cardinalbe

[cardinalbe]

black-billed magpie (pica hudsonia) - may 2023

#i think i saw one of these guys during my visit to siemensstadt estate #he was NOT interested in being photographed tho #birds

[cardinalbe]

I've been reviewing some of my pictures and I gotta say... well, for one, I am terrible at taking pictures. But! Secondly, Spandau Zitadel really is a hidden gem. It's like seven museums, an archaeology site, and a sick castle-fort all in one place! And it definitely takes more than a couple hours to work through so maybe don't wait until like 15:00 to arrive...

#cardinal be in germany #spandau zitadel #berlin germany #my roommates might suck #and public transport might kinda suck #and midterms might be stressful #and and and... #but! berlin has some great places to visit

[cardinalbe]

In further research into Yiddish collections of Arthuriana, my father found a story of Gawain. You'll never guess what it is, I guarantee. Go on, guess. You're wrong.

It's a Yiddish story about Sir Gawain becoming Emperor of China.

#history #yiddish #Yiddish literature #arthurian legend #arthuriana #sir gawain

[cardinalbe]

Exactly what Godzilla's role was in the 1348 Siege of Budapest is still debated.

#history #historical art

[cardinalbe]

Karl Friedrich Schinkel, detail of the arrival of the Queen of the Night, stage set for Mozart’s Magic Flute (1815)

#historical art #karl friedrich shinkel #mozart #die zauberflöte

[cardinalbe]

Review: Wagner's Parsifal at Deutsches Oper Berlin, 2024

As far as my inexperienced ear could tell, the actors and orchestra did very well.

Unfortunately, that is where my positive comments stop.

The costuming was, as with Die Zauberflöte, interesting. Unfortunately, in a distinctly less-good way. While both had at least some of their "bad guys" wearing costumes that would, to the American eye, seem to closely resemble caricatures of Indigenous peoples, this is not the end of Parsifal's... choices. I'm not entirely sure why the knights were dressed as the Knights Templar for the first and second act, but I can't wholly fault the decision. What I can fault was the decision to dress Parsifal himself like a roughed-up finance bro, complete with basic black suit that doesn't entirely seem to fit properly, white button up, and skinny black tie. I will address the act 3 costumes in a moment.

I did not find the set to be particularly interesting, and was disappointed to not see the grail glow. They talked about it glowing, but it didn't even particularly shimmer, from where I sat.

Now. Act 3. The set is slightly different from the sets of the other acts, but it is still rocky. Fair enough. To show the passage of time, everyone is now dressed in muted modern clothes, like trench coats, jeans, and puffer jackets; but also, it has still only been a few years since the earlier acts. As the first two acts each had their own primary lighting color, so act 3 was dominated by yellow-green lighting. All together, I found it intensely evocative of a '60s/'70s sci-fi show, like Star Trek and they like, and not in a good way. Especially since, as a more traditional opera, people kept stopping and posing very dramatically.

When considering the original material, it is best described as "the opera version of 'this could have been an email'" and "five hours of my life that I will never get back." If Die Zauberflöte was a predecessor of the modern musical and a way for modern theatergoers to understand why people liked opera so much, then Parsifal is why so many modern young people detest opera. All three acts and both intermissions had me debating how much I wanted to be able to say that I had watched all of Parsifal, versus wanting to go home and go to bed at a more reasonable hour.

I do not blame most of those involved with this production, but I also cannot recommend it in the slightest.

#cardinal be in germany #cardinal be reviewing things #wagners parsifal #i'm glad i can say that i went but i also kinda wish that i hadn't

[cardinalbe]

Review: "Die Zauberflöte" at the Deutsches Oper, 2 Mar 2024

The opera started at 19:30 and ended around 23:00.

This version is certainly a cut of the original, but not in a bad way. I have not had the chance to see another version of this work, nor to do an in-depth analysis of the work in an academic sphere.

The performances from the individual actors were high quality. I'm not overly confident about the names of the actors, but I believe that the main cast was (in no particular order) Ante Jerkunica, Kieran Carrel, Diana Schnürpel, Lilit Davtyan, Sua Jo, Artur Garbas, and Burkhard Ulrich. Ms. Schnürpel did well with the TikTok infamous Aria, "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen."

I found many of the practical stage effects to be pleasing, especially the snake and the fire of Act 2, Scene 7.

I enjoyed the plainness of the costuming system: people wearing white and yellow were good, the people in black and grey were bad. However, there were some elements of certain costumes that would not be so acceptable in the U.S., due to their similarity to certain racial stereotypes and racial "costumes."

As far as the core material, I found the music pleasant, much of the comedy to be genuinely comedic, but the rest of the writing to be... far from the strongest element. The Wikipedia page mentions that it was inspired by Mozart's interest in Freemasonry; this is a massive understatement. Subtlety is not a strong suit in this one. Additionally, it is very heavy-handed with the "women are evil" themes, the cult vibes are blatant at best, the pro-slavery stand is a bit much, and, in general, I do not consider it to be an impressive piece in terms of story writing.

Somehow, despite all of this, I actually do recommend that people take advantage of the chance to see it, if able.

#cardinal be in germany #cardinal be reviewing things #die zauberflöte #deutsches oper berlin

[cardinalbe]

Dinner dress, 1878–79

Design House: Mon. Vignon, French

Silk, cotton

The MET Museum

#history #historical fashion #embroidery

[cardinalbe]

Entrada a la Casa Josep Batllés en Barcelona, ESPAÑA

#architecture #hoo hoo hoo! #interiors

[cardinalbe]

A selection of images from a sequence depicting the alchemical process, from an early modern manuscript.

#manuscript #history #historical art #potions! #hee hee

[cardinalbe]

Amazing Christian mystical art from a medieval manuscript!

@cryptotheism Get a load of the colors on this one! I don’t know which one this is because I didn’t call it up myself (and I think this is one of the ones you needed special permission for, anyway), but it’s incredible.

#history #rothschild canticles #manuscript #hoo hoo hoo!

[cardinalbe]

proportions... hard.

#cardinal be in germany #cardinal be up to things #cardinal be avoiding other work lol #but cardinal be tired. TWO sets of visits to places. #local silly child went hiking first too smh

[cardinalbe]

Eurasian Lynx slowly returning to Germany

The Eurasian Lynx is a medium-sized cat once native to large parts of the Eurasian land mass north of the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Himalaya, up to the Polar Circle.

Being an apex predator, thus also preying on livestock, the lynx was brought to extinction in Germany around 1850. In the 1950s the first animals were seen again in the Bavarian Forest, probably coming from Czechoslovakia. Since then, their habitats have slowly expanded from the east. Resettlement programs in the Harz mountains since 2000 were so successful that the population has spread out of the intended region into the forested areas of southern Lower Saxony and northern Hesse.

Observations of single individuals have been made throughout most of Germany. However, they are not proof of an established population since Lynx are known to establish a new territory only adjacent to existing ones.

The return of the lynx has not been met with as much resistance as the return of the wolf, as it is known to prey on livestock only occasionally, and its appearance with the "paintbrush ears", the "beard", and the big, soft paws makes it a much more appealing figure than the wolf.

#germany #german wildlife #eurasian lynx

[cardinalbe]

I trust him to solve dog crime

#wishbone vibes #history #historical art #historical photography #dog

[cardinalbe]

i've only really used this camera here and there before coming to germany, but i never downloaded the pictures before today and hoooo boy. it has been like... three? four? hours of labeling and sorting and the labeling is not actually done. and the sorting is "vaguely" sorted.

#cardinal be in germany #cardinal be up to things #cardinal WILL be writing these gosh darn reviews with pictures gosh darn it

[cardinalbe]

you want me to go to work when there is Outside? There are birds singing for me and you want me to clock in?

#honestly germany has been so good for me with this #i've seen so many trees and bushes #like it's hella winter still but that's not the point #the flowers in potsdam! the cat in potsdam! my heart!

[cardinalbe]

Animation techniques and effects from the classic era. For more vintage movie geekery, check out my Old Hollywood Special Effects, and my Early Color Film Processes posts! (And while you’re at it, take a look at my art blog, why don’t ya?)

#fascinating #animation