Yesterday, the radio opera was “Louise” by by Gustave Charpentier. He didn’t call it an opera, but rather a “musical novel,” the “verismo” school was getting started at that time, and composers and librettists wanted to flag their work as different. I had heard of it for many years, but never actually heard it before. Placido Domingo recorded it in 1976 and Beverly Sills in 1977 and I missed both. Not a lot actually happens in it – just parents who want to prevent their daughter marrying the man who loves her (and she him) so they can keep her at home. But the music is pretty. Off to see Virgil now and will check in when I get home.
I’m always particularly happy to see a good news story which involves a veteran – there are so many of us who are living through various kinds of bad news. This guy is even a Texan.
This is sweet – such a small thing – wearing costumes to work – can provide so much joy to so many children. (This was actually a week ago Thursday.)
Matthew was in very critical condition and was not 100% expected to get out of the hospital alive – let alone this fast.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” – which requires three countertenors, which the Salzburg Festival was able to find. I won’t go into what other productions, prior to the resurgence of countertenors (which, IIRC, started in the 1940 with Alfred Deller, but did not really start to take hold in opera until the 1970s) used to do. I will address the question of why is a German writing an Italian opera for an audience which was mostly English-speaking with a few native German speakers – it was because Italian operas (and oratorios) were all the rage. It wasn’t until John Gay and John Rich presented “The Beggar’s Opera” which was an absolute smash hit that musical entertainment in England began to thrive. (“The Beggar’s Opera” survives to this day as “The ThreePenny Opera,” thanks to Brecht and Weill. At the time – when “gay” still meant happy, it was sait that it had made Gay rich and Rich gay. But I digress.) In relation to historical accuracy, the opera is mixed. But the music is pure Handel (I assume everyone has heard “Messiah”) – not that everyone liked him – many preferred his rival Giovanni Bononcini. This led to a wit of the day coming up with the verse “Some say compared to Bononcini/ that Mynheer Handel’s but a ninny./Others aver that he to Handel/is scarcely fit to hold a candle./Strange all this difference should be/Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.” And, yes, that’s where Lewis Carroll got the names. Pretty much all art is related, often in unpredictable ways.
Although I have never been a member of a labor union (paper pushers tend to have salaried jobs, which are much harder to unionize for multiple reasons), I have always supported unions. After all, what was the American Revolution if it wasn’t a form of union organizing? And the whole “independent contractor” concept was designed to make it between difficult and impossible to organize. This is a real step forward, even if it’s only one state. For now.
This choked me up a little. (Cats can also be extremely calming and lower blood pressure. But their affection is never instant – it needs to be earned – they can be excellent therapy for one person, or even one family, but usually not for just anyone.) This literally is saving lives.
If I haven’t lost count, this is one of 34 elections this year in which a Democrat flipped a seat. This one was a mayoral seat. Most of the seats have been in state legislatures. But don’t underestimate those victories. Victories like these are how people get to Congress. And it looks like there are 17 more such elections to come (which of course have not been won yet, but which could be won.)
The cartoon today is a gif called Magic Potion Kitten. I probably should save it until closer to Hallowe’en, but it charmed me too much (pun intended.)
Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte”, which at least for me is a good opera to not watch. Yes, it has some very funny sight gags, and depending on what time frame the director decides to stage it is, it may also have great visual appeal, such as costumes. I dressed a production once, and while I don’t claim it was great – there’s only one of me and I can only execute so much – but it was pretty. And of course it is Mozart. The only sour notes he ever wrote in his life were deliberate jokes, and there are none in this opera. But it is so terribly sexist, the premise is grossly unethical, and the antics are unbearably cruel. More and more directors are learning how difficult it is to handle the ending. And I don’t know what else you’d expect from an opera whose title can be translated several ways, one of which is “Women are all alike”, but all of which are slanderous. And I noticed today there is also a subtler message in it, with which I must also disagree: “Never trust your employee(s); they do not have your best interests at heart.” Although Ana Maria Martinez, as the bribed maid, was clearly having the time of her life disguising her voice to go with her visual disguises. It’s not hard to hear why audiences love her. The new speaker works fine, and while it was a nuisance changing the old one out, it wasn’t as hard as I expected (I haven’t installed the second one yet.) I ordered them from “Wish,” which like “Temu” is based in China, but both have outlets all over the US, so one never knows where one’s order is shipping from. When I looked at the return address, it said it was from Ontario. Well, that’s one way to avoid or alleviate tariffs. I had to smile. Now I’m off to see Virgil. Of course I’ll check in upon return.
I did not see any follow-up on the Fat Bear contest, but Lona did, from an Australian media source. It was won by 32Chunk, and they think (and I agree) some of those votes were probably sympathy votes, because since last year, his jaw was broken, which made eating harder. But he also did get very fat. There are photos.
I’m posting this on Sunday because it is serious good news. News Outlets changing ownership is not generally good news, but this acquisition of The Root has the approval and support of one of the two original founders – Henry Louis Gates Jr. If he considers it good news, I say it’s good news.
It is amazing the things that the human body can do to itself – but also, perhaps even more so, amazing how good people can help individuals cope with and compensate for autoimmune conditions. I have one myself, and mine is annoying, and unsightly (but concealable), but at least not painful, or debilitating, or restrictive.
Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” I had to use that laptop again, and I suppose I might have skipped it – it’s not as if I’d never heard it – it was one of the first operas I ever owned on vinyl. But it is also the opera which got me my “A” in Advanced Conducting. I’m actually a terrible conductor. But there’s one scena in Rigoletto that I knew I stood a good chance of putting across, and put it across I did – mostly with my face – not even controlling it – the music and situation just gave me the expressions. Also, the part of Rigoletto yesterday was sung by Quinn Kelsey, who recently got such an outstanding review in this role, and even specifically in that scena, that I wanted to hear whether he deserved it. Did he? Oh, yeah. I have never heard a baritone put as much feeling into “Io vo’ mia figlia…” as he did. And I have heard some great baritones sing it. The most famous excerpt from Rigoletto, of course, is the aria “La donna e mobile,” which is pure projection, and, although the word in that sense did not exist in 1851, I’m confident Verdi knew it (the plot of the opera itself belies the aria’s words.) But it’s also catchy, and he knew that too – so catchy that he hid it from everyone including the tenor until the day of the premier, and essentially locked the cast and orchestra up until the show opened. Opera was then so popular that by the time one opened, the town in which it was opening knew every note. But not this time. This time the audience was surprised, and completely won over. And, as projectionist as it is, it’s not really a bad thing it’s so popular and well known – it gives the ending even more punch. Today’s cartoon is a gif file that was used by Wonkette, and you will see why the late Queen Elizabeth liked to be surrounded by corgis – they were her secret service. 🤣
Fat Bear week – Sorry that this is too late to vote for – not that I could tell you how anyway – but the winner won’t be announced until Tuesday, so there’s that.
I love stories like this one from Good News Network. You’ve heard of win-win, but this is more like win-win-win-win. The animals are benefited, as well as the inmates. But so is the prison staff, because inmates in these programs are easier to work with. And so is the entire community, because the recidivism rate goes down. Kudos to Ohio.
This is not news at all – it is Borowitz. But I think TomCat would have loved it. So here it is.
Yesterday, I was able to hear the radio opera from my laptop. Even set up to the max, the volume was low, and I hope I won’t need to do it again. Faure was one of the Impressionists like Debussy and Ravel, but is much less known. His best known work is probably the Dolly Suite, written for a little girl nicknamed Dolly. This opera, Pénélope, based on the last part of Homer’s Odyssey (when Odysseus finally gets home), doesn’t sound much like the Dolly suite, but it is attractive. Why it’s not performed more than it is is mostly bad luck. It wasn’t a huge hit in the provinces, but when it made its Paris premier, it was well received by the audience and the critics. But within two months another premier at the same theater stole all the oxygen from everything else – it was a little ballet called “Le sacre du printemps,” or in English, “The Rite of Spring.” It actually caused riots, in which people were physically hurt. And it’s not pretty – but it is a masterpiece. But I digress. It has been so long since I read the Odyssey I had almost forgotten about the lack of trust which was normal back when there were no certain ways to establish one’s identity. Odysseus arrives in disguise, and when recognized, orders the person not to reveal him – because all the dudes waiting around for up to 20 years to try to marry his wife would have killed him (instead, he kills them.) When he does reveal his identity to Penelope, she tests him with a fib about having replaced the bed in the master bedroom (not really possible, because the bed was a four-poster and one of the posts was a living tree, and the room was built around it and the bed), and of course he freaks because he knows that, which establishes he really is Odysseus. Off to see Virgil now – will check in.
You are welcome to argue with me about whether this from The Root is good news – since it’s mostly not new, but history. But I maintain the news part is that someone whose name should have been in people’s mouths along with the names of Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and many others is finally getting recognition – at least from the black community, and it should be from us also. It’s not exactly anyone’s fault it’s coming late. Photographers speak with the images they create, not with their mouths, and images are not physically attached to them, so its too easy to forget the people behind those images.
This was apparently a federal charge; I assume that because it was tried in a federal court house and at the Times there is an implication that the prosecution was by a U.S. Attorney. But it’s good news at any level.
There is a lot of good news in this from Wonkette, and it’s from Thursday, so you may have seen some of it. But probably not all of it.
Yesterday, the radio opera (although for the rest of the season, starting yesterday, I’ll be listening on line. Not surprising. Broadcasting these costs local stations money which they now do not have) was another double bill – this one more conventional than the previous one this season – it’s so standard that Opera lovers often just call it “Cav and Pag.” The “Cav” is Cavalleria Rusticana, and the “Pag” is I Pagliacci. Both are from the “verismo” school, which means they are about ordinary people, no nobility or divinity allowed. And they are generally fairly violent. In Cav the violence occurs off stage, but in Pag it is right on stage – and the killer gets the last word – “The comedy is over.” Both include some absolutely gorgeous music, such as “Vesti la giubba” from Pag, which at least used to be very well known way beyond the circle of opera lovers. I don’t know whether it still is..
“Martini Glambassador” is a fan, not an employee of Wonkette. But every day, seven days a week, she provides a .gif file for its “TABS” newsletter. Sometimes they are cute and funny – sometimes just funny – sometimes just cute. I took a screenshot from this one because I wasted to say, “Just look at that tail!” Snow leopards’ tails are distinctively thick, particularly when compared to the tails of other felines. They are also long, but you can’t really see that anywhere in the .gif. The snow leopard who showed off for me in the Pueblo Zoo made a point of showing me the length of his/her tail as well as its girth.
I’m not trying to push Wonkette – I do realize its style is not for everyone – but this certainly appeared to fit into the category of good news. And, yes, I am envious. I don’t have a clue how hard it is for a sentence to hold up in Brazil – but st least they have arrived at one, which is certainly more than we can say.
Of all states which sometimes show up in the news cycle for leading the way – let’s just say New Mexico appears less often than some others. But today, here it is – and a really important way to be leading. I expect this will radically improve the economy of the state. If it spills over into neighboring states, I hope we are one.
This story is courtesy of our Mitch. And I received it just in time for today. Many thanks, Mitch
John D. Cundle is a Canadian doing his best to help us.
Yesterday, the radio opera was a double bill: “Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell and “The Seven Deadly Sins” by Kurt Weill. The performance was from Copenhagen. The two don’t have much in common, but perhaps that was the intention. Purcell lived from 1659-1695, during the baroque period. Kurt Weill lived from 1900 to 1950. We all know Weill from “Mack the Knife,” of course – but (at least in my generation) know “September Song” equally well but don’t know that it was also from a Broadway show – “Knickerbocker Holiday.” His “The Seven Deadly Sins” was called a “ballet chanté” rather than an opera because the man who commissioned it was married to a dancer who bore a strong resemblance to Weill’s wife, singer Lotte Lenya, and it was written for them, so the central character, Anna, is written as a split personality. I have heard of it, and read about it, but never actually heard it until yesterday. It is satirical – I would not take moral advice from it. For just one example, the last sin addressed is greed – and the conclusion is that Greed is good – just like Gordon Gecko. Danielle de Niese, who doesn’t just sing opera, but also on Broadway, in films, and on television – though much of that is not in the U.S. – but y’all might have heard of her – sang both personalities as well as Dido in this broadcast. The most famous aria from “Dido and Aeneas” is one of those “Don’t Cry for Me” pieces which irritate me in principle, because I don’t think you need to be Elizabeth Kübler Ross to be aware on some level that grief for someone’s death is really grief for our own loss of that person, not “for” the person who has died, so telling us not to grieve is really telling us not to heal. Not that I would expect the character of Dido, who, if she lived, did so in the 12th or 13th century BCE – and the aria is well known because it is beautiful. Off to see Virgil – will check in upon return.
NBCU Academy is clearly associated with the National Broadcasting Company, since the peacock is in their logo. And it appears to be working to ensure that aspiring journalists can get excellent education for that career. Given that (for just one example) Alan Dershowitz was educated at (and later even taught at) Yale Law school, their participants are not going to be 100% ethical. But it’s still a good thing, and far better than nothing. And this story from their project really is good news.
And this story from The 19th is really just amazing – and, in Louisiana, you know they did not get a lot of encouragement or assistance from the state, so they were working with virtually nothing but themselves.
Yesterday, I hadn’t slept well, and got up with a (fortunately mild) headache. But I managed to hear the radio opera anyway. It was “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss. It’s technically a comedy, and it does have some humor, but the basis for the category is really just that there’s a more or less happy ending. The plot is complicated AF, and the premise of the tradition of the “Knight of the Rose” is something Strauss and/or his librettist made up. I first heard (and saw) it on TV when I was pretty new at USAA, and I vaguely remember dreaming afterwards I answered a call from the general’s wife (“Marschallin” in German) to add her as a driver on his auto policy. The Opera is late Strauss, and considered his masterpiece, so there is little if any deliberate dissonance, as there was (appropriately) in Salome or Elektra, and the waltzes in particular are gorgeous (anachronistic, but gorgeous.). Not much like those of the Johan Strauss family (no relation to Richard) but equally lovely in different ways. Also, I found and listened to a conversation between Heather Cox Richardson and Sherrod Brown – just under 30 minutes.
This was shared by Daily Dose of Democracy. There isn’t a paywall, but there is an ad blocker wall. My browser will allow me to turn off the ad blocker for just one site (and I can always turn it on again when I leave.) I thought the story well worth it.
This is from Wednesday, and it’s not as if you don’t know what happened. But the analysis about how rare it is is delightful so I saved it for Sunday.
The 6 Cheetah cubs at the Metro Richmond (VA) Zoo are doing well and have been moved to the public portion of the compound so visitors can see them in person. (photos at link)
