I'm back. Been a rough month, between traveling for Carmen (LA) and seeing Norma and just plain work, Oct 15 was the last chance to file individual tax returns in the US for 2012, so of course everybody late had to get done, and phew, what a load of stuff to do all at once.
I wonder sometimes if the people who file late are the same people who buy a seat for a show in the middle of a row, then are the last ones to arrive at the theatre. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Carmen was a ton of fun, saw all the different permutations and combinations of cast members, plus two conductors, and all were great. Carmen is one of my all time favorites, and it's hard for me to not help everyone sing....duct tape works pretty well.
Then there's Norma. I've not yet gotten over Bartoli's recording of Norma, which is from another planet, we can't even go there. Norma as Baroque opera. Yeah, and I love it.
It's Norma year around here. The Met has Sondra Radvanovsky singing it. I've been to two performances so far, got one more, couldn't resist. Sondra can out-sing just about anybody who has ever sung the role, and I've heard a lot of really great Normas. What a gorgeous voice, coming from a beautiful woman who is a real person, not some untouchable diva like a real live Turandot. And now that she's grown into her voice fully (that type of voice takes until the owner is 40-something to be all there), WOW. Just WOW. It's like a vocal laser, it zaps you and goes into your bones and rattles everything you've ever heard or liked about Norma and replaces it with Sondra. Some kind of religious experience.
Yes, for the Angela Meade fans out there, Angela is good, too, but I don't think she's old enough yet, the voice is coming but not all here quite yet. Give it time, it ought to come. Meanwhile, I'll take Sondra.
And this is coming from me, a tenor/baritone person. I don't normally rave about soprani.
Then there's the plot, or what passes for a plot. I found myself getting annoyed that these two gorgeous women should (a) fight over this schmuck of a Roman, Pollione, who was crummy at the high notes anyway, and so had no redeeming aural value to make them swoon over him, and (b) be willing to die with or for him.
Bad enough it takes Norma till the last act to figure out she is the one causing her people's bad karma. Casta diva doesn't include having two kids with a leader of the enemy forces. What part of casta did she not understand? Duh. And the kids are probably 5 and 7 or so, so it sure has taken her a while to figure it out, ya' think???
But it could come out better. If you just make a couple of changes right after the Puerto Rican aria/duet (Mira, oh Norma), the two gals, Norma and Adalgesia (aka Analgesic in my sicko reinterpretive opera world) who are getting along like gangbusters at that point, ought to get together and take Pollione to the cleaners, get lifetime alimony/palimony and child support out of the jerk, ship him back to Rome, and live together happily ever after. Call it the post-women's-lib version of Norma. Then to even the score (no pun intended), send good old Dad (Oroveso) and his armies over to Rome to wipe out the rest of the Romans (leaving Pollione alive so he can continue to pay support to the ladies). End the story on a happy chord.
Sigh. If only I could be a director when I grow up.
I also saw Midsummer Night's Dream (the Britten one). Highly recommend you see it if you can. Great singing, cool funky production, fabulous conductor! Yeah James! Glad to see you back in NY!
As for the house....the last parts are under way, I think (unless I find more things that need to be done). Insulation is in under the house, just in time for colder weather to be arriving. One of my handy dudes is upstairs painting the sky cave as I write this - they call it a man cave, but as I don't keep one of those around the house anymore, I prefer sky cave. Maybe an aerie. I'll think about it.
The upstairs bathroom is almost done, we're waiting for Lowe's to actually come up with the medicine cabinet I ordered about 3 - 4 weeks ago which has supposedly been shipped twice now. Would not surprise me if I eventually get two of them, but I'd settle for the one I ordered. At least it's not a bath tub - my handy dude ordered one for his bathroom remodel and two were delivered to his house, about a week apart. What on earth can you do with two bath tubs???? Make a planter in the yard???? Or a very large wine cooler, maybe....
Then the last issue I can think of right now, getting window coverings for upstairs. Weird size windows, so it could be a challenge. We'll see.
Of course, if I think too hard, I can come up with a lot more things that need to be fixed/replaced/otherwise worked on. My handy dudes are threatening to move in, but they want the aerie, and I'm not sure I want loud male tenants up there. Dilemmas 'r us.
And so it goes. Pablo is having an occasional lesson in beach walks sans leash, and he did pretty well this morning, not racing away too far from me. I miss my beach walks with Cid, he could amble along on his own, leaving my hands free to work the cameras....it's time Pablo learns to do the same. He's starting to get the idea - Mom can't walk as fast as he can run (especially in sand), and when Mom calls or whistles (usually the Queen of the Night's aria), that means come back. Need plenty of practice, but we'll get there.
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