The Met audience makes itself heard. BRAVO IL PUBBLICO!!!!

Back to the 60s hair do for Urmana

Apparently (since I wasn’t there, but would loved to have been), last night’s premiere of “Attila” was met with “boo’s” as much as it was met with cheering.  The blogs and reviews are reporting that cheers for Muti were abundant, but that the opposite response was offered to the production director, Mr. Audi, and his team.  Muti obviously took control over the Met orchestra and led them in a positive direction, but it seems that the Met’s audience is not going to sit back and watch the modernization of an art that begs for authenticity.

Personally, I find it very concerning that the Met would present this rather historically important opera for the first time and set it in this manner, with little concern for the fact that Attila hinged on being a manifesto of sorts.  During Verdi’s period, especially in 1846 when it was premiered, the general climate in Italy was one that was encompassed by the drive for unification.  Italy had since been under Austrian power.  Therefore, the drive for unification had swallowed up all of Italy’s artistic forms, including opera.  Although there have been a plethora of scholastic arguments about whether or not Verdi was a political man (whether or not he was is of little interest, except for the role his operas may have played politically).  Some feel that Nabucco, for example, is a manifesto of Risorgimento Italy; an instructive to the “Italian, not Hebrew” audience, in its plight to become a free nation.

Attila is an opera that functions similarly.  It was also one of these “politically” based, if not outwardly, operas and so it would have been more historically accurate had the Met not presented a set that looked like something had blown up.  Subtlety is sometimes best and keeps the focus where it belongs, on the music and the singing.

Here are some reviews for last night’s “Attila.”

Can’t wait for the broadcast on March 6th!

Welcome double invasion at the Metropolitan Opera: Attila the Hun and Muti the Maestro (by Mike Silverman of the Associated Press

At the Met, a Hun who struggles to conquer his doubts (by Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times)

Honey, I Shrunk the Met (by James Jordan of the New York Post)

Anne Midgette Reviews Verdi’s “Attila” from the MET (Washington Post)

Attila invade il Met (Il Giornale della Musica)

Review: “Attila” by David Finkle (Theatermania)

Also, for you scholastic types, on February 26, 2010, some of the top opera scholars in North America will be holding a symposium to discuss “Attila.”  Here is information on the topics.

CONF: Verdi’s Attila at the Met: A Symposium
February 26, 2010, 5:30pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’
24 West 12th Street, New York City
* Free Admission *

This month Riccardo Muti makes his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting Giuseppe Verdi’s Attila in a new critical edition prepared by Helen M. Greenwald (forthcoming in the Works of Giuseppe Verdi published by Ricordi and the University of Chicago Press).
The American Institute of Verdi Studies celebrates the occasion with a symposium devoted to this exciting opera from Verdi’s early period. Four distinguished Verdi scholars discuss the libretto of Attila, Verdi’s creative process, and issues of performance practice and musical style. The symposium consists of four brief papers followed by a round table discussion, and is enriched by numerous musical examples.
Program:
Francesco Izzo (University of Southampton and American Institute for Verdi Studies),
“Solera, Piave, and the Final Scene of Attila”
Philip Gossett (University of Chicago and University of Rome “La Sapienza”),
“Verdi’s Skeleton Scores and Attila”
Helen M. Greenwald (New England Conservatory),
“Pictorial Music in Attila”
David Lawton (Stony Brook University),
“Verdi in Rehearsal”
Moderator: Roberta Montemorra Marvin (University of Iowa)
For more information, please call (212) 998-8730 or e-mail verdi.institute at nyu.edu

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straight, no chaser

1.8t, 450hp

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IT'S 11:34AM, DO YOU KNOW HOW FIRED YOU ARE?

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audi

Sitting here alone. Feel quite…unsocial? And loser. Idk, I just don’t feel like moving around. So I end up sitting alone. At least I get aircon, I guess. And don’t have to stand like a retard on the astro with the rest. However. I can’t talk to the rest. Like argh. Damn sian pls. And I have a feeling that I’m supposed to go report to the year director or something. But I really sont wanna move. Feel stupid. Think I’m really quite insecure at heart, on retrospect. Not that it changes things, I still refuse to move lol. My jacket. Being white, is dirty already. Argh.

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A Change of Pace....how BMW plans to lead the race

BMW advertising campaign and interactive gallery

Here is a new advertising campaign launched by BMW.  In previous campaigns BMW had been in a head butting competition with the increasingly popular Audi manufacture.  BMW and Audi are pretty much as Coke and Pepsi as you can get both appeal to the same markets with pretty much the same cars and same visions.  But how do you get an edge over the competition once performance is put aside?  Well both of these companies have been struggling to turn the corner and take the lead as the undisputed champion of the world… or in this case the sports car market.  There have been millions of internet buzz over the popular Santa Monica ad war between the Audi national campaign and the BMW Santa Monica dealership.  This is a case where Audi challenged BMW to make a better car in their ads.  Let alone did Audi know that immediately across the street was open space for a larger billboard.  BMW capitalized and made Audi look childish.  Pretty much both ads acted like they were for BMW.  BMW even branded their colors on this ad to make a more definitive point.  Everyone usually remembers the solid black BMW car, but just like chess pieces on the board, BMW made their car white to show the game being played and the moment being seized.  With that being said BMW has taken for the most part, of this new campaign, the competition scenarios out of the picture.  Now this isn’t 100% for sure, but BMW wants to remind you (consumer) and inform you (consumer) what they bring to the world.  Put it simply as BMW does, “JOY.”  They are reminding you how you feel or could feel when you turn the corner on a country side road.  The feeling you get when you accelerate and feel the wind in your hair, the happiness you get from using their product and embracing your lifestyle.  Personally I feel this sounds very similar to a campaign for one of my favorite products and brands of all time…. Coca-Cola.  I do no drink soda that much at all really but I will fight to the death in a brand war for Coca-Cola over Pepsi and many other products that aren’t even beverage related.  Coca-Cola instilled this idea of the feeling you get from a product rather than a product itself.  This product they made had an impact that it changed the way people lived their lives.  As an example of how this happened, I recall watching a documentary of the Coca-Cola story.  In this story it told and showed real accounts of where people in Africa would walk miles by foot to the store in order to pick up Coca-Cola for their families.  Although they paid a good amount and even seen as unnecessary amount of money for this non-necessitiy, they felt they had to do this for their family.  The reasoning behind these people’s stories as to why the did this…. the “joy” it provided their family.  Life in the majority of Africa is harder than it should be.  The constant struggles these people go through is considered and seen as unbearable by much of the western world.  But people there would walk bare foot for a hour or so just so they can be reminded and given that feeling of joy they are provided with once drinking the Coca-Cola beverage.  If you deny that story as not powerful, then you have deeply underestimated the power of branding.  But how will this work for BMW?  People who can buy BMWs do not go through the hardships that the majority of poverty stricken Africans go through?  Yes, that is true.  But as western and global society becomes more and more technology advance, pressure and time restraints grow.  The internet alone has made competition higher and productivity possibilities endless.  People now fit so much into their schedules in order to keep up with the technology and the competition inspiring and driving all industries.  Every job now demands more, and if you fail to do that or happen to fall into bad luck a computer will take your job.  Technology is a great gift that has inspired many movements that have benefited from society… but there also is a dark side to it.  You can not leave the house/apartment without your cell phone.  You physically can but that isn’t the point, it is presumed you leave your humble abode with a device to connect yourself to others and the internet.  You can tweet before you get on a plane and now even use internet services while on several planes.  You are expected as  a person for work or casual reasons to remain on a network of some sorts at all time.  Now did all my talk stress you out?  It could have, knowing that you have really a limited amount of privacy at all times.  Back to my point, people that can afford BMWs usually have higher paying jobs and are holding jobs that require more control over valuable and important assets.  Whatever those assets may be?  These people want a way to escape the office, something they have been slaving over their whole lives.  This BMW car they have could give them joy off the line from the light or feel the wind whip in their hair along the highway or lastly feel their pulse raise as they accelerate.  Is this joy worth the money and investment? Is this lifestyle worth pursuing?  Only time will tell, and BMW is hoping so.

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Audi to start assembling Q5 in India by mid-2010

Audi Q5

Audi to come as indigenous assembled from Mid-2010. The move includes converting major cars as locally assembled and there would not be CBUs. The units will be Completely Knocked and would be out from Aurangabad facility, said its MD. The process will certainly make feasible ends for the uprising market. soon other models will follow suit, he added. The Q5 is to be started by mid-2010.

The range of beeline from Audi includes Audi A4, A6, A8, Q5, the new version Audi Q7, the Audi TT Coupe and the premium sports car Audi R8. Audi had a good stint with A4, A6, Q7 and Q5 in India by selling 1600 units. A4 and A6 are delivered from the Aurangabad plant under Completely Knocked Down units. The unit feeds the demand in proportion as it has the capacity of 750 cars were produced in the last year.

In another six years, said the MD, the annual production will steep to 5300 cars. This is in proportion to the overall increase in the luxury car market- from 2000 units in 2006 to 7000 units till now. This may hike to 10000 in this year, it is expected. The methodology to make the cars as CKD in the domestic market is to reduce the cost of these luxury units, thereby boosting the sale.

The base model of Audi Q5 costs Rs38 lakhs but the price of the CKD version is yet to be let known. Simultaneously the number of dealerships too would be increased to 17 from the current 8 in the cities of Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur and Coimbatore.

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Audi's "Green Police" Superbowl Ad

Below is Audi’s superbowl commercial that I found to be very creative and entertaining.  The “Green Police” theme was quite funny and the end where the A3 TDI is allowed to bypass the roadblock is an appropriate ending for the ad.  There isn’t too much about how great the car is or how great the safety ratings are etc., it is just a simple commerical that makes you laugh and also curious about the A3, which is, afterall, what they want to accomplish.  Check it out….

 Here at work, we recently received a voicemail from a concerned consumer who remains anonymous.  In the message, he called the commercial disgusting and claimed he was about to purchase an Audi but will no longer be doing so as a result of that commercial.  We called the genetleman back to find out exactly what made him feel this way towards what we thought was a well thought out advertisement.  Well the “unconstitutional raids” and “anti-freedom” theme are what really got him going along with the consequences for making choices as an individual.

Did anybody else get a strange reaction to the commercial while enjoying the game?  Thanks for the input.

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The Most Interesting Super Bowl Commercial

Not the best (I liked the Coke commercials), but probably the one most remembered in ten years – Audi joking about a dystopian Green Police state.

Jonah Goldberg thinks that some conservatives will be upset by the light-hearted way the issue is framed.

I think the message of the Audi commercial is distinctly un-American – you are better off negotiating your own exception to the rules of the police state, and Audi will help you do that.  Audi owners can flaunt their green badge of a car as the new American nomenklatura.

The commercial is brilliant if deeply cynical.  In German history, the Green Police was the name for uniformed Nazi Police Officers who may have been involved in facilitating the Holocaust.  That such dystopian visions can reach the zeitgeist through a humorous Super Bowl commercial is disquieting.

And unfortunately for Audi, will probably not help it sell any cars.

[Via http://newslawyer.com]

BMW loses top spot to Mercedes-Benz India in Jan 2010

Good news is here for the German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes Benz India which had to undergo rough weather last year after its arch rival and compatriot BMW India had ousted it from the numero uno position in the luxury car segment in India.

But It seems like Mercedes Benz accepted the challenge put forth by BMW by bouncing back in the game of car sales. Mercedes Benz regained its lost position in Jan 2010 by selling 403 cars while BMW and Audi could manage to sell 341 and 306 cars respectively.

Mr. Wilfred Aulbur, MD and CEO of Mercedes Benz India said that though the car sales in numbers were an encouraging factor, the company’s focus, in the coming months, would remain on profitability. Mercedes Benz India has launched seven new models and variants in the last month to counter BMW India ’s launch of three models, the 760 Li, the Gran Turismo and the X6 M, while Audi also jumped in the game by launching a centenary edition of its popular A6.

Audi, in the meanwhile also is planning to launch the Q7 SUV, with a 4.2 litre diesel in India pretty soon. Audi India will be concentrating in its expansion efforts this year and will be opening more dealerships in “mini-metros”. Audi which has sold 1,658 cars in India in the previous year aims to sell over 2,300 units in 2010.

[Via http://carazoocars.wordpress.com]

The Super Bowl

Ah, the Super Bowl is finally upon us. Teams have fought all year to get to this point and two teams have come out on top, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

No one would have ever thought the Saints would make it to the Super Bowl but everyone is excited, especially the city of New Orleans. They are still trying to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. The Saints making it to the Super Bowl has given the city hope. For those of us that don’t know who to root for because our particular team didn’t make it to the big game, we are rooting for the Saints. Sort of a Cindarella story.

Most men watch the game for the Football. While most women watch it for the ads. Okay all of us watch it for the ads, even those of us that have a love for the game. We like to see what outrageous things companies will come up with to get us talking around the water cooler on Monday.

This year the big news is that Pepsi is pulling out of their Super Bowl ad contract. They have decided to pull out and put that money into Social Marketing for their Refresh campaign. A big move for a big company and one that has been known to always advertise for the Super Bowl. Those companies that are advertising are:

Coca Cola one ad will feature Mr. Burns from The Simpsons
Denny’s who is once again offering a special nationwide like they did last year
Hyundai
Kia
Budweiser for the first time will not have an ad with the famous Clydesdales but are focusing on their new slogan, “Here we go”
Audi
Boost Mobile which will be bringing back the Super Bowl Shuffle with the guys that started it all
Bridgestone will once again be sponsoring the halftime show that will feature the rock group, The Who. A performance I am looking forward to.
ETrade yes will again have a commercial with the baby. What is he going to say this year?
Monster is one of the big advertiser with many ads even during the extended pre-game show during which they announced the winner of the Director of Fandemonium contest.
Universal Studios will have at least one ad spot that will be a trailer for an upcoming release and will also have an ad for Universal Studios Orlando.
Paramount will be promoting either Shutter Island, Iron Man 2 and The Last Airbender
Walt Disney will also have one spot. Hopefully they promote Alice in Wonderland
There are many more advertisers this year and we will all be tuned in.

Now as I am sitting here watching the extended pre-game show, Steve Winwood is singing “Higher Love”. Earlier Daughtry sang their lastest it. The performance I am looking forward to is the halftime show which will feature The Who. A band that has been around a long time but is making their first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Hopefully this game will be close as President Obama just mandated during his interview during Katie Couric.

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Valentine's Day History

Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines”. Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[1] The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th century America, where many Valentine cards are now general greeting cards rather than declarations of love, was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.[2] It’s considered one of the Hallmark holidays.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.[3]
Saint Valentine

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[4] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[5] Valentine of Rome[6] was a priest in Rome who suffered martyrdom about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome.[7] and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.

Valentine of Terni[8] became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been killed during the persecution of Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).[9]

The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.[10]

No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the fourteenth century, distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.[11]

In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feastday of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: “Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14.”[12] The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Vatican II calendar.

The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were excerpted by Bede and briefly expounded in Legenda Aurea.[13] According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.

Legenda Aurea still providing no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail. In an embellishment to The Golden Legend provided by American Greetings, Inc. to History.com and widely repeated, on the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he wrote the first “valentine” himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved,[14] as the jailer’s daughter whom he had befriended and healed,[15] or both. It was a note that read “From your Valentine.”[14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Mazda of Lakewood

Toll Free (888) 472-8555

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