(140) Characters needed
“You’re so resourceful, darling! I ought to go to you for plots.”
“You ought to go to someone.”
La Cieca knows that when plots are in question, she need go no farther than the cher public, which is why she’s reminding you (late in the game, admittedly) of the annual Omniscient Mussel #Operaplot Competition. No, it’s no Nancy Blake wisecrack, my dears, read on!
What you do, darlings, is: “Summarize an opera in 140 characters or less.” There’s more to it, of course, as you will see when you view the rules and regulations on Miss Mussel‘s website. Happy tweeting!
OT: Next season at the ROH looks pretty thrilling (although I couldn’t resist commenting on an unfortunately hilarious typo). I’d queue overnight in the rain for that TRITTICO.
Whoops, forgot the link.
http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php
FFS. Wrong link.
http://www.whatsonstage.com/news/theatre/london/E8831302732700/The+Royal+Opera+announces+its+2011-12+%27Olympic%27+Season.html
armer -- completely OT: are you running the marathon for a charity or just for the calf muscles? I would sponsor you if you would like it (not for the calf muscles).
I’m running for the Institute of Cancer Research, based at the Royal Marsden which is where one of my closest friends died last September aged 37. One rash promise to his widow later and here I am running my first AND LAST marathon… My dad died of cancer too so it’s a cause very close to my heart.
I’ll never say no to sponsorship, that’s incredibly kind of you. I’ll happily post the link if La Cieca doesn’t mind- I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was spamming the board x
Hmmm. Autopilot kiss on the end of my post. How overfamiliar of me.
armerjacquino -- You could ask la Cieca to forward the link to me by email if she objects to you posting the link here.
manou- since nobody’s said not to, all the details are at http://sodcancer.fatattitude.com/
La Cieca- do redact/delete if this is inappropriate.
MANOU- thank you so, so much. I am very touched.
Too bad the Rusalka is that ghastly production from Salzburg. It appears to take place in a brothel and as Rusalka sings the Song to the Moon, there is no moon -- but a jellyfish swims by in one of many projections. Jeizibaba is (for no apparent reason) confined to a wheelchair with an ever present “cat” (acrobat in cat suit) in perpetual motion and who attempts to hump Rusalka. I’m not opposed to regie, but this one just made no sense -- to me at least!
speaking of which, did you see the one from muenchen:
part 1 here
i’m sorry, but this opolais lady sounds like a countertenor or drag queen (a la gail gilmore)…
Happy 55th Birthday Barbara Bonney
I remember tuning into the Met Saturday broadcast one day sometime in the 1980s, and hearing BB as Susanna. It was a jaw-dropping moment. So beautiful!
Did we miss my beloved Montsy’s 78th on Tuesday? (Or might she have canceled…?)
I mentioned it, along with Lily Pons’ birthday anniversary.
http://parterre.com/2011/04/11/pick-a-lot-talk-a-little-more/#comments
Thank you, WCO. I missed that. Perhaps because of the paranormal atmospheric disturbances with Parterre of late. (I thought I’d been excommunicated.)
more OT:
attended my 2nd wozzeck in a week last night. i never thought i’d enjoy a berg score but i did sat. so i went back last night. at least, i found it more interesting than lulu. maybe it was the conductor, or maybe i just had a better seat, but with levine this week, i felt that i could distinctly hear every individual instrument. the singers were wonderful, i was surprised at how loud siegel was as the captain, until i saw his bio and his previous past as a heldentenor. meier was wonderful — i wonder why she doesn’t sing more of the mattila rep like jenufa and lisa, their voices have a similar grainy quality. i was sitting next to an elderly french lady who was attending the work for the first time in 10 yrs and wondering why, she felt the work too depressing and dark for her taste. but i found it fascinating, if not in the vein of those lush, melodious, romantic scores. i did enjoy it more than P&M for some reason.
Lucky P, we are shadowing each other -- I was there too last night in a balcony box. It was a great performance -- being upstairs you really hear all the orchestra details. Third performance helps too -- everyone was better. Waltraud Meier was demented on opening night too but was managing vocally -- pressed and screamy straight high notes. This was much better -- still a little straight-toned but much more controlled. Anyone notice that she is back to listing herself among the mezzo-sopranos on the roster listing? I remember raising my eyebrows at seeing Rosalind Plowright in the mezzo category and Waltraud in the soprano one year.
gualtier, you know, our dear friend agnes makes all these evenings at the opera possible… i wish i was up high, because i wanted to watch all those instruments being played but i had to be content with an orchestra seat (not complaining here) but from where i could not see the orchestra players nor the floor of the stage.
btw, levine does not go up to the stage for the curtain call, i don’t know what his current condition is (i can’t tell how he even got to the podium, but i guess walking off and up to the stage is too much for him right now).