With James Joyce in Trieste. Joyce lived in Trieste for many of the years between 1904 – 1920, working for some of the time as an English teacher at the Berlitz language school. Whilst in Trieste he wrote most of the stories in ‘Dubliners,’ as well as ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’.
Great weekend in Florence for a Bartok double bill. Sublime performances of both the ballet ‘The Miraculous Mandarin’ and the opera ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’ at the Teatro Comunale.
This was a joint production with Japan’s ‘Saito Kinen Festival’ and the combination of the sometimes acrobatic dance techniques from the Noism Dance Company with Maggio Dance made this a real spectacle.
Really excellent Picasso exhibition at Tate Britain in London – ‘Picasso and Modern British Art’ explores his influence on British artists. Over sixty Picassos are on show, including ‘Weeping Woman’ and ‘The Three Dancers’, alongside works by the British artists he inspired, including Wyndham Lewis, Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, Graham Sutherland and David Hockney.
Pablo Picasso ‘Nude Woman in a Red Armchair’ (1932)
Henry Moore ‘Reclining Figure’ (1936)
Pablo Picasso ‘The Source’ (1921)
At the Barbican in London for the Stravinsky Festival with the London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev – three fantastic concerts.
Friday 11 May: ‘Mass’, ‘Violin Concerto’ (superbly played by Leonidas Kavakos) and ‘The Firebird’. Sunday 13 May: ‘Renard’ and ‘he Soldier’s Tale’. Tuesday 15 May: ‘The Rite of Spring’ and ‘Oedipus Rex ‘(narrated by Simon Callow)
Valery Gergiev
A sunny March day in the beautiful city of Venice.
In Padova, Italy, to see the amazing Giotto frescoes at Cappella degli Scrovegni. Completed by Giotto around 1305, this is one of the most important masterpieces of Western art.
The fresco cycle shows scenes from the life of Christ and the life of the Virgin and contains a frighteningly impressive ‘Last Judgement’. Surely one of the artistic wonders of the world.
Cappella degli Scrovegni, Padova
Giotto ‘The Last Judgement’ (1304 – 6)
Giotto ‘Kiss of Judas’ (1304 – 6)
In the Italian city of Genova for the really excellent ‘Van Gogh e il Viaggio di Gauguin’ exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale. It includes Gauguin’s wonderful ‘Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?’, as well as over thirty works by Van Gogh. Definitely recommended.
A unique opportunity to see the Gauguin, being exhibited in Europe for the first time.
Paul Gauguin ‘Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?’ (1897 – 98)
An enjoyable day hiking in the hills along the Italian – Slovenian border, ending up at the refugio at Sabotino for some welcome Slovenian home cooking.
A Slovenian week – starting in Maribor in eastern Slovenia – the 2012 European Capital of Culture and home to the oldest grapevine in the world!
Then a walk around Lake Bled, which is particularly beautiful at this time of the year surrounded by autumn colours.
At the Palazzo dei Diamanti in the medieval Italian town of Ferrara for an excellent exhibition: ‘Gli Anni Folli – La Parigi di Modigliani, Picasso e Dali 1918 – 1933’.
Amedeo Modigliani ‘Nude’ (1917)
Amedeo Modigliani ‘Boy in Short Trousers’ (c.1918)
Juan Gris ‘Seated Harlequin’ (1920)
Chaïm Soutine ‘Choir Boy’ (1925)
Tamara de Lempicka ‘Irene and her Sister’ (1925)
As well as paintings, also on show were some beautiful costumes and set designs by Mikhail Larionov and Giorgio de Chirico for Ballets Russes productions and by Fernand Léger for the Ballets Suédois production of ‘La Création du Monde’ (1923).
Mikhail Larionov Costume for ‘Chout’ (1921)
Fernand Léger Model for ‘La Création du Monde’ (1923)
The Diary of One Who Disappeared 