Les Miserables reread (skygiants)

[cahn]

Just so you know, skygiants is hosting a reread of Les Misérables! First post, on the first book "Fantine," is here, second post sometime soon! skygiants is reading and hitting all the high parts so you don't have to. (Although I have wanted to reread for years, and am taking this as an opportunity to do so, at least if I can keep up, which looks promising if I keep doing as many clean-up chores as I was doing today... anyone want to join? Or just read skygiants' posts so you don't have to?)

After this, someone needs to host an Aeneid read, because I have had it unfinished for an embarrassingly long time now. Maybe if I get through listening to Les Troyens (why so many ballets, Berlioz?) that will be the kick in the pants I need.

(Anyway, the highlights of the Fantine book for me: a) There are a lot of words about the Bishop of Digne, way more than I remember! b) being a woman in France in the early 1800's and/or in a Hugo novel really sucked a lot, c) Jean Valjean is so awesome, and d) the musical is actually all kinds of awesome in abridging the book while keeping the spirit of it. But way more at the post above.)

Comments

[cahn]

I must confess my teenage self (when I read these books) did not love Hunchback to nearly the same degree as Les Mis. But I dunno, I'm kind of loving Les Mis this time through, so maybe I should give it another shot :)

...with a recommendation like that, I think I possibly need to put Berlioz's memoirs very high up on my reading list. I don't know anything about Berlioz at all (to the extent that I was hugely surprised to find out he was nineteenth century, I'd always pegged him as early 20th), but seekingferret got me to listen to Les Troyens, which I'm really enjoying! (Though it is so long!)

[zopyrus]

I just saw Francesca Zambello's production of Les Troyens at the Met! It was really wonderful theater--although I suspect that much of what I was responding to was the amazing direction, not the script. (And even in person those ballets were a little long...)

My only warning re: Berlioz's memoirs is that he is a real whiner! I'm okay with loving to hate him, though, and his music is really beautiful.

[cahn]

Ah! And it looks like I've just missed the HD showing (which honestly, I wouldn't have had that block of time to see anyway). Perhaps it'll come out on DVD, I've had good luck with catching things a couple of years out...

I've been listening/watching-ish (but mostly listening) to the John Eliot Gardiner video; I am kind of suspicious that Gardiner is able to make me fall in love with anything. He does have the knack for casting, too (at least, I assume he does the casting). I really like the look of the sets and costumes in this DVD -- very clean lines, bold colors. But I was pretty psyched about Dido and her sister getting an aria -- yay for passing Bechdel, Berlioz!

Hmm, whining isn't my favorite -- but hilarious whining, maybe? I should definitely get to know his music better.