estaba en el círculo que rodeaba al Señor R reconoció a E. al parece es profesora en ese liceo y la copes ya le había hablado de ella. Fue simpática. Pasamos un buen rato incrustadas en esa conversación porque nos queríamos despedir dignamente. El momento se dio, madre le agradeció, le agradeció por existir se dieron la mano y él le dijo que ojalá se volvieran a encontrar, le dio la mano a E. y me estiró su mano, yo solo fui capaz de posarla sobre la suya, no se la apreté, me daba temor tener mis manos húmedas y que él lo sintiera.

Salimos las tres eufóricas de la Residencia de Francia, corrimos con E. nos reímos todas a carcajadas de lo absurdo que todo parecía ser, de la ligereza que nuestra historia había adquirido, ya no nos persigue amenazantemente. Al menos a mi, yo la invité a vivir en mi presente y creo que en ellas también hubo un cambio positivo, una resignificación.

[aki1975]

Nel saggio “L’Umorismo” (1908), Pirandello affronta lo spaesamento post-positivista e spiega la vita come un flusso continuo in cui l’individuo “si vede vivere” come una maschera che è obbligato a indossare.

L’illusiorietà che deriva da Schopenauer, Freud e Bergson (Pirandello si era laureato in Germania) porta a provare dentro di sé il “sentimento del contrario” che fa ridere e piangere insieme, a vivere una messa in scena teatrale dove ognuno indossa una maschera e recita una parte che non gli appartiene.

I suoi personaggi, da “Così è se si pare” a “I sei personaggi in cerca d’autore”, da “Il fu Mattia Pascal” al Vitangelo Moscarda di “Uno, nessuno e centomila”, soffrono questo male di vivere e convivono con le illusioni delle ideologie e delle convenzioni sociali: gli altri, le “maschere nude” sono figure incomprese ed emarginate, “inetti” in contrapposizione agli Ubermensch dannunziani.

Anticipata dal successo dei poeti maudits francesi (Baudelaire, Mallarmè, Rimbaud), la crisi del positivismo ha molteplici ragioni:

- sul piano storico, il capitalismo conduce alla Comune di Parigi e ai cannoni di Bava Beccaris e all’affermazione dell’Imperialismo;

- sul piano scientifico, la psicanalisi di Freud e il principio di indeterminatezza di Heisenberg minano alle fondamenta le sicurezze precedenti;

- sul piano culturale, la scienza non offre risposte ai bisogni dell’uomo.

Sul piano letterario, il ripudio del positivismo produce:

- il simbolismo di Pascoli e di Baudelaire che interpreta il mistero grazie alle “corrispondenze con la natura” e alle sinestesie con cui le interpreta;

- l’ermetismo di Ungaretti, Quasimodo e Montale;

- l’estetismo di Wilde;

- il superomismo di D’Annunzio.