Tito 230 (part 3)
Yep, the series is merrily going along. The latest installment linked below follows the action from Vitellia doing her snarky best to congratulate Servilia for her good luck to the end of Act I.
I’ve quite been enjoying this weekly exercise in rediscovering an old fave. It’s doing a good job at pulling me back into the opera fold 🙂
Tito at 230 (part 2)
Continuing this series throughout the month only makes sense. Part 2 takes us from Deh, se piacer mi vuoi to Ah, se fosse intorno al trono. That’s because I decided, as I was re-listening, the music was too good not to include, so there’s quite a lot of it and a surprising amount of Garanca, too. Way more than you’d expect from me 😉 Another things is I got overly inspired to discuss the themes of the libretto. It’s really quite different when you talk vs when you write, especially as I am talking basically as I am listening, just giving in to whatever the music brings to mind. And, like I said, this production has always inspired me to think 🙂 Makes a bit of a change from all the other times 😉
Tito turns 230!
Well, here we are, 230 years later, which feels right about how long it’s been since I last properly updated. Happy Tito Day to all 🙂
I started a mini-Tito series, in order to celebrate, in which I talk (I’m under the illusion it goes faster than writing… I may be wrong) about my perennial favourite Tito production – the Sellars 2017, obviously. Just kidding, wrong Salzburg year, wrong speed 😉 Give it a listen below. You know you’ve missed my soothing voice vintage non-Currentzified Mozart…
I am not a cat! Happy belated 2021 to everyone still reading
The reason I have not updated in eons is because since Covid there has never been anything as good as this:
I think this made year… scratch that, it made the last couple of years 😀
Tito Day / Tito Month in 2020
Why, hello! It’s been a few weird months, eh? Anyway, I did not forget today rounds up 229 years of Mozartian Titoness. But because it’s been the kind of year where trips to the opera have added up to a grand total of nil for yours truly, I’ll leave you with a Tito gif-joke I just know y’all love and have missed 😉
I have to say, I had not realised just how much regular outings to the opera / other cities contribute to my sanity. I always had a feeling I was exaggerating a bit by overbooking. Turns out, no amount of hours spent gaming a kazillion different games or reading or listening to podcasts or even playing with pets has a similar effect. I always thought I could win one of those “locked up for a month in a cabin in Alaska in the middle of winter” challenges but this year has proved me wrong. I needs people! and exciting locales! and a good ol’ live show where half the audience is coughing and your only worry is that they’re disrupting a really fine performance. Remember that? Innocent times. On the other hand, the garden at work has never looked better. Neither did the cupboards in my kitchen… But, honestly, I’d even go watch this Tito right now 😉
Mezzo lovers in times of plague
Hope these weird times are finding you and your loved ones all good, enjoying your Netflix and opera downloads and trying not to kill each over unusually long periods of close proximity.
Given that I’ve been MIA since forever due to other reasons, I just wanted to let you all know I’m doing my best roach impression and being just fine (at the moment, at least; tomorrow is a mysterious time) through the rather unbelievable lockdown/confusion period we’re going through. Not that I’ve ever wanted to live on the set of a bad horror film but that’s London for you right now (everything closed down save for shops; and yes, toilet paper is scarce here too; as far as I’m concerned, more alarming is the lack of kitty litter and herbal tea; also, the “civilians” have bought all the soy milk because it stays good longer… not fair on the milk intolerant, biotches!).
So… I’ll wish you creativity re: good times and staying safe. Hopefully we can see each other before the end of this year? Without face masks and elbow greetings.
PS: the previous post was a duplicate, so I got rid of it.
6 years of opera, innit?
So many things have happened in 6 years… with me, with the world and, obviously, with the blog. Whenever I look back I return heartened, because imagine if it all stayed the same? Which is, of course, not how life goes, even when you’re living in less Interesting times than we currently do.
Blogwise, 2019 is looking like the best (by far) as regards to visitors and views might just edge the previous best (if I post a bit more). Thank you all for reading, especially considering that this year I’ve barely posted a little over 20 times. I am touched people want to read. I’m also glad that you find what I’ve written over the years interesting. It’s been a really good challenge for me as an amateur writer as well as for self discovery.
If you feel a certain air of finality about this post you’re not wrong but not in the sense that I’ll abandon opera, innit? There are too many good memories and too many good people linked to this blog 🙂 let’s see where 15/10/2020 finds us all.
Cosa fan tutta, tutu, tut… vs the cool crowd
Have you noticed how nobody can pronounce this one?
DaPonte: … and the biggest joke of all shall be its title!
One of my colleagues likes to listen to ClassicFM and although the playlist is mostly waltzes, 19th century stuff with cymbals, Mozart piano music, waltzes, film music, Elgar, more waltzes or arias recorded at least 30 years ago, the posh sounding DJs have somehow not managed to learn how to say the opera titles/aria names the composer failed to provide in English for our convenience. I haven’t felt so proud of my Italian opera title proficiency in a good while.
Conclusion: the music selection might be mostly boring, but listening to ClassicFM DJs’ mangled Italian will make you feel good about yourself.
PS: the prize of the current ClassicFM competition is a trip to Maastricht to visit Andre Rieu’s fairy castle. I mean, come on! Who would refuse that?! I did. I went to Maastricht last month, spent more time than strictly necessary and I still failed to visit that wonder of the classical world 😦