I was wondering about that deer, so it was real. I think that falls under the category of abusing the singer, at least whoever did the set design. Sometimes things don't need to be so realistic to get the point across :-)
Yep nature metaphors are a double edged sword, you want to be able to communicate to a wide audience. At the same time the power of the metaphor can be diluted or co-opted/redirected by commercial/marketing forces. I guess that's why I think forest and nature metaphors/myths need to be reinvented and reinvigorated to stay ahead of "disneyification". Ok stop me now, I'm no cultural intellectual :-) The comfort factor you mentioned is important, one of the big roles for nature and forest imagery/art. I agree that your city trees and birds are indeed nature, and all the more important to the city dweller whose appreciation is sharpened. I like to think of a tree next to a parking lot or surrounded by buildings as a vertical zone of wildness. As discussed in earlier threads, those urban pocket parks are at the very least lifesavers for migrating birds. Great little Hartley sketch, inspiring. -AJ [email protected] wrote: > Andrew, > > I wish you had been there to help me psychologically deal with that > stag! Between wearing those boys clothes that were too big and getting > poked by the pins holding the fur on the carcass (no, not a fake > deer), you can only imagine what I thought about metaphors at the time... > > I sure agree with you about nature metaphors becoming banal. And in > opera, 'metaphor abuse' can be rampant. They can become an > intellectual exercise that doesn't have much to do with expressing > anything except how clever you are. > > What an awesome experience it must be to climb. And to climb with the > purpose of knowing a tree or a forest, not just for sport. > > Probably overuse of simplified concepts of nature have compromised art > forms. It's hard not to do it, because there is comfort in holding on > to your minds' ideas. Working with and photographing urban birds and > trees forces me to get rid of any romanticized notions. I have to > look at these guys living in impossible environments with life > expectancies much much less than what they would be in a non-urban > environment (street trees average about 7 years I think and doves get > 1.5 - 2 years although capable of living more than 15), yet not jump > to conclusions about the quality of their lives. (maybe urban trees > and birds don't qualify as nature to most people, but they sure do to > people living in a city.) > > I don't know what direction I've veered off into, but thanks for the > thought provoking comments. > > Just discovered this Marsden Hartley picture of birches. I'm sure you > know him, but fyi he's a Maine born artist. > > Jenny > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Andrew Joslin <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Mon, Nov 16, 2009 12:43 pm > Subject: Re: [ENTS] Forests/Trees in opera (don't delete! not that bad!) > > Sorry, I'd missed the photo of Jenny singing in front of the deer. > Shades of Joseph Beuys! > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Beuys > > Bueys was tremendously intrigued with the power of mythical nature > imagery and symbols, the dead hanging stag is up there with the most > powerful mythical/metaphorical images. > > Indeed the forest is a deeply important metaphor in art/literature. The > danger is that the forest metaphor has been trivialized into > postcard/calendar imagery and is losing the power to connect more deeply > into our psyches. The simple activity (sometimes not so simple) of going > into the woods and measuring trees goes a long way towards > reestablishing the deep connection. The measuring activity is on one > level a straightforward mathematical exercise, albeit with the potential > for a twisted ankle or strained neck. The time in the woods spent > working through the terrain and gaining intimate knowledge of individual > trees refills the well of forest connection so-to-speak. > > This explains in part my own desire to climb up into trees, at that > point your life is supported by the tree (through the rope), the > metaphorical connection to the forest becomes direct reality. In the > Trout Book woods I noticed that perching awkwardly on a slippery steep > slope to get that narrow opening to the top twig of a tall ash was very > similar to being up in a tree. > > I'm all for more exploration of the art/music/poetic connection to the > forest. One of our jobs is to reinvigorate that connection, some of the > myths may be getting stale, I think the ENTS are on the right track > towards an update :-) > -Andrew > > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Yup, just what you all were waiting for... > > > > This is part of an email I sent to Kouta along with a picture: > > > > Kouta, > > > > Here's the only production pic I could find that is slightly woods > > related. In Handel's Partenope, Rosmira is enraged by boyfriend's > > infidelity and goes to the woods and kills that deer! Having that > > beast in the aria was a mixed blessing; everyone loved it and it > > looked cool, but I had to jump on it and climb up which made singing > > really hard...This was a great production from New York City > > Opera/Glimmerglass Opera. > > > > Handel wrote some good tree and woods tunes. Ombra mai fu (Persian > > King Xerxes sings love song to tree - I wonder what > > kind?),http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Jh7DF1nxY and > > <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Jh7DF1nxY%A0%A0and> Care Selve come > > to mind. > > > > Hey, Hansel und Gretel must be the ultimate Forest opera, though, > > right! The sound isn't good but this is so > > cute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m7bGzxLzuo > > > > (fyi, other fascinated and rapt ENTS: the characters are both played > > by women. I would be Hansel - the lower voice) > > > > Jeanne d'Arc in Tchaikivsky's Maid of Orleans sings a tremendous aria > > "Adieu Foret" (link to Jessye Norman > > performance; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5hSc78uZyw) And > > Sondheim's Into the Woods, while not operatic, deserves mention > > > > This is fun! Any other tree/forest musical references come to mind? > > > > Jenny > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > > Send email to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > > To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]> > -- > Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org > Send email to [email protected] > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en > To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
