Wild Card Wednesday - Aftab

I was really moved this morning watching the Theatre du Soleil documentary "Un Soleil a Kaboul- Ou Plutot Deux". Ariane Mnouchkine's troupe, fifty of them, decamped to Afghanistan against all odds for the summer of 2005 to lead a sequence of workshops with local theatre artists, in the hope of fostering - or renewing - a sense of artistry and cultural identity. Her braveness, sensitivity and good humour are pretty amazing to watch. But then, I am a big fan, and have drunk the Kool Aid (or perhaps the Sunny D?!).

What's impressive, too, is that Soleil have maintained links with their sister (daughter) company, and indeed several members of Theatre Aftab (Soleil in Dari!) were featured in the most recent Cartoucherie creation, Les Naufrages du Fol Espoir. Nice to see that the commitment and connection has lasted longer than just a summer abroad.

Check out the movie - it's superb.

Tuesday Tunes - Reynaldo Hahn

Last Friday I had the great pleasure of attending a recital by Joyce DiDonato (who is a much, much bigger deal than I realised before the performance). She sang at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, and did a lovely programme of songs. She opened with Haydn's Scena di Berenice - and anyone who does anything about that woman will likely win my heart immediately. This was followed by a varied and lovely programme of songs and arias, with two fantastic encores - Somewhere Over the Rainbow for her dad, and Pace Non Trovo - for peace and for Egypt - from La Donna del Lago.

For me the most beautiful piece of the evening was her rendition of five of the songs from Reynaldo Hahn's 'Venezia' suite. He wrote them for a wealthy patroness from that great city, and in particular her work on 'La Barcheta' was just ravishingly beautiful.

I hadn't ever looked Hahn up before Friday night, which is a pity, because he's really fascinating. He was a Venezuelan who lived in Paris, a child prodigy, beautiful setter of songs, and onetime lover of Marcel Proust, of all people. He's also responsible for 'L'Heure Exquise', one of my very favourite chansons. Here's a video of Philippe Jaroussky having a go at it. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Movie Monday - Valentine's Day

I didn't get a chance to see any movies today. I'm busy. But I saw this at a thoroughly inappropriate time last year and really should have seen it today.

Have you seen it? It's not bad. And has far more surprises than would have imagined it would. The Julia Roberts storyline is absolutely my favourite.

Sunday Spices - Cinnamon

Anyone who lives or has lived in the United States probably associates the smell of cinnamon almost exclusively with that time in mid-November when it starts pumping madly out of every imaginable place as the non-descript, agnostic time called 'The Holidays' approaches. It's syrupy, gloopy, warm, comforting, and ruins millions of cappuccinos year-round. But I find that it's really a brilliant spice for flavouring meat. So I did so for some comfort-food on Sunday I made youvetsi, which is a beef stew with cinnamon and tomatoes and orzo pasta. Delicious!!!

Recipe on request.

Seasonal Saturdays - Valentine's Day

It's always interesting to me how people react to Valentine's Day. Some people are virulently opposed to this Hallmark-supported, cruel, chocolate-fuelled excuse to make single people feel inadequate. Others relish the opportunity to celebrate romantic love with hearts and cherubs, regardless of their own relationship or marital status. I vascillate between the two. Sometimes I hate it, and hate the enormous amount of money and pressure associated with a cold morning in February. Other times I remember that St. Valentine's heart (and, I'm reliably informed, other bits) is enshrined in a Carmelite church in Dublin close to where my mother grew up, and that the original impulse of celebrating love in the world surely can't be a bad thing.

And who doesn't love an excuse to give and/or get chocolate?!

Foodie Friday - La Provence, Brentwood

After rehearsal earlier this week PK and I had dinner at La Provence in Brentwood, which was about the only choice available to us since we had the great and powerful poodle in tow. I got a really delicious Boeuf Bourgignon which was precisely what I needed after a long evening of killing nuns (in opera) and then treated myself and my flatmates to some of the patisserie's staggering array of jewel-coloured Macarons for dessert.

The salt-caramel offering was the most intriguing, and delicious, although there was rather too much salt and rather too much caramel. I suppose this just means that the whole thing was too intense?! Regardless, the rose, lavender, lemon and hazelnut ones were delicious also. So was the mini-baby-raspberry-custard-tart that was my actual dessert.

Try them out! La Provence is at Brentwood Gardens on San Vicente.