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 😦
With Tito on the Charlemagne (cobblestone) trail

Liege train station – not quite the Valencia Opera House but Liege got a Calatrava designed train station
What better return to regular programming chez dehggi than a Tito trip? This is my first Tito trip in two years and this one comes with a historical side dish, as it were. Tito itself is running in Liege but whilst one is at it, a roadtrip to Aachen, the Carolingian capital, is just the thing to do, opportunities permitting. Plus you get to be in three countries in one day (four, if you count the point of origin). I am doing my bit for the upcoming EU elections.
But back to the main things –
Tito with Bonitatibus and Ciofi and the lovely Opéra royal de Wallonie = excellent, though we were already expecting that. I will, of course, write more about it but I was very pleasantly impressed with the conductor, as well. Your chance to catch it on Culturebox is very good, as it will be broadcast on the 22nd of this month, and will likely stay there for a while. Whether you will like the production or not depends on your level of tolerance for the whimsical.
Aachen Cathedral = gets the dehggi stamp of badass approval. Definitely among my top three cathedrals, with Sagrada Familia and San Marco (though I still need to go inside San Marco). If you ever get in the area, I highly recommend making a stop in Aachen just for the cathedral. It is that good, especially for lovers of Early Gothic slash Romanesque. And also because it is neither of the more famous ones above, you will not need to queue for entrance. They do charge you 1 Euro for taking pictures inside, but I am sure you can google the rest of the artwork. Seeing it for yourself is the thing even if you take no pictures.
Like any self respecting city with a long history, Aachen has legends, in this case regarding the (not very bright) devil. Here is the paw of the she wolf used by the clever citizen to thwart his evil scheme of collecting human souls –
…And back to Liege –
PS – yes, cobblestones… they are a thing on the Charlemagne trail (ie, also in Aachen). For Liege, I do recommend the Montagne de Bueren steps, however, you might get your yearly feel of cobblestones on the way back, especially if you are taking the alternative route down after (or during) light rain. It is a very picturesque route, though, so I do recommend it. But I have never seen more unruly cobblestones in my life. They just do their thing as far as roads go, sort of like if the Loch Ness monster had hidden underneath.
Benevolent dictator vs Megastar
I don’t know if anyone who reads this blog is into true crime documentaries, but I was watching Leaving Neverland earlier this week. For whoever doesn’t know, it’s a recent documentary regarding sexual misconduct allegations against the late Michael Jackson.
I found it clearly told and the testimonials from the protagonists were compelling to watch. I doubt it’s my place to judge if this all is true or not; it’s not why I’m writing about it. I don’t know that I would recommend it to parents either but I think it’s well worth watching for anyone interested in pshychology, especially manipulative behaviour and the complex perspective of the manipulated, both of which are grippingly described. You will learn something about people’s interactions by watching this.
You will wonder what this has to do with anything. You won’t be surprised to hear that I found a Tito connection. You might be rolling your eyes but if you’re around my age or possibly older than me, cast your mind back to the ’80s and ’90s. Read the rest of this entry