只有旅行和藝術可以自己決定

Note in the beginning: This is not that "Granada" (by Lara) you used to hear from tenors. (I will have it next week)

Isaac Albéniz's piano work Suite Iberia is arguably the greatest masterpiece of Spanish music of any age. Albeniz finished the set in 1908, just a year before he died, and his subtitle 'impressions' is no accident. Frustrated with Spanish politics and cultural life, he'd moved to France, where he felt his ambitions were better understood, and where he fell under Debussys spell ---impressionism, combined with nostalgia and nationalism in these vivid portraits of Albeniz's homeland.

Music of the week this week is definitely triggered by the performance by El Yiyo just on 6/6.

Paco de Lucia in my mind is the god of Flamenco guitar. His live performance was phenomenon that drove the whole hall of audience crazy.

The magic of Flamenco music always lays on the interesting chemistry and spirit of the band to improvise together to create a momentum, a mood and a groove.

Paco de Lucia in Carlos Saura’s film “Flamenco”, section “Tangos”

夜巡林布蘭 - 葛林納威的藝術史課

這部電影對我來說不像電影，較像是一堂豐富的藝術史課。這樣的電影恐怕也只有葛林納威才拍得出來，他最早立志成為畫家，接受繪畫訓練，後來走入電影事業，仍可見其深厚的藝術背景和對於視覺傳達的洞悉與掌握。

葛林納威的鏡頭下常見濃厚的文藝復興與法蘭德斯(Flemish)畫風的影響，他的構圖、光影調度與色彩配置，便如同躍上銀幕的動態畫作。就在不經意的台詞中，葛林納威透露他對於繪畫的深入了解。一開頭，林布蘭和情婦在對話談顏色：紅色像血，濃稠有點溫度，等掉了便凝結變硬；黃色是流動的，比起紅色輕盈，但它又像尿液，過量久放後便臭氣燻天。他點出藝術家過人的觀察力，不光是視覺的，還是嗅覺、觸覺、聽覺的，因此觀者能在偉大藝術家的作品中感受到金屬的溫度、布料的質感、行動或靜止、外在的聲響或內心的話語，如同把一秒瞬間凍結，又好像在靜止的畫布上活動著。

在深夜看「夜巡林布蘭」(Night Watching)實在不是件容易的事，我算是坐如針氈強忍眼睛的酸疲，直到電影演完。導演彼得葛林納威(Peter Greenaway)的電影向來以考驗觀眾身心腦力的承受度所著名(很久前我曾經看過他的魔法聖嬰，但現在完全忘得一乾二淨)，這次他的敘事影像手法確實緊抓著我的意志力「撐」完全長超過兩個小時的電影。

Recent music mood is a little bit soul. After last week’s music “Love Reborn”, here comes another soul music group Simply Red, Mick Hucknall as vocal. Mick Hucknall is somehow like Toshi Kubota, they have much better and charming voices than their look and physical movement (sorry about this personal judgment…). Despite different country of origins and cultural influences, they make great soul grooves.

Simply Red is an English soul band originally formed in 1985. Their music style is influenced by soul, rock, R&B and new romanticism (style of 80s, such as David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes, Culture Club, Duran Duran). Fairground is Simply Red's only UK No.1 single, staying at the top for four weeks in Sept/Oct 1995. The song itself just like the title “fairground”, is cheerful, playful, colorful, positive-spirited. I like the rhythm accompanied with light percussions full of samba ambience.

There was a time in Japan when soul, funk and R&B music was American and mainly the domain of smoky little six-seat counter bars in certain areas. In the 80s, R&D and soul was first made as part of J-Pop by Toshi Kubota (久保田利伸). He is purely Japanese, but he can deliver the smooth grooves as naturally and soulfully just like other great R&B style singers in America.

Once I heard of his song “Love Reborn” remixed by KC Matsuo(松尾潔), the top Japanese R&B music producer, in a compilation album “smooth”, one can be charmed by his silky soulful voice. The song is beautiful, the remix decorates with a lot of “sparkles” to bring in a jazzy but still R&B ambience.

美國基洛夫學校在四月份第一次到台灣為學年班與暑期班學生進行甄選。校長Marat Daukayev親自來台，並在甄選之餘為台灣各個年齡與程度的芭蕾愛好者開了四場大師班。

我在4/11連續看了兩堂大師班並參加了簡短的大師座談，第一次親身接觸俄派芭蕾的精美，第一次親眼看見Vaganova傳統的展現。我更加了解俄派所重視並喻為特色的purity和port de bras之美是怎麼回事。