Yes, and no. Tiago is a portuguese first name that has its origins in the word Santiago (spanish) but you can’t say that it is short for it. Why? Because Santiago means Saint James in spanish and if you wanted to translate that to Portuguese you’d have to write ‘São or even Santo Tiago’. Tiago (without any add-ons) is a very popular first name in Portuguese-speaking countries (not so much in spanish ones).

Scaramuccio – I also remember the Marshall/Murray Così pairing for Scottish Opera and I later saw them in the Salzburg production conducted by Muti when Murray replaced Agnes Baltsa (first year cast and recording) after she went on to sing Amneris or something crazy like that.

Something went horribly wrong with Marshall’s career and she started sounding like a caricature of Mme Schwarzkopf (who, I think, became her teacher). I recall lovely Scottish Opera Countesses (Nozze & Capriccio) and I think she did an Elvira for Covent Garden or ENO.

Margaret Marshall, I have said, is one of my favorite British sopranos– I think she;s wonderful in teh recordings of JEPHTHA and all those Vivaldi masses. I enjoy the Fiordiligi for her accuracy but I don;t think she’s tonally as good a fit here as some others ( Lorengar, M. Price).

Dorabella– a low soprano role– was ideal for Murray, along with things like Annio. No need to put pressure on the voice, which in things like Serse and Cesare and the Komponist, despite propaganda to the contrary, was less than ideal– it turned edgy. I would remind you, Armerjacquino, that yesterday is not today; in 1983 Maria Ewing was also a very sonorous Dorabella. However good Ms. Murray was then and there, she was still and all an Unnecessary Import on the Met stage as Marcellina last year.

That was the funniest. Thanks for the laugh. I needed it.

are you sure it’s not a Fox Schrott?

’cause, boy, that boy can fffffffff

Did she actually trill? It must have been so short lived that I missed it.

MKL: He might also hang around with a posse of rottweilers that kill all of his enemies in two or three years too. Oh wait, that’s a different movie.

And- another of my obsessions- what DID become of Araiza?

wait….it is a danse de cours not a danse des cavaliers.

It is a bacchanale not a petit adagio.

It is promenade not a mazurka.

But the important thing is that she trilled…once…mercadante heard it…Netrebko trilled. And now in honor of that ONE trill I am going to go and masturbate. Dammit, I wish she had trilled twice. That would make the masturbation quicker.

How can this kid NOT be musical? He’ll probably learn to read music before he can read words.

Now I will sleep at night.

I suppose we must wait two or three years before we’ll know for sure whether it will walk on water.

‘Does anyone…still wear… A HAT?’

Does anyone still wear a hat??

My hat is off to the new parents and the little man!