27 August 2006

The Royal Coin Cabinet, Suspiria de profundis and Confessions of an English Opium Eater...

After breakfast I sat down, reading the newspapers I had not have time to read the last few days. Aurore is working with her research.

I (Gunnar) am also reading 'Suspiria de profundis'


(Picture 'Suspiria de Profundis' taken from:
//ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518ctqqZG-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

and 'Confessions of an English Opium eater' (the latter sometimes regarded as the second great depiction of drugs in litterature after the catholic thinker/philosopher Albertus Magnus, 13th century),


(Picture 'Confessions of an English Opium Eater taken from:
http://www.erowid.org/library/books/images/confessions_of.jpg)

both written by Thomas de Quincey.

Interesting writer and a voluminous book. Read it!

At half past twelve we left home, going 'down town', Stockholm city, to visit the Royal Coin Cabinet.
(Photo Royal Coin Cabinet. Photo copyright: https://img.konferensanlaggningar.se/
Objects/205/images/Fasad-Kungl-Myntkabinettet.jpg)

26 August 2006

Millesgården, Chabrol and Bournonville

Aurore worked with her research in the morning.

At half past one we went to Millesgården (the museum in Lidingö were the sculptor Carl Milles lived and worked for many years. Has been a museum since the 1950:s), invited to an exhibition with the Norwegian artist/painter Ida Lorentzen.
(Photo Ida Lorentzen taken from://www.idalorentzen.com/)

The name of the exhibition: 'White Light'.


Lorentzen has been called the "painter of stillness".

She depict rooms, sparsely furnished or not furnished at all, with light and shadows being a central part of her compositions.
Somewhat inspired - among others - by the painters Vilhelm Hammershöi and Edward Hopper.

She is one of Norways most wellknown and appreciated artists. Neither one of us were impressed.

Wine and peanuts(!?) were served - not even a small piece of cheese!?



In the afternoon we saw Claude Chabrols film La Demoiselle d'honneur ("The Bridesmaid") (trailer above), made in 2004 but not shown in Sweden until now!
Not a particularly interesting film. 
Chabrol tries to build up a sense of tension in waiting for a climax which ends in an anticlimax. Predictable.
Not bad but certainlly not Chabrol at his peak.

After this Aurore went home to continue her studying. 

I continued to an outdoor performance with the Royal Opera Ballet and a small work by Antoine Bournonville (the father of August) containing both dancing and pantomime. A small peccadillo, but nice!

Antoine Bournonville by Per Krafft the Elder
(Photo painting, Antoine Bournonville: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Antoine_Bournonville#/media/File:Antoine_Bournonville_by_Per_Krafft,_the_Older.jpg)

25 August 2006

Stockholms Kulturfestival

Birgit Nilsson

(Photo of Birgit Nilsson taken from: http://www.bruceduffie.com/bnret.jpg)

A disparate group of artists and a lot of different activites in different places in Stockholm - somewhat difficult to overlook.

I started - thursday - with the Dance museum and there I saw a TV-program transmitted in connection with our great operasinger Birgit Nilsson's 75th birtday! It contained interviews with singers, conductors and others who gave their opinion concerning Nilsson as artist.

They also displayed an old TV-program (I remember having seen it) with the two divas Birgit Nilsson and Zarah Leander (the great swedish singer and actor who worked at the UFA-studio in Germany before and during World War II, accused of having sympathized with the nazi's).

Zarah Leander
(Photo of Zarah Leander taken from: http://fanpix.famousfix.com/gallery/zarah-leander/p16204398)

After this I went on to see the dance performance Mouse a Rokoko Tale, with a touch of 18th century ambience. It was performed by the choreographer Claire Parson and her dance company. 
Claire Parson
(Photo Claire Parsons: Photo copyright:http://h24-original.s3.amazonaws.com/197553/23321910-jLp4v.jpg)

Organconcert in S:t Jacobs church close to the Opera.
Michael Waldenby one of Sweden's most prolific organists, performed different works in this concert.


After this at the stage in front of the Opera, a concert and tribute to Olle Adolphsson, one of Swedens most popular and well known songwriters. Today we would call him a singer-songwriter but in Sweden he belonged to the 'troubadours'!
He was the son of Swedish actor Edvin Adolphson.


Olle Adolphson
(Photo Olle Adolphson: Photo copyright: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RC35Y6vyLhw/hqdefault.jpg)

Edvin Adolphson
(Photo Edvin Adolphson. Photos copyright: 
http://hphsc.narod.ru/biblio/filmgraf/01/fotos/ft00002819d.jpg)

A lot of well-known singer-songwriters of today, performed among them Tomas Andersson-Wij, Nicolai Dunger, Freddie Wadling (one of the first punkrockers in our country who also performed in groups as 'The Leathernun', 'Fläskkvartetten' 'Blue for two'), Plura Jonsson among others.

Freddie Wadling
(Photo Freddie Wadling. Photo copyright: 
https://z.cdn-expressen.se/images/03/ae/03aed1c233cd440b81bc8c145c21fb30/1x1/600.jpg)