I attended a remarkable musical event this past weekend, performed by the Sacramento-area Samantics, ordinarily a 30-voice mixed chorus. It was billed as a cabaret-style tribute to the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and described as "eight singers, music heard aboard the Titanic, accounts of survivors in their own words, and songs written in honor of those lost at sea."
Beginning with a reflective piano tribute to the “Titanic’s heroes” that was published in 1913, this program gave insights into the experience of the Titanic – before, during, and after its sinking. The selection of songs conveyed the spirit of the era and public reactions to the tragedy. And between most songs were the personal perspectives of passengers – brief excerpts from their reminiscences that were not just read, but acted by the individual performers.
The song selection was inspired. Artistic Director Sam Schieber writes in his introduction: “Gleaning titles from books, library catalogs, other collectors and auction websites, I have compiled an unofficial (and no doubt incomplete) tally of 151 songs written about the Titanic – almost all of which were published in 1912! From that list I have been able to collect 42 songs, of which you will hear 20 (or parts thereof) at this performance.” Apart from songs memorializing the Titanic, there are songs that were popular on board, both in First Class and in Third Class – some wonderfully funny. And of course there were hymns: “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and “Nearer, My God, To Thee” in an intriguing setting unfamiliar to modern ears. This music was presented most often as solos, but there were a number of choral settings, and – most wonderfully – several audience sing-alongs, with music printed in the program.
In telling the story of normal shipboard life and then reactions to the emergency, the program eventually focused, through contemporary music, on those who have since been recognized as the heroes of the incident in one way or another: the Astors, Benjamin Guggenheim, the crew, and the band. A piece honoring Isidor and Ida Strauss was, appropriately, sung in Hebrew.
Not all of this was somber. For example, the work of the band was illustrated with a rendition of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and the program ended with the rousing “Be British!” The sense one got in the audience was that the Titanic’s final hours were characterized by a sense of duty, honor, and loyalty – to one’s spouse, to one’s comrades, and to the ship one had built or maintained. And an audience member could see that, for most of the passengers, staff, and crew, this was indeed their finest hour.
More than a musical performance, this event was living history. Without being maudlin, it conveyed a respect for those affected by this tragedy and gave a unique perspective of the event that goes beyond those offered by movies, books or TV specials. The printed, 20-page program, was itself a collector’s item, with numerous images of people and the decorative covers of this music, some of which probably hasn’t been performed publicly for 100 years.
For anyone with a heart and with the ability to empathize, this program was an emotional experience. It was the fruit of an extraordinary research project on the part of Sam Schieber, who arranged, selected, and knit these elements into an artistic whole. All of Sam’s programs are entertaining products of a dedicated musicologist, who is able time and again to discover wonderful gems from the past and weave them into a unique musical experience. This program, especially, is one that deserves the attention of a much wider audience, and I hope that it will somehow be offered again before the interest in the Titanic fades. It is simultaneously a memorial to a great tragedy and a celebration of the human spirit that deserves to be told and retold.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
RSVP - The Road Home
Every choral group aspires to make a CD, a permanent monument to the best performances they can muster. And there have probably been hundreds, maybe thousands, of CDs made by choruses throughout the world in recent years, and I’ll bet that most of them are outstanding efforts. But few get promoted beyond members, family, friends, and audiences. It makes you wonder how many deserve national recognition.
I think I’ve found one.
Rocklin (CA)-based RSVP, Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace, is a community-centered mixed choir, composed of professional or semi-professional singers. All their concerts are designed to benefit some local (or sometimes distant or national) charity. And they present an eclectic mix of music that is always of professional quality.
That’s especially true of their new CD, The Road Home. I’ve just finished listening to it 4 times: 2 in the car and 2 through headphones in my office, and I’m truly impressed. The music is all contemporary (as far as I can tell), but quite varied – with styles that might be described as jazz, folk, “classical,” and pop, and others that I just can’t characterize. Going in, the composers I was familiar with were Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, and Franz Biebl, but none of those for the remaining 12 tracks were familiar to me. And that’s great, because I was introduced to some amazing new music. And it wasn’t just the music that I found so appealing: I encountered lyrics that were profound or touching or wonderfully playful. I found the track called “How Can I Cry?” to be particularly moving. And the title track, “The Road Home” is sweet enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.
The thing that struck me about this collection, though, apart from the diversity of music and and the versatility of RSVP, was the consistent professional quality. The directing was so very sensitive, the blend of the voices was so satisfying, and the accuracy of pitches and purity of sound so engaging that the whole thing just carried me to a different place. I have to add that there is a soprano in the group (or maybe more than one) who delivered high notes of such purity that I found myself looking forward to every time she had the opportunity to do her thing. And that’s saying a lot, coming from a bass. I especially enjoyed hearing her in the track called “Voice Dance.”
If you take my advice and purchase this CD, please don’t just play it in your car stereo and put it aside. Listen to it through headphones (or earbuds). It makes such a difference when you can hear the choir members breathe. In fact, I think the sound of the breathing could perhaps be considered part of the music. And with the headphones, you pick up more of the lyrics and the beautiful nuances that characterize each of these pieces.
This modest choir, under the direction of founder Julie Adams, is committed to doing good works. And The Road Home is really good work. You can find out more about RSVP and order the CD through their website, www.rsvpchoir.org.
I think I’ve found one.
Rocklin (CA)-based RSVP, Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace, is a community-centered mixed choir, composed of professional or semi-professional singers. All their concerts are designed to benefit some local (or sometimes distant or national) charity. And they present an eclectic mix of music that is always of professional quality.
That’s especially true of their new CD, The Road Home. I’ve just finished listening to it 4 times: 2 in the car and 2 through headphones in my office, and I’m truly impressed. The music is all contemporary (as far as I can tell), but quite varied – with styles that might be described as jazz, folk, “classical,” and pop, and others that I just can’t characterize. Going in, the composers I was familiar with were Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, and Franz Biebl, but none of those for the remaining 12 tracks were familiar to me. And that’s great, because I was introduced to some amazing new music. And it wasn’t just the music that I found so appealing: I encountered lyrics that were profound or touching or wonderfully playful. I found the track called “How Can I Cry?” to be particularly moving. And the title track, “The Road Home” is sweet enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.
The thing that struck me about this collection, though, apart from the diversity of music and and the versatility of RSVP, was the consistent professional quality. The directing was so very sensitive, the blend of the voices was so satisfying, and the accuracy of pitches and purity of sound so engaging that the whole thing just carried me to a different place. I have to add that there is a soprano in the group (or maybe more than one) who delivered high notes of such purity that I found myself looking forward to every time she had the opportunity to do her thing. And that’s saying a lot, coming from a bass. I especially enjoyed hearing her in the track called “Voice Dance.”
If you take my advice and purchase this CD, please don’t just play it in your car stereo and put it aside. Listen to it through headphones (or earbuds). It makes such a difference when you can hear the choir members breathe. In fact, I think the sound of the breathing could perhaps be considered part of the music. And with the headphones, you pick up more of the lyrics and the beautiful nuances that characterize each of these pieces.
This modest choir, under the direction of founder Julie Adams, is committed to doing good works. And The Road Home is really good work. You can find out more about RSVP and order the CD through their website, www.rsvpchoir.org.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fathom Events
In maintaining the Placer Performance Calendar (www.perfcal.com), I have become familiar with Fathom Events, the organization that arranges (often live) performances of artistic events at local movie theaters throughout the US (and the world, for that matter). I first became aware of them in connection with the live broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera performances, "The Met: Live in HD" series. And this past summer, I saw their wonderful series of Shakespeare productions from the Globe Theatre in London. Recently, I saw their presentation of the 25th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom of the Opera" and the Christmas Festival of the St. Olaf choirs -- all of them brilliant performances of the highest quality. Now, I'm looking forward to Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic's performance of Mahler's 8th Symphony live from Caracas on February 18.
Why go to a movie theater for productions like these? For one thing, the sound system is terrific. For another, the camera work is of the highest professional quality: you get close-ups that can't be matched when you're in the audience. And seeing these events on the big screen really brings you into the experience, with productions that just aren't available on TV.
The sad thing is that the audiences that have shared these wonderful experiences with me have been pitifully small. I just hope that my local theater won't lose heart and will continue to offer these events.
If you're in Placer County, California, you can track the Fathom Events offerings through my Placer Performance Calendar website. Otherwise, check them out at the link below. So much of what they offer are truly life-enriching experiences.
www.fathomevents.com
Why go to a movie theater for productions like these? For one thing, the sound system is terrific. For another, the camera work is of the highest professional quality: you get close-ups that can't be matched when you're in the audience. And seeing these events on the big screen really brings you into the experience, with productions that just aren't available on TV.
The sad thing is that the audiences that have shared these wonderful experiences with me have been pitifully small. I just hope that my local theater won't lose heart and will continue to offer these events.
If you're in Placer County, California, you can track the Fathom Events offerings through my Placer Performance Calendar website. Otherwise, check them out at the link below. So much of what they offer are truly life-enriching experiences.
www.fathomevents.com
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Ian Ethan and the Double-Neck Guitar
New music? I've experienced a fair amount of what might be called new music, and most of it I've found to be unapproachable, boring or annoying. Last Thursday, though, at an impromptu concert at the Christian Science Church in Grass Valley (CA), I experienced new music that was completely enthralling.
It was a performance by a new young artist by the name of Ian Ethan, whose principal instrument is the double-neck, 18-string guitar.
Through most of the hour-and-a-half concert I was alternately trying to figure out how he was playing the instrument and amazed at the incredible variety of sounds he coaxed out of it. And then, seeking an even wider variety of sounds, he performed on the fretless guitar and the kalimba. It was a remarkable evening of exploration of pleasant sounds and immersion in a kind of music I had never before experienced. I left with the distinct feeling that my life had been enriched. The others who gave him a standing ovation must have agreed.
Ian is in the early stages of his professional music career, and you'd be lucky if you could catch him at a small, intimate event, such as the one I experienced. I'd urge anyone whose interest is piqued by my experience to visit Ian's website. If you act soon, you'll be able to catch the streaming versions of one or more of his compositions, and I wouldn't fail to view the videos to see this artist at work. He is a virtuoso in a fresh new medium. Next time he performs in Northern California, I'm going to urge friends and family to attend: I know they'll thank me.
Through most of the hour-and-a-half concert I was alternately trying to figure out how he was playing the instrument and amazed at the incredible variety of sounds he coaxed out of it. And then, seeking an even wider variety of sounds, he performed on the fretless guitar and the kalimba. It was a remarkable evening of exploration of pleasant sounds and immersion in a kind of music I had never before experienced. I left with the distinct feeling that my life had been enriched. The others who gave him a standing ovation must have agreed.
Ian is in the early stages of his professional music career, and you'd be lucky if you could catch him at a small, intimate event, such as the one I experienced. I'd urge anyone whose interest is piqued by my experience to visit Ian's website. If you act soon, you'll be able to catch the streaming versions of one or more of his compositions, and I wouldn't fail to view the videos to see this artist at work. He is a virtuoso in a fresh new medium. Next time he performs in Northern California, I'm going to urge friends and family to attend: I know they'll thank me.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Curse of Viral E-Mails
We're in the midst of a crisis of conflict and incivility in national discourse. Conservatives get all their information from Fox News and radio talk show hosts. Liberals get their information from NPR, network TV, Huffington Post, MSNBC, etc. Passions are stirred up as ideological positions harden. Why?
I think a big part of the answer is gullibility, believing what you want to believe, failing to question, and responding to emotional instead of rational appeals.
You can see it in the tidal wave of misleading, viral e-mails -- which people believe because they want to believe them and which people disseminate because they're gullible. Why gullible? Is it lack of education, lack of intelligence, predilection to emotionalism, loyalty to their political tribe? I can't say, but I think that these e-mails do enormous damage because so many people are so quick to accept them at face value.
And all of these misleading e-mails that I've seen over the past few years have come from conservatives. I haven't seen one written from a liberal perspective, let alone a liberal-leaning one that gave incorrect "facts" to back up its outrage. Why is it that some conservatives are driven to create these outrageous messages, and others are so quick to pass them along without checking their facts? Where is respect for the truth? What are they really afraid of?
This morning I received from a conservative friend I rarely hear from the e-mail at the bottom of this post, which enumerated a lot of specific criticisms of Congress. As I do with anything that's supposed to make me incensed, I checked it out with Snopes.com and found that most of the "facts" it reported were lies or exaggerations. I wonder if anyone else on the distribution list bothered to do any checking whatsoever.
I responded to my friend, pointing out the errors and challenging him to send a correction to everyone he had forwarded the e-mail to. I'd suggest you do the same. Something has to stop the madness.
Dick Frantzreb
Here's the e-mail:
Unexplainable, Inexcusable
I challenge you to read this and NOT have the will to pass it on to your 20+ or more.
No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense.
Monday on Fox news they learned that the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if other news networks will broadcast it. When you add this to the below, just where will all of it stop?
35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
This is an idea that we should address.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
If each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .."
You are one of my 20+
Now, what are you going to do about it? Read and delete, or work for reform
To find out the truth of all these assertions, click on this link:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/28thamendment.asp
I think a big part of the answer is gullibility, believing what you want to believe, failing to question, and responding to emotional instead of rational appeals.
You can see it in the tidal wave of misleading, viral e-mails -- which people believe because they want to believe them and which people disseminate because they're gullible. Why gullible? Is it lack of education, lack of intelligence, predilection to emotionalism, loyalty to their political tribe? I can't say, but I think that these e-mails do enormous damage because so many people are so quick to accept them at face value.
And all of these misleading e-mails that I've seen over the past few years have come from conservatives. I haven't seen one written from a liberal perspective, let alone a liberal-leaning one that gave incorrect "facts" to back up its outrage. Why is it that some conservatives are driven to create these outrageous messages, and others are so quick to pass them along without checking their facts? Where is respect for the truth? What are they really afraid of?
This morning I received from a conservative friend I rarely hear from the e-mail at the bottom of this post, which enumerated a lot of specific criticisms of Congress. As I do with anything that's supposed to make me incensed, I checked it out with Snopes.com and found that most of the "facts" it reported were lies or exaggerations. I wonder if anyone else on the distribution list bothered to do any checking whatsoever.
I responded to my friend, pointing out the errors and challenging him to send a correction to everyone he had forwarded the e-mail to. I'd suggest you do the same. Something has to stop the madness.
Dick Frantzreb
Here's the e-mail:
Unexplainable, Inexcusable
I challenge you to read this and NOT have the will to pass it on to your 20+ or more.
No one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense.
Monday on Fox news they learned that the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if other news networks will broadcast it. When you add this to the below, just where will all of it stop?
35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
This is an idea that we should address.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
If each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .."
You are one of my 20+
Now, what are you going to do about it? Read and delete, or work for reform
To find out the truth of all these assertions, click on this link:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/28thamendment.asp
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The San Francisco Symphony Chorus
Back on May 8, my good friend Harry and his wife, Jo, invited my wife and me to join them to take in a performance by the San Francisco Symphony of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C Minor. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've never heard the SF Symphony before, nor even been in Davies Symphony Hall, their magnificent home. It was a treat, just to see the venue.
I went into the experience with a little prejudice, thinking I didn't particularly like Mahler, but the concert changed all that. Under the direction of Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, the orchestra played brilliantly, with power, precision, sensitivity, and nuance that had to be appreciated by all. I counted a little more than 100 instrumentalists in the program, but it seemed there were more. In the end, their work earned a standing ovation and loud cheers from the full house.
There was also a chorus of more than 120, though their part didn't come until toward the end of the piece. Scanning their names in the program, I thought I recognized one, and looking up, I thought I picked out a friend from the Mastersingers USA men's chorus that I have participated in since 1996.
I sent him an e-mail to confirm that it was he, and he responded by giving me some interesting insights into what it's like to be part of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. The program explained that the Chorus is made up of 30 professional and 112 volunteer singers. Here's some elaboration that my friend provided:
"It was a remarkable performance, one where 'everything came together.' We only did the Mahler 2 twice this year .. it's a 'warm up' for the summer European tour, when the Symphony will be doing it (but not the chorus, they will pick up local choruses). We did it four times last year. It was good on Saturday, but Sunday was special. As we were about to sing for the first time, the previous 70 minutes of remarkable music was synthesized into a single focused message -- 'Up to this point, it's been magic ... don't blow it now!' The orchestra is so extraordinary. Hats off to them. We just try to be as good. I am in my seventh year with them. It's been a thrill, including our performances of the Mahler 8 a couple of seasons ago; the live recording of those performances won three Grammy awards last year.
"Re-auditions are this week and next. We will sing in quartets (SATB) for half an hour with Ragnar [the Chorus Director], with two prepared pieces (or parts of pieces) and a sight singing exercise to do. Then, three weeks hence, the letter arrives. They are all thin. Either you are back in or you are not. If you are back in (and most returning singers make it), the letter lists what your commitment is for the coming year. Next year the group is doing Mahler 3 (women only), Brahms Requiem, Verdi Requiem, Handel's Messiah, a Holiday set, something by Debussy (ballet?), 'American Mavericks' (including Bates' 'Mass Transmission'), Barbary Coast (music from the American West of the late 19th early 20th centuries -- who knew?), and Beethoven 9. The volunteer singers sign up for as many as they want to do, and if you get back in, they tell what you are doing, and then you sign a contract with them. There are about 120 volunteers and 30 paid singers, who are amazing! Different pieces require different numbers of singers, ranging from 60 (the paid singers plus 30 volunteers) to a full deck, like what you saw yesterday."
All I can say is, what a commitment, but what an experience for singers like my friend!
I went into the experience with a little prejudice, thinking I didn't particularly like Mahler, but the concert changed all that. Under the direction of Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, the orchestra played brilliantly, with power, precision, sensitivity, and nuance that had to be appreciated by all. I counted a little more than 100 instrumentalists in the program, but it seemed there were more. In the end, their work earned a standing ovation and loud cheers from the full house.
There was also a chorus of more than 120, though their part didn't come until toward the end of the piece. Scanning their names in the program, I thought I recognized one, and looking up, I thought I picked out a friend from the Mastersingers USA men's chorus that I have participated in since 1996.
I sent him an e-mail to confirm that it was he, and he responded by giving me some interesting insights into what it's like to be part of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. The program explained that the Chorus is made up of 30 professional and 112 volunteer singers. Here's some elaboration that my friend provided:
"It was a remarkable performance, one where 'everything came together.' We only did the Mahler 2 twice this year .. it's a 'warm up' for the summer European tour, when the Symphony will be doing it (but not the chorus, they will pick up local choruses). We did it four times last year. It was good on Saturday, but Sunday was special. As we were about to sing for the first time, the previous 70 minutes of remarkable music was synthesized into a single focused message -- 'Up to this point, it's been magic ... don't blow it now!' The orchestra is so extraordinary. Hats off to them. We just try to be as good. I am in my seventh year with them. It's been a thrill, including our performances of the Mahler 8 a couple of seasons ago; the live recording of those performances won three Grammy awards last year.
"Re-auditions are this week and next. We will sing in quartets (SATB) for half an hour with Ragnar [the Chorus Director], with two prepared pieces (or parts of pieces) and a sight singing exercise to do. Then, three weeks hence, the letter arrives. They are all thin. Either you are back in or you are not. If you are back in (and most returning singers make it), the letter lists what your commitment is for the coming year. Next year the group is doing Mahler 3 (women only), Brahms Requiem, Verdi Requiem, Handel's Messiah, a Holiday set, something by Debussy (ballet?), 'American Mavericks' (including Bates' 'Mass Transmission'), Barbary Coast (music from the American West of the late 19th early 20th centuries -- who knew?), and Beethoven 9. The volunteer singers sign up for as many as they want to do, and if you get back in, they tell what you are doing, and then you sign a contract with them. There are about 120 volunteers and 30 paid singers, who are amazing! Different pieces require different numbers of singers, ranging from 60 (the paid singers plus 30 volunteers) to a full deck, like what you saw yesterday."
All I can say is, what a commitment, but what an experience for singers like my friend!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Fair Game
I saw a movie on DVD several nights ago, and it blew me away. First, some background.
Surely your remember back in July of 2003 when Valerie Plame was identified as a CIA agent in a newspaper column by Robert Novak. As we later learned, he was given the information by Richard Armitage of the State Department. The suspicion is that Armitage was acting at the direction of Scooter Libby, who was then on Vice President Dick Cheney's staff. Early in 2007 Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, though not of the more serious crime of disclosing the identity of an undercover agent. George W. Bush commuted Libby's prison sentence a few months after his conviction. Though presidential advisor Karl Rove and Cheney himself were suspected of playing a part in the disclosing of Plame's CIA connection, none of them have been formally charged.
Why would they take such an action against an agent of the U.S. government? Revenge. Plame's husband is Joseph Wilson, a retired U.S. ambassador. Because of his knowledge of central Africa, Wilson was sent to Niger in 2002 to investigate reports that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy yellowcake uranium from that country. It would be evidence of Saddam's determination to develop weapons of mass destruction. In fact, Wilson found no such evidence. Despite Wilson's findings, George W. Bush declared as part of his State of the Union Address in January 2003: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." This so upset Wilson that he wrote an "op-ed" piece for The New York Times entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa" on July 6, 2003. This was after the start of the war in Iraq in March of that year and "Mission Accomplished" on May 1. By undercutting the rationale for the war, many people believe that Wilson enraged the White House, leading to the retaliation against his wife, Valerie Plame.
Even though all these events dominated the news in 2003-2007, I did not follow them closely. Yet I was aware that a movie of the events, Fair Game, had come out in November of 2010, and I knew I wanted to see it. When I viewed it several nights ago, I found it to be an excellent, compelling piece, brilliantly acted by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, who played Plame and Wilson, respectively. Still, I found myself wondering how accurate it all might be.
Just before ejecting the DVD, I decided to check the "Special Features," and there was the option of enabling commentary by the real Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson. I listened to a little of it and quickly realized how significant it was. So I watched the entire movie again with their commentary. It was simply fascinating to hear them confirm the accuracy of the various details. A skeptic might argue their credibility, but I don't believe there would be many skeptics left after hearing them comment on the details of this movie for an hour and a half. It was simply one of the most engaging movie-watching experiences I have ever had.
Surely your remember back in July of 2003 when Valerie Plame was identified as a CIA agent in a newspaper column by Robert Novak. As we later learned, he was given the information by Richard Armitage of the State Department. The suspicion is that Armitage was acting at the direction of Scooter Libby, who was then on Vice President Dick Cheney's staff. Early in 2007 Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, though not of the more serious crime of disclosing the identity of an undercover agent. George W. Bush commuted Libby's prison sentence a few months after his conviction. Though presidential advisor Karl Rove and Cheney himself were suspected of playing a part in the disclosing of Plame's CIA connection, none of them have been formally charged.
Why would they take such an action against an agent of the U.S. government? Revenge. Plame's husband is Joseph Wilson, a retired U.S. ambassador. Because of his knowledge of central Africa, Wilson was sent to Niger in 2002 to investigate reports that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy yellowcake uranium from that country. It would be evidence of Saddam's determination to develop weapons of mass destruction. In fact, Wilson found no such evidence. Despite Wilson's findings, George W. Bush declared as part of his State of the Union Address in January 2003: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." This so upset Wilson that he wrote an "op-ed" piece for The New York Times entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa" on July 6, 2003. This was after the start of the war in Iraq in March of that year and "Mission Accomplished" on May 1. By undercutting the rationale for the war, many people believe that Wilson enraged the White House, leading to the retaliation against his wife, Valerie Plame.
Even though all these events dominated the news in 2003-2007, I did not follow them closely. Yet I was aware that a movie of the events, Fair Game, had come out in November of 2010, and I knew I wanted to see it. When I viewed it several nights ago, I found it to be an excellent, compelling piece, brilliantly acted by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, who played Plame and Wilson, respectively. Still, I found myself wondering how accurate it all might be.
Just before ejecting the DVD, I decided to check the "Special Features," and there was the option of enabling commentary by the real Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson. I listened to a little of it and quickly realized how significant it was. So I watched the entire movie again with their commentary. It was simply fascinating to hear them confirm the accuracy of the various details. A skeptic might argue their credibility, but I don't believe there would be many skeptics left after hearing them comment on the details of this movie for an hour and a half. It was simply one of the most engaging movie-watching experiences I have ever had.
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