Portrait Incomplete: Musical Memoirs
Musical Memoirs
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About the Book
Walking to and along the beach of Santa Monica, the author’s recollections, brought on by the music heard on his walkman, become the inspiration for his book. He used this device for studying the scores of operas he was going to direct. Then, after his retirement, the habit of listening to music remained and brought him pictures of his youth and later life as a director, which resulted in material for his hobby, just taken up again, but this time more seriously: WRITING.
Each piece of music represented a scene of his life— his youth in Holland during the war and his life as a student there, show his country and the very specifically “Dutch ness” in those unsettling periods during and just after World War II.
He had a happy early youth, but the war complicated all people’s lives to various degrees. The liberation brought freedom, but also steps back to before-the-war customs of strict student rules, now hardly suitable. The fight with his uncertainty about sexual orientation muddied the happy, carefree days shared with his colleagues.
The author takes us from life in well-provided circumstances with siblings, friends, and cousins in summerhouses, through school years and life as a student, trying the “normal” path by becoming engaged to a member of age-old Dutch nobility, and fleeing from his “student corset” to wild nights in Paris.
England, love life there, and drama training change his goal in life: he becomes an opera stage director and travels all over the world. He starts an important friendship with an older actress with whom he collaborates on plays, some of which are produced, and a musical with its successful tour.
Through him, we get a glimpse of life in Holland, England and the USA and “guesting” in out- of- the- ordinary places. In short, as he puts it in “Plaisir d’ amour,” one of his chapters:
“I have had sexual encounters with many partners of many races, colors, religions, classes, and ages. These included artists, singers, an English spy, athletes, authors, etc., as well as doctors and other professionals. I was fêted in high society and in utter (however stylish) poverty. I was entertained in castles and in shabby attic rooms. I have lived!
It has enriched me, not debased me. I have a wealth of memories and fond friendships as ‘leftovers’ from more intimate times. I can only hope I did not hurt too many people.”
But this is only a small part of the journey on which the author leads the reader: we meet fascinating figures out of the artistic world, as well as those from the “beau monde.” We experience the terrible ups and downs of performing “live” and getting rotten reviews. We even arrive at the near “pits,” when the author has lost two well paying jobs and has to live from “the dole.”
This is an uplifting book with the bounciness of a tennis ball.
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Portrait Incomplete
(Musical Memoirs)
By Frans Boerlage
Boerlage’s autobiography provides a pleasing balance of personal reminiscence and growth with professional stories and insights. The personal information – growing up in the Netherlands during World War II, student days in Europe, personal relationships – naturally also shapes his career as a renowned stage director in the Netherlands, England, throughout Europe and later around the world, particularly in the U.S.
As the heroine of Showboat opines, “Life upon the wicked stage ain’t nothin’ what a girl [or guy] supposes,” and the bumps and grinds inherent in directing divas and divos on the opera stage provide many amusing tales and unexpected anecdotes. In some cases he names names – in others, it’s a rewarding guessing game. Portrait Incomplete is actually quite complete, and a very good r
About the Author
Dutch born opera stage director Frans Boerlage staged more than 180 productions: 23 years at University of Southern California, previously 19 years at Netherlands Opera, seven productions at the Liceu, Barcelona, nine productions in two years Seattle Opera, (American debut 1972, Lucia di Lammermoor with Beverly Sills), directed all over in the USA, Canada, South America, South Africa and many cities in Europe. These days is back to writing, after collaboration on plays and a musical. Recently author of two memoirs: Portrait Incomplete (Xlibris-2004) and Rápido to Endstation (Xlibris-2006) and the novel Changing Gears (soon to be published). In addition, his award winning poems published in 2005. His philosophy: growing old in style, fighting Parkinson’s with humor.