A Night at the (Imaginary) Opera: The Visual Dimension in Hector Berlioz's Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La Damnation de Faust

<p>In keeping with the spirit of Romanticism, Hector Berlioz has always been something of a rogue figure. Works like Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust, which Daniel Albright refers to as 'semi-operas', occupy an uncomfortable place within the concert hall. The intersections between song, symphony, opera and the spoken word that form these works immediately pose questions concerning musical unity, narrative interpretation, issues of genre, and performance style. While the musical and literary aspects of the three compositions have been the subject of scholarly attention, this study turns its gaze onto the various visual dimensions that are present within Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust. By emphasising the presence of spectacle in Berlioz's compositions, questions soon arise concerning the implications of these visual elements for performance. Berlioz's relatively early work, Lelio, illustrates the extent to which the composer is already concerned with how the visual suppression of performing bodies can create and change narrative meanings. Romeo et Juliette raises the curtains that hide Lelio's musical forces. Rather than simply distilling Shakespeare's drama into music, Berlioz relies instead on a visual memory of Romeo and Juliet to replace the absence of physical characters within his 'symphonie dramatique', thus creating an aural rendition of a past theatrical event. Through an exploration of the spectacle within Lelio and Romeo et Juliette, we see how Berlioz has constructed a visually detailed imaginary theatre that resides within the score. An understanding of this imaginary theatre is integral in the subsequent analysis of Berlioz's controversial and wonderfully diabolical La damnation de Faust. This work is performed as often in the opera house as it is in the concert hall. However, an in-depth analysis of the libretto and score reveals curious and occasionally contradictory visual implications. The impact that these contradictions have on the visual dimension in the performance of La damnation de Faust will be explored through a reading of two ground-breaking productions: Raoul Gunsbourg's La damnation de Faust from 1893 - the first production to treat Berlioz's score as an opera; and Robert Lepage's mixed-media production of La damnation. The work of these two directors serves to highlight, perhaps inadvertently, the problematic effects of Berlioz's imaginary theatre on the necessarily more concrete realisations of La damnation when confined within the opera house. However, the cinematic approach of Lepage suggests another avenue of performance that has the potential to reveal new dimensions of Berlioz's unique dramatic-symphonic works. Ultimately, it may be that the supreme technicolour nature of Berlioz's music always functions to transport us beyond our own mundane experiences and forever challenges us to seek something beyond the limits of the possible, however much those limits might change.</p>

A Night at the (Imaginary) Opera: The Visual Dimension in Hector Berlioz's Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La Damnation de Faust

<p>In keeping with the spirit of Romanticism, Hector Berlioz has always been something of a rogue figure. Works like Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust, which Daniel Albright refers to as 'semi-operas', occupy an uncomfortable place within the concert hall. The intersections between song, symphony, opera and the spoken word that form these works immediately pose questions concerning musical unity, narrative interpretation, issues of genre, and performance style. While the musical and literary aspects of the three compositions have been the subject of scholarly attention, this study turns its gaze onto the various visual dimensions that are present within Lelio, Romeo et Juliette and La damnation de Faust. By emphasising the presence of spectacle in Berlioz's compositions, questions soon arise concerning the implications of these visual elements for performance. Berlioz's relatively early work, Lelio, illustrates the extent to which the composer is already concerned with how the visual suppression of performing bodies can create and change narrative meanings. Romeo et Juliette raises the curtains that hide Lelio's musical forces. Rather than simply distilling Shakespeare's drama into music, Berlioz relies instead on a visual memory of Romeo and Juliet to replace the absence of physical characters within his 'symphonie dramatique', thus creating an aural rendition of a past theatrical event. Through an exploration of the spectacle within Lelio and Romeo et Juliette, we see how Berlioz has constructed a visually detailed imaginary theatre that resides within the score. An understanding of this imaginary theatre is integral in the subsequent analysis of Berlioz's controversial and wonderfully diabolical La damnation de Faust. This work is performed as often in the opera house as it is in the concert hall. However, an in-depth analysis of the libretto and score reveals curious and occasionally contradictory visual implications. The impact that these contradictions have on the visual dimension in the performance of La damnation de Faust will be explored through a reading of two ground-breaking productions: Raoul Gunsbourg's La damnation de Faust from 1893 - the first production to treat Berlioz's score as an opera; and Robert Lepage's mixed-media production of La damnation. The work of these two directors serves to highlight, perhaps inadvertently, the problematic effects of Berlioz's imaginary theatre on the necessarily more concrete realisations of La damnation when confined within the opera house. However, the cinematic approach of Lepage suggests another avenue of performance that has the potential to reveal new dimensions of Berlioz's unique dramatic-symphonic works. Ultimately, it may be that the supreme technicolour nature of Berlioz's music always functions to transport us beyond our own mundane experiences and forever challenges us to seek something beyond the limits of the possible, however much those limits might change.</p>

Peran Roh Kudus dalam Misi Allah

Abstrak Tulisan ini meneliti ajaran yang tersembunyi dalam narasi mengenairespon terhadap penglihatan Paulus dalam Kisah Rasul 16.Pendekatannya adalah interpretasi narasi. Sebagai hasilnya, Kisah Para Rasul 16mengajarkan pertama, kedaulatan Roh Kudus yang mendorongpemimpin-pemimpin yang dipilihnya melintasi batas-batas pandanganmereka dan kedua, mengenai peran-Nya mengajarkan agarkepemimpinan bersama perlu diterapkan di dalam prosesmelaksanakan Misi Allah. Abstract The studi analyses the unrecognized teaching of the narratives in the Book of Acts chapter 16 concerning the response to the vision of Paul. The method used is narrative interpretation. As the results, the Book of Acts 16 teaches about both the role of the Holy Spirit to bring the chosen leaders to cross their boundaries as well as to teach them to practice Shared-Leadership in Missio Dei process.

Victims, perpetrators, scapegoats and Russian dolls: Narrating violence within secure units for adolescents from a staff perspective

A rise of violent incidents at secure units for adolescents has been reported by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care. Meanwhile, research aiming to understand how staff manage violence seems to be lacking. By examining an in-depth narrative by one staff member, “Meral”, this study aims to understand, on the one hand, how staff describe the violence they encounter in light of the context and situation, and on the other, how they describe their handling of violence from outside the immediate environment. Drawing on Georgakopoulou and Bamberg, identities are understood to be produced and performed within personal narratives from different positions in relation to one’s surroundings. The study shows how Meral’s professional identity is shaped and affected by violence. Of essential importance is the way Meral presents herself to herself: as “not afraid.” A narrative interpretation is that fear does not fit within the framework of the professional identity for staff. A key element of placing essential responsibility on staff to manage violence is keeping lines of communication open, which could be made clearer in policy documents, training and supervision. Therefore, studies like this one could result in the development of communication strategies for staff. This is important because emotional rules can generate emotional cultures that in the long run can be destructive for both staff and young people. Only when the emotional rules are identified can staff develop strategies for dealing with the violent incidents that are part of their professional life in a qualified way.

Teaching creative (Literary) writing: Indigenous psychological perspective

This study aims to explore the teaching of creative writing through an indigenous perspective. This study used qualitative methods based on narrative interpretation and exposure. The respondents of this study were 40 students. Data collection techniques were conducted using creative writing, picking, and interviews. The data analysis technique consisted of three stages, namely pre-writing, writing process, and post-writing. The results showed that 77.5% of students answered very well, 17.5% answered well, 32% answered mediocre about the learning process of creative writing uses the perspective of indigenous psychology. Students’ responses related to the perspective of indigenous psychology that it makes someone easier to write: 32% of students answered yes, 0% answered no, and 68% answered mediocre. Students' responses regarding the perspective of indigenous psychology that it provides benefits to the learning of creative writing: 90% of students answered yes and 10% answered no. Students’ responses regarding the learning of creative writing that it is more easily using the perspective of indigenous psychology: 80% of students answered yes and 20% answered no. Keywords: creative writing, literature, indigenous studies, indigenous psychology, pre-writing, writing process, post-writing

Marginalisation, Revolt and Adaptation: on Changing the Mayamara Tradition

Assam is a land of complex history and folklore situated in North East India where religious beliefs, both institutional and vernacular, are part and parcel of lived folk cultures. Amid the domination and growth of Goddess worshiping cults (sakta) in Assam, the sattra unit of religious and socio-cultural institutions came into being as a result of the neo-Vaishnava movement led by Sankaradeva (1449–1568) and his chief disciple Madhavadeva (1489–1596). Kalasamhati is one among the four basic religious sects of the sattras, spread mainly among the subdued communities in Assam. Mayamara could be considered a subsect under Kalasamhati. Aniruddhadeva (1553–1626) preached the Mayamara doctrine among his devotees on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river. Later his inclusive religious behaviour and magical skill influenced many locals to convert to the Mayamara faith. Ritualistic features are a very significant part of Mayamara devotee’s lives. Among the locals there are some narrative variations and disputes about stories and terminologies of the tradition. Adaptations of religious elements in their faith from Indigenous sources have led to the question of their recognition in the mainstream neo-Vaishnava order. In the context of Mayamara tradition, the connection between folklore and history is very much intertwined. Therefore, this paper focuses on marginalisation, revolt in the community and narrative interpretation on the basis of folkloristic and historical groundings. The discussion will reflect upon the beliefs, ritualistic aspects, and myths of the tradition. Fieldwork materials will be employed to discuss the tension between local practices and mainstream neo-Vaishnava influence.

Reforming Church and Nation

This chapter explores Protestant theological schools that educated pastors as reformers of church and the nation after religious disestablishment. This education built upon the liberal arts of the colleges, which taught the basic textual interpretation, rhetoric, and oratory. Rev. Timothy Dwight led the way in fashioning a new liberal arts in the college, which served as the foundation for advanced theological education. At Yale, he integrated the belles-lettres of European literature and rhetoric into the predominant American framework of Scottish Common Sense Realism. He also coupled these pedagogies with the voluntarist theology of Jonathan Edwards and the New Divinity, which bolstered Christian volunteerism and mission. With Dwight’s help, New England Congregationalists developed a graduate theological at Andover with a faculty in Scripture, theology, and homiletics (practical theology) who taught in the interdisciplinary, rhetorical framework of the liberal arts. Dr. Ebenezer Porter raised a generation of princes of the pulpit and college professors of rhetoric and oratory, and he wrote the first widely used manuals in elocution. Moses Stuart in Bible advanced German critical studies of Scripture for future pastoral work and for scholars in the field. The greatest alternative to Andover was the historic Calvinism of Princeton Theological Seminary, as interpreted through the empiricism of Scottish Common Sense. President Archibald Alexander, historian Samuel Miller, theologian Charles Hodge, and later homiletics professor James Wadell Alexander emphasized the text-critical and narrative interpretation of Scripture, and the emphasis on classic rhetoric and oratory in homiletics culminated the curriculum.

Dari Demokrasi ke Undi: Tinjauan Teologis tentang Undi dalam Alkitab serta Relevansinya bagi Pemilihan Pemimpin Gereja

Democracy is a leader election system in the political world that adopted by the church system, especially the tribal church based in North Sumatra, to elect the leader of the synod. The system with the most votes, caused the election of synod leader to be coloured by negative issues and actions that hurt the nature of the church. For this reason, this paper offers the lot as an alternative system for electing synod leader. This research uses biblical text analysis with a narrative interpretation approach. The text will be analyzed by paying attention to the meaning and execution system of the lot. Interpretation will be made on 1 Samuel 10: 1-27 from the Old Testament and Acts 1:15-26 from the New Testament. The results of the analysis show that the lot is a leader election system in the biblical tradition and can be used as a new model for choosing a synod leader, particularly churches that are still implementing a democratic system. The lot is a representation of God's election, which is carried out in a confidential, fair and honest manner so as to avoid negative practices and issues in the election of the leader of the synod.AbstrakDemokratis merupakan sistem pemilihan pemimpin dalam dunia politik yang diadopsi oleh gereja, khususnya gereja suku yang berpusat di Sumatera Utara, untuk memilih ketua sinode. Sistem dengan penentuan suara terbanyak, menyebabkan pemilihan ketua sinode kerap diwarnai isu dan tindakan negatif yang mencederai hakikat gereja. Sehubungan dengan itu, tulisan ini menawarkan undi sebagai alternatif sistem pemilihan ketua sinode. Penelitian ini menggunakan analisis teks Alkitab dengan pendekatan penafsiran naratif. Teks akan dianalisis dengan memperhatikan pemaknaan dan sistem pelaksanaan undi. Penafsiran akan dilakukan terhadap 1 Samuel 10:1-27 dari Perjanjian Lama dan Kisah Para Rasul 1:15-26 dari Perjanjian Baru. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa undi merupakan sebuah sistem pemilihan pemimpin yang terdapat dalam tradisi Alkitab dan dapat dijadikan sebagai model baru dalam memilih ketua sinode, khususnya gereja yang masih melakukan sistem demokratis. Undi merupakan representasi pemilihan Allah yang pelaksanaannya bersifat rahasia, adil dan jujur, sehingga dapat menghindarkan praktik dan isu negatif dalam pemilihan ketua sinode.

Kepribadian Ayub

Individual personality development is influenced by various factors, there are internal factors and external factors. This paper aims to determine whether a unique life experience, namely suffering, can influence the formation of a person's personality. This study uses a biblical study approach to the story of Job in the book of Ayub with a narrative interpretation method and also uses a literature study approach. It is evident that unpleasant life experiences such as the suffering that befell Job do not change Job's good personality. Job was a godly and honest man; fear Allah and shun evil; a person of sincerity or integrity; an optimist; a generous person; and a man who is loyal to his wife