Topic: BACK IN THE SADDLE (Read 17372 times)

bk · « **on:** September 10, 2009, 12:19:25 AM »

Well, you've read the notes, the notes were back in the saddle, and now it is time for you to post until the cows come home - they're currently listening to Madame Butterfly.

bk · « **Reply #1 on:** September 10, 2009, 12:20:14 AM »

And the word of the day is: ARCADIAN!

bk · « **Reply #2 on:** September 10, 2009, 12:21:02 AM »

And a very happy haineshisway.com birthday to occasional dear reader Donna.

Ben · « **Reply #3 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:00:41 AM »

Morning all. I'm eating oatmeal with raspberries and blackberries

I have a meeting this afternoon at the Rockefeller Foundation.

That's all for now.

DAW · « **Reply #4 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:16:24 AM »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR Donna!!!!!!

DAW · « **Reply #5 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:16:48 AM »

Thank you to DRs Ginny and Matt H.!!!!

DAW · « **Reply #6 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:16:58 AM »

Thanks, DR Sam!!!!!!!!!!

DAW · « **Reply #7 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:17:30 AM »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Rob, DS of DR Ginny!!!!!

Kerry · « **Reply #8 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:19:09 AM »

down on Abby's foot during the places blackout.....so she promptly began the show on Page Two.

Then Mortimer and Elaine began having trouble with their lines.

In Act Three - I couldn't get the curtain cord pulled down, I had to stand on the window seat, giving me just a few seconds to loop the rope and tie up Mortimer. THEN when I struck the match to light the candles during the murder scene, the match broke and landed on the floor, still burning. I kept talking, stomped it out....and lit another one.

Jack-
Tomorrow/Tonight will be better and the loveliest show ever! Vibes!!!!!!!

Michael · « **Reply #9 on:** September 10, 2009, 04:04:00 AM »

I'm going back to work today after 5 days off. The time off seemed to help a lot. The Swelling as gone down, don't need the cane to help me walk. back and hip don't hurt. Still some pain in the neck and leg, but it's tolerable. Besides I'm bored and want to go to work.

Michael · « **Reply #10 on:** September 10, 2009, 04:06:18 AM »

TOD
The one and only opera was a child and I saw an abridge version of Hansel and Gretel with just the kids and the witch. I didn't understand why a girl was playing Hansel.

DAW · « **Reply #11 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:09:29 AM »

~~~RECUPERATION AND PAIN-BEGONE VIBES~~~

FOR DR MICHAEL S!!!!!!!!!

DAW · « **Reply #12 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:16:34 AM »

TOD:

The first opera I likely saw was Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors."

Now I pretty much love all opera. I didn't really like it all that much until I started to study voice in college; suddenly, I appreciated what it was that singers were doing! I must say, the live opera experience is really enhanced, for me, by the MetTitles system, where the translation appears on a personal screen on the back of the seat in front of you. On television and DVD, not an issue.

Some current favorites: Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro," Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress," Copland's "The Tender Land."

Matt H. · « **Reply #13 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:39:55 AM »

Good morning!

We had a nice summer rain this morning, completely NOT in the forecast, but it seems to be over now. The high is supposed to be 79 today, and if that's a signal that cooler weather is ahead for next week, I'm ALL for it.

Matt H. · « **Reply #14 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:41:59 AM »

I didn't have a great night. No pain at all, but after I woke up sometime after 2 a.m., I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep more than a couple of hours at a clip. Still got 6 1/2 hours, but they were very checkered by waking and shifting, the kind of nights I HATE.

Matt H. · « **Reply #15 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:43:35 AM »

My work project today is the third in the series of martial arts movies being released next week on Blu-ray by Buena Vista. This one is a Jackie Chan movie called THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER. Obviously, I've never seen it before, and I think it's the longest of the four films being released at 102 minutes. That may not seem like a very long running time at all, but with all the fighting in these movies, that can seem like an eternity.

Matt H. · « **Reply #16 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:48:26 AM »

I THINK that CARMEN was the first opera I ever saw. My aunt used to take me with her to lots of operas since my uncle wasn't fond of them. I wasn't crazy about them either, truth be told. I adore musicals, but opera just wasn't my thing. And I never saved opera programs, so I don't know WHO I saw all those years ago. Finally about the mid-60s when it was clear I was really only interested in musicals, my aunt stopped dragging me to them, and we ended up only going to musicals in NYC and elsewhere to satisfy me.

I've seen many of the classics: TOSCA, LA BOHEME, THE MAGIC FLUTE, AIDA, but never got to THE RING or TURANDOT (which one of these days I would like to see).

Matt H. · « **Reply #17 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:50:28 AM »

The CW continues with season premieres tonight with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and the fifth (and maybe last) season opener of SUPERNATURAL.

Don't forget about PROJECT RUNWAY either.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #18 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:59:00 AM »

Feel better vibes for DR MICHAEL S and DR MATTH.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 10, 2009, 05:59:14 AM »

Thanks, DR KERRY - it HAS to bet better tonight.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #20 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:00:03 AM »

Opera....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....haven't seen many - if any.

But I like to listen to recordings. I sometimes confuse my opera with my operetta, of course.

But as for recordings.....I would like to have a good one of MADAME BUTTERFLY!

elmore3003 · « **Reply #21 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:11:33 AM »

Good morning, all! I'm happy everything is going so well, BK! On the reed's ad lib sections, I give you carte blanche to be the editor on what he's doing under the vocals.

I have a crazy day today: Toyland this morning, and then I'd like to catch the runthrough of Act One of FINIAN'S RAINBOW from 1-5. At 7, I'm seing the premiere of our DR Julie's film CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY, which - truth be told - I'd rather not, since I don't deal with 9/11 too well. Still, I have a friend in the cast, i love DR Julie, and I want the film to be a huge success so I'm going. And taking a box of Kleenex.

BK, the Elixir of Love is indeed the title; it's funny, but - like most of Donizetti, I don't think it's funny enough. I remember seeing a City Opera prodction of Rossini's The Italian Girl in Algiers that was so funny I thought I was going to die with parodies of the Yeston musical THE TITANIC, an Italian family that was so un-PC it was criminal, and a leading lady who thought she was doing a 1960s Fellini film in her toreador pants and sunglasses.

Given your penchant for fantasy and short stories, I think you'd like Offenbach's TALES OF HOFFMANN very much, and I wish you'd caught the LA Opera's spring production this year of Braunfels' DIE VOGEL, which got wonderful reviews. Braunfels in the 1920s was Trude Rittman's teacher at the Cologne Conservatory, and his lush untra-romantic score for DIE VOGEL reminds me of Korngold's film work.

elmore3003 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:13:39 AM »

As for the Topic of the Day, my choice would be either Solti's edition of CARMEN, which is not only a wonderful performance but a great documentary of what's been going on with editions of this great opera in the past 50 years.

elmore3003 · « **Reply #23 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:14:05 AM »

Or TOSCA with Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera recordings ever made, as well as the epitome of singer and role merging. Callas, both the legend and the real person, meld completely with the diva Tosca in early 19th Century Rome during the Napoleonic Wars. She has the temperament and understanding of this crazy jealopus diva better than any other singer and the rest of the cast is superb.

Jennifer · « **Reply #24 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:20:29 AM »

re: ellen as the new judge on AMERICAN IDOL.

I don't think it's a good idea at all. I am actually disappointed that paula won't be back. To me a lot of the show was about her vs simon and the tension/attraction.

Does ellen know anything about singing? She is funny. But she was a judge once last season on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. And she was not good, because she did not know anything about dancing.

She would say they were great and then make a joke. But she didn't have anything to contribute. I fear it will be a similar situation on Idol and can't figure out why they would even consider her (other than the fact that she is popular).

All the other people i had heard about (that they were considering) were singers or people who knew something about singing. So at least that made sense.

Jennifer · « **Reply #25 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:21:50 AM »

I am gonna watch THE VAMPIRE DIARIES tonight. Although i wonder if it will be anything like the book. Already in the book the lead girl elena is a beauty that looks like an angel with long blonde hair. Yet the girl cast has dark brown hair!

elmore3003 · « **Reply #26 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:26:30 AM »

Quote from: JRand59 on September 10, 2009, 06:00:03 AM

Opera....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....haven't seen many - if any.

But I like to listen to recordings. I sometimes confuse my opera with my operetta, of course.

But as for recordings.....I would like to have a good one of MADAME BUTTERFLY!

DR JRand59, since opera houses are producing occasional operettas like FLEDERMAUS, MERRY WIDOW, LA BELLE HELENE, or other light pieces, I don't feel you should ever worry about confusing the two forms. The major problem for me with opera houses is that they generally are too heavy-handed with operetta. I've seen too many Merry Widows who are over-the-hill divas rather than a young sexy widow between 20 and 30 years of age who, after being abandoned by her noble true love because of her lowly background, marries the country's richest man, only to have him die on her wedding night; speculations as to his cause of death could be endless. Getting her true love back makes the plot sort of a revenge plot but I have yet to see that angle in a production.

As to the wonderful MADAMA BUTTERFLY, I recommend two items, one is the film from around 10 years ago that I recommend to everyone; the casting is a group of photogenic singers and the production quite a successful film. The kid playing Butterfly's baby Trouble, whose name will be changed to Joy when Lt Pinkerton comes back to her, is a really adorable kid.

elmore3003 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:28:25 AM »

And my favorite recording is this one with the great Renata Scotto, a true diva, who never sang better than she does here. I think Mirella Freni is also a wonderful Butterfly, but her recording with Pavarotti is not so hot because von Karajan the conductor is TOO SLOW!

Matt H. · « **Reply #28 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:30:52 AM »

I'm probably not going to watch THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Every review I've read has given it a teen/early 20s girl recommendation with scant recommendation for anyone else, and despite really liking Ian Sommerhalder, I can't get enthused about adding another show to my already heavy roster of shows. So I'll take a pass on this one, at least for now.

Dan (the Man) · « **Reply #29 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:33:46 AM »

Quote from: Matt H. on September 10, 2009, 05:50:28 AM

The CW continues with season premieres tonight with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and the fifth (and maybe last) season opener of SUPERNATURAL.

Don't forget about PROJECT RUNWAY either.

I miss PROJECT RUNWAY being on Wednesdays.

News:

Author Topic: BACK IN THE SADDLE (Read 17372 times)

Ben

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