tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89189649952089264872024-03-13T11:24:11.991-07:00THE SILENT STEPPE CANTATAAnne LeBaron's
Sonic Odyssey in Kazakhstan and BeyondAnne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-41648181220791355712011-03-28T12:49:00.000-07:002011-03-30T01:04:17.354-07:007.1. Premiere performance on March 25, Almaty, Kazakhstan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FLCqNIyTLWc/TZFl2-sqT5I/AAAAAAAAAsU/idHHDXnF_90/s1600/IMG_5714.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FLCqNIyTLWc/TZFl2-sqT5I/AAAAAAAAAsU/idHHDXnF_90/s320/IMG_5714.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589360607761158034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQduopaolc0/TZFlaE0FC_I/AAAAAAAAAsM/tJGEs0xCio8/s1600/IMG_5703.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQduopaolc0/TZFlaE0FC_I/AAAAAAAAAsM/tJGEs0xCio8/s320/IMG_5703.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589360111186676722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qs4fK7zVxPw/TZFlHCE3AII/AAAAAAAAAr8/Aj-gZp6i2Nc/s1600/IMG_5697.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qs4fK7zVxPw/TZFlHCE3AII/AAAAAAAAAr8/Aj-gZp6i2Nc/s320/IMG_5697.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589359784034238594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Sazgen Sazy with Timur Bekbosunov and Maestro Zhamat Temirgaliyev with the premiere performance of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The Silent Steppe Cantata</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, Philharmonic Hall, Almaty - March 25, 2011</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G4ODewHwUBk/TZDnCUn7Z6I/AAAAAAAAArc/hH-tRsDxzYE/s1600/83%2Bas%2Bbefore%2B%25281%2529.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; 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font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom:</style><span style="font-family:Times;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Posted by Anne LeBaron</span>; </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Times;" >Photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">The March 25, 2011 premiere performance of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Silent Steppe Cantata</span>, along with the introductory documentary by Sandra Powers, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Nomad’s Song</span>, was a resounding success, according to all the reports I’ve received. </span><span style="font-family:Times;">Timur Bekbosunov wrote:<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><span style="font-size:85%;">“The performance was superb, and attracted great praise, specifically from many critics, journalists, musicians, city officials, the U.S. Consulate, all of our partners, sponsors, friends, who just went crazy over it, calling it ‘legendary.’ People kept telling me to please tell the composer that we bow to her talent and ability for making our country proud!” </span></span> </p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoPapDefault { margin-bottom: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSecti</style><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;color:black;" >Many aspects of the Republic of Kazakhstan were inspiring to me as I composed this piece, particularly the tolerance of different faiths. Extending the representation of tolerance to an acceptance of various languages in Kazakhstan, I wanted the cantata to reflect the multiple identities represented in this vast country, and therefore set the words in a combination of </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;color:black;" >Russian, Kazakh, and English.</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;color:black;" > The libretto, compiled by myself and Timur Bekbosunov, is based on writings and works of Albert Fischler, A.I. Orazbaeva, Olzhas Suilemenov, <span style=""> </span>M.X. Abuseitova, Abai, Galimzhan Beghozhin, Isa Daukebaev, and Zhuban Moldagaliev. </span> </p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">As I wasn't able to attend, I’ve yet to hear the performance but anxiously await the moment when the recording is available. Meanwhile, Eugene Moon’s personal experience of the premiere provides a more complete description. He writes:<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:85%;" >"The cantata was in three sections. The first one, “Awakening,” introduced the appearance of the Kazakh people on earth, connected to the myth that they originated from the sun. The second section, “Silencing,” dealt with the conquest and oppression of the Kazakh people. The mood of the music was sinister; Timur started singing in a rap style. The energy and passion of the music increased, as it described the oppressive history suffered by Kazakhstan, brought on at various times by Mongols, Jungars, Russians, and Soviets---such as the collectivization and labor camps that took the lives of over a million Kazakhs. The music has this terrifying brooding quality until the mood changed, with the message that this was not the end. <span style=""> </span>In “Roar of the Twenty-first Century,” the third section, the music had a nationalistic feeling, almost patriotic. Timur roared in his tenor voice with the reawakening of the sun and the people as they recovered from so many hardships, ready to face the new age and millennium, ready to expose their country and culture to the world as the "new seventh continent.” The last part of the piece has a more cinematic feel, and was played with passion and vigor. At the end, the audience cheered, jumping up to hand bouquets to Timur for the wonderful performance. I congratulate you, Anne, for creating this wonderful piece and I thank you for all the work and effort that you put into it. It was amazing, stunningly amazing beyond words. I wish it was longer, that's how much I enjoyed your piece. It was epic." </span></p>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-33123339978874515202011-03-25T12:07:00.001-07:002011-03-28T20:12:55.507-07:006.1. Press Conference in Almaty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmG7yDolGaY/TYzoMGbRSDI/AAAAAAAAArU/iXXblNsFVuc/s1600/IMG_0412%2Bcopy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QmG7yDolGaY/TYzoMGbRSDI/AAAAAAAAArU/iXXblNsFVuc/s320/IMG_0412%2Bcopy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588096532241008690" border="0" /></a>Sandra Powers, Timur Bekbosunov, official, Daniel Corral, official<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlgjQvHsvtE/TYzoEg7TcbI/AAAAAAAAArM/SXFoMvk00s4/s1600/IMG_0407%2Bcopy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlgjQvHsvtE/TYzoEg7TcbI/AAAAAAAAArM/SXFoMvk00s4/s320/IMG_0407%2Bcopy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588096401915736498" border="0" /></a>Timur Bekbosunov<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Anne LeBaron; photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><br />I've been able to skype into rehearsals with the orchestra and singers, 13 hour difference but thrilling to hear parts of the cantata being rehearsed so well, transmitted from Almaty to Valencia, CA. At the press conference on March 25, twenty-three journalists attended and conducted many interviews with our artists; also, four TV stations were represented. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Silent Steppe Cantata</span> premiere is scheduled for the evening of March 25 in Almaty, meaning that it already took place and that everyone is partying after midnight there, as I write this at noon! So I'm anxiously awaiting the final report of how everything turned out.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:Times;font-size:medium;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;" ></span></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-61039253252463649132011-03-24T02:07:00.000-07:002011-03-28T20:13:15.223-07:005.1. Second rehearsal of cantata, with singers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UmhzLL7_EfU/TYsMb8BvKjI/AAAAAAAAArE/hnk_LM4WmAk/s1600/%2528daniel%2529%252C%2Btimur%252C%2Bcond%252C%2Bmusicians.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UmhzLL7_EfU/TYsMb8BvKjI/AAAAAAAAArE/hnk_LM4WmAk/s320/%2528daniel%2529%252C%2Btimur%252C%2Bcond%252C%2Bmusicians.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587573436792646194" border="0" /></a>Timur Bekbosunov and Maestro Zhamagat Temirgaliev<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Posted by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /><br />The singers came to today's rehearsal, a women's vocal group led by a Russian conductor, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Yan Rudkovsky. Dan and I started recording the piece. It began with Timur speaking in Russian, probably a summary of the history of Kazakhstan and its people as an intro. Then the music starts. The music was wonderful and I can remember how it goes from hearing the last rehearsal. It was absolutely wonderful and the good thing about the recording device on the tripod was that I could record the rehearsal with my own camera and capture that music they were playing. The beginning sounded almost Western or cinematic then it mixed with folk tunes and some other Western styles of music. Timur sang very loudly in operatic style, mostly in Russian. He sang a few words in English, like, "I am a Kazakh," and also English in the section that is a bit like rap, where he talks in double speed, compared to the pace of his tenor singing of the music. All I remember from that rap part was something about defending against or being attacked by the Tatar, Russians, Cossacks, and Uzbeks. It has a very interesting rhythm and mood to it, almost like a movie soundtrack where the villain plans a strategy. The ensemble took a break and Delora and I took photos, exploring the instruments in this instrumental wonderland. They were just amazing, especially the Zhetygen, Adyrna, and Kobyz. The musicians returned and played again, this time without interruption from the conductor. I recorded again, but I missed a couple of seconds of the intro where Timur was speaking in the steppe winds (background singers were making the wind sound). It was wonderful to hear it played again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-83641046639467379582011-03-23T01:48:00.001-07:002011-03-24T02:04:16.354-07:004.3. Timur and Daniel perform for the camera<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i2lKZ1UariI/TYm0VJBMPII/AAAAAAAAApc/GX-UbtzbrrA/s1600/9.%2BDaniel%2Bwith%2Buke%2Band%2BTimur.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i2lKZ1UariI/TYm0VJBMPII/AAAAAAAAApc/GX-UbtzbrrA/s320/9.%2BDaniel%2Bwith%2Buke%2Band%2BTimur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587195088020978818" border="0" /></a>Daniel with uke, and Timur---Dime Museumers on a break<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZUUEp8mW3U/TYmz_yrKjUI/AAAAAAAAApM/ZAyIpzA0Gok/s1600/8.%2BEugene%2Bwith%2Bboom.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZUUEp8mW3U/TYmz_yrKjUI/AAAAAAAAApM/ZAyIpzA0Gok/s320/8.%2BEugene%2Bwith%2Bboom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587194721245760834" border="0" /></a>Eugene with his beloved boom<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo187FygP2c/TYmz7CkLPxI/AAAAAAAAApE/Tl8-JjXR6lc/s1600/7.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2BDaniel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uo187FygP2c/TYmz7CkLPxI/AAAAAAAAApE/Tl8-JjXR6lc/s320/7.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2BDaniel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587194639612067602" border="0" /></a>Daniel Corral, representing me in Silent Steppe Cantata rehearsals, reminding me of my dad in this photo<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; 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}p.MsoNoteLevel7CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel7CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel7CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8, li.MsoNoteLevel8, div.MsoNoteLevel8 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9, li.MsoNoteLevel9, div.MsoNoteLevel9 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }</style> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">After the adventures of today, we decided to film Timur's operatic singing for the cantata project. While we were waiting in our rooms to begin filming, I suddenly got nauseous and developed a headache. Lying down to recuperate didn't help, and the room got suddenly hot and stuffy. Next I tried walking around the hotel to get better, but I didn’t expect the hotel to have various smells. Each area has the smell of food and some other strange aromas, but the smell that nearly made me sick was the smell of qurt. I wasn’t sure if the restaurant was making more qurt or if I could just smell it in my head. I decided it was the latter, and assumed that all the kumys I drank earlier, which was enjoyable, was the source of my illness. After a while, I was feeling better and was able to help film Timur and Dan's performance. We used the large and spacious ballroom, and Sandra started filming Timur singing an operatic improvisation about the cantata project, while Dan played the ukulele and I held the boom pole.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">Dan and I will have a dombra lesson tomorrow night. This should be exciting. I hope I can buy a dombra before I leave. If I watch any more Sazgen Sazy rehearsals, I might want to learn all the instruments they play. They were just so wonderful and interesting to listen to and play, that it might overwhelm me with the desire to own and play the instruments. </span></p>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-28471730242109705242011-03-23T01:38:00.001-07:002011-03-30T00:45:37.526-07:004.2. Recording Sazgen Sazy musicians; Exotic Americans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oh-uOpfAhKU/TYmx9T1vBLI/AAAAAAAAAo8/30rjCVK29cY/s1600/6.%2Bsazgen%2Bsazy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oh-uOpfAhKU/TYmx9T1vBLI/AAAAAAAAAo8/30rjCVK29cY/s320/6.%2Bsazgen%2Bsazy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587192479585600690" border="0" /></a>musicians from Sazgen Sazy, ethnographic folk orchestra<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UtHB5ipYPTk/TYmx24vnyYI/AAAAAAAAAo0/oKJJwF2WO3A/s1600/5.%2Bguard.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UtHB5ipYPTk/TYmx24vnyYI/AAAAAAAAAo0/oKJJwF2WO3A/s320/5.%2Bguard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587192369232988546" border="0" /></a>Guarding the old square<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd-4WwW2EGk/TYmxytt4RoI/AAAAAAAAAos/slKVGo1fseo/s1600/4.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2BSandra.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd-4WwW2EGk/TYmxytt4RoI/AAAAAAAAAos/slKVGo1fseo/s320/4.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2BSandra.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587192297553413762" border="0" /></a>Sandra Powers, rare appearance in front of lens<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers</span><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /><br />Today we will record the musicians who will play a song for us at another hotel, the Intercontinental, subtitled</span><span style="font-family:Times;"> ‘Ankara in Almaty.’ </span><span style="font-family:Times;">Three of the musicians were in traditional costumes.</span><span style="font-family:Times;"> We set up the video and audio equipment by the back wall of the dining room, which has a maroon color that contrasted with the bright colors of the musicians' costumes, which were very beautiful. The instruments they played were the dombra, kyl kobyz, and Abai dombra, which has a flat body and a more elongated pentagonal shape, with three strings instead of two. We filmed them four times, with Delora (Timur's original host mother in the U.S.) using the slate. I used the boom pole, this time, over my head instead of at mid-level. It was easier to hold this way and less painful than when it was over my head. I managed to keep the mic above my head and not let it get into the shot. That was the hardest six minutes for my arm in my life. At least I was compensated by hearing the wonderful traditional instruments being played while filming. I would like to get a recording of it for casual listening.</span> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br />After filming, we returned to the old square where the festival was yesterday. Since the square was blocked off until the evening dance festivities, we went to the park behind the square, where there were a lot more people and vendors. Now people started staring at us, but I think mostly at Sandra and Delora. There was a Russian man blatantly taking photos of us and I counter-photoed him. Who's the tourist now? Sandra was the center of attention because of her American looks, with her peach-colored vintage hat which people called her cowboy hat (or cowgirl, to be specific, since she had tied a ribbon on it). I would not be in the center of the circle if it were not for Sandra needing my help. I think I would have blended in with the crowd because my clothes were slightly similar to what the young men were wearing. (I noticed that the younger men all wear the same type of clothes: zipped up jacket, tight designer pants, boot-like shoes, and short hair. The women show more diversity in their fashion choices; some were wearing short skirts even in the snow.) Being encircled by staring strangers felt as if we were a strange attraction in a fair or zoo. It's amusing that tourists who travel to a different country to come see exotic landscapes end up being the exotic ones for the inhabitants.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /><s><br /></s></span></p>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-27606125963166281602011-03-23T01:29:00.000-07:002011-03-24T02:02:09.026-07:004.1. Kumys and Shumbat; Koreans in Kazakhstan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_x1Pq8EMjs/TYmv1O3cQLI/AAAAAAAAAok/cgqNB30tnIU/s1600/3.%2BDaniel%252C%2BDelora%252C%2BTimur.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_x1Pq8EMjs/TYmv1O3cQLI/AAAAAAAAAok/cgqNB30tnIU/s320/3.%2BDaniel%252C%2BDelora%252C%2BTimur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587190141788373170" border="0" /></a>Daniel, Delora, Timur<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vzArLbzVKUw/TYmvw-MTPDI/AAAAAAAAAoc/_t7kDkTIDOk/s1600/2.%2BAlmaty%2Bin%2Bsnow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 319px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vzArLbzVKUw/TYmvw-MTPDI/AAAAAAAAAoc/_t7kDkTIDOk/s320/2.%2BAlmaty%2Bin%2Bsnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587190068592983090" border="0" /></a>Almaty snow-scape<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XDyP1LwXpFg/TYmvsKjwmEI/AAAAAAAAAoU/3gGurgSKJHg/s1600/1.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2Btimur.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XDyP1LwXpFg/TYmvsKjwmEI/AAAAAAAAAoU/3gGurgSKJHg/s320/1.%2Bportrait%2Bof%2Btimur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587189986013255746" border="0" /></a>Timur in repose<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; 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text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; </style> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">When I returned to the hotel, it was nearly time for brunch. The food they served was mostly traditional Kazakh food, like pilov (the name of the same rice I had yesterday), bishpermak, shumbat and a type of beef and noodle soup served only during Nauryz. The most intriguing food items are kumys and shumbat. They are both milk-based drinks that came from horse and camel. Shumbat has a cheesy taste and some bits of curd. Kumys has more layers of flavor. After drinking the thin liquid, the aftertaste just charged at me. Mild and sour, kumys resembles a liquid version of qurt. The taste of it lingered and then turned slightly alcoholic at the end. In fact, kumys is fermented horse milk with a 2-3% alcohol content. I enjoyed the drink, served in small bowls holding between ½ - 1 cup. After drinking only two cups, I started to feel slightly dizzy. Timur's dad, Viktor, who joined us, cannot drink due to driving safety concerns. Bishpermak, a kind of Kazakh pasta, consists of sheets of folded pasta (like lasagna), onions, and horse meat---really delicious. Even though it was oily, I would have eaten more of it if my stomach were not full. There was so much good food there, especially non-Kazakh food, like sushi, french fries, and chocolate ice cream.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">Speaking of sushi, a waitress thought I was Japanese after I said “thank you” to her in a mixture of Kazakh and Russian and she responded in Japanese. She was the first Kazakh who thought I was Japanese, while everyone else knew I was Korean. There are a lot of Koreans in Kazakhstan. They did not choose to live there but were deported in the 1930s when Stalin labeled them as spies for Japan. Many Koreans living within the Russian borders of Manchuria were deported and most seem to have lost any knowledge of the Korean language (Hangul), and speak Russian instead. Here, they are called Koryo Saram, while we Koreans call them Goryuh-In. However, Koreans I’m encountering during my stay here can speak Korean; they were likely visitors rather than inhabitants of Kazakhstan, as I see them in tourist places and hotels.<br /></span></p><br /><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:12pt;" ></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-6294840676732480612011-03-22T00:03:00.000-07:002011-03-24T01:37:06.819-07:003.2. Nauryz festival; meeting Mara; qurt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VNwcw6KLjgE/TYsB1g1MeCI/AAAAAAAAAq4/K0RSz4NXi7E/s1600/8.Sandra%2Band%2Bher%2Bcamel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VNwcw6KLjgE/TYsB1g1MeCI/AAAAAAAAAq4/K0RSz4NXi7E/s320/8.Sandra%2Band%2Bher%2Bcamel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587561781540976674" border="0" /></a>Sandra. Camel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YFMwgqN9wLw/TYhJ-q9LkzI/AAAAAAAAAn8/8_JypnUH-cE/s1600/6.Mara%252C%2BSandra%252C%2BTimur%252C%2BDaniel%252C%2BEugene.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YFMwgqN9wLw/TYhJ-q9LkzI/AAAAAAAAAn8/8_JypnUH-cE/s320/6.Mara%252C%2BSandra%252C%2BTimur%252C%2BDaniel%252C%2BEugene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586796678784717618" border="0" /></a>Mara, Sandra, Timur, Daniel, Eugene<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hkMIgBv5a8k/TYhJ3V-IfAI/AAAAAAAAAn0/VeDL-mya144/s1600/5.Timur%2Bin%2Ba%2Byurt.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hkMIgBv5a8k/TYhJ3V-IfAI/AAAAAAAAAn0/VeDL-mya144/s320/5.Timur%2Bin%2Ba%2Byurt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586796552892480514" border="0" /></a>Timur looking for extraterrestrial life in a yurt<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Eugene Moon; Photos by Sandra Powers and Daniel Corral</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; 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text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9, li.MsoNoteLevel9, div.MsoNoteLevel9 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }</style><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >After we went to our hotel to change and rest a little, we went to the Old Square, where they were holding festivities for the Nauryz festival. We arrived at the square and crowds of people were in attendance, listening and dancing to Kazakh pop songs, eating free food from the vendor, and riding horses. We met with Mara, director of the festival---a boisterous and friendly woman. She gave us a tour of the festival and told us the origins of Nauryz. The holiday, Nauryz (different from the Persian Nowruz), was created by Turkic people as a new year event to celebrate the arrival of spring. She showed us the inside of a yurt display, demonstrating what Nomadic life was like. It was a very large yurt, and could have been a nobleman's yurt, and there was a lot of fabric, furniture, and belongings. Although the display was not made of felt, we were out of the cold for a while. We kept on walking and saw a falconer with an eagle perched on his arm. It was wearing a helmet that covered its eyes. The helmet, according to Mara, is worn to protect visitors, because the bird is only comfortable with the owner and if it were to see a stranger, it would attack in self defense. It was fascinating to see it flap and spreads its wings while the falconer walked away blending with the crowd, while the wings were visible until it disappeared, as if from some movie or a dream.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> As we departed, </span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Timur suggested that we try qurt, a type of cheese that contains a lot of calcium. It tasted sour and tangy. I have to say, it is funkier than the taste of dolmas, and I like the flavor of both. Mara kindly bought each of us the qurt balls.</span> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-26762646408865934862011-03-21T23:50:00.000-07:002011-03-24T01:24:03.834-07:003.1. Almaty National Park Reserve; elusive rural kumys; bird rescue center<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeHX1e3sqCc/TYr-814mKyI/AAAAAAAAAqw/D-oE2aTzQ4Q/s1600/2.Timur%252C%2BDaniel%252C%2BEugene.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eeHX1e3sqCc/TYr-814mKyI/AAAAAAAAAqw/D-oE2aTzQ4Q/s320/2.Timur%252C%2BDaniel%252C%2BEugene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587558608916589346" border="0" /></a>Timur B., Daniel C., Eugene M., imbibing airan<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_f3BPmAaCbo/TYr-wi2szYI/AAAAAAAAAqo/COSh8TYeQJw/s1600/4.helmeted%2Beagle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_f3BPmAaCbo/TYr-wi2szYI/AAAAAAAAAqo/COSh8TYeQJw/s320/4.helmeted%2Beagle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587558397649931650" border="0" /></a>helmeted steppe eagle<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QxJMpTXd1bY/TYr-mkvj06I/AAAAAAAAAqg/FLDmzizDvIA/s1600/3.high-protein%2Beagle%2Bcuisine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QxJMpTXd1bY/TYr-mkvj06I/AAAAAAAAAqg/FLDmzizDvIA/s320/3.high-protein%2Beagle%2Bcuisine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587558226358162338" border="0" /></a>high-protein eagle cuisine<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Posted by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers and Daniel Corral</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; 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page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8, li.MsoNoteLevel8, div.MsoNoteLevel8 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9, li.MsoNoteLevel9, div.MsoNoteLevel9 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }</style> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">Timur, Sandra, Daniel, and I departed at 11 AM to go to the Almaty Lake and the Observatory Tower in the Almaty National Park Reserve, with our new driver, Ivan, a Russian with a warm disposition who seems to understand a bit of English. Before entering the park, we encountered a fancy looking golden fountain at the center of a roundabout and a large elaborate gate flanked by pillars that looked like something from Caesar's Palace. It was actually the entrance to the First President's Park, built exclusively for the first and current president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. There was a hill in the center of the park with what appeared to be two Acropolis-like buildings, built for the president as a retreat, and a place to write his books and memoirs. There are buildings, restaurants, and cottages lined up along the streets that are built like medieval castles and forts.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">After hiking up a small mountain, we decided to go in search of </span><span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >kumys, an alcoholic drink made from fermented mare's milk. The pure kind of kumys is found in rural areas or on ranches, while the factory-made kumys, available in the city, is diluted with water or cow's milk. We headed for a ranch near the entrance of the Reserve. When we got there, we were told that the mares weren’t ready to be milked for kumys for two more weeks. That was disappointing, but they did have airan, a milk drink similar to keffir. It’s not yogurt but it has the texture and taste of sour yogurt.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">The ranch also happened to be a bird rescue center, with owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles native to Kazakhstan. The steppe eagles, tethered outside the cages, look amazing and fierce. They make a weird sound similar to a duck. Another striking creature: the Griffin Vulture, a large majestic white vulture. It has a large wingspan and it wasn't happy with its situation, gnawing at its tether. When it tried to fly away, one can see how long its wings are. We were also shown a Bearded Vulture, which looks like an eagle and is known for eating bones and dropping them from high ground. These are the largest birds I have ever seen and their wingspan is 10 ft! Their eyes look menacingly monstrous and frightening, as does their appearance and color. Sandra described them as "hardcore."<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <span style=";font-family:Times;font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">The tour guide wanted to show us more animals, and she brought us us to a building that housed rats. She told us they are raised as food for the birds since they have more nutrition than chickens and chicks. Next, she showed us two wolves, who were painted red, and looked like they just killed an animal. I thought they fed them a whole deer before she told us they were painted like that for a film. The last cage held a black wolf, which looked more like a dog than a wolf. In fact, I have heard black wolves are actually part dogs, since pure wolves cannot produce black colored offspring. It must be true, because that wolf really looked and acted like a dog. Daniel and I are grateful for all the work Timur and Sandra have done to bring us to Almaty and to the Reserve and to Almaty, and to give us such a memorable adventure from this unplanned excursion.<br /></span></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-76886067673338815972011-03-21T00:59:00.001-07:002011-03-24T00:59:30.384-07:002.2. First rehearsal of cantata<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OB3a0B3H_C4/TYr4dZarz2I/AAAAAAAAAqE/8jBVX1Q4PAg/s1600/kil%2Bkobyz.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 115px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OB3a0B3H_C4/TYr4dZarz2I/AAAAAAAAAqE/8jBVX1Q4PAg/s200/kil%2Bkobyz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587551471629225826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--xqriPDCs4Q/TYr4TmBt5vI/AAAAAAAAAp8/2mkCHuRzvIE/s1600/eugene%2Bwith%2Bboom%2Bmic.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 108px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--xqriPDCs4Q/TYr4TmBt5vI/AAAAAAAAAp8/2mkCHuRzvIE/s200/eugene%2Bwith%2Bboom%2Bmic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587551303215474418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nv-jVWp4SZs/TYcGZIG0ISI/AAAAAAAAAm0/L3Xw_8BC0J8/s1600/eugene%2Bwith%2Bboom%2Bmic.jpg"><br /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Eugene Moon with boom; kil-kobyz<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BF7-TeC_Dc4/TYcGE6Op3PI/AAAAAAAAAms/GbkagqcCYKI/s1600/daniel%252C%2Btimur%252C%2Bconductor%252C%2Bmusicians.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BF7-TeC_Dc4/TYcGE6Op3PI/AAAAAAAAAms/GbkagqcCYKI/s320/daniel%252C%2Btimur%252C%2Bconductor%252C%2Bmusicians.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586440544196353266" border="0" /></a>Daniel Corral, Timur Bekbosunov, Maestro Zhamat Temirgaliyev rehearsing the cantata<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_d8OGoV5AHw/TYcFwgZx4zI/AAAAAAAAAmk/k94WoHo0wMk/s1600/sazgen%2Bsazy%2Brehearsing.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_d8OGoV5AHw/TYcFwgZx4zI/AAAAAAAAAmk/k94WoHo0wMk/s320/sazgen%2Bsazy%2Brehearsing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586440193666310962" border="0" /></a>Sazgen Sazy rehearsing the cantata<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post by Eugene Moon; photos by Sandra Powers</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; 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text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9, li.MsoNoteLevel9, div.MsoNoteLevel9 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }</style> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">At the rehearsal hall, we were greeted by the sound of the dombra played by a musician rehearsing her part. As we started recording the rehearsal session, the reality of being a boom pole operator began to hit me---with searing pain in the arm. Despite the ache in my arms and heat in the room, it was countered by the euphonious sound of the cantata. It was phenomenally wonderful. Brilliant and beautiful. It is a wonder how a non-Kazakh can compose a cantata so well that she knew how to put the music, instruments, and folk songs together. I have to say, I congratulate you, Anne. Well done! A round of applause to your virtuosity as a composer. I very much want the soundtrack and DVD of the cantata to turn out well, as it is something worth listening to and watching.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">Sandra and I went back to the hotel to do some transcription. The transcription I have to do is to write down all the dialogue and speaking from the intro of Sandra's film, "The Nomad's Song," so that it can be translated into Russian for the audience on the day her film is shown.</span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Later, we interviewed a bayan (similar to accordion) player, and the player of the kyl kobyz, a type of violin played like a rebab with a hollowed-out body and made of horse hair that creates a distinctive sound like the morin khuur (Mongolian cello), but an octave lower.</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Times;"></span> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-82640436573241924932011-03-21T00:41:00.000-07:002011-03-24T01:26:11.566-07:002.1. Museum of National Instruments, Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SyqsFGubG2E/TYcDHDH_SiI/AAAAAAAAAmc/-3r2ncaHaks/s1600/Museum%2Bof%2BNational%2BInstruments.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SyqsFGubG2E/TYcDHDH_SiI/AAAAAAAAAmc/-3r2ncaHaks/s320/Museum%2Bof%2BNational%2BInstruments.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586437282409171490" border="0" /></a>Anne LeBaron at the Museum of National Instruments, Almaty (2008)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpvpKoOtXg0/TYcC1jRBqrI/AAAAAAAAAmU/VC415etqMRw/s1600/Panfilov%2BGuardsmen%2BPark.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpvpKoOtXg0/TYcC1jRBqrI/AAAAAAAAAmU/VC415etqMRw/s320/Panfilov%2BGuardsmen%2BPark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586436981799365298" border="0" /></a>Panfilov Guardsmen Park<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BHABQZGdEgk/TYcCoK40RdI/AAAAAAAAAmM/b0qGTH-gi0I/s1600/St.%2BNicholas%2BCathedral.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BHABQZGdEgk/TYcCoK40RdI/AAAAAAAAAmM/b0qGTH-gi0I/s320/St.%2BNicholas%2BCathedral.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586436751917073874" border="0" /></a>Zenkov Cathedral<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Post written by Eugene Moon; photos by Viktor Bekbosunov and Anne LeBaron</span><br /><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Courier New"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS ゴシック"; }@font-face { font-family: "Verdana"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoNoteLevel1, li.MsoNoteLevel1, div.MsoNoteLevel1 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; 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page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8, li.MsoNoteLevel8, div.MsoNoteLevel8 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel8CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 3.75in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9, li.MsoNoteLevel9, div.MsoNoteLevel9 { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpFirst { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpMiddle { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }p.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, li.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast, div.MsoNoteLevel9CxSpLast { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; page-break-after: avoid; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Verdana; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }</style> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">Today we visited the Museum of National Instruments, originally an outpost building for 19th century Russian imperialists. What's inside is incredible: all the Kazakh instruments of various shapes, sizes, and ages, like the dombra, kobyz, adyrna, and zhetygen. The museum also displayed other multicultural instruments like Saz, Sitar, Yue Qin, Gadulka, and the smallest Gayageum I have ever seen.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">We then left the museum and walked into Panfilov Guardsmen Park, featuring a memorial for the 28 soldiers who died defending Moscow against German tanks in WWII. With its eternal flame and sculptures of soldiers in defense stance, it’s a good depiction of the social realism style. Zenkov Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, rises like a fantasy fairy-tale structure near the memorial. It had survived the wars, and was converted into a concert hall during communist rule, before being restored to the control of the Russian Church after the collapse of the USSR.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Times;">We kept on walking and got to the old square where they are setting up for Nauryz. (Nauryz is one of the oldest holidays on earth, and is celebrated as the first day of renewed life that comes with spring.) It was quite an interesting sight to watch a woman screaming a slew of directions in Russian from the center stage, over a microphone, to dancers wearing their traditional garb in the freezing wind. I wonder how fast they can learn in such low temperatures. </span></p>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-41265566894915388022011-03-19T14:22:00.000-07:002011-03-24T00:38:11.400-07:001.1. Introduction to this series; Arrival in Almaty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0apux1Nq3xc/TYr0ubymVnI/AAAAAAAAAps/hUTG-biWqKY/s1600/Daniel%2Band%2BEugene.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0apux1Nq3xc/TYr0ubymVnI/AAAAAAAAAps/hUTG-biWqKY/s320/Daniel%2Band%2BEugene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587547366277666418" border="0" /></a>Daniel and Eugene<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L-NAM0uXgI/TYr0h_d5i7I/AAAAAAAAApk/FM9pJpdloM0/s1600/Timur%2Bthe%2Bformer%2BOctoberist.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L-NAM0uXgI/TYr0h_d5i7I/AAAAAAAAApk/FM9pJpdloM0/s320/Timur%2Bthe%2Bformer%2BOctoberist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587547152516221874" border="0" /></a>Timur the young Octoberist<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pserOY7p1F4/TYUs89lqpWI/AAAAAAAAAks/ETpLk3OmQ4k/s1600/Rixos%2Broom%2B.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" >The following posts, for the week leading up to March 25, are being written by Eugene Moon (CalArts, BFA 3, School of Art). Sandra Powers (CalArts alum, Film / Video) took the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" >photographs. They're part of the U.S. delegation </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" >to oversee, document, and participate in the March 25 Almaty premiere of my new work, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" >"The Silent Steppe Cantata," along with Timur Bekbosunov, tenor, producer, and administrator, and Daniel Corral, assistant to the composer. Sandra, our filmmaker, is creating an art / documentary, "The Normad's Song," and Eugene Moon serves as production coordinator. </span> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoPapDefault { margin-bottom: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSectio; }</style><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >They arrived in Kazakhstan yesterday, after their looooonnng flight from Los Angeles.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We were greeted in the morning with a nice breakfast from the Rixos Hotel's restaurant/buffet. The food did not literally greet us but it is one way to put it since we can eat breakfast for free because the sponsor paid for it. They have Western food, like waffles, scrambled eggs, croissants, etc. The best is boiled horse meat. Very delicious! Really good texture. It tastes like Turkey ham but better. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After we ate, we all walked to the copy store, which is a few blocks from the hotel. The air was cold and it burned our faces, freezing our noses and ears. It is spring at this time of year around the world but here it seemed to be just past the middle of winter. Snow is still present everywhere. One can see icicles hanging off from roofs. After business at the store, we went to a currency exchange to replace our dollars with Tenge. One dollar is about 146 T.<br /><br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:Cambria;font-size:100%;" >Our first foray into Kazakhstan was to the Tien Shan (Heaven) mountain range. To see the powdery snow glitter and glisten in the sun was beautiful. The sky was bright and blue, a strong contrast to the sky in Almaty, which was foggy and gray. We went to Medeo first, a skating rink, where we recorded families skating with the children while Kazakh and American pop music blared and music videos were playing on the large mega screen. We left Medeo and headed on up to the peak of the mountain. Because it was foggy in the city, the horizon where the city of Almaty should be was blocked by gray haze and we could hardly see the city at all.<br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family: times new roman;">We drove down back to the city, which got brighter and a little warmer. We stopped by to take a look at a conservatory once called Palace of Pioneers, an art and entertainment hall for Soviet youths. (Timur attended as a young Octoberist, a level younger than Pioneer.) We drove on to the circus. The city is filled with many advertisements with local products as well as Western merchandise. So much of the architecture looks simple and Soviet-like while new buildings, like skyscrapers, stand out. The whole environment and mood of the city is simple and humble but at the same time, quite high tech and advanced.<br /></p><p class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in; font-family: times new roman;"><br /></p> <span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:12pt;" ><br /><br /></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-63607540047422431092008-11-10T23:42:00.000-08:002008-11-11T10:59:04.754-08:00First, there were Horses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SRnVjw7f-vI/AAAAAAAAAaE/hzCYK5_nlq8/s1600-h/2008-11-10_2143+copy.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 272px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SRnVjw7f-vI/AAAAAAAAAaE/hzCYK5_nlq8/s320/2008-11-10_2143+copy.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267476049593105138" border="0" /></a><br />One of the memorable adventures on my first full day in Kazakhstan was a surprise ride on this gentle animal, which at first glance I thought was a life-sized statue, as he stood in utter stillness. To honor him, I begin this tale of an endeavor that has taken me to an exotic land, one of the former Soviet bloc countries that has a bright future.<br /><br />For two weeks this fall, I lived in the former capital, Almaty, while researching the country's history and environment, meeting musicians, and investigating indigenous instruments. The cantata, planned for performances in late 2009 and 2010, will be written for Otyrar Sazy, the National Folk Orchestra; Koktem, the celebrated Kazakh children's choir; and the soloist Timur Bekbosunov. My collaborator, the writer Beysenbai Suleimenov, will be providing a text in three parts, detailing the rich and complex past of Kazakhstan; the devastating Soviet policy of collectivization, resulting in widespread famine and the virtual disappearance of the nomadic way of life; and the newly independent country that has forged a solid standing in the world --- it will, in fact, assume the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010.<br /><br />In the coming days I'll be sharing images, descriptions, recordings, and videos from this initial visit to Kazakhstan, so stay tuned!Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-52741285407744653352008-08-31T11:54:00.001-07:002008-11-10T23:06:09.166-08:00Dogwood Lodge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLrxlBqPh5I/AAAAAAAAAY8/d_fP0cUGhro/s1600-h/IMG_1455+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLrxlBqPh5I/AAAAAAAAAY8/d_fP0cUGhro/s320/IMG_1455+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240766734802061202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLrwWFGwkZI/AAAAAAAAAY0/_BBO8JQ1dmU/s1600-h/IMG_1453+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLrwWFGwkZI/AAAAAAAAAY0/_BBO8JQ1dmU/s200/IMG_1453+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240765378517307794" border="0" /></a>My sister Lynn and I drove down to <a href="http://stevensonblog.tuscaloosanews.com/default.asp?item=2220463">Dogwood Lodge</a> yesterday, and all the memories of living there for a year (1971-72) rushed back as we rumbled across the little bridge and into the heart of of the property, in her tiny 1991 Mazda convertible with the top down. The original Lodge (where Zelda Fitzgerald was known to attend parties, a fact confirmed yesterday by Laura, the great-great granddaughter of the owners) tragically burned to the ground, a victim of wicked Alabama lightning, twenty years ago. The great room was subsequently partially reconstructed around the original walk-in fireplace, where I'm standing with a drawing of the original Lodge (one of a numbered edition of 50, by Sue Blackshear-Bowen). When I lived there, we used all four screened-in porches on the upper level, and I gave piano lessons on my beloved Kawai piano in the huge great room, to pay for my second year at the University of Alabama. We sometimes cowered from seriously large snakes prone to hanging out in the dark bathroom, lounging on one of the enormous logs and peering down. Huge red wasps were also attracted, year-round, to the Lodge---living there was a lot like camping out, but in a spectacular structure. The Lodge was notorious for annual pig roasts that became parties stretching out for days on end, fueled by beer and rock music, and occasional recordings of Stockhausen (<span style="font-style: italic;">Momenté</span> was the one I used), to vary the sonic ambience---always an adventure to see how long that would last. Thankfully there are still gatherings of owners and their friends and family every year in this relatively untouched paradise of forest, creek, and wildlife.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-36445655510199956122008-08-30T13:27:00.000-07:002008-08-30T14:31:41.040-07:00sweet home alabama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLm7-9Ers2I/AAAAAAAAAYc/h6dvh5pIlrU/s1600-h/IMG_1444+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLm7-9Ers2I/AAAAAAAAAYc/h6dvh5pIlrU/s400/IMG_1444+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240426331642770274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLmunRbAKqI/AAAAAAAAAX8/3OhlwDVuTMY/s1600-h/IMG_1469+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLmunRbAKqI/AAAAAAAAAX8/3OhlwDVuTMY/s200/IMG_1469+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240411631137073826" border="0" /></a>Composers need to maintain healthy family relationships. That's what I'm doing for the next couple of days, and in the Deep South, photo ops abound. Just off Bee Branch Road (near Cottondale and Coaling, between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa), a day-glow (i.e., glows in the daylight) orange yackety-yak shack for sale. Down the road, on the grounds of the legendary Dogwood Lodge, we discovered feet growing in the forest---a cast-off art project, reincarnated as raw material for a campfire horror story. Yvonne and I arrived in Birmingham last night, put up in high style by my sister Lynn at her palatial abode on Wildwood Lake, and are seeing old family, new family, turtles, frogs, fish, ants, and giant dragonflies, More to come on the Lodge!Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-51602133645092844672008-08-29T00:29:00.000-07:002008-08-29T00:44:30.793-07:00Julie and Doc<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLeoBVVHoxI/AAAAAAAAAXs/l1uN7bwoog0/s1600-h/IMG00525+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SLeoBVVHoxI/AAAAAAAAAXs/l1uN7bwoog0/s320/IMG00525+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239841432327922450" border="0" /></a><br />The knock-em-dead bassoonist with an immense lyrical gift, Julie, holding Doc the cat, in freakout mode thanks to the perpetually anxious white terrier, Ginger (in heat, and not pictured but nearby). We feasted on fresh zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, and one fig from her expansive garden yesterday, while the koi gorged on their own appetizers, swimming in bright knots.<br /><br />Off to Alabama today---Cottondale, where I used to live in the legendary Dogwood Lodge, Zelda Fitzgerald's old haunt---to visit family and sink deeper into surrealism and psychogeography during the long flight.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-26035836030405009782008-08-21T00:08:00.000-07:002008-08-21T01:36:58.726-07:00Flowing through Sundrenched Canyons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SK0oqNMIVPI/AAAAAAAAAXk/9JYUadidogM/s1600-h/IMG00502+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SK0oqNMIVPI/AAAAAAAAAXk/9JYUadidogM/s320/IMG00502+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236886647261910258" border="0" /></a>With stacks of books, scores, cds, dvds to peruse and organize for my fall courses, I'm often in a pretty stationery position. Composing also being primarily a desk-bound endeavor, getting outdoors for hikes or down on the mat for stretching are great releases. My personal mix tends to center around a core of canyon and paseo walks, supplemented with yoga two or three times a week, alternating and complementing the yoga sessions with a regimen of weight lifting and swimming laps in the backyard pool. In my twenties, I taught yoga to college students when it was practically unheard of in Alabama, having learned from the rare practitioners who traveled through the South and honing my knowledge further when I joined up with the Ananda Marga group. Now, I'm once again a student of yoga, but not quite a beginner, and especially like the down-home "90 Minutes of Yoga with <a href="http://www.yogiwade.com/">Wade Zinter</a>" podcast...always a challenging workout, vinyasa-style. The twists feel divine when they finally come toward the end of these long sessions.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-78375414952962667492008-08-16T00:03:00.000-07:002008-08-16T00:47:59.983-07:00Tarantula on the Loose<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SKaDWCp0MKI/AAAAAAAAAWE/ehdPzm9oyMc/s1600-h/IMG_1357.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SKaDWCp0MKI/AAAAAAAAAWE/ehdPzm9oyMc/s200/IMG_1357.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235016031557398690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SKaDQCj8HII/AAAAAAAAAV8/ajPtBJLahqU/s1600-h/IMG_1333.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SKaDQCj8HII/AAAAAAAAAV8/ajPtBJLahqU/s200/IMG_1333.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235015928453536898" border="0" /></a>The last time I saw a tarantula as big as a hand was on a highway in Texas in the 70's. Today in a late afternoon walk in the nearby canyons, like a black mirage, the hairy monster lumbered across our path. Upon close observation, it displayed its large stinger with abandon. EUWWWW.<br /><br />That was the nature highlight of the week. Fortunately there were cultural highlights as well: the always elegant and versatile Arlene Thomas and Gene Brundage (above), who entertained the members of The Dominant Club at Decanso Gardens on Sunday evening. These are two of my absolute favorite singers living in LA---soprano Arlene sang the part of 'Blue Eyes' in my opera, <span style="font-style: italic;">Wet</span>, and Gene was hilarious as basso beer-swigging Lumberjack.<br /><br />The other concert of the week attracted the film composer / performer community, packed into the M-Bar. My dear friend, composer and meltingly beautiful singer <a href="http://www.kathrynbostic.com/Welcome/Home.html">Kathryn Bostic</a> conducted musicians during a rehearsal and performance of her music for an animated film. She was one of three featured composers; each was allowed a rehearsal without video, then a rehearsal with video but no dialogue or sound effects, and finally the taping with everything included. Kathryn gave a bewitching performance last year in The Hague, singing the part of Marie Laveau in scenes from my opera, <span style="font-style: italic;">Phantasmagoriettas from</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Crescent City</span>. It was a joy to work with her on that project, and a blast to hear her music for film earlier this week on the BMI-sponsored program, 'Songs, Shorts, and Scores.'Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-91126091888980834802008-08-10T00:48:00.000-07:002008-08-10T01:20:51.905-07:00summer saturday in valencia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJ6kSJqRzEI/AAAAAAAAAVw/2p1frUC0es4/s1600-h/IMG_1097+copy+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJ6kSJqRzEI/AAAAAAAAAVw/2p1frUC0es4/s320/IMG_1097+copy+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232800448788941890" border="0" /></a><br />Ahhh...the first non-pressure completely free day since returning from Vienna nearly a month ago.<br />In retrograde:<br /><br />watched the chinese team excel in men's gymnastics while getting some emails out;<br />made salad for dinner with the nippy 'joelle' olive oil from the central valley, a market find;<br />took yvonne shopping at target;<br />saw film, wall-e, with yvonne and ed, marveled, tried to hear erika's cello in the string section;<br />popped blue popcorn and smuggled it into theater;<br />read chapter on wagner in c. abbate's book, <span style="font-style: italic;">In Search of Opera</span>, to consider for my course;<br />swam some laps and discovered innards (rat? bird?) on the bamboo rug outside, gift from cat;<br />laundry and more laundry;<br />booked flight to birmingham AL over Labor Day to visit sister Lynn and her son's new baby;<br />short hike in Rice canyon, hot at 10 AM (photo is from nearby Ed Teasley canyon) ;<br />purchased handsome white wicker hamper, to replace one that died after twenty years.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-66642286185907144732008-08-07T20:51:00.000-07:002008-08-07T21:59:56.178-07:00Bus Träume<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJvMVNMkUmI/AAAAAAAAAVg/ixdriVC-GzU/s1600-h/IMG00486+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJvMVNMkUmI/AAAAAAAAAVg/ixdriVC-GzU/s200/IMG00486+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232000056812655202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJvMMeiV82I/AAAAAAAAAVY/l0uXVXCbYQ8/s1600-h/IMG00484+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJvMMeiV82I/AAAAAAAAAVY/l0uXVXCbYQ8/s200/IMG00484+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231999906848568162" border="0" /></a>Finally a chunk of downtime, starting with seeing the film <span style="font-style: italic;">Dancer in the Dark,</span> lit up by Björk's award-winning, insane performance, as she launches into fantastical Busby-Berkely-inspired numbers driven by the rhythmic / mechanical factory noises. Then early morning hours of nostalgic dreams for the public transportation in Vienna (seeds planted by that Lars von Trier film?). Fortunately I have this photo of bus with soccer ball wheel at the bus stop in Liesing---one of the countless images of soccer balls scattered throughout Vienna (which Yvonne never failed to point out, despite her mild annoyance with the Fussball mania). The city became increasingly obsessed with its hosting of the European Football Championship. Another startling representation (how many people besides us had double takes?): old statues in Vienna with football shoes painted onto their feet.<br /><br />Back to reality: today started off skyping with Douglas Kearney as we pick up speed with <span style="font-style: italic;">Crescent City,</span> our opera with partial performances on the New York City Opera VOX series (2006), and the Dag in die Branding Festival in The Hague (2007). Yea!!! I've missed living with our characters, especially the divine Madame Marie LaVeau.<br /><br />After running various errands, and lunch with a friend, today's scorching August afternoon came to a close with a visit to the farmer's market in Newhall for luscious California tomatos and strawberries, as well as freshly baked pita bread, tatziki, and almonds. But the best stand was the goat's milk soap stall with a live baby goat, so adorable with those little yellow slit eyes taking in everything and luring in the customers.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-1476513496764523162008-08-05T22:23:00.000-07:002008-08-06T23:18:01.710-07:00Sucktion DVD and photos<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJlEHZ5bqwI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/VJY8JV0sIOE/s1600-h/2735073147_f6c2e1f620.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJlEHZ5bqwI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/VJY8JV0sIOE/s200/2735073147_f6c2e1f620.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231287336169089794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJlDz9UFbdI/AAAAAAAAAVI/MrllytX1a-4/s1600-h/IMG_1316.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJlDz9UFbdI/AAAAAAAAAVI/MrllytX1a-4/s200/IMG_1316.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231287002078735826" border="0" /></a>'Surviving' often means surrounding yourself with competent, visionary, and like-minded creative energies. Obsession also a plus. A shining example: the team that our director Nataki Garrett gathered for the production of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sucktion</span> (Elizabeth Brooks, costume design; Michael Gend, lighting design; Marianne Nedreberg, set design), and our post-production ensemble (Aleigh Lewis, videographer, members of soNu, myself, and Douglas Kearney). We managed to pull a dvd together in the past two days---as shown in one of our sessions at my house, yesterday: Sage Lewis, my assistant, Aleigh Lewis, and Nina Eidsheim; to get a couple of trailers out of it; and to post one on YouTube. Look <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/eb-works/sets/72157606568809299/">here</a> for superb photo documentation with clever commentary by Elizabeth Brooks: the silvery vacuum cleaner with the band soNu and Nina in her reflective dress. (I've uploaded one of EB's photos, above left, of soNu: Phil Curtis, Nina Eidsheim, and Gustavo Aguilar.)Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-14136744003955608032008-08-05T19:01:00.001-07:002008-08-12T18:52:48.800-07:00SUCKTION (trailer)<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OUYgMnIwdL0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OUYgMnIwdL0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-26232782150663028582008-08-05T00:22:00.000-07:002008-12-09T04:34:14.170-08:00Celebrating in Koreatown<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJgAD-nWUDI/AAAAAAAAAU4/mdo8GPf1oko/s1600-h/P1010054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJgAD-nWUDI/AAAAAAAAAU4/mdo8GPf1oko/s320/P1010054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230931035538477106" border="0" /></a>f<span style="font-size:85%;">rom left to right: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Phil Curtis, Nina Eidsheim, Anne LeBaron, Edward Eadon, and Gustavo Aguilar</span>---musicians, composer, and one member of our 'crew,' celebrating after our final performance of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Sucktion</span><span style="font-size:85%;">. We're hoping that it will be picked up by non-risk-averse presenters so that we can refine the piece and have a chance to share it beyond LA.</span><br /><br />The ideas I plan to explore in upcoming posts will mostly relate to the life of a composer in Los Angeles. After spending one-third of 2008 in Vienna, a mecca for composers and musicians, where the stars engraved in the sidewalks, pavements, and U-bahn stations are for composers (and a few conductors)---not for film personalities---I was wondering whether the culture shock of re-entry into a city at the opposite extreme (cars instead of superb public transportation; an hour's drive and parking expense for downtown concerts instead of a five minute walk to the Musikverein; the Danube instead of the desert) would send me right back to Vienna. (Rather impossible, but one can dream on.) My friend Jane Brockman, accomplished LA composer who I spoke with after the performance on Sat. night, remarked that transitioning back here must be less difficult with the all-consuming production of my opera at REDCAT this weekend. She's right, and now that we're in post-production---constructing the requisite video and press kit---all that raw energy invested in seeing the production through will be redirected into other projects---like taking a few minutes tomorrow to bask in the sun!Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-6621236513863311022008-08-02T18:12:00.000-07:002008-12-09T04:34:14.873-08:00LA Times Review of SUCKTION<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHiyhB_eI/AAAAAAAAAUw/8BUKX2JwEQA/s1600-h/IMG_1264+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHiyhB_eI/AAAAAAAAAUw/8BUKX2JwEQA/s200/IMG_1264+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230094836517961186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHc7GHuVI/AAAAAAAAAUo/keSQGNNrqDY/s1600-h/IMG_1197+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHc7GHuVI/AAAAAAAAAUo/keSQGNNrqDY/s200/IMG_1197+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230094735741794642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHVwjM8II/AAAAAAAAAUg/xM7qeWIRohw/s1600-h/IMG_1190+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJUHVwjM8II/AAAAAAAAAUg/xM7qeWIRohw/s200/IMG_1190+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230094612651896962" border="0" /></a>Link to the review:<br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-now2-2008aug02,0,135874.story">Cyber opera with a vacuum</a>: <span style="font-style: italic;">Three women explore their existence in wild performance art pieces for the conclusion of REDCAT's New Original Works Festival.</span> My thanks to Mark Swed for an insightful review of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span> in today's LA Times (with my name twice misspelled---evidently a result of all the firings of editors and others): Congratulations to Kristina Wong and to Rosanna Gamson for their excellent works on the program. Tonight's will be the final performance of the festival.<br /><br />Photos: <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nina Eidsheim as "Irona" in Sucktion; soNu backstage: Nina Eidsheim, Phil Curtis, and Gustavo Aguilar; during rehearal, Elizabeth Brooks, our costume designer, introduces the 50's-style girdle to Nina while Nataki Garrett, director, looks on.</span></span>Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-79036061861248456832008-08-01T16:46:00.000-07:002008-12-09T04:34:15.045-08:00SUCKTION opens in Los Angeles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJOi8LfHnxI/AAAAAAAAAUU/GKw1IWvwVZ8/s1600-h/IMG_1245.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJOi8LfHnxI/AAAAAAAAAUU/GKw1IWvwVZ8/s320/IMG_1245.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229702747066441490" border="0" /></a><br />Last night we had a full house at REDCAT, with the first performance of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sucktion </span>sharing the evening with Kristina Wong's hilarious <span style="font-style: italic;">Cat Lady</span> and Rosanna Gamsons's wrenchingly beautiful <span style="font-style: italic;">Tov</span>. soNu, the band for <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span>, performed 40 minutes of music with difficult electronic changes and a demanding part for the vibes, with a scant five days of rehearsal. They are a phenomenal ensemble. Look for the review in the Saturday edition of the LA Times!<br /><br />This note about the first performance of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span> is the last entry in the 'Vienna' blog, as I'm transitioning back from the composer's mecca to Los Angeles. A new, more long-term blog will take its place, same URL.Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8918964995208926487.post-81701736293189061542008-07-31T09:39:00.000-07:002008-12-09T04:34:15.385-08:00premiere of SUCKTION, a HyperOpera buffa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJH2GeJHsNI/AAAAAAAAAUM/xEY5H-qAQUE/s1600-h/DSCF0857.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJH2GeJHsNI/AAAAAAAAAUM/xEY5H-qAQUE/s200/DSCF0857.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229231233384820946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJH19Ec92VI/AAAAAAAAAUE/TQn_4a8b41Y/s1600-h/IMG_1240+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5F1eOssSBBs/SJH19Ec92VI/AAAAAAAAAUE/TQn_4a8b41Y/s200/IMG_1240+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229231071869917522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anne LeBaron and Douglas Kearney</span> (<span style="font-style: italic;">American Gothic </span>with vacuum);<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nina Eidsheim<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span>, my cyber-erotic 'vacuum cleaner' opera with a libretto by <a href="http://douglaskearney.com/">Douglas Kearney</a>, and direction by <a href="http://www.calarts.edu/faculty_bios/theater/faculty/natakigarrett/natakigarrett">Nataki Garrett</a>, premieres tonight in Los Angeles at <a href="http://redcat.org/season/0708/dan/now3.php">REDCAT</a> with performers from the band <a href="http://www.sonusound.com/">soNu</a>: Nina Eidsheim, soprano; Gustavo Aguilar, percussion, and Phil Curtis, laptop / electronics. It all began around ten years ago with an extreme sonic experiment: feeding nails and other objects into half a dozen homeless vacuum cleaners (rescued from the streets of Pittsburgh) during an exploratory recording session, with the soprano (and composer) <a href="http://www.aliceshields.com/">Alice Shields</a> pushing them around and screaming lines such as ‘Oreck, I knew him well.’ When the ensemble soNu approached me to write a work for their group in 2003, I decided to move ahead with the vacuum cleaner idea, and construct a ‘wordless’ experimental piece. I soon invited Douglas Kearney into this process. We invented an initial version of the work, which I scored in blazing colors, in the Microsoft Word program, Excel (a guided improvisation, allowing the players quite a lot of freedom). A recording session for this first effort ensued. Then, in 2007, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span> was one of 40 new works selected for a the Multi-Arts Production Fund (a program of Creative Capital supported by the Rockefeller Foundation), from over 650 submissions.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion </span>follows a woman’s cyber-erotic transformation from abject housewife into a self-sufficient cyborg via the subversive use of a vacuum cleaner. With elements of satire and science fiction, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion </span>critiques sexism, particularly how socially reinforced female dependence on male economic dominance reduces women to domestics without agency: “clean machines.” <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion</span>’s narrative arc progresses through six songs: S<span style="font-style: italic;">oap Aria, Sucktion Remix,</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Anniversorry, Cleaning House, Rabbitroobabot'rumba</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Cyborgasm</span>.<br /><br />When we first meet Irona (the housewife), she speaks in a patois of jingles, daytime TV and soft rock. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sucktion’</span>s text enacts her metamorphosis into a cyborg via her adoption of an artificial language imagined as creolized English, German and onomatopoeic approximations of appliance sounds.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sucktion</span> furthers investigations of the intersection of written text and aural performance by fusing a typographically performative libretto with experimental concert theater. The text, with its visual collisions of careening type, is at once lyrics, stage directions and environment, recreating daytime TV’s barrage of housekeeping advertisements, chat shows and melodramas in one song and Irona’s appliance-destroying rampage in another.<br /><br />There are two additional performances on Friday and Saturday (Aug. 1 and 2).Anne LeBaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511256084910330524noreply@blogger.com0