JOHN CONSTABLE’S LANDSCAPES, ON VIEW IN LUXEMBOURG

The fame of John Constable (1776-1837) is assured in his country of birth as one of the greatest landscape painters of the British school, but his remarkable body of work remains less well-known outside the UK than that of his contemporary J.M.W. Turner, this no doubt because most of his artistic production is held in England: the bulk of Constable’s work is divided between London’s National Gallery and Tate Gallery.

At this moment the Tate is making a generous loan from its Constable holdings to the Musée d’Art de la Ville de Luxembourg, also known as the Villa Vauban. From 2 July to 9 October 2022, in an exhibition entitled ‘John Constable’s English Landscapes: Masterpieces from the Tate Collection’, a good fourscore of Constable’s works are on display, as well as some by his contemporaries (including Turner).

A particularly noteworthy presence is that of one of Constable’s most famous paintings, ‘Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’. The works on view testify to the artist’s deep love of nature, as well as his particular interest in painting clouds and trees. Those familiar with the English countryside will appreciate the depiction of its light and shades through the master’s brushstrokes. The coast is not neglected, in views of Brighton and Great Yarmouth (the latter suggesting by anticipation the maritime mood of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield). Also represented are Constable’s occasional forays into other genres, as in the monumental ‘The Opening of Waterloo Bridge’. 

The sharing for three months of such an important heritage is an artistic event to be deeply valued, and the Tate and the Villa Vauban are to be congratulated on this bold initiative. Constable’s work deserves to be better known in mainland Europe, and this event is a major step in that direction. If you live in or near Luxembourg and wish to feel the healing power of nature, go to the Villa Vauban to catch this exhibition while it’s there! Your effort will be amply rewarded!

The official site of the exhibition is at: https://villavauban.lu/exhibition/john-constables-english-landscapes/

THE GIPSY KINGS SET A LUXEMBOURG SMALL TOWN ALIGHT! / LOS GIPSY KINGS ALUMBRAN UN PUEBLO DE LUXEMBURGO

Wiltz, a small municipality in Luxembourg, has won a name for itself in recent years with its summer music festival, and 2022 was special indeed with the festival’s concluding event, a concert with no less an act than the Gipsy Kings! The rumba-rock-flamenco (or more technically rumba flamenca) ensemble, currently numbering eleven performers and despite singing mostly in Spanish in fact originating from southern France, are known for their infectious songs with chantlike refrains, and for their remarkably danceable guitar- and percussion-based arrangements.

On the balmy summer’s night of 16 July, the Gipsy Kings regaled the Luxembourg audience with some of their best-known titles, including ‘Djobi Djoba’, ‘Bamboleo’, ‘Báilame‘ and ‘Bem, Bem, Maria’, not forgetting their two famous excursions into Spanish-language covering of Anglophone material in the form of their transformations of ‘My Way’ (as ‘A Mi Manera’) and ‘Hotel  California’. The amphitheatre was packed and a goodly proportion of the audience were visibly familiar with the songs. It was a seated concert in theory, but the Gipsy Kings soon had what felt like all of Wiltz and more dancing in the seats and aisles! In short, this was an unforgettable evening with a unique group of musicians, festively able to set their public alight!

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Wiltz, un pequeño municipio ubicado en Luxemburgo, se ha ganado cierto renombre en los últimos tiempos con su festival de música de verano, y 2022 se ha revelado como año especial con el último espectáculo del festival, un concierto con nadie menos que los Gipsy Kings! Estos músicos de rumba-rock-flamenco (o más técnicamente rumba flamenca), actualmente contando con once elementos y, a pesar de cantar principalmente en lengua española, en realidad oriundos del sur de Francia, son conocidos por sus infecciosas canciones con refranes cantables, y por sus arreglos con base de guitarra y batería, eminentemente bailables.

En la amena noche veraniega del 16 de julio, los Gipsy Kings regalaron al público luxemburgués con algunos de sus más conocidos títulos, entre otros ‘Djobi Djoba’, ‘Bamboleo’, ‘Báilame‘ y ‘Bem, Bem, Maria’, sin olvidar sus famosas incursiones en versiones hispanohablantes de material anglófono, así como manifestadas en sus transformaciones de ‘My Way’ (como ‘A Mi Manera’) y ‘Hotel  California’. El anfiteatro estaba abarrotado y un buen porcentaje del público conocía visiblemente las canciones. Era en teoría un concierto de plazas sentadas, pero los Gipsy Kings pronto hicieron a lo que parecía todo Wiltz y más bailar en los asientos y pasillos! En breve, fue una noche inolvidable con un conjunto único de músicos ávidos de alumbrar a su audiencia!