#alzira

[unteriors]

Calle de Trafalgar, Alzira, Valencia.

[useless-catalanfacts]

De Salses a Guardamar i de Fraga a l’Alguer: les comarques de parla catalana una a una. 63/88: la Ribera Alta (València, Valencian Country).

Ribera Alta is a shire in the Valencian Country whose capital city is Alzira. As a result of urban growth, Alzira has merged with the nearby cities Carcaixent and Algemesí, forming one metropolitan area with about 90,000 inhabitants. Besides these three, all the other towns are small, most of them with less than 4,000 inhabitants.

The rivers Xúquer, Magre, Sallent, and Albaida cross the Ribera Alta, making it a very fertile land that has been mostly dedicated to growing oranges since Islamic times (Middle Ages). Most towns have their origin in farmhouses settled during the Islamic period, which grew and became villages and towns during the Christian period of the Late Middle Ages.

The district preserves many examples of Medieval Islamic architecture, like Alzira’s city walls and some towers and remains of castles scattered around the different hills and towns.

A famous thing in Ribera Alta is the holiday of Mare de Déu de la Salut, celebrated annually in Algemesí since the year 1247. It’s celebrated with traditional dance and music on the streets, including the muixeranga, an acrobatic dance with its own music which is one of the most significant cultural icons of the Valencian Country. This holiday has been declared Intangible World Heritage by UNESCO.

Photos: Fev/wikimedia, Sumacàrcer Turisme, 19Tarrestnom65/wikimedia, Rafa Esteve/wikimedia, Pablo Enzo/wikimedia, Roigbalterra/wikimedia, Freepik, isaac_mullor on Instagram.

[bulkbinbox]

alzira por vincenzo pastore, década de 1910. 

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Traversing the Verdi Canon #8: Alzira

I did it! I have officially watched every single Verdi opera at least once!

Production: Lima 2018. Warning that there is some implied offstage sexual assault and at one point one character partially undresses another character in a way that implies attempted sexual assault.

Experience: yup, this is the last of the 26 Canonical Verdi Operas I have seen.

Alzira joins a small group of Verdi operas that also includes works such as Nabucco, Attila, and Stiffelio, where it’s not really a comedy in that it’s not packed with humor and levity but it’s not really a tragedy either because the only person who dies is the biggest dick in the cast and pretty much everything else works itself out (or, more accurately, there’s hope that everything else can work itself out).

The plot, which is still in many ways Very Relevant: it’s Lima in the 1500s, at the height of the conquistador period. Alzira (soprano) is an Incan princess in love with fellow Incan Zamoro (tenor), who saved the aging Governor of Peru Alvaro (bass, presumably no relation to the Forza character of the same name) from execution...for Plot Reasons, I guess. Alvaro’s son Gusmano (baritone) gets the governorship because his dad is like “I’m tired of this and also don’t wanna get executed”. He is also Very Into Alzira. Meanwhile, Alzira’s father Ataliba (bass) wants his daughter to marry Gusmano to Avoid Further Conflict (understandable, i guess). However, Alzira is having exactly none of this, especially because she and Zamoro have recently reunited. Gusmano decides that the best way to go about this is to have Zamoro executed but Alvaro (who is altogether the only decent Spanish character in the opera) stops him, so instead Zamoro and Gusmano face each other on the battlefield (sadly not onstage). When the former gets captured, Gusmano forces Alzira to agree to marry him in exchange for Zamoro’s freedom. Zamoro is Not Having This, disguises himself, crashes the wedding, and murders Gusmano in front of everyone (FUCK YEAH). Then Gusmano, realizing that perhaps he shouldn’t have been such a colonialist motherfucking asshole, tries to make amends and dies. The end.

First things first: this opera is SHORT. I think it’s the shortest opera Verdi ever wrote (it comes in at just over 90 minutes), and this is great because a lot of the pace is breakneck. This works splendidly, while more reflective moments get their due. I wish we got to know the characters more, though.

Re: the music, it does take some time for this score to really get off the ground, but starting at Act I, Scene 2 (Alzira’s aria), it becomes really, really lovely and maintains that high standard. I literally gasped when that string prelude started; it’s so shimmery and gorgeous. The ensemble that ends Act I is also particularly effective. Also, I just love Zamoro calling Gusmano out on his BS; I literally clapped when Zamoro cried “Carnefice!” (”Butcherer!”) and then spit in Gusmano’s face. And then clapped again in Act II when Zamoro shot Gusmano. The finale was more musically lovely than Gusmano deserved.

 Also, hey, look at Verdi and Solera Knowing What’s Up.

This production has quite a nice cast (I particularly liked the Alzira and Alvaro) and related musical forces. Aesthetically the production is a bit weird (and it would probably be a nightmare in house for people sensitive to fluorescent lighting), as the look veers between “museum diorama” and “vaguely futuristic”, but it tells the story as effectively and efficiently as the opera itself. As I mentioned earlier, some uncomfy elements (aside from the implied SA, Gusmano also forcibly baptizes Alzira at one point, which I don’t think is in the original), but they’re handled pretty well, I’d say, much better than many other opera productions, and they work for the story.

anyway, not the greatest but still a lot better than popular opinion, and y’all don’t be racist and colonialist, you hear?

[elssomnisdebravo]

Dame veneno que quiero morir, dame VE-NE-NO ☠️🎵 . . . #ácidoacetilsalicílico #omeoprazol #homeopatia #resaca #falles #alzira #akafra #illustration #drawing #eroticdraw #chineseink #cosmos #planet #planetas #pool #surrealismo #surrealism #stars #estrellas #billar #poolman #ink #tinta #black #blackink #tattoo #eroticdrawing #govegan #fallas2019 #itsbravo #danibravo (en Alzira, Valencia) https://www.instagram.com/danibravoilustracion/p/BvMUW59BWrO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13vkmzi8mn4ni

[lionesspidge]

Voltron: Defenders of Tomorrow hc's (pt 3)

Pt three here we go babey

-the second arc is about answering the question of whether to continue the fight against the galra, and who the paladins really are

-the paladins are all tired. Exhausted, after ridding the city of all possible galra influence

-the galra don't give up, though, and frequent galra attacks give the paladins plenty to focus on

-Hiroshi is the leader, and he is the most done. With just, like, everything

-he wants to just live his life out with Dante in the city. He's been through a lot. Also, I like the headcanon that he's an android built by Dante so that's that

-He gets his rest. Alzira takes over much of his duties while Rowan works alone as the team librarian basically. oh, and Rowan is Muslim. Islamaphobes die

-Hiroshi is still active in the team and fighting the galra but he doesnt have to be responsible for everyone else's problems afsgsfsg

-Pana/Petra finds herself uninterested in continuing the fight bc she just cant connect herself to the people suffering. She knows it's happening, and she doesn't like it. She just can't dedicate the rest of her life (many many years) to it. she's just more inclined to other things. Like robots

-anyways, she ends up becoming dante's apprentice and also being cared for by Hirante (hiroshi & dante)

-the extent of her involvement now is studying drones and giving the team useful tips etc

-shes just a kid give her some slack

-anyways, dante now is just running his tech business, building away and loving life w/ his husband and six adopted kids lmfao

-Alzira, as mentioned, is now active as the Black Lion though her and Hiroshi co-lead mostly (black paladin allura was one of my many dreams for vld and now I finally get to realize it)

-Rowan is still the team's sort of historian/communicator/common sense lmfao

-(I loved romelle. Loved. She's great. So snarky also her and hunk r sarcastic soulmates in every universe)

-Henare is... ok with either. He doesnt want to give up his dreams to continue to pursue the Galra outside of their home turf (and that's what this is: giving up their dreams and personal lives for the sake of others)

-but he cares. He cares so, so much. Lion of compassion after all

-He'll eventually stay with the cause, deciding to make the decision to stay with it. He doesn't blame Hiroshi or Pana or anyone else for not though. It's a big choice with consequences either way.

-He doesn't let it consume him, though. He has other friends. He talks with his family. He has hobbies.

-Akira and Leandro are different.

-They both commit themselves fully to the goal of eventually taking down every single Galra member in the universe, regardless if it's realistic within their lifetime

-Akira is all red. That passion is all consuming.

-Leandro is a little more blue than red. Maybe 70 30. That red is enough to drive him to the ends of everything to prevent suffering, but the blue keeps more stable. More realistic.

-Akira's righteous fury is great in the heat of the moment, but it can't be sustained.

-just as Leandro's stabler approach is better suited to the long haul but can't drive him to do things sometimes sadly necessary for the cause

-they balance. It's cool.

-So whose gonna be green? Glad you asked

-Amadeo!!!

-i lied in my earlier post saying he wouldn't be featured sorry

-hes like Pana but more experienced in actual conflict and real life problems. Wiser

-also he has more blue and yellow, while Pana has more red

-team voltron can only handle so many impulsive people at once facsxzggd

-amadeo fits in well. He's older than a lot of them, but he's not overbearing. Not like a parent, more like an older brother whose concerned for you, but won't be all up in your business and will be content just giving advice.

-which is good bc regardless of main colors everyone on team voltron is very independent lol they like things their way

-also I just thought I should probably specify just what amounts of each color team voltron has. Ok

-Hiroshi is 70% black, 15% yellow 15% red

-Amadeo is 70% green, 20% blue 10% yellow

-Pana is 80% green, 20% red

-Henare is 70% yellow, 30% green

-Alzira is 60% black, 30% red, 10% yellow

-Akira is 80% red, 20% yellow

-Leandro is 70% blue, 30% red

-i guess I'll do the others even though they won't weild

-Rowan is 40% green, 20% yellow, 20% red, 20% blue

-Coran (do we still not have a name for him? I think i saw Vax or Vil??) is 60% green, 40% blue

-Dante is 40% green, 40% blue, 20% red

I think that's enough for now kids see you later!!

(Also reply/reblog if you want my worldbuilding of the city they're in. It's long and sort of not relevant and I'd have to split it in half but if you're interested just say so)

[allthingseurope]

Monastery of la Murta, Spain (by Pablo Carrascosa)

[glamzery]