пятница, 31 мая 2013 г.

Pleasure Reading Virginia Woolf "Mrs. Dalloway" summary 6


In the evening all guests come to Dalloway's party. There one can see everybody from high society: Peter Walsh, Hugh Whitbread, Lady Bruton, Warren Smith's doctor, and even Sally Seton, mrs. Dalloway's old best friend. They have not seen each other for many years. It is a great surprise for Clarissa to learn that her joyous friend got married to a boring and old nobleman, gave a birth to five children and lives calm and peaceful life.
Clarissa cannot talk only with her friend and has to go from one group of guests to another. She tries to be cheerful but it looks unnatural. The reason is that she cannot stop thinking about Peter Walsh. She is also upset by the story about a suicide as she wants everybody to rejoice and not be gloomy.
Over and over again mrs. Dalloway's thought face towards her past and she realises that all her life has been full of fear: fear to choose by herself, to be responsible for her actions, to be herself. She understands that though now she knows more and will never repeat her mistakes, her youth is gone and she has nothing to do with it but just submit.





The Great Gatsby (Review)



Director:Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann (screenplay), Craig Pearce (screenplay)
Country: Australia | USA
Language:English
Release Date: 16 May 2013 (Russia)

Plot

 

The plot revolves around Nick Carraway, who moved to New York in the spring of 1922. Engaged in lending operations in a small company he begins his story recollection of how rented a house in West Egg, Long Island, where, in contrast to East Egg, lived not noble, but no less rich. He settled next to the rich, mysterious man named Jay Gatsby. Almost every night he has a party, comes the sea and uninvited dinner guests, rich and poor, Jay glad to welcome them. So Nick meets him at a party, immediately liked this Gatsby. So Nick is drawn into the exciting world of the rich - they are illusions, love and lies. He becomes a witness to what is happening in this world and writes a story of impossible love, eternal dreams and the human tragedy that is a reflection of contemporary manners.

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel leaps to life in Baz Luhrmann’s frenetic-yet-haunting version of The Great Gatsby.  The film stays remarkably true to the novel in plot and dialogue while being for large stretches surreal on the screen.

It was deliciously excessive and exaggerated, as expected from a Baz Luhrmann production. Leonardo DiCaprio made Gatsby his own  while retaining a feeling of familiarity. There’s some essential magnetism contained in the Gatsby image that’s missing from Mr. DiCaprio’s performance.

 Carey Mulligan's Daisy is every bit as careless as one would expect, but she also manages to show some complexity in her role. Tobey Maguire is a great avatar for us to take on as we enter this film. He is very much the viewer as he sees everything happening, but is ultimately helpless to change anything.

Luhrmann tried to maintain Nick's narrative frame by having him tell the story -first as a patient speaking to his doctor at a sanitarium, then as a writer trying to explain his grief through prose. But those scenes came across as heavy-handed expository or as Maguire's uninspired take on an abridged audiobook version of "The Great Gatsby."

It’s great fun, though, even if somewhat disjointed. Everything starts to cool down about halfway through the film. The colors start to decline to pastels and wood grains, and then down to shadows. This tracks with the narrative - more on that in a moment - but it has an obvious feel to it. So, I really loved it!




четверг, 30 мая 2013 г.

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The title of the article is "Teebs, Thundercat, Michael Mayer, DJ Chloe, Magic Mountain High". The article was published on the site the Stranger on 22 May, 2013. The author of the article, Dave Segal, reports about different famous producers: Flying Lotus, Michael Mayer, Chloe Harris, and some others.

 According to the reporter, post-astral-jazz-hop producer Flying Lotus cannot but loved by everybody.
Teebs and Thundercat, both of whom record for Mr. Lotus's Brainfeeder label, make delicately beautiful electronic music imbued with the DNA of both underground hiphop and shoegaze rock. From reporter's point of view Teebs's emotionally resonant output falls somewhere between that of Boards of Canada and Nobody.

As for Thundercat, it is a first-call session bassist who can get as fluttery and rococo as jazz-fusion giants Jaco Pastorius or Stan Clarke when the mood strikes, but he also can program calculus-level rhythms and sing some gangbuster falsetto. Thundercat's new album, Apocalypse, takes electronic music into some seriously proggy and frou-frou territory.the author is confident that Thundercat's music is complicated and not for everybody.

 Further the author reports that Seattle DJ and producer Chloe Harris coruns the experimental-electronic label Further Records and creates a rugged, challenging strain of left-field techno under the name Raica. Her tastes and skills as a DJ are wide-ranging and impeccable.

Then we got to know that Magic Mountain High, the supergroup of Germany's Move D and the Netherlands' Juju & Jordash, live up to that lofty nomenclature. They are veteran producers and masters of the subtle buildup and the soul-inflating melody. This is Juju & Jordash's first appearance in Seattle.

 The reporter concludes that everybody who consider yourself a connoisseur of interesting, intelligent dance music should be there. Well, I think that these producers are successful not in vain as they gave the world many famous singers and performers. I hope that they will continue their work and please us with new interesting projects.


 

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The article was published on the website of the newspaper “New York Times” on May 29, 2013 and is headlined "It’s Happy, It’s Danceable and It May Rule Summer". This article reports at length about the musicians, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo,and their hit “Get Lucky.”

The author of the article, James C. and McKinley Jr., report that Daft Punk group is known for kitschy robot costumes, machinelike vocals and computer-generated beats. Since their single was released on April 19, the song has rapidly ascended to No. 4 on the Billboard singles chart, making it an early candidate to become the song of the summer.

Analyzing the text, we find out that the album, Daft Punk’s first since 2010, has sold 339,000 copies since it was released last week, putting the group on par with more mainstream acts like Pink and Dave Matthews.

What is more, the song is getting airplay and generating requests from listeners across several radio formats -Top 40, hip-hop, alternative, even Spanish-language pop stations. As for its content, it convey a rapturous message about finding a soul mate at a dance party.

Mr. Bangalter and Mr. de Homem-Christo, who declined to be interviewed for this article, have told reporters that they started working on the album in 2008. It is important to mention that “Get Lucky” took more than 18 months to write. the problem was that the group wanted to depart from their usual way of operating and recapture what they call the “golden age” of recording in the late 1970s. They abandoned playing the parts themselves and relying heavily on drum machines, computerized loops and samples of disco and rock records.

The author remarks that many teenagers only know Daft Punk through “Tron,” the duo’s 2010 album, or through Kanye West, who sampled one of its earlier songs for his 2006 hit “Stronger.”

To sum it up I'd like to say that I like this song. It has an upbeat message and danceable beat. It is catchy, but I don't think that it will be a summer hit as it doesn't have something original.





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The title of the article is "Still Young, Even at 50." The article was published on the site New York Times on 28 May, 2013. The article is about the 50th anniversary of the New York Youth Symphony.

As the author reports Since 1984, the New York Youth Symphony has awarded commissions to 102 composers age 30 and under, whose works have won three Pulitzer Prizes and the Grawemeyer Award, among other accolades. Those commissioned by the ensemble include Michael Torke, Aaron Jay Kernis, Augusta Read Thomas, Kevin Puts and Derek Bermel. According to the reporter, along with the fact that the Youth Symphony offers tuition-free instruction to talented musicians ages 12 to 22 it also presents a new piece at each of its Carnegie Hall concerts. On Sunday afternoon it was the premiere of John Glover’s “Natural Systems,” performed as part of the orchestra’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Further the author reports that the music director of the ensemble was Joshua Gersen. He led a confident performance of Mr. Glover’s appealing work, scored for ensemble and solo baritone.

It is interesting fact that the libretto byKelley Rourke was inspired by the life and writings of the 18th-century Swedish scientist and botanist Carl Linnaeus.

What is more, Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 was loudly denounced after its 1889 premiere. Mr. Gersen, an assistant conductor of the New World Symphony, where he works with Michael Tilson Thomas took part in this programme. A complex work lasting almost an hour, Mahler’s First Symphony is an ambitious piece for a youth orchestra.

The reporter concludes that the performance was plenty of fine playing throughout, and that Mr. Gersen managed effectively illuminate many details, beginning with the mysterious opening passages. I think this performance is really worth seeing as it received favourable review and was described as nature awakening after a winter’s sleep.




вторник, 28 мая 2013 г.

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The title of the article is "Star-studded gala opens new Mariinsky in St. Petersburg". The article was published on the site euronews on 23 May, 2013. The article is about a new opera house, Mariinsky II, which is going to be the hub of an ambitious cultural complex among the biggest in the world.

According to the reporter, it had been longed for by its General Director, the charismatic conductor Valery Gergiev. As he said the opening of the new Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg would be a tremendous opportunity to shine for young artists as well as singers.

We also got to know that though the new theatre was built just across from its “older brother” Mariinsky I, it was designed by a prestigious Canadian architectural firm headed by Jack Diamond.

Further the author reports that Spanish tenor and conductor Placido Domingo was a guest at three of the inaugural performances.He was glad to be part of the opening gala at Mariinsky II. For him it had been a great honour to sing there, because only a few foreign artists were invited to perform.”
What should be mentioned is that the cost of building Mariinsky II was more than 500 million euros.

For many theatre-goers it would be useful to know that Valery Gergiev’s new opera complex opens its doors in St. Petersburg to the 21st International Festival ‘Stars of the White Nights’ from 24 May to 28 July. ome of the world’s leading musicians and dancers will be appearing as part of the festival – among them, Anna Netrebko, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zuckerman, Yuri Bashmet, Ildar Abdrazakov, Alexander Toradze, Magdalena Kožená and prima ballerina Diana Vishneva. There will also be performances from guest ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Dance Theatre, Venetian Baroque Orchestra and Batsheva Dance Company.

To sum it up I would like to say that the teatre building is funded by the central government.I am glad that our government understands the importance of cultural heritage. I'd like to visit this theatre but unfortunately I have no opportunity to go to Saint Petersburg. However, I hope that one day I would go there and I would surely visit Valery Gergiev’s new opera complex.


вторник, 7 мая 2013 г.

Pleasure Reading Virginia Woolf "Mrs. Dalloway" summary 5




When Mrs. Dalloway is left by her husband alone with her thoughts she cannot understand what worries her. There is not only one reason but many of them: the behavior of her daughter, the oncoming party, lady Bruton’s dinner and of course the return of Peter Walsh. The latter makes her to think about her life and about choices she has done. She remembers herself in the youth and cannot but admit that she changed a lot. This fact is noticed by Peter Walsh and her husband too. It seems to her that they are laughing at her and the parties she arranges. 


Her thoughts were interrupted by Elizabeth, her daughter. She has just ended her lesson with Miss Kilman and they are going for a walk. Clarissa and Miss Kilman dislike each other because of jealousy: Doris Kilman envies of Clarissa’s wellbeing and happy married life while Mrs. Dalloway is jealous her daughter to Doris as they spend much more time together than Clarissa with Elizabeth.


Miss Kilman and Elizabeth go shopping. Doris recalls her tough times when she found consolation in God and met Elizabeth in church who has become very important to her since then. Doris worries that the girl will be as her mother or any other pompous and silly rich women. That’s why she tries to dissuade her from going to the party. That puzzles a young girl and she finds an excuse to go away.