News about Amadeus

 I blogged before and again about a new adaptation of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. I keep my ears to the ground for any development and casting updates. Anyway, I read this article a few days ago and thought I would mention it here. New actors have been added to the cast, among them Rory Kinnear. It is the one I know the most, having played Bill Tanner in the latest Bond movies. He will be playing the role of the Emperor, which I think is very fitting. So far I am quite happy about how the project is shaping up.

More on the new Amadeus

 I blogged last month about a new adaptation of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, this time as a TV series. For someone like me who is a fan of the film, the play and, well, of Mozart as well, that's great news. I am cautiously optimistic about the project. Casting seems to be going well and they found their Constanze Mozart. Or Stanzie, as she is often called in the play. Welsh actress Gabrielle Creevy will play the part. I don't know her, at least I don't remember seeing her in anything, but I think she looks the part. I really cannot wait to watch it. Patience, patience.

A New Amadeus

Well, some good news for the Mozart fan that I am: there will be a new version of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Not a new movie, but a new TV series. I found the info in an article on ClassicFM about the casting. I don't know anything apart from that, but I'm intrigued and excited. I hope I can find a platform to watch it, when it will be released. A part of me is anxious: I hope they don't mess it up. The film was already a brilliant transfer from stage to screen, turning the play into a TV series is probably going to be an at least equally challenging task. But if nothing else, there will be great music to go with the drama. And the source material is solid.

The birthday of Salieri

Today is the birthday of Antonio Salieri, born on the 18th of August 1750. Competent composer, he is ironically known for a muder he did not commit and which in fact was no murder at all. Is musical career got obscured because of that hot kid from Salzburg. Which would be a shame, but then again we have Amadeus and we can at least give him some credit for it. To commemorate his birthday and even celebrate the man, I have decided to show a scene from the original production of Amadeus, with the fictitious Salieri played by Paul Scofield. Just because. Oh and on a side note, Salieri was maybe the best music teacher of his time.

RIP Peter Shaffer

Sad news I learned tonight: my wife told me that Sir Peter Shaffer died. At 90, it is not a tragedy, but it is still sad. He is of course the author of Amadeus, the amazing play that was the basis for the no less amazing movie of the same name. Like for many, the film made me discover the genius of Mozart. I watched the movie an innumerable number of times since I was a child, I read the play which I bought in a second hand bookshop in Montreal, I had finally the chance to see it a few months ago on stage. I never get tired of it. It is a fictionalized account of Mozart's life, yet it is a genuine portrait of the artist and of his work. It also vilified his contemporary Antonio Salieri, making him a jealous schemer, then an assassin. Ironically, Shaffer's work saved Salieri from oblivion. He also made him into a fascinating character. I said it before, I will say it again: it is my dream to get back on the stage to play the role of Salieri. I must confess, it is the only play I have ever seen or read of the writer. I will correct this as soon as possible. Until then, this is my homage to a great dramatic author who had a unique way with words. So here is again, as an homage, the trailer of the movie, which is very much like the beginning of the play. RIP to a true maestro.

To play Salieri

Yesterday, my wife and I went to see Amadeus on stage, which I had been impatient to finally see. We really enjoyed our evening. Unfortunately the actor playing Antonio Salieri had been taken ill, so was replaced at the last minute by the stage director, who played pretty well, all things considered, even though he had to read the lines. In spite of this, it was tremendously enjoyable. The text by Peter Shaffer lifts everything, even the technical difficulties. Interestingly and fittingly enough, we have recently discovered a new piece of music by Mozart, written in collaboration with... Salieri, which set a new light on their reports and challenges the legend as depicted by the play.

All the same, the legend, especially depicted in such a way, is worthy in its own right. The mediocre but successful court composer able to see true musical genius, while unable to attain it, seemingly shun by a god to whom he was devoted, this speaks to all of us. And watching the play, I started feeling a certain jealousy myself, which is often how I feel when I see a play, great or small, played by professionals or amateurs. I have dabbled into acting myself, but as a amateur. Amadeus is one of my favourite text, and seeing it on stage and listening to it, I started wondering how I would have played Salieri, given the chance. And I know I am an amateur, albeit I do think I have some natural talents for acting, but I think given the time and work I could pull off a decent performance as Salieri. I think I could find my voice as Salieri and the voice would open. Partially because I have started to know the text fairly well, because I have been fascinated by the character for decades now, but also because I know I have played in the past nasty and bitter characters with ease. And you can't have more bitter than Salieri. So if I can ever go on stage one day, this is the play and role I want to perform.

Amadeus on stage

Oh the discoveries one can find in charity shops, in this instance in the local Oxfam. Last Saturday, I found in it a leaflet announcing a stage version of Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Because before being an amazing movie, it was an amazing play. I first discovered the movie of course, which is one of my favourite of all time. It is only decades later than I found the stage play, in the English section of a second hand bookshop in Montreal (this one). I loved it just as much. The different medium really brought a completely different dimension to the story. But now, I have the opportunity to finally see the play on stage. This will be a marriage of two things I dearly love: Mozart's music and theater. I think I will buy the tickets tonight. And I will end this post with a trailer of the movie, which is very similar to the beginning of the play.

Italian desserts and criminal minds

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

This is from Peter Clemenza in The Godfather, of course. I have seen the movie millions of times, but I never had once in my life cannoli. I did try to find them, sadly when they were on the dessert menu of Pizza Express they had been sold out. This is the kind of totally decadent dessert I usually crave for. And it is associated with one of my favourite movies, so just for this I want to try it.

I have been blogging recently about tiramisù and I guess Italian desserts are on my mind, but also the association we make with sugar and sugaree stuff and criminality. In The Godfather trilogy, it is obvious: when smeone eats or buys an orange, murder is being planned or about to be committed. Cannoli are associated with not one, but two murders in the saga: Paulie Gatto's and Don Altobello's, who gets poisoned by them. In another classic, Amadeus, Salieri, a jealious Italian composer who sends Mozart to his death even though he believes he is the Son of God (adding blasphemy and deicide to murder), is also depicted as having a sweet tooth, and a patriotic one at that, being particularly fond and proud of the speicalties of his homeland.

I think there is a reason for this association. There are two kinds of villains which I find particularly interesting: the puritan and the gluttonous. The puritan is dehumanised and his ethics close to fanaticism and the gluttonous displays appetites that are being the realm of food. They have the destructive hunger of ogres. I will blog a bit more about crime fiction in the next few days. Until then, I leave you with the classic murder scene and the immortal line.

Waiting for my lines

I promised that I would blog about my return to acting. So far notthing has really happened. Eager to know if I had to prepare something before the first class, I emailled the head of the school. I hope I didn't create a fuss, but it appears that there is no preparatory work required. It is a different approach than the one I am used to. I only had one proper acting course, but we had to find a monologue to read before the first class. And of course, when I played on stage, there was already a text which I had to prepare. I am not used to this, but I find it quite interesting that I will be taken "raw", so to speak. I will have to wait for my lines. Maybe they will never come, maybe we will have to act on no particular text. Who knows?

Oh, and I remembered that I have one more play in English here: Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. I kind of hope I can use some of the plays I have here for the course.

So I share two things with the pope?

There are days like this. I discovered that I have two things in common with the current pope. Reading about his interests in the Wikipedia page, I discovered that he loves classical music, particularly Mozart, who is by far is favourite composer, and that he loves cats! More about it here. On Mozart, you can read here.

I know that had to be expected from a man of his generation, but still, I was shocked. I should not, personal tastes are after all not exclusive tastes. And there is something both divinely and devilishly ironic about such an austere man admiring a musician who was as a person very vulgar, fond of scatological humour and as far as we know pretty similar to Shaffer's "obscene child". Sure, Mozart was also a good little Catholic, but that changes nothing to his vulgarity, or the very sensual nature of a lot of his music. So pope Benedict admires the composer of Don Giovanni, an opera where you root for its anti-hero, who is a murderous libertine, unrepenting even when threatened of eternal torments. I am suddenly wondering if the pope might not be a bit of a Salieri...

As for his love for cats, I just hope it can help him see animals in a more respectful way than many religious people do. At least he must have proper respect for felines. And he should, as they are superior creatures. But I guess Benedict would not go that far.

Crime de la crime

"...the first sin I have to confess to you is gluttony."

Amadeus, Peter Shaffer

I have been wanting to use this quote. I might have done already, thinking about it. The title of this post, however, is from Ian Fleming's Goldfinger. I thought it would work for what I am blogging about this evening, as it is a creamy item. As you might have suspected reading this blog, I have a sweet tooth. I also have a homesick love for cream fudge, which is a traditional Québec sweet known there as sucre à la crème (see, cream/crème/crime, the title makes so much sense already, especially since eating something so rich is almost criminal). It's a great little dessert, nice, rich, filling, sugary and it is perfect comfort food. During the Christmas holidays, we used to make a cream fudge variety with Caramilk inbetween two layers of the fudge. It's a perfect fix for sugar addicts like myself and absolutely decadent. In another life, which means more than a decade ago, I tried to make cream fudge, but failed miserably. It turned into caramel, so my family used it to make a sugar pie. Not all was lost. So I have a bit of a love story with this piece of creamy sugar. When I feel homesick, which is the case very often these days, I get in the mood to eat something from home. I got lucky recently, as a sweet shop opened where we live and it sells a very good variety of cream fudges. Not as good as what I can sometimes find in Québec and it is a bit pricey for what it is, but I love it nevertheless and I often need it, so there it is. On a more selfish note, one of the good thing about cream fudge is that my wife does not like it much, so it is one of those desserts I don't have to share. I have the ambition to make cream fudge here one day, but given my bad experience the first time I tried and my bad luck with other desserts, I am afraid it might end up badly.

Amadeus à Montréal

Le jour où je décide de parler du film Amadeus, j'apprends que le Théâtre Jean-Duceppe va produire la pièce de Peter Shaffer en 2009, avec Michel Dumont dans le rôle de Salieri. Dumont joulait le rôle de Gilbert Tanguay dans Omertà et faisait la voix du fjord dans la Fabuleuse Histoire d'un Royaume, j'aime donc beaucoup ce comédien. Il est un peu corpulent pour l'image austère que je me fais de Salieri, mais sa voix profonde est parfaite pour le rôle. La bande-annonce de la saison 2008-2009 sur youtube ici.