Nick Hammond
In the Kingdom of Alexander the Great: Ancient Macedonia
Marble sarcophagus from Thessalonika (c. 180). © RMN/René-Gabriel Ojéda For its exhibition “In the Kingdom of Alexander the Great: Ancient Macedonia,” a wide-ranging of the extraordinary ancient Macedonian civilization, which … Favorite
Hommage à Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin in Die Walküre at the Palais Garnier, Paris, 1971. Photo: Roger Pic/BNF Régine Crespin and I go back a long way. At the age of 17, I listened obsessively to LPs of her incarnation of the Marschallin in … Read More
Mahler Cycle
Daniele Gatti and the Orchestre National de France put on an impeccable performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony as part of the Mahler Cycle in Paris. Photo © Radio France: Christophe Abramowitz Many of the world’s great cities are celebrating (if … Read More
Ariadne auf Naxos (2)
Zerbinetta (Jane Archibald) tries to convince Ariadne (Ricarda Merbeth) to lighten up a little. Photo: Julien Benhamou/Opéra national de Paris With Paris enduring its heaviest snowfalls in years last week and many motorists spending hours stuck in their cars, the … Read More
Ariadne auf Naxos (3)
Zerbinetta (Jane Archibald) tries to convince Ariadne (Ricarda Merbeth) to lighten up a little. Photo: Julien Benhamou/Opéra national de Paris With Paris enduring its heaviest snowfalls in years last week and many motorists spending hours stuck in their cars, the … Read More
Alceste
Fine Cast and OrchestraCarry Revived Production The orchestra onstage. Photo © Julien Benhamou It can sometimes be instructive to revisit an operatic production viewed previously, and I was glad to have the chance to see the return of Olivier Py’s … Read More
Comme des Voleurs (à l’Est)
Polish Autofiction Lionel (Lionel Baier) and his boyfriend Serge (Stéphane Rentznik), whom he leaves to find his Polish roots. Comme des Voleurs (à l’Est) is young Swiss director Lionel Baier’s second film. His first, Garçon Stupide (2004), although uneven, showed … Read More
Charly
Faith in French Films Restored Julie-Marie Parmentier as Charly and Kolia Litscher as Nicolas. At the tender age of 24, the actress Isild Le Besco has already directed two films, and each has featured her younger brother Kolia Litscher. In … Read More
Chacun sa Nuit
Incestuous Intimacy The film’s characters drop their clothes at every opportunity. Photo: © La Fabrique Films It is a sad fact that much French cinema these days is afflicted by what seems to be terminal laziness. Unfortunately, Chacun sa Nuit … Read More
Le Passager
Beautiful Collage Julie Depardieu gives a strong performance. Le Passager, directed by and starring Eric Caravaca, follows in the long line of recent French films dealing with mourning and loss. In this one, a man (played by Caravaca) returns to … Read More