Troyanos

As is his wont, Maury responds to our idle questions like "What Troyanos do you like" with something as simple and surpassingly splendid as this YouTube clip of "O Don Fatale" from 1980 that we cannot stop watching for the life of us. Perhaps this is well-known to many of you, but if not please stop what you're doing for a moment and partake. Breathtaking.

Strange things afoot at the Circle K...

A: yo
J: YO
A: my internet is wierd, so this may bitch out
J: hah ok
A: what up
J: nothin'
A: saw a nice college Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi this evening
J: what up with you?
J: oh nice
A: DePaul's opera
A: it's kind of great to see amateur versions of these things
J: oh DVo bailed midact tonight
A: !
A: whoa
J: greg got some texts about it
A: holy shit
A: she doesn't roll like that
J: evidently she was ill
A: jesus
A: and apparently Heps is like out of commission until further notice
J: so they were BOTH covers
A: man
A: that is a f'ing opera right there
A: killin' people left n' right
J: but the new Tristan cover is supposed to be great, per Chalkenteros, via Greg
A: Lehman?
J: yes
A: damn
A: it made the newsweek site

New T n' I

J: dude.
J: the T-stan got boo'd
A: yikes
A: he was having issues
J: he was pretty bad
A: that is a tough assignment
J: act 3 was interminable
A: oof
A: i didn't hear much
J: on the other hand, this was like DVo's Ohio.
A: so good
A: so tits
J: DVo was so freaking tits
A: did you get other nights?
J: yeah I got some crap seats to one of the matinees
J: they sort of can't bring this guy back
J: I mean is Clifton Forbis really not doing anything?
A: Gelb must be mad texting him right now
A: what up clifton...pls call when u hav a sec
J: Clif. pls call asap. thx.
A: heh
A: i'm so happy for DV tho
J: oh man, it was so good
A: heps has the whole week to think about it
A: gelb: "Call Forbis...and get Heppner some fucking tea with honey for the love of god"
J: hah
J: the state of Tristans is sad
A: seriously
A: like, there is almost no one on the FACE OF THE EARTH who can pull it off well
A: appears to be the takeaway

9.24: OMG. Sirius and/or my computer and/or my Internets is such a mess right now. And with the Love Duet about to get started! Drat. On the plus side, D-VO sounds tremendous--the laser-y sounds in the new voice make for a super exciting Isolde. John Mac Master, aka "not Hep B", sounds like...a very respectable stand in Tristan. I imagine we are going to be feeling his pain a lot in Act III. How hateful that I am doing homework in another city and not in the haus this evening.

And we're off...

9.42 Mayday. Mayday. Mac Master's upper extension sounds like it just flew into someone's jet wash.

RIP, Giuseppe di Stefano

Was in the car a bit ago, clicked over to WFMT, and found myself in the midst of a "Che Gelida Manina" of disarming purity and power, the kind of thing that makes you wonder if it's really safe to drive while listening to that level of opera. The voice was Giuseppe di Stefano, who has died at 86. La Cieca is already on it with some clips, naturally. Also, this week's "From the Recording Horn" show on WFMT will be a tribute (Saturday after the Met b-cast).