Monday Morning Musings December 28, 2015

One more stand-in article from me while JL is on the road. This is a bit of a stretch for me, as I am more comfortable sharing snark than hope (BTW, did you ever try to define hope in such a way that the definition is immediately distinguishable from faith?) Just one word of warning – my videos are all in playlists, and Idon't think I am am not tech savvy enough to make that stop, so you may want to keep an eye out.

Let me start with a Christmas piece from the Three Tenors.  Now, as far as I can tell, it was never kept a secret, but I don't think it is widely known, that

Italian producer Mario Dradi conceived the idea of the first concert in 1990 in Rome. It was held to raise money for Carreras's foundation, the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation. It was also for his friends Domingo and Pavarotti a way to welcome Carreras back into the world of opera after his successful treatment for leukemia.  (from Wikipedia)

How many people watching or listening to these three tenors consciously thought they were witnesses to a survivor success story?  Or an act of brotherly love by two men to a third who might have been considered a rival?  An act of love that certainly brings Erato to mind.

The irony is – we lost Luciano in 2007.  Placido is still singing in complete operas – as a baritone (and doing a bang-up job of it, IMO).  José is no longer singing complete operas, but he is still singing recitals as a tenor.  So – the survivor of leukemia is the last tenor left standing.  Go figure.

Speaking of the last one standing – how many sopranos who have retired from opera are still having new operas written for them when they are 70?  Frederica von Stade, that's who.  And an opera that strives to bring history to life, and apparently succeeds quite notably?  Clio says it is a must-see.

Von Stade – Flicka, to friends and fans (who included Garrison Keillor – she made an album with him – "Songs of the Cat") – could have been a diva, but was just too down to earth for that.  One of her voice teachers was a cat lover – during the first lesson one of the teachers cat's threw up on her shoe.  The teacher was figuring that would be the last lesson ever, but Flicka just said, "I hope it wasn't my singing."

The new opera, a "chamber opera," called "A Coffin in Egypt," and based on the play of the same name, presents 90-year-old Myrtle Bledsoe, a widow in Egypt, TX, reflecting on her entire life.  If you are in New York this coming February you can see it.  If not, you can watch this trailer.  (And this time, I would let the playlist run one more video.  I have never heard the "Song to the Moon" done better.)

Now I want to go from a gift of love and a gift of history to a slightly unusual treatment of Christmas giving – a version so enhanced it's almost hard to call it a parody of the carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas," called "The Twelve Gifts of Christmas," written and conducted by American composer Jeff Tyzik, tenor soloist Tonio de Paolo, with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  I think Thalia will have a lot of fun with this.

Just in closing – if anyone happens to have a recording of the complete "Too Hot to Handel," or even just the Christmas portion, could you burn me a copy?  Please?