Quartet / Quatuor by / par Dustin Hoffman

 The Beecham House is a retirement home for retired musicians. Among the current residents are life-long friends and colleagues Wilfred ‘Wilf’ Bond (Billy Connolly), Reginald ‘Reggie’ Paget (Tom Courtenay) and Cecily ‘Cissy’ Robson (Pauline Collins). They are all retired opera singers. The residents are rehearsing and preparing for the annual gala directed by Cedric Livingston (Michael Gambon), which honours the birthday of Giuseppe Verdi and to raise funds for Beecham. 

 It is a normally smooth running and pleasant event that evokes warm memories of long gone days. But this year there is a new arrival at Beecham. It is Jean Horton (Maggie Smith), the fourth and most famous of the Quartet that included Reggie, Wilf and Cissy. She also was married to Reggie. Her arrival upsets Reggie as the pain of her betrayal resurfaces. Initially he refuses to speak to her but eventually realises that life goes on and she will be staying at Beecham. 

Cedric gets an idea for the gala – a reunion of the Quartet. Reggie, Wilf and Cissy are keen on the idea but Jean refuses. The idea of singing again scares her. Can the other 3 convince her to sing again even if it is just for the sheer pleasure of youth rekindled? 

Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut is a delightful comedy that approaches aging with the same spirit  as John Madden’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The cast of veteran actors shine, proving beyond a doubt, that aging does not entail the cessation of living as long as the ‘breath of life’ is within us. 

 

La maison Beecham est un foyer de retraite pour les musiciens pensionnaire. Parmi les résidents actuels sont amis et collègues de longue date Wilfred « Wilf » Bond (Billy Connolly), Reginald « Reggie » Paget (Tom Courtenay) et Cecily «Cissy» Robson (Pauline Collins). Ils sont tous les chanteurs d'opéra à la retraite. Les résidents sont en répétitions et préparations pour le gala annuel réalisé par Cédric Livingston (Michael Gambon), qui rend hommage à l'anniversaire de Giuseppe Verdi et pour amasser des fonds pour Beecham. 

Il s’agit d’un événement normalement de bon déroulement et agréable qui évoque des souvenirs chaleureux de journées disparus depuis longtemps. Mais cette année il y a une nouvelle arrivée chez Beecham. C'est Jean Horton (Maggie Smith), la quatrième et la plus célèbre du Quatuor qui incluait Reggie, Wilf et Cissy. Aussi, elle a été mariée à Reggie. Son arrivée bouleverse Reggie comme la douleur de sa trahison refait surface. Il refuse de lui parler mais finit par se rend compte que la vie continue et elle va rester à Beecham.

Cedric a une idée pour le gala – une réunion du Quatuor. Reggie, Wilf et Cissy enthousiaste a l'idée, mais Jean refuse. L'idée de chanter à nouveau lui fait peur. Peuvent que les 3 autres la convaincre de chanter à nouveau même si c'est juste pour le plaisir d’une jeunesse ravivée? 

Ce premier long métrage de Dustin Hoffman est une comédie charmante qui se rapproche au vieillissement avec le même esprit que The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel de John Madden. Le casting d’acteurs vétérans brille, prouvant hors de tout doute que le vieillissement n'entraîne pas la cessation de la vie aussi longtemps que le « souffle de vie » est en nous.

Streaming guide (posted January 04, 2023):

Available on CTV, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Cineplex, YouTube.

Guide de diffusion (publié le 04 janvier 2023) :

Disponible sur CTV, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Cineplex, YouTube.

Igloofest 2013 Artist Reviews (seen / heard) / Critiques des Artists (vu / entendu):

 

January 26 Janvier 

– Arrived 6:30 pm left 9:30pm when the youthful crowd began to pour into the old-port of Montreal. 

– Arrivée à 18:30, partie à 21:30, lorsque la foule de jeunesse a commencé à verser dans le Vieux-Port de Montréal. 

Tronald Trump, Canada 18:30 

Montreal native, active on the scene for 8 years. His sound recalls the late 70s when Disco ruled the airwaves and the nightclubs that dotted the urban landscape of the era. 

 

Natif de Montréal, actif sur la scène depuis 8 ans. Sa sonorité nous fait rappelle de la fin des années 70 lorsque le Disco a gouvernait  les ondes et les boîtes de nuit que parsemées le paysage urbain de l'époque.

Kaytranada, Canada, 20:00 

A.K.A. of Kevin Celestin, Montreal based beat producer spins his own unique brand of Hip-Hop.

Alias de Kevin Celestin, producteur de rythme basée à Montréal, tourne sa propre marque unique de Hip-hop.

TNGHT, Canada / Great Britain / Grande-Bretagne, 21:30

 I didn’t stay / Je n’ai pas resté 

Schlachthofbronx, Germany / Allemagne   22:45 

 

I didn’t stay / Je n’ai pas resté 

February 02 Février 

 – Arrived 6:30 pm left 8:30pm.  

– Arrivée à 18:30, partie à 20:30.  

 

Chase & Patrol, Canada, 18:30

Ian Frigon and Dominic Anctil met in the winter of 2011. It was a chance meeting. Ian hungered for grooves that contained a heavy raw beat whilst Dominic’s sound was cerebral and analytical. Their individual sounds quickly influencing the other’s resulting in a harmonious blend of rhythms that pulsate and hypnotizes the audience; guaranteed to move with the groove.  

 

Ian Frigon et Dominic Anctil se son rencontré au cours de l'hiver 2011. C'était une rencontre fortuite. Ian était affamé pour des sillons qui contenaient un rythme cru et lourd, tandis que le son de Dominic était cérébral et analytique. Leur sons individuelle  influence  rapidement celui de l’autre  résultant en un mélange harmonieux de rythmes qui palpitent et hypnotise le public ; garanti de bouger avec le sillon. 

 

Audiofly, Great Britain / Grande Bretagne, 20:30  

 

I didn’t stay / Je n’ai pas resté 

 

Agoria, France, 22:30  

                                                                       

 I didn’t stay / Je n’ai pas resté   

 

 

                               

  

    

Zero Dark Thirty / Operation Avant L'Aube by / par Kathryn Bigelow

The title of this sweeping cinematic adaptation chronicling one of the most intense manhunts of human history is military jargon for 'the dark of night'. It can also refer to 12:30 a.m. which was the moment when the Navy SEALS first set foot on the compound in Bilal Town Abbottabad Pakistan on May 2^nd 2011. The film recounts the decade long manhunt for Osama bin Laden that began after September 11 2001 and ended with the successful raid on the compound where he was hiding.  

The challenges to bring this complex, multifaceted account to the big screen included condensing the events of 10 years into a feature length movie.  They were successfully met. The result is a gripping tale that remains faithful to the facts and avoids the usual pro American propaganda found in many other similar accounts. The film does not withhold exposing the moments when the members of the team of CIA operatives crossed moral lines, as in using torture to determine the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

 

 Le titre de cette adaptation hâtif cinématographique retraçant un des chasses à l'homme plus intenses de l'histoire humaine est jargon militaire pour « l'obscurité de la nuit ». Il peut également faire référence à 12 h 30 qui a été le moment quand les Navy SEALS ont mis les  pieds pour la première fois sur l’enceinte dans la ville Bilal d’Abbottabad en  Pakistan le 2 Mai 2011. Le film raconte la chasse à l'homme d'Oussama ben Laden d’une durée d’une décennie  qui a commencé après le 11 Septembre 2001 et s'est terminée avec le raid réussi dans l'enceinte où il se cachait. 

 Les défis d'apporter ce compte complexe, aux multiples facettes au grand écran y compris de condenser les événements de  10 ans en un long métrage. Ils ont été atteints. Le résultat est un conte captivant qui reste fidèle aux faits de préhension et  évite  la propagande pro Américaine habituelle retrouver dans nombreux d’autres comptes semblables. Le film ne retient  pas d’exposer les moments où les membres de l'équipe d'agents de la CIA traversé les lignes morales, comme utilisent le torture pour déterminer où se trouvait Oussama ben Laden.

 

Alain Lefèvre Performs Olympian Feat



Alain Lefèvre

A performance of indescribable brilliance  

reviewed by Nancy Snipper

On Tuesday evening January 15^th, pianist Alain Lefèvre performed the astonishing Concerto “l’Asile (Création Mondiale) with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal under the baton of Ludovic Morlot. It was composed by Walter Boudreau. The unforgettable concert took place inside the gloriously new Maison Symphonique de Montréal. 

Geniuses – mad geniuses – that is what this concert was about. It took Mr. Boudreau about three years to compose the work whose three movements embody the tortuous life of the late Claude Gavreau, a visionary who inspired the creation of Mr. Boudreau’s concerto. Collaborating intensively with Mr. Lefèvre on the superhuman endeavour, Mr. Boudreau knew that it would take one of the world’s greatest pianists - also a world-class composer - to achieve the final rendering and performance of his massively difficult masterpiece. He knew he wanted to create alongside Alain Lefèvre.

Walter Boudreau

Mr. Boudreau wrote the work in four years “in and out” as a tribute to the avant-garde Quebec poet and author Claude Gauvreau (1925-1971). During his short life the poet experimented heavily with LSD, modified the French language turning into a new form of incomprehensible poetic communication. He never achieved the recognition or the support which he so wished for. This tragic figure may have ended his life, but his ideas lived on - championed by another mad genius, Mr. Boudreau who is very much alive; he is also the director and conductor of the SMCQ. 

Claude Gauvreau

The twelve-tone composition he composed demanded the most prolific piano playing through the 45 minute-long work. Mr. Lefèvre’s herculean technique combined with his immeasurable passion was breathtaking. Hands crossing over hands, non-stop lightning speed cadenzas up and down the keys, octaves, and trills and syncopated lines whose first beats had to join up with the  percussive section, then the flutes, sometimes the horns and strings. Nothing seemed or was written to magically connect together, and yet it all did, in a way that was more fantastic than one could believe possible. In fact, Mr.Boudreau explained that he created this work so that the piano – represented the poet Gauvreau who was off on its own trying to connect to the orchestra which more or less represented the indifference of society. Rhythmically unpredictable is the composition; both protagonists (piano and orchestra symbolizing Gauvreau and society respectively) seemed to embody the pain and punishment endured by Gauvreau himself. Orchestra and piano had a challenging task keeping up with the other. In fact, six minutes into the work, Maestro   Morlot stopped it all, and started the performance again – having left out an entire page! Was it any wonder Mr. Lefèvre kept a handkerchief atop the piano. 

I felt Mr.Lefèvre carried the lion’s share of élan for the entire performance. His extraordinary understanding of the concerto combined with his earth-shattering technique marvellously communicated the dramatic intensity in this exciting work. 

I began to feel that he knew the night had to lie with him. At times, the percussion was a nano-second off the timing of the piano punctuating entrances and final notes, but it was explained to me, that orchestra and pianist had four hours of rehearsal to pull it all together. 

As for the composition itself, the first movement burst into our ears like a tsunami. It rarely let up. The second movement resembled a slow macabre dance. There were heart-breaking moments of utter beauty in melody line but that did not last for long. A sudden interjection of horn would break it all and then the intentional chaos would once again commence. Prokofiev, Schoenberg and Rachmaninov rolled into one is what I could hear; Scriabin, Stravinsky and Liszt as well. Now take the hardest most prodigiously taxing bars to play in all these composers and know that such rigorous demands constitute the entire concerto. Rarely was Mr. Lefèvre allowed to rest. Like the tormented soul of Mr. Gauvreau himself, this great pianist – a world treasure - personified this poet’s genius. He did so with relentless passion and pianistic perfection. This trio of mad geniuses enthralled me! 

This concert was recorded by Radio-Canada’s Espace Musique and will be broadcast coast to coast next January 22^nd at the “Soirees Classiques” hosted by Mario Paquet. Alain will present the Concerto de l’Asile again this Season with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and its conductor Fabien Gabel on May 29^th and 30^th . It will be recorded on a CD for the Anelekta Label.

Once Upon a Time ... Impressionism:

Great French Paintings from the Clark

 

by Nancy Snipper

                                                                                                                                                                   

A stunning exhibition of 75 Impressionist masterpieces is lighting up four grand rooms inside the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts as part of its world tour.  The paintings have come from the Robert Sterling Clark collection – one of the rarest and finest collections of the genre in the world. “This selection focuses on the movement itself – its genesis, context and legacy – so we can illustrate its coherence,” said Nathalie Bondil, MMFA’s Director and Chief Curator who noted that “impressionism has become the best loved and most popular art movement of all time.” 

There is so much to say about the incredible paintings we can see at this intimate treasure as it provides lasting visual memories. The collection first introduces us to the Barbizon School of Impressionists who initiated plein aire painting in the Fontainebleau forest whose main village was Barbizon. 

Corot, Rousseau, Millet, Daumier, Boudin, Jongkind and Tryon took their ‘lighting cue’ from the paintings of Constable and Turner. I was struck by the stunning expanse of forest and water scenes. But Rousseau felt Millet’s peasants looked like actor dressed up to imitate these folk. In fact, what stands outs so wonderfully in text in the exhibition are the words said by Renoir as he casts comments that show his disdain for Parisian hypocrisy and pretension. As Impressionism caught on as a way to gain status, he made the comment that people are hanging investments on their walls, not paintings. 
 

Corot: Bathers of the Borromean Isles

Renoir: Self-portrait 1875

Like Corot and Manet, Renoir loved nature. He likened a tree to God – that for him a tree was far more than a combination of carbon elements. Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s ladies are so sensual, and real, we are not surprised when we read that Renoir felt only women makes this world tolerable.  

Renoir: Sleeping Girl

As we move from painting to painting, our eyes feast on so many genius talents whose brush strokes are as varied as the robes, flowers and skies and waves that they painted. Pissarro with his pointealesque innovation and Seurat with his wet on wet techniques, and let us not leave out Degas whose dancers and horses garnered great praise from Renoir who felt he was the only painter who knew how to capture movement.  

One of the great masterpieces hung near Bouguereau’s ‘Seated Nude’ and Tissot’s ‘Chrysanthemums’ were two gems by Boldini. The minute textured realism captured in the velvet robe and dress that his ladies wear as seen in ‘Young Woman Crocheting’ and ‘Crossing the Street’ are second to none in the exhibition. 

 Tissot: Chrysanthemums

 Boldini: Young Woman Crocheting

 

No doubt about it, these 18^th and 19^th-century masters of lighting, texture, mood and magnificent nature - captured in a still life or a seascape full of boats bobbing on waves - are immortal. Who else can paint onions and apples and make us what to pick them up off the canvas, but Renoir? Who else can paint peonies so magnificently that we can smell them as we stare at disbelief at their realism and beauty but Renoir? Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, Gérôme, Morisot and more timeless talents are in this inspiring exhibition that is a must-see!   

Renoir: Apples in a Dish

Monet: Geese in the Brook

Degas: Dancers in the Classroom

 

 The exhibition continues until January 20^th of this year. Next stop Tokyo (Mitsubishi Ichigogan Museum) followed by Kobe (Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art). http://www.mbam.qc.ca/impressionnisme/HTML/en/index.html

 

 

Lo Imposible / The Impossible / L’Impossible por / by / par Juan Antonio Bayona

 

English-language disaster drama from Spain based on a family’s true to life experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Thailand in the morning of December 26^th. Unlike most disaster dramas, which focus mainly on the effect on a multitude of characters, film focuses on 1 particular family (it is based on the real-life experiences of the Balon family from Spain but they are portrayed as British in the movie).

The Bennets – Maria, Henry and their 3 children Lucas, Thomas and Simon (played by Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oakley Pendergast respectively) have just arrived at the Khao Lak tropical resort in Thailand for a Christmas vacation. They had reserved a suite on the third floor but as it was not available they got a first floor room with a view of the ocean.

On the morning of December 26^th, the ‘joys’ of the season came crashing down as a huge tsunami destroyed and swept away everything and everyone in its path. Maria and Lucas become separated from Henry, Thomas and Simon. Maria suffers a serious injury to her leg and Lucas desperately attempts to bring her to safety and help. They eventually end up at a Thai hospital with Maria hovering at death’s door.

Meanwhile, back at the resort, Henry faces a tough decision. Should he separate himself from his sons to search for their mother and older brother or stay with them? He decides to send them to safety and begins a desperate search to reunite with his wife. 

The film superbly captures the devastation and mayhem of one of the worst natural disasters of our time focusing mainly on the emotional and personal. The chemistry between the 5 leads was credible and magnificent especially that of Tom Holland as Lucas.

Drame catastrophe de la langue Anglaise d'Espagne basé sur une vraie expérience de vie d’une famille pendant le tsunami de l'océan Indien qui a frappé la Thaïlande dans la matinée du 26 Décembre 2004. Contrairement à la plupart des drames  catastrophe, qui se concentrent principalement sur les effets sur une multitude de personnages, ceci se concentre sur 1 famille particulière (il est basé sur les expériences de vie réelle de la famille Balon d'Espagne, mais ils sont dépeints comme Britannique dans le film).  

Les Bennet – Maria, Henry et leurs trois enfants, Lucas, Thomas et Simon (joué par Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin et Oakley Pendergast, respectivement) est arrivés à la station  tropicale Khao Lak en Thaïlande pour des vacances de Noël. Ils avaient réservé une suite au troisième étage, mais comme il n'était pas disponible ils ont obtenu une chambre au premier étage avec une vue sur l'océan. 

Le matin du 26 Décembre, les «joies » de la saison se sont écroulées quand un énorme tsunami a détruit et emporté tout et tout le monde sur son passage. Maria et Lucas sont séparent de Henry, Thomas et Simon. Maria subit une blessure grave à la jambe et Lucas tente désespérément de l’amener a la sécurité et de l’aide. Ils finissent par se retrouver  dans un hôpital Thaïlandais avec Maria planant au seuil de la mort. 

Parallèlement à l’hôtel, Henry est confronté à un choix très difficile. Faut-il se séparer de ses fils à la recherche de leur mère et leur frère aîné ou rester avec eux?  Il décide de les envoyer à la sécurité et commence une quête désespérée de retrouver sa femme.     

Le film capte magnifiquement la dévastation et la destruction de l'une des pires catastrophes naturelles de notre temps en se concentrant principalement sur l'émotionnel et personnel. L'alchimie entre les 5 principales était crédible et magnifique surtout celui de Tom Holland dans le rôle de Lucas.

Our Ancient Love

Bold was our love

Swept away in the chariot of Apollo

Following in wingéd destiny

The path of a cooing swallow.

Hot was our love

Our arms wrapped around the sun

We burned with a glory

That Prometheus had begun.

But like airy Icarus alight,

Our love melted and was gone;

It sank sallow into silence

Like the neck of a dying swan.

Cold is our love

Freezing thin in the hole of Hades

Its only warm breath lives

In this print that soon will fade.

Our love is just a chronicle

A written tally of an age

Like the myth of golden gods

Moulding yellow on some page

Johnne (John) Sambataro Discography / Discographie

 

Born 1953 in Florida / Né 1953 en Floride

 

Plays: Guitar, Slide Guitar, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Piano, Vibraphone, Vocals                                 

Joue : Guitare, Slide Guitare, Claviers, Synthétiseur, Piano, Vibraphone, Chant

Solo recordings/ Enregistrements de Solo:                          
2011 Me, Myself & I                                                                       

Artist                          Artist                            Year         Album
1.       Clapton      Eric                                “, “1983 Money and Cigarettes “, “1988 Crossroads“, “2007 Complete Clapton”,
2.       Coverdale                                        David                          “, “1993 Coverdale Page”,
3.       Crosby, Stills & Nash                    “, “1991 CSN”,  
4.       Dion                                                  “, “1983/85 I Put Away My Idols/Kingdom in the Streets “, “1980/81 Inside Job/Only Jesus“, “1992/76 Dream on Fire/Streetheart“, “1992      Dream on Fire“, “1992Dream on Fire“, “1995 Rock 'n Roll Christmas“, “1997 The Best of the Gospel Years“, “2001The Wanderer: Then and Now”,
5.       Firefall                                              “, “1982 Break of Dawn “, “1983  Mirror of the World“, “1992 Greatest Hits”,
6.       Frampton  Peter                            “, “1986 Premonition”,
7.       Gang of Four                                  “, “1983 Hard”,
8.       Gibb            Andy                            “, “1977 Flowing Rivers “, “1978 Shadow Dancing“, “1991 Greatest Hits“, “2001 20^th Century Masters Millennium Collection”,
9.       Golde         Frannie                        “, “1979 Frannie (Portrait)”,
10.   Herman     Keith                            “, “1979 The Next Song Is...”,
11.   Jimmies, The                                   “, “2011 Practically Ridiculous”,
12.   Mason        Dave                             “, “1978 Mariposa de Oro “, “2002 Live at Sunrise (video documentary) “, “2004 XM Radio“, “2007 Live at XM Satellite Radio“, “2008 26 Letters  12 Notes”,
13.   McCloud                  Nicole          “, “1986 What About Me?”,
14.   McGuinn, Clark & Hillman         “, “1979 McGuinn, Clark & Hillman“, “1980 City“, “1994                  Return Flight 1 & 2“, “2008 The Capital Collection”,
15.   McGuinn & Hillman                      “, “1981 McGuinn - Hillman“, 
16.   Meat Loaf                                       “, “1983 Midnight at the Lost and Found “, “1998 The Very Best of ... “, “2007 Discover ... “, “2008 Collections“, “2008 Greatest Hits “, “2011 The Essential ...”,
17.   Parr             John                             “, “1984 John Parr“, “1986 Running the Endless Mile”,
18.   Paul            Henry                         “, “1981 Anytime“, “1982 Henry Paul”,
19.   Stevens     Marsha                        “, “2000 I Still Have a Dream”,
20.   Stills             Stephen                      “1978 Thoroughfare Gap “, “1984 Right by You”
21.   Waters       E.J.                                “, “1996 E.J. Waters”,
22.   Wylde         Zakk                              “, “1996 Book of Shadows”,