Archives for June 2009
It’s all about the picture quality, isn’t it?
June 29, 2009
(Image courtesy of Music and Vision Daily) Pamela Rosenberg, whom many of you remember from her memorable tenure heading San Francisco Opera, announced last year that she would not be staying with the Berlin Philharmonic beyond the expiration of her current contract next year. Bloomberg reports that she is being replaced by Martin Hoffmann, a 49-year-old German television... Read more →
That Was the Week That Was…TDO Edition
June 19, 2009
(Mario Lanza as the Moor in “Otello.” Photo courtesy of freeradical.co.nz) You missed a good one. Yesterday evening, The Dallas Opera hosted the first installment of the “Cosi and Koozies Lecture Series,” an outstanding panel discussion on Verdi’s “Otello” and the problem of domestic violence. It did NOT disappoint. Led by moderator Chris Shull (“Opera... Read more →
Linguistics Problem
June 17, 2009
Is there any way you can refer to yourself, or anybody else (for that matter) as “Singer of the World” without sounding pretentious to the point of silliness? I mean, people climb on our backs for perceived overuse of the term “world-class.” Well, perhaps the best way to avoid being accused of singing with your nose in... Read more →
The “P” Word
June 16, 2009
You know, when it comes to any discussion of the new Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, one of the first questions we get after “Where can I find my seat?” is the inevitable expression of concern about parking. We’re going to undergo a period of adjustment–no... Read more →
Can we give till it hurts, when it hurts already?
June 11, 2009
(Courtesy of Time, Inc.) One of the most notable and laudable characteristics Americans bring to the global table is our unusual willingness to give to charity. Americans of all income levels give more to various charitable and non-profit organizations than their counterparts overseas but, when times get tough, we can’t all be as generous as we... Read more →
“The Onion” and the Whale
June 5, 2009
This was forwarded to me, after passing through several interesting hands. “The Onion” has envisioned a warm and fuzzy Captain Ahab, but I’ll be surprised if he turns up in this guise on The Dallas Opera stage when Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick opens next year. It would make for some amusing arias, though, wouldn’t it? Here’s... Read more →
Okay…So it’s not Swedish National Opera
“Advertising Age” is reporting that the Swedish furniture-to-go firm of IKEA is staging opera at one of its London stores. According to the report, “in addition to traditional instruments, cheese graters, wine glasses and saucepans add an extra dimension.” While I was hoping for something closer to the cutting-edge use of metallic mixing pans and rams... Read more →