Hollywood A-lister flies out to aid Greek opera

Hollywood A-lister flies out to aid Greek opera

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norman lebrecht

January 31, 2020

Emma Stone of La La Land, reputedly Hollywood’s top-paid actress, is doing her bit for the classics.

No idea why or how: the Greeks are not strong on communication.

Here’s what the press release says:

The Greek National Opera and NEON announce the start of a new short film production by Yorgos Lanthimos, with Emma Stone and Damien Bonnard, in Greece, the second commission in the series The Artist on the Composer. The program is a co-production of the Greek National Opera and NEON.

The production is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

The program The Artist on the Composer is a three-year collaboration between the Greek National Opera and NEON Organization for Culture and Development ( www.neon.org.gr ) which connects cutting-edge contemporary visual artists, composers and/or film producers with “live” performances of orchestral music.

Comments

  • PHF says:

    Seems they’re just gathering some prestige people to get a fancy production and hopefully some profit. Artistically, nothing much probably.

  • Greg Bottini says:

    Norman, I’m puzzled by your comment “the Greeks are not strong on communication”.
    Just off the top of my head – Mitropoulos.
    BTW, I love Emma Stone. She’s beautiful AND a great actress. I wish her project all success.

  • Bob Poil says:

    Do your research Norm, she was in The Favourite, Lanthimos’ latest. So lazy..

  • viola fan says:

    Well a quick google search reveals that Emma Stone was in Yorgos Lanthimos’ movie “The Favourite” last year.

  • salvame says:

    “No idea why or how: the Greeks are not strong on communication.”
    Seriously?
    “a new short film production by Yorgos Lanthimos, with Emma Stone…”
    WhatEVER could the connection be??? Hmmm, Jorgos Lanthimos, isn’t he the BAFTA-nominated director of the BAFTA-award winning film (Outstanding British Film, 2018) The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman and Emma Stone? You should maybe get out more, but perhaps don’t blame the Greeks for not spooning this one over your yoghurt.

    • V.Lind says:

      Maybe NL is not familiar with movies that people actually saw.

      I am looking forward to seeing TSON, if it ever turns up at an art cinema near me on a day I am free.

      Any word on its online presence…

  • Mock Mahler says:

    Emma Stone knows Yorgos Lanthimos from working with him on “The Favourite,” which got her Oscar and BAFTA nominations.

  • steven holloway says:

    I suspect Ms Stone’s participation does not, in her view, require any public explanation. She is well-known in the business for acting in low-budget indie movies alongside her ‘blockbusters’. Something new, perhaps experimental, stimulating, refreshing. Ms Stone is acting in this film because she acts in films, and quite well-known for it.

  • Caranome says:

    Yet another Hollywood glamour project that will not accomplish anything except a few days of PR at a high price.

  • John Borstlap says:

    “…………. cutting-edge contemporary visual artists”, that makes me think of the ‘visual artist’ Fontana:

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/lucio-fontana-on-the-threshold-review-creativity-that-cuts-against-the-grain-11548195378

    It will be very difficult to find a klischee that is more worn-out and meaningless, after a century of use by armies of conformist nitwits.

    Also the notion of ‘artist on the composer’ evokes embarrassing associations of transgressed boundaries, in this case also of decency.

    • V.Lind says:

      I love “klischee,” but you may not know that in English we use the French version as an adopted English word. I think, although the context and obvious pronunciation would make the idea clear, that the word would be unfamiliar to most English readers.

  • Anastasios Nikolopoulos says:

    It’s indeed unfortunate that the EN version of the press release does not include the link to https://neon.org.gr/en/exhibition/the-artist-on-the-composer-yorgos-lanthimos-en/ where it is explained that “Yorgos Lanthimos enthusiastically accepted the proposal (…) to create a short film which will be projected at the Stavros Niarchos Hall accompanied by music ensembles.” What makes even less sense is that only three dates are scheduled: 22, 23 & 28/5/20. Tickets will go on sale on 2 May and will only cost 10 €.

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