Marianne

The album is a beautiful, haunting score, perfectly capturing the Mediterranean locations and dark, emotionally charged drama of Nick Broomfield’s very personal vision. The Universal Pictures release has been the unexpected hit of the summer consistently filling cinemas in the UK throughout August, ahead of its European release. The film follows the beautiful yet tragic love story between Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen from the early days on the idyllic Greek island of Hydra in 1960.

This is the story of innocent Marianne works in a ski resort high in the French alps. One night she agrees to go on a date with Bob, a young guy on vacation. Bob excites her in ways that her oafish boyfriend never could. On a whim, Marianne decides to follow Bob back to Paris. At first he is annoyed by the persistent demands of his unwanted guest. Then he hits on a plan to make money from Marianne's naivety by using her as bait to attract rich clients whom he will then black-mail. However, Marianne is not quite as innocent as Bob thinks.

First performed in French at the Paris Opera in 1867, Don Carlo is in many ways an amazingly innovative work. The opera seems to underline Verdi's shift from the Manichean division between good and evil, which had been a clear, structural element of his dramaturgy up to that point in his career. In this opera, Verdi assembles all his mainstay music theatre themes: power, with its honors and burdens; the contrasts of impossible love; the conflict between father and son; and an oppressed people demanding freedom. Verdi radically revised the score in 1883, using an Italian libretto and reducing the opera from five acts to four. The popularity of Don Carlo has grown unremittingly ever since, with today's critics almost unanimously recognizing it as one of Verdi's greatest masterpieces, an opera that continues to reveal new gems. Daniel Oren is fully in control on the podium, ensuring unanimity between orchestra and singers. The Maestro softens teh dark tones of the score, which are well reflected in the visuals, choosing instead to emphasize the various changes of mood.