Windsurfing in Øresund on the first day of August

Today the wind was ideal for surfing in Øresund:

Salzburg´s Magic Flute enjoyable to listen to

Georg Zeppenfeld as Sarastro was the outstanding singer in this production,  but  one wonders whether he felt comfortable in his outfit. 

"Sarastro’s kingdom is shown as a grotesque fairy-tale scientific state that suppresses the female element and intends to replace natural procreation by artificial reproduction."
Jens-Daniel Herzog
Stage director for The Magic Flute in the Salzburg Festival 2012




Not so long ago almost all stage directors, who wanted to be seen as "progressive", chose to "reinvent" old operas by making them happen in a modern or contemporary setting, contrary to what the original librettists and composers had in mind. Many of the directors were particularly fond of creating types dressed in military - often Nazi - uniforms. 


Just when one thought that the worst of this "modernizing" craze was over, the new artistic directors of the Salzburg festivals - Cecilia Bartoli (The Whitsun Festival) and Alexander Pereira - seem to have had a serious relapse of "modernitis". 


Bartoli´s first production, Händel´s Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt) was an opera to listen to, not to watch. The same could be said about the Pereira era´s first production, Mozart´s The Magic Flute, with Jens-Daniel Herzog as stage director. 


The Magic Flute was shown on the Franco-German television channel Arte on Monday night. A look at two pictures shown here should convince most opera lovers that the broadcast was most enjoyble as a radio programme. So do not bother to buy the video! 

Monostatos as a photographer. 

PS


Conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his Concentus Musicus Wien, playing on period instruments, were excellent.



 

The brig Tre Kronor in Helsingborg

The brig Tre Kronor of Stockholm, which serves as "an ambassador for the Baltic Sea Region", visits Helsingborg this week. Tre Kronor, which was christened by Crown Princess Victoria in August, 2005, is modelled after the Swedish Navy´s brig Gladan (built in 1857), which, among other things, was used as a supply ship for A.F. Nordenskiöld´s expeditions to Spitsbergen and Greenland. 

Tre Kronor´s web page gives some additional information about the project: 

Four gentlemen with a passion for beauty, navigation and sailing vessels launched the Stockholm Brig project in 1993. The first drawings were presented in 1994, and in 1997 the Brig’s keel was laid on Skeppsholmen, Stockholm. The construction had begun!

The Society Föreningen Briggen Tre Kronor, with around 4 000 members, supports the project, which is basically financed by private donations, companies and foundations. The Society founded the limited company Briggen Tre Kronor AB, and is still the largest shareholder.

 Tre Kronor af Stockholm will be used for various purposes: Membership sailing, Shipowner sailing, conference sailing, networking sailing, education and expeditions etc. But above all, she will sail in the Baltic Sea as an ambassador for mutual understanding and support cultural and commercial relations between the countries around the Baltic.

Briggen Tre Kronor is an ambassador for the Baltic Sea Region. We act as an independent platform for debate and networking for leading decision makers from private and public sectors. Our focus areas are the environment, youth and the economical growth of the Baltic Sea Region. 

In September 2011, Briggen Tre Kronor presented the project “Sustainable Seas” at the Kolskjulet on Kastellholmen in Stockholm along with the shipping companies Wärtsilä and Cargotec. Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Victoria, Briggens dedicated Godmother, took part in the seminar along with some 150 prominent guests.

Measurements:

LOA 35 m (115ft.)

LWL 29,0 m (95 ft.)

Mooring length incl. bowsprit 46,0 m

Beam 8,25 m

Draught 3,3 m

Theoretical max speed 13,4 knots

Displacement (total sailing weight) 330 ton

Estimated weight at launching 180 ton

Gross tonnage 198 ton

Ballast, lead 97 ton

Dead weight (carrying capacity) 200 ton

Sails 16

Sail area (max) 730 m2

Engine Scania DI12M

Just before the thunderstorm

This was the view from my balcony just minutes before the thunderstorm this afternoon...

The Wilson North before the rain

This is the Wilson North (123 x 16m) approaching Helsingør/Helsingborg this morning against the backrop of a dark sky. 

Wilson North and a sailing boat on the Swedish side of the Sound.

MSY Wind Surf - the world´s largest sailing ship - in the Sound

MSY Wind Surf, the largest sailing ship in the world, was an imposing sight this morning when it approached Helsingør/Helsingborg. The hight-end cruise line Windstar´s flagship was heading for Copenhagen. 

This is how Windstar Cruises describes its computer-controlled beauty: 

The largest sailing ship in the world, the Wind Surf is a sleek, five-masted sailing yacht accommodating 312 guests. With six decks and a gross tonnage of 14,745, the Wind Surf is the largest yacht in the Windstar fleet.
All staterooms have ocean views, queen beds, flat-screen TV with DVD player and Bose SoundDock speakers for Apple iPods. Wind Surf suites include an extra bath and TV along with sitting area and his-and-her bathrooms. The new spa suites include lush spa robes, tea service and credits for certified organic spa services and fitness classes in WindSpa. Wind Surf bridge suites give guests the additional luxury of a spacious private living room and relaxing whirlpool spa.

MSY Winds Surf passing Kronborg castle.

Wind Surf Facts:
LENGTH: 535 feet (162 meters) at waterline; 617 feet (187meters) including bowsprit
DRAFT: 16.5 feet (5 meters)
TONNAGE: 14,745 gross registered tons (grt)
BEAM: 66 feet (20 meters)
SAILS: 7 triangular, self-furling, computer-operated sails with 26,881 square feet (or 2,600 square meters) of Dacron surface area 
MASTS: 5 at 164 feet (50 meters)
ENGINES: 4 diesel electric generating sets, 2 electrical propulsion motor
SPEED: 10 to 12 knots with engines only; up to 15 knots wind and engine assisted

Two freighters in Øresund

This is Containership VI this morning passing Kronborg castle in Helsingør. The 155 x 22m ship was on its way from Klaipeda to Teesport. 

Earlier in the morning the Finnish ro-ro ship Miranda (153 x 21m) passed Helsingør/Helsingborg. Miranda was on its way to El Ferrol.