Sincerely, L. Cohen

Nu am vrut sa stau prea aproape de scena, de teama ca ma va dizolva, ca ma va desface in sute de mii de particule care mai apoi sa fie examinate de cei din jur. Muzica lui este un fel de parfum a la Suskind, compusa din trairi, framantari, atitudini umane din care se extrage esenta, cea care pulseaza in fiecare dintre noi si ne dicteaza pasii ce se indreapta cu o precizie uimitoare catre mama, Dumnezeu, un barbat, o femeie, un ideal. La concertul de vineri seara, puteai admira procesul: ascultai muzica, dragostea iti patrundea in organism, in sange, si simteai nevoia sa dai si tu, la randul tau, din ce ai primit, fie sotiei din stanga, fie iubitului, prin telefon, fie inapoi spre scena. O simteai prin toti porii.
La ora 20 a inceput concertul cu slabiciunea mea, “Dance me to the end of love”. A promis ca vor canta tot ce au ei mai bun, asa au si facut. Cu o pauza de 10 minute intre cele doua “acte” ale spectacolului si un bis de 5-6 melodii (numararea melodiilor a trecut intr-un plan secund odata ce emotiile au dat buzna), a ajuns sa cante si sa recite poezie timp de 3 ore si un sfert, la sfarsitul carora s-a adresat publicului cu un discurs despre sufletele noastre, ale romanilor, plin de caldura si intelepciune de mi s-a zbarlit parul pe maini. O diferenta de cateva clase intre vorbele lui si morala ieftina pe care ne-a facut-o Madonna.
Orchestra si cantaretele care i-au acompaniat lirismul au avut parte de prezentari pe masura talentului si dexteritatii de care au dat dovada, de asemenea echipa tehnica si managementul au primit multumiri, gest care mi se pare pe cat de corect si de respectuos din partea lui Leonard Cohen, pe atat de rar intalnit la majoritatea artistilor (aici cred ca e vorba de diferenta artist – vedeta, de fapt).
Poezie impartasita cu modestie…
Multumesc, Suzana, pentru cel mai frumos cadou primit fara nicio ocazie.

P.S.: “Trebuie sa-i apreciem cat sunt in viata…”

Pictures taken by Razvan Leucea.

later edit: setlist – 1) Dance Me To End Of Love
2) The Future
3) Ain’t No Cure For Love
4) Bird On The Wire
5) Everybody Knows
6) In My Secret Life
7) Who By Fire
Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
9) Lover Lover Lover
10) Waiting For The Miracle
11) The Flood (poezie)
12) Anthem

(pauza 20 de minute)
13) Tower Of Song
14) Suzanne
15) Sisters Of Mercy
16) The Gipsy’s Wife
17) The Partisan
18) Boogie Street
19) Hallelujah
20) I’m Your Man
21) Take This Waltz

(bis 1)
22) So Long Marianne
23) First We Take Manhattan
24) Famous Blue Raincoat
25) If It Be Your Will
26) Closing Time

(bis 2)
27) I Tried To Leave You
28) Whither Thou Goest

discursul final: “To you friends, who kept my songs alive all these years – my deep gratitude! It is a great honour to play for you. You’ve been through so much, you know so much of the human spirit, where it can thrive and where it can fall. It is an honour to play for heart like your, to be accepted by you. So we don’t know when we will pass this way again, friends. Until then, may you fall on the side of luck, may you be surrounded by friends. And if this is not your luck, may the blessings find you in your solitude. We are deeply greateful for the hospitality that you’ve shown us this evening”.

sursa aici.

Hitting the cover

Citind in ultima vreme despre procesul rescrierii unei opere literare, prin care ea trece in cursul unei adaptari scenice, de exemplu, daca vorbim despre o piesa de teatru sau de un roman, unei ecranizari sau doar unei traduceri, mi-a venit in minte si ‘cover’-ul muzical. Cand aud noi versiuni ale unor hituri mai vechi, imi zic in minte “Bine ca ceva original n-au putut scoate!”, mai ales ca, in general, adaptarea lor este facuta in ideea unei comercializari intense. Noul produs ar trebui sa-l revitalizeze pe cel vechi, dar sa se si ridice la inaltimea acestuia, nu sa-l trivializeze ca sa intre cat mai bine pe piata. Numai ca uit de faptul ca perspectiva mea (si nu numai) asupra hiturilor vechi este influentata de doze de melancolie si ca hitul in sine este o melodie care a avut parte de succes, deci de aprecierea publicului larg, drept urmare (de cele mai multe ori indreptatita), valoarea sa ca produs artistic este foarte mica. Originalul reflecta gusturile si tendintele epocii de care apartine, asadar si remake-ul, conform teoriei, trebuie sa fie incadrat in noul peisaj, in noul context social, cultural, pentru a fi perceput si inteles de spectatorii sau ascultatorii contemporani. Nu mai imi amintesc ce piesa a celor de la Roxette a fost de curand ‘refacuta’ si am strambat din nas cand am auzit-o, la fel cum resping hiturile date la Radio 21 si altele. Presupun ca si-au atins scopul si rezultatul poate fi considerat unul de succes. Cred ca ar fi indicata o lectura completa a cartii “Apocaliptici si integrati” a lui Umberto Eco, scrie ceva si despre slagare, dar inca n-am ajuns acolo.

Un exemplu de cover (exprimat ca un tribut la adresa artistului original) care cred ca reuseste sa schimbe tonalitatea fara sa-i stirbeasca din expresivitate este cel facut de Anthony Hegarty (din trupa Anthony and the Johnsons) piesei “If it be your will” a lui Leonard Cohen; inregistrare din documentarul “I’m Your Man”.

Elucidating the platonic relationship

Gabriel Liiceanu, during a conference held at the West University in Timisoara this year, spoke about the platonic myth of the rise and fall of man. Explaining the symbols which sustain Plato’s theory – white horse, black horse, the wings – as well as his key concepts, Liiceanu manages a small survey for the auditorium through the Phaedrus and the Symposium, underlining the significant steps in defining love, in Plato’s vision. Man tries to reach the space of absolutness, of Ideas, of grace and is uplifted by his wings. In order to keep his wings healthy, he must be fed with divine food. Because of the black horse, the man falls and loses his wings. The only way man can find divine food on earth to reborn his wings is by falling in love.

You can read the entire text of the conference, in Romanian, here (or at www.revistaorizont.com)

Here is a fragment of Plato’s “Phaedrus”, cited by Liiceanu:

“(…)then while he gazes on him there is a sort of reaction, and the shudder passes into an unusual heat and perspiration; for, as he receives the effluence of beauty through the eyes, the wing moistens and he warms. And as he warms, the parts out of which the wing grew, and which had been hitherto closed and rigid, and had prevented the wing from shooting forth, are melted, and as nourishment streams upon him, the lower end of the wings begins to swell and grow from the root upwards; and the growth extends under the whole soul-for once the whole was winged. During this process the whole soul is all in a state of ebullition and effervescence,-which may be compared to the irritation and uneasiness in the gums at the time of cutting teeth,-bubbles up, and has a feeling of uneasiness and tickling; but when in like manner the soul is beginning to grow wings, the beauty of the beloved meets her eye and she receives the sensible warm motion of particles which flow towards her, therefore called emotion (imeros), and is refreshed and warmed by them, and then she ceases from her pain with joy.

But when she is parted from her beloved and her moisture fails, then the orifices of the passage out of which the wing shoots dry up and close, and intercept the germ of the wing; which, being shut up with the emotion, throbbing as with the pulsations of an artery, pricks the aperture which is nearest, until at length the entire soul is pierced and maddened and pained, and at the recollection of beauty is again delighted. And from both of them together the soul is oppressed at the strangeness of her condition, and is in a great strait and excitement, and in her madness can neither sleep by night nor abide in her place by day. And wherever she thinks that she will behold the beautiful one, thither in her desire she runs. And when she has seen him, and bathed herself in the waters of beauty, her constraint is loosened, and she is refreshed, and has no more pangs and pains; and this is the sweetest of all pleasures at the time, and is the reason why the soul of the lover will never forsake his beautiful one, whom he esteems above all; he has forgotten mother and brethren and companions, and he thinks nothing of the neglect and loss of his property; the rules and proprieties of life, on which he formerly prided himself, he now despises, and is ready to sleep like a servant, wherever he is allowed, as near as he can to his desired one, who is the object of his worship, and the physician who can alone assuage the greatness of his pain. And this state, my dear imaginary youth to whom I am talking, is by men called love (…).” (Plato, Phaedrus)

A fost odata ca niciodata – din 10 iunie 2007

Gratie unor surse “fara urma”, am aflat de cele doua cantari ale Adei Milea pe care avea sa le tina azi la gradina de la Green Hours, la orele 16, respectiv 19. Nu am mai vazut Apolodorul live, iar pentru cea din urma cantare era promis si un bonus din Absurdistan, asa ca am pus respectuos deoparte foile si am plecat, ca doar mi-era dor (ciudat sentiment, cel de dor, ca te incearca si cand stii ca vezi ceva pentru prima oara, deci practic n-are de ce sa-ti fie dor, ca nu l-ai mai vazut).

Ajunsa cu pinguina sefa la destinatie, platim beletul de 12 lei (in paranteza asta trebuia sa scriu cat a tinut concertul, dar marturisesc ca am pierdut notiunea timpului) si ne gasim un loc adapostit de unde sa putem soarbe povestea lui Apolodor. In fata scenei – un decor cum nu cred ca am mai vazut de la serbarile scolare. Primul rand de spectatori era ocupat de copii. Care mai de care mai zambaret, mai comunicativ; parea o gashca de prichindei care a fost chemata la povestea dinainte de culcare. In rest, oameni de toate varstele, catelul faimos din Green care isi baga nasul prin paharele clientilor (i-am uitat numele…ce ma fac cu memoria asta?), o Ada Milea in tricou verde, mishunand, si o Dorina Chiriac fumatoare.

Dupa ce o ia Apolodor din loc, incepe ploaia. Improvizatii haioase, dar ce a dat savoare intregii povestiri a fost gruparea copiilor si solistilor sub aceeasi umbrela, cu Dorina si Ada imprumutand jachetele lor copilasilor ca sa-i fereasca de frig. Un dialog constant (fara cuvinte neaparat) intre Ada, Dorina, Radu Bânzaru si copii, spre deliciul celorlalti ascultatori. Cowboy-ul a fost favoritul grupei mici, care a fost recompensata cu un bis de zile mari din partea lui Radu, imitand lupte intregi din epoci diferite ) A, am uitat sa mentionez de aparitia intunecata dar, bineinteles, fermecatoaare a lui Caisa Jr.

Trece Ada Milea, dupa o pauza de un suc, la cantece mai “serioase”, insa copiii raman pe pozitii. O da cu subtilitati de genul “Obosiita, lumea merge la CULCARE!!!”, se bucura din suflet ca are ocazia sa cante colindele horror cu un cor de copii (spectatorii erau pe jos de ras, evident), afla ca Ceausescu este chiar unul dintre copii (daca avea impresia ca ei se vor speria de ea, eu cred ca a fost cam invers…), si canta, cu chiu, cu vai, dupa ce are diverse tentative esuate, indulcite, heavy-metal-ul Sa injectam slanina in gaina. Efectul a fost neasteptat si original pentru toata lumea: dupa fiecare duritate guturala a piesei, se auzeau rasetele sincere si nevinovate ale copiilor. Un contrast genial, ce a dat o alta nuanta intregului concert.

Abia astept data viitoare, sa vad si fara copii. Cred ca fiecare cantare a ei e un spectacol reinventat, autentic. Este printre putinii artisti care mai refuza sa reproduca, sa-si imite propriile creatii.

(photo by Razvan Leucea)