Music Monday ~ EVA, EVITA

Had I been left to my own devices, without taste development via input of friends and loved ones over the years, my first choice of music would have remained as it was right at the start, in early teenage: stage musicals and light opera. Though long overlaid, first by Sinatra, then by traditional-style country music, then by Beatles and some kinds of jazz, that love of music from the stage (and screen) has remained strong. Intending to check musical birthdays for today, 7 April, absent-minded I hit the page for 7 May, where I saw the name Eva Perón. She was born on that day in 1919, in the Los Toldos province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm a month early for the anniversary but never mind! It's still an opportunity to post some music from Evita , musical version of the story of Eva's tragically short, eventful life. She died in 1952.

High Flying Adored - I chose this the video for the several photographs of Eva Peron used as background. It's from the 1979 Broadway version of Evita with Che sung by Mandy Pakinkin and Patti LuPone as Eva.

In the 1970s Evita, written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, first hit the airwaves and record stores. I bought a recording of the original concept album of 1976, the London studio version with Eva Peron's part sung by Julie Covington. For me, this version has never been bettered. I was entranced by it, played it over and over.....and over! We saw the show on stage when a version of it arrived in Yorkshire, years later. I felt let down though, it didn't have the magic I had in my mind. More years later I saw the movie version, starring Madonna, and again felt let down. It simply didn't do it for me. I'd been spoiled by the version I'd first fallen in love with, all those years ago.

As for Eva herself, I think the "nutshell" astrological key to her undoubtedly powerful personality, and perhaps her early and eventual misfortunes, is Sun conjunct Mars; Jupiter conjuct Pluto; and Moon (possibly) conjunct Saturn. Moon's position cannot be established without a reliable time of birth which Astrodatabank doesn't have, so I've used 12 noon for the chart shown. Eva's very essence is heavily influenced by conjunctions involving planets which astrologers have, in the past, considered to be "malefic". I don't see that these planets, Mars, Saturn, Pluto, are merely bad influences though. Mars and Saturn especially have positive sides: energy, dynamism, necessary law and authority for instance. These two powerful planets are reflected in the story of Eva Perón's life, her rise from poverty to power through nothing but her own determined efforts.

Eva's husband Juan Perón (his chart HERE) has Sun conjunct Mars too, also Moon conjunct Neptune and Pluto; and Mercury/Saturn/Uranus conjoined! Powerful!



Rainbow High sung here by Julie Covington from my favourite 1976 recording, the original concept album:

Lament, sung by Julie Covington

Peron Postscript

As an afterthought to my Evita theme from yesterday, I was curious to see the natal chart of her husband, Juan Peron and to compare it to Eva's. I wanted to check my theory that "something is going on, but we don't know what it is", astrology-wise. Would it hold good? It did.

Juan Peron was born 8 October 1895 at (Astrotheme states) 8.47 am, in Lobos, Buenos Aires, Argentina.



The dual chart shows both his and hers. Look at the astrological coincidences. (His natal chart inner circle, her chart in the outer ring -click to enlarge).

Both have Sun conjunct Mars (marked orange and red)
Both have Moon conjunct a powerful planet: his = Pluto( wine and black.) hers = Saturn (grey and black)
His Saturn (law and authority) conjoins Mercury(communication) - appropriate for a lawgiver, which, as President(and dictator) of his country, he was.

These two individuals wouldn't, in normal circumstances, ever have crossed paths. They came from different worlds, even though born close, geographically. They are two similarly powerful personalities, their two most personal planets (or lights) seemingly strengthened by closeness of powerful outer planets. It's not surprising that they would feel a connection when a meeting did occur, whether accidental or deliberately planned by Eva.


Together they must have presented an almost unstoppable force - at least for a time. Had Eva not fallen ill and died in 1952, Argentina's story could have been very different.

From "Evita" (the movie) the first meeting of Eva and Juan (Madonna & Jonathan Pryce):



EVA:"I don't always rush in like this
Twenty seconds after saying hello
Telling strangers I'm too good to miss
If I'm wrong I hope you'll tell me so
But you really should know I'd be good for you
I'd be surprisingly good for you.........................."

JUAN:"Please go on--you enthrall me!
I can understand you perfectly
And I like what I hear, what I see, and knowing me
I would be good for you too"

EVITA

Listening to a BBC programme on-line a few days ago I heard a female vocalist singing "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" from the musical show "Evita". It took me back many years to the time when the music for the show, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice first hit the airwaves and record stores.

I bought a recording of the original concept album of 1976, the London studio version with Eva Peron's part sung by Julie Covington. For me, this version was never bettered. I was entranced by it, played it over and over.....and over! We saw the show on stage when a version of it arrived in Yorkshire, years later. I felt a bit let down though, it didn't have the magic I had in my mind. I bought the DVD of the movie starring Madonna, still more years later, and again felt let down. It didn't do it for me, I was spoiled - by the version I'd fallen in love with, all those years ago.

With a newly acquired replacement CD of my old, lost Evita tapes playing in the background, I looked into the astrology of Eva Peron, born 7 May 1919, in the Los Toldos province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A Google search revealed that an astrologer has already written about Eva's chart - Deborah Houlding's brief interpretation with chart illustration is HERE.

Below is a chart from my own software. I used the coordinates in Ms Houlding's version, as the exact rural location of Eva's birth doesn't seem to be precisely stated anywhere. Time of birth used is 5.15 am, Astrotheme gives a similar birth time. Cynical me suspects this may be a rectification. Would an illegitimate birth in rural Argentina have a time of birth recorded? Who knows? Perhaps.

I don't understand why my software gives late Taurus rising and the chart in Ms Houlding's article shows early Aries rising. Hmmmm. (??)



Irrespective of rising sign, I think the key to Eva's undoubtedly powerful personality, her early and eventual misfortunes is Sun conjunct Mars and Moon conjunct Saturn. Her very essence is heavily influenced by two powerful planets which the ancients considered "malefics". I don't see that these are merely bad influences though, both Mars and Saturn have positive sides - energy, dynamism, necessary law and authority for instance. The two powerful planets are reflected in the story of Eva Peron's life, her rise from poverty to power through nothing but her own determined efforts.



Searching further, I came across something, loosely linked to the above, on astrologer Marjorie Orr's website in a forum HERE.

Under heading "USA anti-women"(08 Jun 2008 14:22), Marjorie Orr discusses women in power. I've taken the liberty of copying an extract, but it's necessary to read the whole discussion for context.

The extract is interesting on another level - Clinton-wise! But that's another story, still to be told. I wonder if anyone will write a musical about that one, in years to come?

"What also seems relevant is Saturn Neptune. I was surprised when I did the research for my book the ''Astrological History of the World'' to find that Saturn Neptune is significant in women''s rise to greater influence - for astrological reasons I still can''t quite fathom - but it certainly was around in periods of women coming to power and workers'' demanding their rights. Perhaps Saturn Neptune''s drive in its best aspect for a fairer society - with emotional Neptune eroding the masculine (Saturn) power base. There was a Saturn Neptune conjunction when Elizabeth 1 was crowned (Taurus) and again when Elizabeth 11 was crowned (Libra); a Saturn Neptune square when Queen Victoria was crowned and a wide square when Maggie Thatcher was elected PM. Indira Gandhi became the first Indian woman PM on a Saturn Neptune trine and Benazir Bhutto became the first woman to be Pakistan''s PM on a Saturn Neptune conjunction (Capricorn).

Looking at the charts of these countries which have produced women rulers they all have strongish Saturn Neptune aspects natally. The UK 1066 has a Saturn Neptune trine; the UK 1801 has a very central Saturn Neptune square. Both the India 1877 and 1947 charts have Saturn Neptune sextiles as does Pakistan. And Argentina which produced Eva Peron has a Saturn Neptune conjunction natally. Israel also has a Saturn Neptune sextile natally and a 10th house Moon. They elected Golda Meir as PM in 1969 though not on a Sat Nep transit.

The USA does not have Saturn Neptune in aspect - and Saturn, the masculine planet, squares the Sun, trines Uranus, picks up Mars and maybe the Moon - so it is afflicted or at least very much in operation. And it''s in aspect to both Sun and Moon emphasising the Emperor quality rather than the Empress. Italy has Saturn conjunct the Moon and opposing the Sun which is the same but worse.
The 2012 next Presidential Election has a Saturn Neptune trine; 2016 a square; 2020 a sextile and the next Saturn Neptune conjunction is in 2025 just after the 2024 election. But it may just not be in the nature of the USA to have a woman at the helm".

(NOTE: Using the birth data I have, Eva Peron's Saturn/Neptune conjunction is very wide (15*) normally too wide an orb to consider, but in this case it could be relevant, I guess.)