Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Deprivation.

I went to the performance of "Hansel and Gretel" of Seiji Ozawa Ongakujuku 2009.

The first time I heard live music under Seiji Ozawa's conducting was when I went to a Salome performance with my mother in the suburbs of Tokyo. The music by Richard Strauss was played with fire and full of passion. I became an instant fan.

Ever since, I have been listening to Ozawa when I had a chance. One of the most memorable occasions was when I attended the performance of the Saito Kinen Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa, in the Queen Elizabeth hall. I was studying in Cambridge then, and took the train to the King's Cross railway station in London.

Listening to Hansel and Gretel, I thought about how deprivation nurtured fantasy. Hansel and Gretel are very poor. They cannot get anything other than dry bread. Water is the only drink they come by. When Gretel is fortunate to get some milk from a neighbor, her mother accidentally spills it, breaking the new jar. Angrily. the mother tells Hansel and Gretel to pick up some berries in the forest.

The valley of deprivation is very deep for the boy and girl. Because of that, in a contrast, the dreamlike fantasy of angels that guard Hansel and Gretel's troubled sleep in the night forest becomes shining and rewarding.

Deprivation is the mother of the arts. A great artist can see deprivation even in a situation when there is peace on surface and materialistic abundance everywhere. The artist's soul can identify and then fulfill a spiritual void.

9 comments:

Einstein's Brain said...

The majority of Europeans lived like that when Hansel and Gretel was first thought of. I agree, deprivation does bring out our inner desires.

Utako said...

I agree too.

" The valley of deprivation is very deep for the boy and girl. Because of that, in a contrast, the dreamlike fantasy of angels that guard Hensel and Gretel's troubled sleep in the night forest becomes shining and rewarding."

I'll transcribe this phrase and repeat on the return train.

We don't bother to need the light under the bright circumstances. Arts might be thought valuable by illuminating darkness and showing the detail definitely and charmingly. In order to this, artists may not borrow established usage, so they might be willing to go into the deep forest and accept the gloomy route.

" Deprivation is the mother of the arts."
I remember the long blackouts because of frequent typhoons. I wonder why we enjoyed so much for all complete darkness.

Take said...

My girlfriend was always chasing Ozawa. She'd say his Berlioz was the best conducting in the world.

Anonymous said...

great essay..

I am thinking why he selected "Hansel and Gretel" as a feature.
It seems to me that Ozawa is in some way a grown-up kid always.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, the idea that we need to feel struggle/pain in order to experience happiness/success is an untruth that is reiterated too often. From an early age the same idea that we are victims to circumstance is reinforced through stories (Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, etc), school, and parents. Why can't we be happy and achieve success by taking responsibility for ourself...we do not need to suffer or have someone save us.

Anonymous said...

oh...

Dear Ms/Mr. Anonymous

i am a beginner. every essay and comments are great for me in this qualia journal. However, this morning, i felt that your comment is especial. not only great, but also quite bitter... somewhat ironic. I felt i like your opinion:
"Why can't we be happy and achieve success by taking responsibility for ourself...we do not need to suffer or have someone save us"

Then I am now reflecting my memories on my mother. I am sure that she never reinforced such kind of thoughts to me, that is you pointed out, we need to feel struggle/pain in order to experience happiness/success...

I could say thank my Mom, unique education to me. today is my mom's birthday... m

miho hatori said...

I loved "Deprivation" topic very much.
Thank you for writing this !!!!
I felt relief, hahaha !! ( Ironically funny )

reading this topic made me think about immunity of deprivation.

Once we have deep scars in our mind, we are able to go to the area much more easier ? and get used to "spending" a time in the area, and be able to manage and decorate the whole cave of Deprivation with our own wall paper, and no longer we don't need to feel pain....

Maybe it's called independence and freedom.

山岡 由美子 said...

Some months ago,this story was plaied in my town also.At this time,why Henzel and Gretel?
The clear way of his consideration
is a qualia for us certainly.
Althogh I admire Mogi's active days as a scientist and Ozawa's works as an artist,I want to stick to the courage of Issay Miyake and Obama.And I wish they cheer up thier courage for a beatiful story for the future.
When I read "Butterfly alert",I found his an educator's face but a
scienist.It was my qualia of that day.And I commented that the qualia was as same as a book gave me that is written by a scientist also.It gave us a message of science with heart.It was a beatiful science story for the future but "star wars".
Why...

山岡 由美子 said...

Some months ago,this story was plaied in my town also.At this time,why Henzel and Gretel?
The clear way of his consideration
is a qualia for us certainly.
Althogh I admire Mogi's active days as a scientist and Ozawa's works as an artist,I want to stick to the courage of Issay Miyake and Obama.And I wish they cheer up thier courage for a beatiful story for the future.
When I read "Butterfly alert",I found his an educator's face but a
scienist.It was my qualia of that day.And I commented that the qualia was as same as a book gave me that is written by a scientist also.It gave us a message of science with heart.It was a beatiful science story for the future but "star wars".
Why...