Remembering Ryuichi

 

Remembering the extraordinary Japanese musician and occasional actor Ryuichi Sakamoto

who sadly passed away three years ago at the end of March 2023, although news of his death

didn't reach us until early April that year.

In 2014 Sakamoto was diagnosed with throat cancer, eventually gaining remission in 2021,

announcing online at the same time that he had succumbed to colon cancer which sadly took

his life two years later in 2023.

I always get a lump in my throat when I hear of colon cancer victims as I was diagnosed

with the very same thing in 2012, taking a year out from blogging while undergoing a six

year treatment and a recovery program, finally gaining remission around 2018.

Along with many of his awards for his film music compositions Sakamoto will undoubtedly

be remembered for his haunting music from the 1983 film 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence' 

a film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The film was based on the wartime experiences of  Sir

Laurens van der Post, portrayed in the film by actor Tom Conti starring alongside David Bowie.

Above video cleverly put together by

Chi-Walking Young

At Long Last It's Summertime

So at long last we can say that it's now officially British Summertime. And what a long

wait it was this Winter, with a January that I'm never likely to forget.

I guess that the period from October to the end of the year is okay, what with the Autumn

season and the long build up to Christmas. But it's the two months of January and February

that I dislike so much.

So hopefully very soon things will warm up and then we can say Summer really is here.

The Beachside Plant Container All Lit Up

My newly made Beachside plant container looks a treat all lit up in the evening.

There's even a flashing light in the lighthouse.

Creating Another Beachside Plant Container

With the worst of the Winter out of the way and a January I won't easily forget,

I thought I'd cheer up the room with a new seaside plant container. I couldn't quite

find the right colour container so I bought a dull grey one, sanded it down and painted

it in a cheery seaside light blue.

Of course the few plants in it are artificial so no watering needed.

Verdi's Climatic Tragedy......Rigoletto

 

Written and composed in 1851, Rigoletto is a three part opera by the master of Grand

Italian Opera Giuseppe Verdi.

Set in the times of Renaissance Italy, it's a dramatic tale of love, betrayal and revenge.

And in the closing moments of the final act we see the Duke of Mantua's court jester

Rigoletto suffer the consequences of a failed cunning plan that not only affects himself,

but also brings about the loss of his innocent daughter Gilda.

In the short closing video clip above we see Italian Baritone Leo Nucci reacting to the

demise of his daughter in a barnstorming finish, and a typical climax that became Verdi's

trademark.

VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY

Giorgio Brenna