Prendo spunto da un coro da stadio (abbastanza demente IMHO, ma se sono contenti così amen) per dire due parole sulla pallanuoto in tv. Io su Sky la guarderei molto volentieri invece (sempre che si tratti di partite che non posso vedere in piscina), visto che sanno rendere spettacolare anche un incontro fra scapoli e ammogliati. Alla Rai invece riesce benissimo il contrario, rendere inguardabile anche la partita più bella del mondo. Ingredienti principali delle telecronache di stato sono la deprimente qualità delle immagini, spesso degne di un pessimo DivX, la quasi totale assenza di microfoni d’ambiente, i cronometri di gara mai sincronizzati col tabellone, l’assoluta inaffidabilità della programmazione (dirette annunciate e poi convertite in differite a orari da tv per adulti o sparite misteriosamente nel nulla, precedenza anche alle qualificazioni del campionato rionale di cirulla). Ma il fiore all’occhiello è, da sempre, il commento. Fin da quando le telecronache erano eventi del tutto eccezionali e a farle mandavano qualche giornalista della sede regionale di Genova, per proseguire con l’intermezzo del rosso pescarese di cui non ricordo il nome (che se non altro un po’ di verve la aveva, sarà per quello che è durato poco) per poi passare all’era Failla + Bartoli + commentatore (fra cui vari CT della Nazionale perlopiù inutili dietro ad un microfono come Allegria Malara).
Failla ci ha sicuramente messo impegno, ma ha la tendenza a perdersi nelle chiacchiere di contorno soprattutto se la spalla di turno gli dà corda. Stucchevoli in tal senso i siparietti con De Magistris di qualche Mondiale fa, Toronto mi pare, col tormentone “Grazie” “Prego” “Non c’è di che” “Ben gentile” che alla terza volta aveva già rotto gli zebedei a chiunque, idea carina ma sfuggita di mano quella dei soprannomi ai giocatori (Faraone dell’acqua clorata nun se poteva senti’….). Come minimo controproducente, poi, l’aver trasformato le telecronache delle partite dell’Italia a Roma nel dibattito stranieri sì, stranieri no, naturalizzati forse, a sentire tutte queste beghe chi avesse voluto provare a seguire la pallanuoto per la prima volta sarebbe fuggito inorridito. Ora si schiera al microfono solo per gli eventi clou (praticamente solo Europei e Mondiali), e il microfono è passato ad Annalisa Bartoli. La Bartoli da bordocampista se la cavava discretamente, qualche intervento negli intervalli, poche domande di prammatica ai soliti noti, insomma poche possibilità di far danno. Ma da prima voce siamo alla tragedia: ritmo da telecronaca della Via Crucis, parole su qualsiasi argomento meno che sull’azione in corso, reti ignorate, competenza tecnica discutibile. Al suo fianco Postiglione fa di tutto per sembrare di non essere uno che ha giocato e vinto a qualsiasi livello, con interventi tecnici di una banalità sconfortante. E per tutti quanti i sunnominati la triste e inevitabile sensazione che ci sia sempre la preferenza per una delle squadre in acqua, accusa vecchia e spesso respinta con motivazioni da bambino beccato col vasetto della nutella in mano. Con un commento del genere verrebbe voglia di togliere l’audio, se non fosse che con simili immagini riconoscere i giocatori è una battaglia persa in partenza. L’anno scorso qualche partita di Eurolega è transitata sulle frequenza semiclandestine (il digitale terrestre, che meraviglia) di Sportitalia; quei pochi eletti che hanno avuto la fortuna di assistere non credevano alle loro orecchie, la coppia Miraglia-Tempestini sembrava arrivata da Marte. Bravi, competenti ma non complicati, capaci di spiegare le regole senza dare la sensazione di parlare di uno sport che nessuno ha mai visto, ritmi giusti, soprattutto Tempestini è il migliore fra i vari commentatori tecnici che si siano sentiti in Italia. Se prima guardare le partite su Rai Sport era già abbastanza deprimente, dopo di loro fa l’effetto di una punizione. Ci meravigliamo poi se con tutte queste brillanti caratteristiche le partite del sabato pomeriggio fanno 2000 spettatori in tv? Giusto un fanatico può scegliere di guardarle, uno che ci passasse per caso scappa dopo venti secondi. Ma a quanto pare va bene così a chi decide e dispone. Venerdì sera Brescia-Florentia è stata una partita spettacolare, qualunque altra rete televisiva ne avrebbe fatto un prodotto televisivo coi fiocchi. Ma vista come si è vista non se n’è accorto nessuno, addetti ai lavori a parte. Ah, ma che stupido….chi poteva guardarla se non gli addetti ai lavori? Murdoch, siamo qui, vieni a prenderci…..

Para empezar a entender que es lo que nos ofrece la superestrella romana os dejo este primer extracto del disco. Se trata de la frenética aria de la ópera Berenice de Francesco Araia “Cadrò, ma qual si mira”

Explica la Bartoli que cada año se castraban a más de 4000 niños para educarlos y convertirlos en potenciales divos absolutos del canto, en primohuomos de los teatros de ópera de la Europa del barroco. Efectivamente era un sacrificio tremendo para los preadolescentes, pero era un sacrificio la mayoría de las veces provocados por la ambición de sus padres, la mayoría gentes humildes, con la esperanza de que el joven cantante se convirtiera en una figura del canto y sacara a la familia de la pobreza.

Y es que los famosos castrados de la época (Farinelli, Caffarelli, Carestini, Senesino ….) eran los auténticos amos absolutos de la lírica, en equivalencia a las superestrellas del POP. Los compositores componían óperas pensando en sus voces, incluso arias sueltas para que ellos las cantaran a su antojo en la obra que les diera la gana (las famosas arias de baúl), cobraban sumas escandalosas de dinero, y eran auténticos ídolos entre las mujeres que se rendían a sus pies empujadas por lo sobrenatural de su arte y por la gran ventaja de poder mantener relaciones sexuales sin peligro de embarazos comprometedores.

Escuchemos a la Bartoli explicando sus motivaciones y apreciaciones sobre el nuevo album.

Lo cierto es que la Bartoli ha conseguido con este disco remontar el vuelo después de sus dos últimos trabajos, el poco satisfactorio Maria (dedicado a la Malibran), y su realmente pobre versión de La Sonnambula (de juzgado de guardia, en la que hasta Flórez está por debajo de lo que es habitual en él).

El album recoge una colección realmente interesante, por lo inusual, de piezas escritas para los castrati, recuperando obras de Porpora, Caldara o Graun, que para mi eran inéditas, y a las que la Bartoli les quita el polvo para presentarnoslas de manera brillante.

La Bartoli nos deja constancia de que todavía posee unas condiciones vocales más que notables, destacando sobretodo en las piezas más reposadas y elegíacas, donde el canto flota de manera extraordinariamente evocadora apoyado en un fiato y un legato magistral. En las arias de bravura sorprende por la variedad y originalidad de sus variaciones, en fragmentos de dificultad extrema (según ella lo más difícil que ha cantado nunca) si bien su famosa “metralleta”, aquí más hiperactiva que nunca, cada vez está más engolada, a veces rallana al ladrido.

Os dejo dos fragmentos más para que los escuchéis

Broschi (el hermano de Farinelli) – Son Qual Nave Ch´agitata

Porpora – Parto, ti lascio, o cara

La calidad del disco es del todo innegable, y ya se ha convertido en todo un fenómeno de ventas (llegando a los primeros puestos de las listas de toda Europa), lo que demuestra el gran carisma y tirón de la mezzo romana, a la que acompañan el maravilloso Il Giardino Armonico, con el que ya grabara allá por el año 2000 el ya legendario recital Viva Vivaldi!, todo un hito de la discografia.

Cecilia Bartoli – Sacrificium – (CD01, CD02)

Disco 1

01-NICOLA PORPORA: Come nave in mezzo all’onde-Siface (Milan, 1725)

02-ANTONIO CALDARA: Profezie, di me diceste-Sedecia (Vienna, 1732)

03-FRANCESCO ARAIA: Cadrò, ma qual si mira-Berenice (Venice, 1734)

04-CARL HEINRICH GRAUN: Misero pargoletto-Demofoonte (Berlin, 1746)

05-NICOLA PORPORA: Usignolo sventurato-Siface (Milan, 1725)

06-NICOLA PORPORA: Parto, ti lascio, o cara-Germanico in Germania (Rome, 1732)

07-NICOLA PORPORA: In braccio a mille furie-Semiramide riconosciuta (Venice, 1729)

08-LEONARDO LEO: Qual farfalla-Zenobia in Palmira (Naples, 1725)

09-NICOLA PORPORA: Nobil onda-Adelaide (Rome, 1723)

10-CARL HEINRICH GRAUN: Deh, tu bel Dio d’amore … Ov’è il mio bene?-Adriano in Siria (Berlin, 1746)

11-LEONARDO VINCI: Chi temea Giove regnante-Farnace (Rome, 1724)

12-ANTONIO CALDARA: Quel buon pastor son io-La morte d’Abel figura di quella del nostro Redentore (Vienna, 1732)

Disco 2

01-BROSCHI: Son qual nave

02-HANDEL: Ombra mai fu

03-GIACOMELLI: Sposa, non mi conosci

PD. La carátula del disco es uno de los engendros más horteras y feos que he visto nunca.

As the Opster Project moves closer towards the age of the castrati, it’s all-too-appropriate that Cecilia Bartoli’s latest CD should be all about the boys of the bris.  By means of an extra-curricular study, I’ll listen to Sacrificium when I break into the 1700s (any day now…).  In the meantime, this week’s cure to the Mondays seems to be an evening at (Le) Poisson Rouge with all of the other opsters, watching a film of Bartoli singing selections from her CD in a crazy, baroque ‘n roll Neapolitan castle.  The notoriously aviophobic mezzo won’t be coming stateside this year, so this is the best way to catch her.  And nothing makes castration go down so well as a glass of LPR’s house cabernet.

In the meantime, my boyfriend is crossing his legs.

You know it is the end of the season when you are not getting nervous about matches anymore. Federer has cruised through his first two rounds in Basel, swiftly beating Seppi 3 and 3 today. That man gets the worst draws. Wawrinka overcame Ljubicic in a tough three setter, and is due to meet Marin Cilic next. Cilic has an outsider’s chance to get to the WTFs. He has to win Basel though. A field with both Roger and Novak. Mmm. Good luck with that one.

Tsonga retired against Youzhny this morning in Valencia. I guess this makes his WTF chances basically nil. Monfils also lost to Garcia-Lopez (embaressing). Verdaso cruised and Simon beat my man Berdych in three sets.

Over in Bali, the pretty Sabine Lisicki lost to Rezai. Wickmayer, Stosur, and Bartoli all won.

Can you just sense my enthusiasm for these end of year tournaments through my blogging? Yeah, though so. The men really should be playing the WTFs right now. Season. Too. Long.

Even Roger’s shirt is boring. Geez.

Speaking of shirts… Mandy Murray is ditching Fred Perry for adidas. Cannot WAIT to see what colourful creations they pop on him. Mandy in orange? Mandy in blue? Mandy in lime green? Very excited.

Nole is still rumoured to be going to K-Swiss (bad bad bad move).

That is all for now… will update at the end of Basel. Unless some super exciting news comes along… (any more excerpts, Agassi?)

Cecilia Bartoli anuncia conciertos adicionales en España para la gira de conciertos con motivo del lanzamiento de su nuevo disco, Sacrificium.

A parte de los ya anunciados con Il Giardino Armonico y Giovanni Antonini

• 10 Diciembre 2009: Barcelona – Palau de la Música Catalana
• 12 Diciembre 2009: Madrid – Teatro Real
• 15 Diciembre 2009: Murcia – Auditorio Víctor Villegas

Se añade un recital con Sergio Ciomei

• 21 & 23 Febrero 2010: Las Palmas – Teatro Pérez Galdós

y otra tanda de conciertos con La Scintilla

• 8 Abril 2010: San Sebastián – Kursaal San Sebastián
• 10 Abril 2010: Bilbao – Teatro Arriaga
• 12 Abril 2010: Oviedo – Auditorio Príncipe Felipe
• 14 Abril 2010: Santiago – Auditorio de Galicia
• 17 Abril 2010: Valladolid – Auditorio y Centro de Congresos Miguel Delibes
• 19 Abril 2010: Vitoria – Teatro Principal

Los fans españoles de la Bartoli pueden estar más que satisfechos ante este despliegue.

Another absolute heartbreaker for Ernests Gulbis fans last night. After winning a brilliant first set against Tsonga, Gulbis squandered break point oppertunities in the first game of the second set and Tsonga never looked back. As his serve started clicking, Gulbis’s mental game began to falter and he dropped the last two sets. It has been the best week of 2009 for Gulbis, coming through qualifying to reach the quarter finals. It is hard not to be disappointed despite this result, as he had a really good chance to beat Tsonga in straights. With his new coach and hopefully new found remembrance on how to play tennis, we can only hope Gulbis continues to improve and play well throughout 09.

Marat Safin was completely disappointing in his routine 3 and 1 loss to Nadal. Nadal played well, but Safin was nothing short of woeful. I only saw the first set, but I saw him hit many a routine forehand long. Makes me grateful I am not a Safin fan.

Elena Dementieva was another disappointment in Beijing, losing 5 and 3 to twelth seed, Radwanska. Despite playing brilliantly up until this stage of the tournament, Dementieva couldn’t make her serve count when it mattered. A very disappointing performance from a girl who had a chance to claim another title in Beijing.

Petrova struggled against the gutsy Peng, but eventually prevailed 6-2 in the third.  Bartoli prevailed over a potentially exhausted Zvonareva, as did Kuznetsova, Soderling, Cilic and Bartoli over their opponents. A good win for Novak Djokovic, who didn’t play his best tennis 63 16 61 win over Verdasco, but he played well enough to give himself a very good shot to reclaim the number three ranking, (which he will if he wins his next match against Soderling). Djokovic still seems slightly too scared to go for his trademark down the line shot when it really matters, his first serve needs to go in the box more, and his forehand was spraying a touch much. Hopefully he can improve for his next match against the always tough Soderling.

Another exciting night of tennis… but not exactly the match ups I was hoping for… *tear*

Negli ottavi del wta tour in cina Bartoli e Radwanska battendo rispettivamente la Zhang e la Martinez raggiungono i quarti del China open.

Result:

Bartoli b. Zhang 6-1 6-4

Radwanska b.M.J.Martinez 4-6 6-4 6-2

Foto: Gorka Lejarcegi / El País

La mezzosoprano italiana Cecilia Bartoli ha estado estos días en Madrid presentando su nuevo disco Sacrificium, dedicado íntegramente a arias interpretadas por los castrati, las estrellas de la ópera del siglo XVIII.

Todo un reto técnico ya que los castrati tenían la voz de soprano pero pulmones de hombre con lo que su control de la respiración y potencia del canto son mayores que los de una mujer. Las arias que interpretaban tenían como mayor desafío el control del fiato, el control de la respiración. A tenor de lo que he podido escuchar la Bartoli iguala las espectativas y consigue que este disco esté al mismo nivel que su aclamado Opera proibita.

Como muestra escuchémosle en el aria de Demetrio, Cadrò, ma qual si mira, de la ópera Berenice de Francesco Araia que estrenó Farinelli. Le acompaña en la grabación Il Giardino Armonico, conjunto con el que ya grabó su disco Vilvaldi Album y que ahora es conjunto residente del Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes de Valladolid, ciudad en la que se realizó la grabación del disco.

Vídeo de elderarce.

El disco saldrá a la venta a principios de Octubre. Cecilia Bartoli realizará una primera gira española el próximo Diciembre acompañada por Il Giardino Armonico. La gira arrancará el próximo 10 de Diciembre en el Palau de la Música Catalana de Barcelona. Como no puede ser menos estaré allí y habrá crónica.

En el concierto de Opera Proibita del Palau la insistencia de los aplausos del personal consiguió que la Bartoli apareciera en ropa de calle a saludar de nuevo y pudimos escuchar una estupenda versión a capella de Non ti scordar di me de De Curtis. A ver qué nos deparará porque ya preveo aplausos inacabables.

Opera er ikke bare opera. Kunstformen stammer helt tilbage fra det 16. århundrede, og den har udviklet sig. Nu om stunder kan det hele (heldigvis) købes på cd — og der er barok-operaer som f.eks. Henry Purcells “Dido og Aeneas” fra 1689, der er “opera seria” og Glucks reform-operaer, Mozart, Wagner og  “verismo”, atonale og minimalistiske operaer. Og meget andet.

Men den særlige form for opera, som de fleste – måske – tænker på, når man taler om opera, er den, der hedder “bel canto”. Altså: “Skønsang”. Bel canto-operaen havde sin absolutte storhedstid i begyndelsen af 1800-tallet, og de mest berømte komponister inden for genren var – og er – Rossini (“Barberen i Sevilla”, 1816), Bellini (“Norma”, 1831) og Donizetti (“Lucia di Lammermoor”, 1835).

Der er – har jeg bemærket – en tendens til, at folk, som godt kan lide Wagner og Strauss (og sådan noget), ringeagter bel canto — hvorimod folk, der godt kan lide bel canto, synes, at Wagner og Strauss (og alting andet, der kom bagefter) er noget hysterisk KUNST. Cirka.

Men her i bloggen, som jo er kendt for sin enorme åbenhed og tolerance, skelner vi ikke sådan. Lad os ikke være smålige — for det er jo ALTSAMMEN noget hysterisk kunst. Altså. Og det, der som sådan kendetegner bel canto – og som velsagtens er grunden til, at genren er så populær – er, at den er FØLELSESFULD på en smægtende, lækker måde. Det er den slags opera, som egner sig fortrinligt til tuderi, når kæresten, den skid, er skredet.

Her er the most amazing DAME Joan Sutherland. Pavarotti kaldte hende engang “the voice of the century”:

Fra Bellinis “La Sonnambula” (“Søvngængersken”) fra 1831. Som – operaen – Bartoli i øvrigt også lige har indspillet. Og her er hun:

Til sammenligning.

The US Open is now entering the second week and there’s been plenty of entertainment from the women, some matches good, some matches exciting and a fair share of big names sent packing.

Perhaps the most enticing story so far has been that of Kim Clijsters, continuing her return from retirement as an unseeded player in New York. She passed her first round test as expected with a 61, 60 win over Kutuzova to set up a rematch with Marion Bartoli; the Frenchwoman took the first 75 but Clijster flicked the switch and took the next two sets at the expense of just three games. In the third round she comfortably saw off compatriot and friend Kirsten “Flipper” Flipkens to set up a fourth round match against No. 3 seed Venus Williams. Her opponent has spent this tournament again playing with wrapped knees and had seen off Dushevina, Mattek-Sands and Rybarikova to reach this round, and although she  is clearly having problems with her knee, it isn’t stopping her from competing in doubles with her sister. The match was turned on it’s head in the first two sets as each player bagelled the other, first Clijsters and then Venus, and a tight third set saw just one break in favour of the Belgian, enabling her to send Venus crashing with a 64 victory. Next she faces Li Na in the quarter-final before potentially facing Serena Williams in the semis.

The American crowds are all excited about 17 year old Melanie Oudin who has had great success so far, coming from a set down to beat Elena Dementieva in the second round, before doing exactly the same thing in the next round to Maria Sharapova. After beating Shvedova, who herself pulled off an upset with the beating of Jelena Jankovic, Oudin faces another Russian today in the form of Nadia Petrova for a place in the QF, and the top half of the draw has really opened up following Oudin’s dismissal of two top players, added to the exit of Dinara Safina who lost to Petra Kvitova after scraping her way through the first two rounds. Victoria Azarenka is also out at the hands of Francesca Schiavone and the two main seeds left in that half are Caroline Wozniacki and Svetlana Kuznetsova – who face each other today in a fourth round match. Kvitova faces Yanina Wickmayer and the winner will meet either Gisela Dulko or Kateryna Bondarenko in the QF. Either Wozniacki or Kuznetsova will face the winner of Oudin-Petrova.

In the bottom half it’s a much tougher affair. Tournament favourite Serena Williams will face Flavia Pennetta in the QF after the Italian saved six match points to see off Vera Zvonareva, and the winner of that will probably face Clijsters. It’s heavily expected that the winner of the US Open will be whoever makes the final from the bottom half, although I’m sure Wozniacki and Kuznetsova – and others – will have an opinion on that.

With all the relentless talk about the number one ranking this year, it would be very interesting if Svetlana Kuznetsova were to win the US Open. I think we’re all sick to death of hearing how Safina is the number one even though she hasn’t won a Slam, and Serena holds three Slams but is number two… well, ff Kuznetsova comes out on top here, she and Serena will each hold two Slams; Serena the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Svetlana the French and US Open. But then Kuznetsova holds a Tour title and Serena holds none, so will the debate open up into fierce arguments of how Kuznetsova should be the number one ranked player? I doubt it, but it would be interesting.

Anyway, for what it’s worth I chose Clijsters at the start of the tournament and I’m sticking with my choice as we go into the second week. Go Kim!

Cecilia Bartoli (1966)

Nếu k0 nhầm thì Martenzi rất ghét nghe Bartoli gáy , hôm nay cho nghe trọn vẹn bài gáy của Bartoli, hehe!

Download: Agitata da due venti – opera Griselda – Vivaldi – Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano)

Agitata da due venti,

freme l’onda in mar turbato

e ‘l nocchiero spaventato

già s’aspetta a naufragar.

-

Dal dovere da l’amore

combattuto questo core

non resiste e par che ceda

e incominci a desperar.

———————

Ngiêng ngả giữa hai trận cuồng phong

Sóng trào dâng, biển điên gầm thét

Anh lái run sợ trong vô vọng

Chờ thuyền đắm thôi nữa là xong.

-

Tình yêu-bổn phận, chọn điều chi?

Trái tim ta muốn như tan vỡ

Dứt tình , chống mệnh, đều không thể

Chỉ còn nỗi tuyệt vọng ê hề.

———————

(by Yes_Iam_Here – www.classicalvietnam.info)

Bối cảnh: Vua đảo Sicily, Gualtiero từng cưới Griselda, một cô gái mục đồng nghèo va` sinh dc 1 bé gái đặt tên là Costanza. Khi bé gái mới sinh, đức vua giả vờ giết chết đứa bé và bí mật nhờ Corrador, hoàng từ xứ Apulia nhờ nuôi giúp. Thời gian trôi qua, Costanza trưởng thành, cô nảy sinh tình yêu chính người em trai của Corrador, Roberto. Trớ trêu thay, lúc này, đối mặt với quân phiến loạn mới nổi dậy, Đức vua Gualtiero bị ép buộc phải từ bỏ Griselda, để cưới một người vợ mới, và người đựoc chỉ định k0 ai khác chính là Costanza. Costanza, lúc này chưa biết Gualtiero chính là cha đẻ mình, cô đau đớn và tuyệt vọng trước tình cảnh oái oăm của mình phải thành hôn với đức vua và từ bỏ tình yêu….

Nội dung vở này hơi nhảm, như phần lớn opera thời kì Baroque, kết thúc kiểu happy ending, ai về với đôi người ấy. Aria của Costanza là điểm nhấn của cả vở, thực ra nó đc hồi sinh chính nhờ công của Bartoli, và sau này k0 biết bao nhiêu chị em cũng đú đởn tập theo, từ E.Kirkby, Sumi Jo đến cả chị béo, tuy nhiên k0 ai đủ nội lực để thể hiện hoành tráng aria quái dị này như Bartoli. Em nào giọng màu sắc, nhìn vào tổng phổ “Agitata da due venti” rồi chắc cũng khóc thét, tập xong rối hết dây thanh đới mà tắc tử…

Aria đòi hỏi 1 âm vực hơn 2 quãng (từ sol` đến si ), và những đoạn chạy note hoa cả mắt, vô vàn ghi chú trillo, và hàng chục chùm láy 3 note, (ngất đây!!!), hát đúng và đủ đc nó cũng đã bở hơi rồi chứ đừng nói là có thể chạy theo tốc độ chuẩn như thời Baroque hay thêm các cadenza, note trang trí. Hồi xưa vai này chắc là cho Castrato hát (rất hợp với dáng Mar) chứ chẳng chơi. Ơn chúa là Bartoli đã thể hiện quá xuất sắc nên cũng hình dung đc phần nào.

Bartoli, luôn bị chê tơi bời vì cách hát đôi khi hơi cẩu thả và kém trau chuốt tác phẩm, kiểu chạy note lổn nhổn như đá dăm k0 phải lúc nào cũng thoả mãn khán giả yêu thích cách thể hiện mịn đẹp, thánh thiện của nhạc Baroque truyền thống. Bản thân âm lượng giọng hát của Bartoli cũng không lớn nên có vẻ như phù hợp với fòng hoà nhạc thính phòng hơn là các sân khấu opera khổng lồ cho vài nghìn chỗ. Tuy nhiên, rõ ràng là trong thế hệ mezzo cùng thời, Bartoli đang trở thành cái tên được nhắc đến nhiều nhất, điều này k0 thể chỉ do giới truyền thông đã chăm bẵm quá kĩ cho Bar, tài năng của Bartoli là thứ k0 cần kiểm chứng. Không chỉ có sở hữu kĩ thuật mà hầu hết các ca sĩ giọng màu sắc đều mơ ước, một âm vực đáng nể, và âm sắc độc đáo, Bartoli còn là 1 phụ nữ rất thông minh, hài hước, dù cách thể hiện có đôi lúc hơi quá và nhí nhố, nhưng hầu như ai cũng cảm nhận được một tâm hồn sinh động, nhạy cảm, nồng nhiệt trong giọng hát và cách thể hiện của Bartoli, rất tự nhiên, thoải mái và rất … Ý . Bartoli không xinh, nhưng cô biết làm cho mình trở nên hấp dẫn, chỉ nhờ giọng hát.

Bonus vài tầm hình lừa mị của Bar: (chắc qua vài lần shop rồi, hehe)

Bartoli (2 sets – 0) @ 1.75 - Update – REFUND – Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. (6) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 16 76(5) 20 ret. – Luckily Bartoli retired, as she had a few match points at 5-3 in the 2nd set.

Bartoli clobbered Rybarikova in their only matchup, only losing 4 games. Bartoli has been in good form, especially at Stanford where she triumphed over Williams, Stosur and Jankovic so she shouldn’t be troubled today. Rybarikova did beat Schiavone in her first round match but Schiavone has never liked the hardcourts so that shouldn’t count for much today.

As the US Open series picks up speed, Italian Flavia Pennetta is keeping up pace with a 13 match winning streak that has seen her pick up back-to-back trophies in Palermo and Los Angeles. Along the way she’s picked up Top Ten wins against Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova, beaten an in-form Sam Stosur and taken care of a certain Ms Sharapova, and tonight she has her sights on world number 3 Venus Williams. Pennetta will herself enter the top ten if she beats Venus in Cincinatti this evening – an accomplishment which will be a first for womens tennis in Italy. This week she has beaten Morita and Szavay with no real problems and perhaps the only question mark is over her stamina as she plays her 9th match in 11 days.

Venus on the other hand should be rested, having taken a week off following her Stanford final defeat to Marion Bartoli. This week she beat Olga Govortsova in straight sets but will face a tougher challenge in Pennetta and the real question mark over Venus is how much she is willing to put in this close to the US Open. On paper though, you’d expect Venus to be fully determined as we still have over two weeks before that Slam so really that shouldn’t be an issue.

The other big story in Cincinatti this week has been the return to the Tour of Kim Clijsters. Having been training and preparing for six months now, her first match back was against Bartoli, who was playing her first match since beating Venus in Stanford, and the hard work paid off for the Belgian as she tasted victory for the first time in 28 months, courtesy of a 64 63 win. Clijsters followed that up with a 62 75 win over Patty Schnyder and must now be in territory that is beyond what she was hoping for. Her fitness and physical shape seem to be great and she doesn’t seem as rusty on court as you may have expected following such a long absence from the game. As she enters her third match back it’s a question of how far she can go before the physical demands of being back in competition take their toll; tonight she faces French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian playing her first tournament since Wimbledon in June. Kuznetsova scraped through her first match against Lucie Safarova and Clijsters DOES have a 6-1 head-to-head record against Sveta, but the last time they met was almost three years ago.

Elsewhere, the favourites remain in the hunt this week; Serena Williams, Safina, Dementieva, Azarenka, Wozniacki, Zvonareva and Jankovic are all still in the mix as we head to the sharp end of the draw, and it should make for an exciting climax to the week. Tonight though the focus is on Pennetta and Clijsters, and whether they can continue their good runs in the build up to the final Slam of 2009.

Jeg har lige læst Jakob Levinsens bog, “Verdens 25 bedste klassiske plader“. Som faktisk – hans liste – består af 26. Og jeg ejer kun et eksemplar af en af dem på listen, nemlig Karajan-udgaven af “Mestersangeren fra Nürnberg” — som ganske rigtig, ja, er fantastisk.

Pladerne (eller, altså, indspilningerne) er udvalgt efter tre kriterier. Skriver Levinsen i sit forord. Kvaliteten af selve værkerne, kvaliteten af fremførelsen — og indspilningernes (derudover) indspilnings- eller musikhistoriske status. Ingen danske komponister er kommet med, for når listen er begrænset til at (måtte) omfatte 25, “kommer vi med kun det her givne antal indspilninger op i en sådan kunstnerisk vægtklasse, at retfærdighedens sværd nødvendigvis må fungere som en økse.” Citat slut.

Men til gengæld har han fundet plads til både Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass og John Adams. Og Hans Werner Henze.

Og la Bartoli, der synger Gluck:

Her er – i øvrigt – et uddrag af verdens bedst sælgende, klassiske indspilning nogensinde. I hvert fald ifølge WikiAnswers:

Og dén har jeg. Også.

Im ersten Halbjahr 2009 stieg der Absatz an Produkten der Klassikindustrie um 23 %, wie der BVMI (Bundesverband der Musikindustrie) in Berlin mitteilte. Zuwächse kommen vor allen Dingen aus dem Buchhandel und dem Konzert-Direktverkauf. Die vom BVMI in Auftrag gegebene Studie räumt vor allen Dingen mit Vorurteil auf, Klassik sei nur etwas für die Bildungselite. So kommen 1/3 der Umsätze von Klassikfans mit Hauptschulabschluss und mittlerer Reife (lt. Konsumerpanel der GfK,; Medienkaufdaten von 25.000 Haushalten. (Quelle: Die Welt, 08.08.09)

Schön…., mehr als der Bildungshintergrund interessiert mich allerdings der alltägliche Umgang mit Freunden der klassischen Musik. Mir passiert es immer noch, dass ich aufgrund meines Musikgeschmacks gern mal in die Schublade “schrullige Ansichten” gesteckt werde. So what, ich liege ja voll im Trend, bzw. ich bin ja eher ein Trendsetter. Während die meisten sich gerade erst mit Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon und David Garrett annähern, bin ich schon ein bisschen breiter aufgestellt. Cecilia Bartoli, Simone Kermes, Magdalena Kozená, Ian Bostridge…. Das sind Interpreten, die mir ganz besonders gut gefallen und die ich bereits live erlebt habe oder über die ich mind. jede Menge gelesen haben. So lange bin ich noch gar nicht ein richtiger Liebhaber dieser Musikrichtung. Ich brauchte eine Weile bis ich richtigen Zugang gefunden habe und der ist mir so richtig über eine Künstlerin gelungen. So wie viele heute über Netrebko/Villazon Zugang gefunden haben, ist es mir über Cecilia Bartoli gelungen. Ich habe mal eine Arie ( Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa) von G.F. Händel gehört und war wirklich richtig angetan. Ich saß im Auto und habe es im Radio gehört, da ich die Ansage im Radio nicht richtig verstanden hatte (inhaltlich konnte ich nicht Titel und Interpret und Erklärung trennen…), habe ich übers Internet recherchiert und bin fündig geworden. Ich habe mir dann auch meine erste echte Klassik CD gewünscht und bekommen: Opera proibita. Arien von Georg F. Händel, Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara. Gesungen von Cecilia Bartoli.

Mein nächstes Erlebnis war ein Weihnachtsoratorium, gehört im Lübecker Dom. Sopran gesungen von Simone Kermes. Und wieder war ich schwer angetan von der Leichtigkeit mit der sie die Töne hervorgebracht hat. So habe ich mich denn Schritt für Schritt, praktisch Interpret für Interpret an die klassische Musik herangetastet und heute ist sie fester Bestandteil meines Geschmacksrepertoires. Ich fange langsam an über das reine “finde ich schön, gefällt mir, schöne Stimme” hinaus auch Unterschiede in den Stimmen, Interpretationen wahrzunehmen und langsam bildet sich bei mir so etwas wie Geschmacksprofil heraus. Nichts desto Trotz bin ich noch meilenweit davon entfernt ein echter Kenner oder Experte zu sein. Das ist jedoch nicht mein primäres Ziel, mein oberstes Ziel ist der Genuß!

Und da bin ich schon in der Küche gelandet. Essen war für mich viele Jahre notwendig um meinen Hunger zu stillen. Selber Kochen eher Übel als Freude. Wieder war ein einprägsames Erlebnis Auslöser für nachhaltiges Interesse und hier sogar Auslöser für ein echtes Hobby.

Das Ereignis war eine Sendung. Das Kochduell, eine Kochshow auf VOX. Ist schon ein paar Jahre her. Zu der Show wurden zwei Zuschauergäste eingeladen, die im Wert von max. 10 € eingekauft hatten. Keine Vorgabe bei den Zutaten, ganz egal was, konnten auch die merkwürdigsten Zusammenstellungen sein. Zwei Köche hatten dann die Aufgabe gemeinsam mit jeweils einem Gast ein kleines Menü innerhalb von 15 min. zuzubereiten. Die Show war witzig, spontan, kreativ, lehrreich und dauerte nicht zu lang und die Moderatorin war angenehm zurückhaltend. Ein tolles Konzept. Es ging nicht um Rezepte, vielmehr um Kreativität und Grundkenntnisse der Zubereitung. Ich habe sehr viel gelernt und fing an selbst auszuprobieren. Mittlerweile auch gern gemeinam mit Freunden, in Kochkursen, für Gäste.

Und was hat jetzt das Kochen mit der Musik zu tun? Ganz einfach, ein thailändisches Grünes Curry wird einfach besser, wenn dabei Händel erklingt und während der Koloraturen die Karotten den perfekten Schnitt bekommen. Maßeinheiten oder Garzeiten spielen dann keine Rolle mehr, Kochen wird zum Gefühl und je länger der Ton, desto schärfer das Curry….

Das Rezept folgt.

An entertaining week of tennis was capped off with Marion Bartoli defeating Venus Williams in three sets to claim the biggest win of her career to date.

As the Final approached it was Venus who was heavily tipped to win her third hardcourt title of 2009; she had steamrolled Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva in the previous two rounds, dropping just five games in both matches combined. Bartoli on the other hand had played three sets against Sam Stosur in the Semi Final and the night before had fought back from a set down to beat Jelena Jankovic. That match had it’s own little mini-drama as Marion had claimed she prefers to be playing Jankovic rather than the Serbs’ beaten opponent, Sabine Lisicki, because “I always beat her”. Jankovic responded by saying that Marion isn’t exactly Serena Williams and can’t bring it to the big names, ending her interview by smiling and declaring that “Bartoli is going to get it tomorrow”. It looked as though Jankovic would be proved right when she was 6-3 3-1 in the lead but didn’t count on the French woman fighting back to take the second set 76 and then seal success with a 63 win in the third set. Someone had to eat humble pie and it turned out to be Jankovic.

On that same night Australian Stosur produced a surprise by downing Serena Williams. The American showed just why she isn’t the world number one by once again failing to produce her best game outside of a Slam and Stosur took advantage to roll her over 62 36 62 and claim herself a big scalp.

Back to the Final and Bartoli won more games in the first set than Sharapova and Dementieva had managed between them against Venus, taking it 62 to shake Venus up as she was unable to continue her great form in the tournament, partly through her own UE rate but also through her FORCED error rate, which was shown at one point in the second set as being at 17, but I’ve been unable to find final stats for this – if anyone can point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated. Marion’s aggressive game gave Venus very little time for her shots and proved to be the right gameplan in the opening set. In the second set Venus upped her game a little and earned herself a 75 win, despite Bartoli serving for the match at 54.

At this point all advantage seemed to be with Venus and it was generally voiced by commentators and bookmakers alike that there was only one winner, that Marion had missed her chance and would now fade away. That was not to be however and Venus was stunned to find herself 03 down before she knew it, and Bartoli showed energy and fight to continue her aggressive game and dismiss Venus 64 to earn the biggest title of her career thus far. Personally, it was a glorious moment to see Marion celebrate on court, the climax of a lot of hard work by the Frenchwoman and her coach/father, Walter. During the week she had dismissed myths and proved a lot of people wrong about a number of things, chiefly that she can’t fight back against a good player – see the set down comeback against Jankovic; that her head goes down and stays down if she loses the second set, having won the first – see the victory over Sam Stosur; that she doesn’t have the fight to beat a big name player in a tough tussle - watch the final against Venus Williams. Talk of her retiring at any opportunity was also put to one side as she played most of the week with both knees wrapped and had problems with her calf from the Quarter Final match with Jankovic onwards. In the final she was clearly struggling to stay loose but fought through this and was repeatedly seen stretching her body between games as she pushed against the court walls. The spirit and determination shown proved to be too much for her famous opponent and her victory here was greatly deserved.

It was a great week for Marion Bartoli, our WTA Stanford Champion 2009.

It seems like an age has passed since Wimbledon finished but it’s only been three weeks and now we’re on the verge of the US hardcourt season. In the intervening period most of the top players rested but there has been clay court action to enjoy (if we can find matches online anyway) but really, those three weeks after Wimbledon aren’t the same, it’s as if most players are just putting their feet up and breathing deeply, preparing for the big push to the final Slam of the year. Word of note to Andrea Petkovic though, who won her first WTA Tour title yesterday in Bad Gastein, Austria. The world number one, Dinara Safina, also lifted a trophy as she won a hardcourt tournament in Portaroz, Slovenia.

Today, a large number of the top players are in Stanford, USA; the line-up includes both Williams sisters, Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Agnes Radwanska, Marion Bartoli and Nadia Petrova. If we go by the bookmakers then Serena Williams is the easy favourite for this tournament and if she plays well, rightly so – but we all know that Serena doesn’t seem to turn up and give everything she has outside of the slams, evidenced by the fact that she hasn’t won a Tour title in over 15 months now. She has a tricky first round match against Li Na and whilst she should win, I don’t think it would be an earth-shattering shock if she lost that one, although it should be noted that Na is carrying a knee injury. Other potential finalists from that half of the draw include Jankovic, Bartoli and Lisicki and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the winner of Sam Stosur vs Dominika Cibulkova go far.

In the bottom half of the draw, Venus Williams is the favourite to reach the final and with hardcourt titles under her belt already this year, why not? Well, again it will come down to how she approaches the tournament and Venus isn’t adverse to an early defeat to a player she should be beating. She looks safe to win her first two matches but could then find herself up against Maria Sharapova, who is getting ever fitter and would no doubt love to start winning tournaments again as she approaches something resembling her old self, and after that it’s more than likely that Dementieva would be waiting. I think both of those players have more desire than Venus to win this tournament and I would expect one of them to cut off her challenge.

Personally speaking, I’d love to see Marion Bartoli do well here. She’s in potentially the ‘easier’ half of the draw although that description goes hand-in-hand with the assumption that Serena won’t be giving it her all and that Jankovic just isn’t on her game at all right now (or this year).  The young Frenchwoman is more than capable of taking advantage of any shortcomings in her rivals games, so I’ll have my fingers crossed for her. I’d also quite like to see Stosur, Lisicki and Sharapova do well here, but my prediction to win the tournament is Elena Dementieva. She’s won hardcourt titles earlier this year in Auckland and Sydney, reached the Semi Final of the Australian Open (lost to Serena Williams), made the final in Paris (lost to Mauresmo) and of course the last time we saw her was at Wimbledon where she came so close to beating Serena and making the final. Dementieva’s first task is, unfortunately for us Brits, to get past British number one Anne Keothavong.

Elsewhere this week, Nathalie Dechy announced her retirement from tennis, and also her pregnancy, at the age of 30 – best wishes for her future life as a mother! Nicole Vaidisova lost in Stanford qualifying 6-2 6-1 to Stacey Tan, ranked 584 in the world. I’ve no idea what’s going on with Vaidisova and her still-hurtling fall from the upper reaches of the rankings, but it’s looking like she desperately needs to address something in her life and game. It’s really sad to see. And finally, Tamira Paszek told at a press conference how she’d been receiving treatment for a back problem by having her own blood injected into her body, only to have the legality of this questioned. It seems that this type of treatment, known as autologous injections, is against anti-doping rules. Paszek then immediately contacted the Austrian anti-doping agency to find out more about this. Apparently this kind of ‘blood doping’ is against the rules but there’s also an exemption certificate which can be gained to have the treatment administered, though whether this can be acquired after the treatment has occurred, I don’t know. Looking at the massive difference in the Richard Gasquet and Martina Hingis cases, Paszek can expect anything from a wry smile and a slap on the wrist to a hundred year ban from even looking at a tennis court.

For now we have an exciting week of tennis ahead as we lead up to the US Open, so bring it on!

Caroline Wozniacki lifts the trophy at Eastbourne

I enjoyed the AEGON Classic at Birmingham, definitely; but the AEGON International at Eastbourne the following week was even better. Proudly proclaiming to include seven of the world’s top ten female tennis players plus a host of other top names, I set off excited about six days at this tournament. The seven top ten players were Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova – though not in that order. Other names included Ana Ivanovic, Marion Bartoli, Jie Zheng, Agnes Radwanska and Amelie Mauresmo. Prior to this year it had been a WTA-only event but was now including men’s tennis as part of the ATP tour, but as this was an ATP 250 tournament, it wasn’t a particularly attractive line-up, especially if you’re not as interested in the ATP anyway.

So, I arrived at Eastbourne train station at 1.15pm and made my way to the B&B where I was to spend the first two nights, before heading to Devonshire Park where the tournament was being held. This proved to be about a twenty minute walk along the seafront which was very pleasant, especially as the whole week was sunny and the sea breeze was very welcome. I was equipped again, with sun cream already on, sunglasses giving me an ultra-cool look (prescription sunglasses rule) and my new Wilson cap – as in ‘Wilson!’ from the film Cast Away.

My first stop was Centre Court to catch Ivanovic vs. Petrova; Ana was thumped 6-1 in the first set before fighting back to take the second, only for Petrova to win 6-4 in the third. I’d been hoping to see Ivanovic a couple of times so it was a disappointing first match for me, but I was happy to next see Jie Zheng on one of the smaller outside courts, beating Carla Suarez Navarro comfortably. The outside courts are great as there’s no fixed seating and you can watch the match and be only ten feet away from the players whilst the match is on, plus you can wander from court to court easily. I don’t know what the players feel about playing on them but as a spectator I think it’s excellent that you can get such a close view and have an intimate glimpse into the match like that, better than the bigger Centre Courts where you aren’t as close to the players and there’s a visible divide between you. It’s more fun when the players have to walk out amongst the common people to get back to the dressing room.

First up on Tuesday was the player I wanted to see most, Marion Bartoli, and I was delighted to find she was also playing on an outside court, against Argentine Gisela Dulko. A week later Dulko would beat Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon and be the subject of tabloid headlines like ‘The New Darling of SW19’. On this day though she was no match at all for Marion who swept her aside 6-3, 6-1. Bartoli looked to be in great shape and was obviously fully focused and determined to win, keeping herself in constant motion even between serves.

Marion Bartoli in action against Gisela Dulko

After the match she returned to looking like a genuinely sweet girl and I went to Court One to catch the last set of Jankovic vs. Chakvetadze. Having won the first set on a tiebreak, Jankovic had lost the second set and seemed to be in full meltdown when I arrived, trudging around the court and making her frustration clear to everyone as she went out 6-2 and became the second top player to fall in the First Round. A few hours later I was having a smoke by the entrance when Jankovic walked out with a couple of guys, tracksuit top wrapped around her shoulders, looking miserable and sounding very irritated.

Next I saw Vera Zvonareva’s first mach back after a spell out with an ankle injury. Sporting a mechanical looking ankle brace, she too went out at the first attempt, losing in three sets to former Number 1 Amelie Mauresmo. I rounded the day with a bit of Brit-watching, but unfortunately British No. 1 Anne Keothavong went out too, losing in straight sets to Sybille Bammer.

On Wednesday it was back to the outside courts to see Bartoli take on Anna Chakvetadze. Having conquered Jankovic in the first round I was interested to see how she’d do against Marion but needn’t have worried; the Frenchwoman took the first 7-5 and then Chakvetadze showed how a real meltdown looks, visibly upset in the rest between sets and requesting her despite having already seen him during the set.  After a couple of games of the second set she started crying on-court and screaming a number of times after long shots. In desperation she interrupted as Bartoli was about to serve to ask the umpire what the score was – I presume the scoreboard at each end of the court went un-noticed, as did the umpire’s calling of the score after the last point. Leading 3-2 in the second set, Bartoli took a medical timeout to have her right foot checked and rebandaged, before continuing play and easing out the set 6-3. Chakvetadze’s final act of grace was to refuse to shake hands at the net and slink off back to the locker room instead.

Cheered by Marion’s win I made my way to Centre Court to see another of my favourite players, Caroline Wozniacki. I’d only caught the last couple of games of her First Round win over Kleybanova and this match appealed as she was playing Australian Sam Stosur, another player I particularly like. Wozniacki took the first set 6-1 before Stosur got her game together and took the second set 7-5, only for the deciding set to be controlled by the promising young Dane.

A stop was made to watch some of a doubles match on an outside court featuring Ana Ivanovic and Sabine Lisicki taking on the Number 1 pairing of Cara Black and Lizel Huber, the favourites winning fairly comfortably before taking in the first set of Virginie Razzano vs. Elena Dementieva, which surprisingly was won 6-0 by Razzano. I then left as I had to meet my Dad, but Razzano took the second set by a much closer 7-6 scoreline.

I then had a change of accommodation as I was due to spend the next four nights in a camper van with my Dad, an arrangement brought about by a whopping energy bill and a drunken breaking of antique glass having a serious impact on the money I’d put aside for the trip. This arrangement worked out really well as it was nice to spend time with him and the campsite was lovely, very good facilities and surroundings and shared by an awful lot of rabbits, plus squirrels, birds and even a sighting of a badger. Our particular part of the site was called ‘Bunny Plain’ which was an apt name for it.

So, Thursday was Quarter Finals day and first up was Wozniacki taking on fellow youngster Ekaterina Makarova, who had dumped out Amelie Mauresmo in the previous round. She had no such victory this time though as Wozniacki took the game in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2 with another impressive performance from the Dane.

Another Bartoli match followed, this time against Anabel Medina Garrigues, a match which Bartoli was expected to win on grass and did so, taking the first set 6-1 before AMG found her feet in the second set, losing to a more respectable 6-4 scoreline. During this match Vera Dushevina appeared from the dressing rooms and watched part of the action from the tunnel, and she was next up against Aleksandra Wozniak, who had already beaten Jie Zheng and French Open champions Svetlana Kuznetsova. I expected a close match but Dushevina had a nightmare and lost to the Canadian 6-1, 6-0. I think she was struggling with the strong breeze but unfortunately for her Wozniak was having no such problems and the match turned into a rout. The Quarter Final I didn’t see, due to a schedule clash, saw Virginie Razzano beat last year’s tournament winner, Agnes Radwanska.

So, Semi Finals – both on Centre Court and first was the all-French clash between Razzano and Bartoli. There’s a bit of history between Bartoli and the other French players, due largely to Fed Cup issues, and it showed at the end of the match. Razzano took a close opening set 6-4 and Bartoli called for the trainer during the break, complaining of a thigh strain and having the area wrapped. Marion went out to try playing the second set but after the first game indicated that she couldn’t continue as her movement was severely limited. It turned out to be a thigh strain which thankfully didn’t make Marion miss Wimbledon, starting two days later, undoubtedly due to her retiring rather than continuing to play and put herself out of action for a while. As Bartoli returned to her bench her opponent walked over to her to shake hands but was shunned instead. It turned out that Razzano had been interview in a French newspaper the previous day and had claimed that Bartoli would often exaggerate injuries to try and get a mental advantage over her opponents, and would do anything to win. The refusal to shake hands was down to this latest development amongst the French tennis players. The good news is that the decision to retire seemed to be the correct one as Marion was able to play her match at Wimbledon a few days later.

The second Semi saw Wozniacki take on near-namesake Wozniak, a tie that was always going to confuse some of the new dynamic amongst the crowd, as more and more people arrived in their best dress and sales of Pimms escalated. Overheard from the people around me were the following:

“Which player’s which?”

“Wozniacki should win, she has nicer hair.”

“Why is she talking to her coach? You’re not allowed to talk to your coach during a match!”

“Women’s tennis is about the same level as amateur men’s tennis.” (uttered pre-match)

The comment about on-court coaching possibly irked me the most as it’s only been used in every tournament this season – 28 by my reckoning. The couple next to me arrived after just a couple of games though, having left after 5 games of the Razzano-Bartoli match to buy strawberries. I can’t see the point of paying £26 for a ticket if you’re not going to watch the matches or don’t follow the game at all during the rest of the year, but each to their own I suppose. Anyway, today Wozniacki didn’t seem quite as on top of her game as she had done in her other matches but she got it together in the third set to reach the final, where she would play the relatively rested Razzano.

Wozniacki prepares to receive

This match was first up on Centre Court on Saturday, prior to the god-awful men’s final which followed. This match ended up being much closer than it appeared at first, as Razzano went 5-2 in the first set before starting to play as she can, storming back to level and take it to a tie-break. There, Razzano again fell behind, 6-1, only to make another great fight of it before succumbing 7-5 to a relieved Wozniacki. The second set was also a tight affair but the Dane closed it out 7-5 to seal her second WTA title of the year and her first ever on grass. Caroline fully deserved this title having played some great tennis throughout the week and was charming and professional during her speech afterwards, a true superstar in the making who is going to be fun to follow over the coming years.

So my week came to an end unfortunately, but it was well worth the trip and I had a great time in Eastbourne. Particularly pleased to have been able to watch some of my favourite players in action and delighted that Caro lifted the trophy at the end of it. I also got to briefly meet Marion Bartoli, Virginie Razzano, Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs which was great. Next call for these players is Wimbledon, and I’ll be back at Eastbourne next year for another excellent week!  Photos from the week can be found at http://s578.photobucket.com/albums/ss226/Inktrailer/ and the album folders should be on the left hand side.

40€ em Múltipla de 2 apostas
1 Hantuchova v Sugiyama  @ 1.39
2 Schiavone v Bartoli @ 1.44

Odd Total: 2,01

Ganho potencial: 40,40€

Uitslagen geplaatste dames dag 1

Azarenka (Wru,8) – Bremond (Fra) 6-2, opgave Bremond
Bartoli (Fra, 12) – Chan (Tpe) 6-0, 6-0
Zheng (Chn,16) – Barrois (Dui) 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4)
Sugiyama (Jap) – Schnyder (Zwi,21) 6-4, 6-4
Schiavone (Ita) – Wozniak (Can,23) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Razzano (Fra,26) – Paszek (Oos) 6-0, 3-1 opgave Paszek
Kleibanova (Rus,27) – Karatantcheva (Kaz) 6-2, 7-5
Cirstea (Roe,28) – Gallovits (Roe) 7-5, 6-1
Pavlyuchenkova (Rus,31) – Cetkovska (Tsj) 6-2, 6-2

Sì non c’è dubbio, Bartoli e Razzano non si offriranno neanche un caffè. Caso mai fosse avvelenato.
Dopo le dichiarazioni di ieri della Razzano sulla Bartoli, il match di oggi si preannunciava ‘caldo’ malgrado il vento gelido che continua a soffiare (e che comunque tiene lontano le nuvole e la pioggia). Il dopo match sarà bollente.

Primo set con break a ripetizione. E con la Bartoli che dal suo secondo turno di battuta cercava di fare dello streatching alla gamba sinistra. dirà che ha sentito dolore dal suo primo turno di servizio quando era 40 a 0). La vedi e dici fra poco chiama il fisioterapista. Invece gioca e tutti i game sono combattuti. Anche in quelli dove c’è stato il break c’e’ sempre stata una palla game.
Sul 3 a 2 Razzano , Marion chiama il padre-coach in campo. Funziona, fa il break e va 4 a 3. Turno della Razzano di chiamare il fidanzato-coach. Funziona anche questa volta. Si porta 5 a 4, ha un set point e la Bartoli fa doppio fallo. Marion chiede il fisoterapista, il problema è sempre alla gamba sinistra. Poi gioca il primo game del secondo set. Non riesce quasi a muoversi e il padre le dice ‘Stop. Abbandona’. Lei stringe la mano all’arbitro e si siede. La Razzano va da lei per darle la mano, Marion non la guarda e le dice solo “Perchè dovrei stringertela?” poi si alza e se ne va.
Le scintille erano nell’aria, diventarà un vero fuoco in conferenza stampa.
Marion arriva zoppicando. Demoralizzata, per l’infortunio,al momento non si può sapere la gravità. Dovrà aspettare domani ma se si trattasse di contrattura non riuscirebbe a recuperare per Wimbledon. Lei che ci credeva così tanto nelle sue possibilità di fare bene. Poi arriva la domanda sulla mancata stretta di mano.
E Marion non si nasconde ‘Dopo quello che ha detto alla stampa francese, dovrei stringerle la mano? Io non avrei mai detto quelle cose. E’ orribile ciò che a detto di me. Non so cosa le passa per la testa” Poi si passa alle domande in francese. Rimaniamo in 4: Marion, il giornalista francese, la ragazza della Wta ed io che ascolto. E Marion è calma ma non si ferma più. “Se chiamo il fisioterapista è perchè sto male e non posso continuare a giocare. Ho giocato una semifinale di uno slam con una vescica di 10 cm e non potevo camminare. Lei pensa di essere perfetta? Lei che si ferma 50 volte perchè sbaglia il lancio di palla. Ma come fa a dire certo cose”. Fino ad ora è stata calma, poi è troppo l’amarezza per l’infortunio, per le parole della Razzano, per la sconfitta. ‘Oggi volevo proprio vincere” (per fargliela pagare probabilmente pensa ma non dice). Quasi all’improvviso Marion scoppia a piangere e fra le lacrime a voce bassa continua “Perchè deve dire queste cose, ma cosa le ho fatto. E’ una ipocrita. Chiedilo alla Dechy cosa è successo in Fed Cup. Meglio che non dico tutto quello che penso di lei in questo momento. E’ irrispettosa”.
E le lacrime scendono copiose. La ragazza della Wta le porta l’unica cosa simile ad un fazzoletto di carta che riesce a trovare, un tovaglio blu. Il giornalista le circonda le spalle per farle coraggio. E tutti ci sentiamo fuori posto. Va via zoppiando, continuando a piangere.

La Razzano invece è sempre più sorridente. Le chiedono ‘Vincere così non è bello’, lei forse non capisce o fa finta di non capire e spiega il match quasi punto per punto. E’ contenta di come ha giocato. Poi allora le chiedono della stratte di mano che non c’è stata e lei tranquilla e sorridente “E’ Marion, si può fermare in qualsia momento. In qualsia modo. La conosciamo. Mi sono arrivati tanti sms che mi dicevano complimenti, hai meritato la vittoria. Se la conosci, sai che non la devi guardare, perchè per vincere fa di tutto. A Roma ci ho perso perchè pensavo e adesso che fa? Ha un problema oppure no? E sono uscita dal campo frustrata. Stavolta mi sono detta: Virginie non importa cosa, ma non guardarla, pensa solo al tuo tennis. Sono contenta. Perchè tu vuoi solo giocare il tuo tennis, poi vinci, perdi non importa perchè hai giocato il tuo tennis e ti sei divertita.
Domani giocherò contro la Wozniacki o la Wozniack. Sono due ragazze giovani, mi piacciono molto e sono due giocatrici molto professionali”. Sorride tanto, ride. E’ contenta per la finale.
Poi si torna alle domande in francese e si è di nuovo in 4 nella sala stampa.
“Guarda, Marion mi ha fregato una volta, ma non due. Quando ho perso con lei l’ultima volta mi sono sentita manipolata. Ma lei è così. A Parigi indoor, lo scorso anno ci ho perso e bè e’ stata una partita così…insomma anche il pubblico l’ha fischiata. A fine partita, negli spogliatoi con il mio allenatore le abbiamo parlato. Mi sono congratulata con lei per la vittoria e le abbiamo anche detto guarda che pero’ questo atteggiamento forse non è corretto. Lei mi ha detto a noi degli altri non ci imporata nulla. Io penso solo a me stessa. Se la pensa così poi non si lamentasse. Guarda io non la detesto. La rispetto così come è. La conosciamo per quello che è”. E continua a sorridere.

C’è un contrasto così forte fra le lacrime e il sorriso di queste due francesi, che quasi non ci accorge di una gran bella partita fra le Woz vinta in tre set della danese.
In serata nella gelateria preferita da Carolina, entrerà Alexandra ma solo perchè è il suo coach che vuole un gelato. Poi i due vanno verso il lungomare a sentire il concerto della tribute band dei Queens.

La danese Wozniacki è arrivato in semifinale mentre la polacca Radwanska è stata battuta dalla Razzano. Quindi secondo le scommessa fatta fra di loro, la Radwanska dovrà pagare il gelato alla Wozniacki. Per la precisione una coppa Casablanca (cioccolato, caramello e vaniglia) alla gelateria “qui dietro l’angolo” come ha precisato Carolina. Può anche darsi comunque che le paghi anche al cena. Un pò di puro gossip: dopo le partite sono andate al ristorante italiano ‘Pomodoro e Mozzarella’ (che fantasia per il nome di un ristorante eh! Però si mangia bene) con loro anche la sorellina Ursula e i due doppisti polacchi Fyrstenberg e Matkowski. Lo sapranno i genitori?

Quindi le seminifinali saranno da una parte ci sarà Wozniacki contro Wozniack, auguri all’arbitro nel pronunciare i nomi e dovrà essere molto concentrato per ricordarsi quale Woz è.

D’altro lato ci sarà uno scontro francese, la Bartoli contro la Razzano.
Ora, se le Woz sono due ragazze tranquille, quello fra le francesi si preannucia un match interessante sotto molti aspetti, sopratutto caratteriali, diciamo così.
Da una parte la Bartoli che ha detto di aver molta fiducia nel suo gioco. A lei giocare sull’erba piace mentre le top players non sanno proprio giocarci. Motivo? Lo swing più corto che Marion esegue perchè gioca a due mani, rispetto a tutte le altre che hanno uno swing più ampio. Ora uno si chiede parole sue oppure del padre ?
Comunque aggiunge ‘Se Venus Wiliams e’ dall’altro lato potrei anche arrivare in finale, ne ho già giocata una, perchè non due?”

D’altra una Razzano sorridente a più non posso. “La parte mentale del mio gioco è quella più importante. Domani dovrò essere concentrata solo su me stessa e non guardare nemmeno cosà farà Marion: tipo chiamare il fisioterapista nel mezzo del game per spezzare il ritmo all’avversaria come ha fatto con la Chakvetdaze, prendersi tutto il tempo per servire, fare il balletto mentre aspetta la risposta. Marion vuole vincere così tanto che farebbe di tutto. Lei le regole le porta sempre al limite e a volte va anche oltre. Perciò domani devo giocare solo pensando a me stessa. Non fraintermi io rispetto Marion come persona, come giocatrice la conosciamo molto bene, sappiamo quello che e’ capace di fare in campo. Quello è il suo stile, quello è ciò che le ha insegnato il padre.
Uhm, se la Wozniacki e la Radwanska sono grandi amiche, ‘ste due manco un caffè insieme bevono.