Nabucco - Giuseppe Verdi

José, a friend of mine offered me a ticket to the opera, one of the best seats in the house, since she fell ill. Not being well versed in classical music I decided to go and listen to the introduction the opera gives before the performances. I learned this opera is written in a new and revolutionary way: working in dialogs between voices, between instruments, between soloists and choir and the orchestra and the singers. Also that the dramatic action is driven by the characters who define the plot. The first tones of the orchestra pulled at my heartstrings, moved me, but still I didn't fathom the ride I would be on. The performance by the Symphonic Orchestra and Choir of the Flemish Opera, the instruments and voices enchanted me. The British director however deserves my greatest praise: Daniel Slater. He used the libretto and the opera with a totally contemporary eye: no costumes, but contemporary iconic clothing referring to the Arab spring, the Occupy movement, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the golden calf in Wall street, power and religion.
The opening scene the choir is seated among graffiti-sprayed walls listening to Zaccaria their backs turned to the audience, occupy masks on the back of their heads, tents like I have seen in several cities. Zaccaria is a rebel rouser and we see how the group responds, takes over his defiant attitude. Verdi in the 21st century. The choir eloquently, beautifully speaks out against persecution. I became part of the thoughts and feelings, had tears running along my cheeks. To me this contemporary direction by Slater is a voyage through war and conflict, power hunger, subjection and liberation and the possibility of forgiveness, peaceful futures for all. The 'bad Character' Abigaille sang with reckless abandon, grabbing the crown when Nabucco is overcome by madness, his singing in those moments faltering, inward turned, whereas his finale having chased Abigaille and the golden calf of Babylon having been destroyed, was powerful. To my untrained ear all did a great job, the choir however stole my heart. I absolutely loved the very last gesture: Nabucco with the flick of a hand not accepting the crown... A long applause and bravo!!! After all the old testament violence, we leave the opera with hope. Hope that Occupy and other peaceful movements will build a new sense of community.

Two poet friends -

Recently two friends of mine who write poetry had a presentation of their latest book. One in The Black Panter by Marleen De Crée: Tussen boog en snaar (Between bow and string) a grandiose overview of her work and the other one in the Hoboken town hall Frank De Vos: Naamvallen in het ontheemde. In order to translate the latter title well, I'll have to do some more thinking. Naamvallen are conjugations of nouns and literally it is "Namedropping". That is the first problem, the second is in het ontheemde: normally it is 'de' ontheemde: the homeless, the rootless, the uprooted, a displaced person also a drifter yet 'het' ontheemde is not a stupid grammatical mistake, but a beautiful metaphor for the strangeness of the world in which we live. Both poets have great musical knowledge and taste. So for Marleen we heard Floris De Rycker playing the Thiorbe (imagine a very long necked lute) and Frank surprised us with Bach and others on the accordion, the poor mans organ. Both musical delicacies I had never tasted. Marleen deserves this second volume of the Parnassus series for her assiduous unwavering writing, unimpressed as she is by fads or fashions: You find really modern sonnets, other strict forms and when you read they flow, are natural and they will grab you. Yes I love her work and beginning of January a bilingual book will come out called 'Sequenza', as in the way Berio did some of his compositions. She chose 5 poems from 7 volumes of poetry when she turned 70, a good overview for English speaking readers.

Frank's work has a mesmerizing rhythm, almost like a litany in church with in the first cycle a repetition of the words: I, we, us: the solitary poet striving for, finding 'the other' in his writing. I am very impressed by his anti war poetry. If you can read Dutch, just get both books.

9/11 Casa Louisa, Hoboken

When reading on the ominous date of 9/11, 10 years later one has to acknowledge that fact that brought so much suffering to world. It will be a reading full of peace and love and the will to resist. Yet there also will be pleasant, cozy moments, instances of pure poetry and music at Casa Louisa in Hoboken.
Participating poets: Peter Holvoet-Hanssen, Bert Bevers, Leila Boukhéfit, Bart Stouten, Annmarie Sauer,
Fred Schywek, and musicians Jokke Scheurs, Quirilan, Bateau Feu and Ken Post, eye witness of 9/11, singer/songwriter.
A short poem, original German  by Fred Schywek and an English and Dutch version: KLANG

Worldwide day against war also at salon 12b

 Whatever small gesture, one has to do what one can to denounce the horrors of war in all its facets. A bunch of poets held a reading at salon 12b. Poems about old wars and new situations, an eyewitness song about 9/11, intimate readings about light and fire and loud performance supported by music... The next performance will be on 9/11 in Casa Louisa in Hoboken and then there will be the 2nd European Festival of Poetry September 17/201 in Antwerp, in the Permeke lbrary at 8PM. There will be a special anti war performance under the name of the Moorsoldaten.
The poets featured here will also be there...


 Here you see Fred Schywek and Bart Stouten reading the Hama poem I have posted before, the rhythm flowed apart and together, beautiful performance.

Here you see the current city poet laureate of Antwerp Peter Holvoet-Hanssen on the harmonica, one of the attributes which is always near at hand in a reading.

The first verse of what he will perform on the 17th...

 Pain of War

    (background: Flemish traditional: drie schuin tamboers, die kwamen uit het Oosten)

I  marched by the most abhorrent horrors to the youngest anguishing wail

From the 25.000 throats of Béziers – in solidarity with the Cathars

I swept over pyres – over blood and the stench in the streets

rimbombo, rimbombo, I drummed in the rue Rivoli

danced on a flamethrower with fixed-bayonet

with the 15-inch-Howitser hewing at the cold

over Brandhoek, Ieper, Hellblast Corner, no-man’s land

ay the muster gas scorched us off the world

I sank down next to G. E. Ellison, lancer who fell last

mixed myself in the intercourse and rooted

in forgotten graves – Solferino, time upon time

 

Anti-War-Day, September 1st, 2011

Freedom and peace for all – No more war!

European trade unions called for freedom and peace for the whole world in May 1961. This appeal, this summons is today more topical than ever.

It’s been ten years now since the war in Afghanistan began. News about victims of battles, attacks and war actions reaches us almost on a daily basis. What the population needs is work and stability instead of instability and violence. We demand the retreat of all troops out of Afghanistan and strong support for civilian society.

Troops in Afghanistan, planes in Libya are signs of the willingness of the West to deploy troops in any place in the world. We do not want intervention armies, but a strong basis democratic control of all military decisions.

This years spring saw the massive protests in the Arab world. A wave of democratic protest rolled from country to country over North Africa and the Arab Peninsula. The regimes of Tunisia and Egypt were toppled. Especially the young generations hold high hopes that in these societies the democratic process will unfold peacefully, in solidarity and progressively. These processes need to be supported financially, with medical aid, assistance of suffering civilians.

Lessons from the past spell it out clearly that the weapons the ruling governments used against their own population for the major part had been sold to them by the European armament industry: Germany, Belgium, Spain, France ...  The selling of arms to regions in crisis should be classified under crimes against humanity. Defense spending has to be curbed in a a sustainable way.

The farewell to nuclear energy should also entail the end of all nuclear weapons! After the end of the cold war today there are still 23.000 nuclear weapons ready to be deployed. Our wish is a nuclear free world!

Every form of contempt for people, glorification of war and chauvinism is an affront to human dignity and unworthy in a democracy. The extreme right, hate mongering groups instigating violence and racism shall not find a foothold in our society.

Fred Schywek

Annmarie Sauer organizers of the 2010 and 2011 European Poetry Festival

Text on the basis of a position paper of the DGB (German umbrella organization of trade unions)

September Days of Peace (Campaign of world internet books)

September 1: Salon 12b: Worldwide Anti-War-Day: 8 PM

Participating September 11: NINE ELEVEN TEN Performance, Organizer Frank De Vos, Casa Louisa

September 17, 2011, European Poetry Festival Antwerp

8 PM with the city poet laureate Peter Holvoet-Hanssen and the support of the Permeke Library