Andy repositions himself to take advantage of the fan. (Now I can see the subtitles on the television. Thanks, my kitty!)
Andy repositions himself to take advantage of the fan. (Now I can see the subtitles on the television. Thanks, my kitty!)
King Andy shows attitude towards TV news one again.
P.S. Beba’s bushy tail has become a feature during all our movie times,
Barmalei is only interested in operas and musicals, and Pyshka just doesn’t care. As long as I am on my couch, she nestles under my arm and goes to sleep. No refinement to this child.
Sounds like Barmalei would be happiest here of your cats! That is, of course, if Baroque opera isn’t too deep for a kitty!
Baroque opera is just fine with him, but you reminded me how our adopted son (we adopted him as a teenager, not a little baby) first saw one live. It was Julius Cesar by Handel, featuring countertenor David Daniels in the lead. Imagine an American teenager watching Julius Cesar in full shining Roman military getup opening his mouth and singing higher than a soprano! The kid almost fell out of his chair laughing!
LOL! Yes, it takes a bit of adjustment to find comfort with a countertenor voice! I can to that comfort level faster because I heard these performances by recordings, then saw videos years later. Incidentally, Handel is one of my favorite Baroque composers largely because of his numerous operas. Vivaldi is another, though I was unaware of his vocal music until the late 1990s.
Just for fun and for those you and I have left out of the conversion, here’s a famous Handel aria sung by a famous countertenor:
https://youtu.be/N7XH-58eB8c
Just in case that was too soon for some…here’s a lovely, touching version by incomparable Cecilia Bartoli.
https://youtu.be/OdeOyrLHdSg
I see the French movie “Farinelli”, which I viewed well after I grew accustomed to countertenors, came out in 1994. I bought that DVD as soon
as it became available, probably 1995. So much for memory! I think there was a variation of this aria in that movie, but couldn’t find it on YouTube. Serems it was what he sang to the king of Spain to comforted him during a solar eclipse.
I like this version best of the countertenors….
https://youtu.be/MQm2C5UrERg
Then there is this variation easier of more recent ears, if not those of use after Alfred Deller. I think it takes away some of the classic, well Baroque, heroic and other worldly quality of the countertenor voice emparts to the music:
https://youtu.be/Fqtq5BmgTHc
Well, why not a boy soprano version, too?
https://youtu.be/4Gtmwqofo5k
If I were to number them in hierarchical order, it would definitely Bach, just because I have played the entire well tempered clavier, as well as the concertos. Even now, I find that playing preludes and fugues alleviates stress. Second would probably be Vivaldi, then Lully and finally Handel, both because of operas, certainly.
Definitely Bach first for me, too. Handel comes in second, followed by Haydn (several interesting operas!), Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin. Interestingly to me, I use Bach to sort me out, too. His music got me througfh stressful times in past.
Funny you should name Mozart and Chopin. I play Mozart when I am in the thinking mood and Chopin when I feel romantic. I played Fantasie Impromtu for my graduation recital in college. As to Haydn, Armida, of course. I also find it curious that Mozart is lauded for writing the first opera in German, while in reality it was Haydn’s Der Krumme Teufel, the excuse being, “oh well, it’s not exactly a real opera.” If it isn’t, then what about Offenbach’s comic operas (much later, of course)?
Well, many of Mozart’s operas get knocked down as bits of fluff, but I enjoy them regardless. I enjoy pretty much any of the Italian operas, starting with Montiverdi through Puccini.
I hold that Mozart was pure genius, fluff or not; Musically, everything he wrote was perfect. Talking about Monteverdi, we also saw David Daniels in “the Coronation of Pompea.” He was divine, but the production itself was almost pornographic. We felt that people who introduce their children to opera at an early age (and fortunately there are quite a few of those) would be justifiably upset. Also, when they produced “Orpheus” (not Monteverdi’s, but Gluck’s) they skipped the famous flute solo -and I was so looking forward to it!
I get a feeling that you are not much in favor of modern operas. Is that so?
I haven’t made it through too many 20th century operas, for sure. I can’t imagine leaving out that part of Gluck’s “Orpheus”. Seems like someone needed to be fired for putting on a flawed production. I love that opera. I have the Italian version in two different performances and one of the French.
The version of Rameau’s “Les Boreades” I have on CD came without a libretto because of a pigheaded dispute with the copyright holder. I finally found a set of DVDs of several Rameau operas, and the “Les Boreades” performance was close captioned. As with most operas, I probably wished for something best forgotten! Silly plot at best, though I was happy to follow it through a thoroughly grim modern interpretation. I like (frankly) performances that attempt to show the operas as they might have been performed in their historic context. Modern interpretations largely distract me and feel contrived unless they are conservative enough to come across, I guess, as “old fashioned”.
I suppose we are as old fashioned as you are, and the latest trend to modernize productions goes against our grain. Granted, most opera plots, silly or not, are built around love stories, but to dress Carmen fit to walk 79th street (in Miami, it’s a place to pick up sex workers, as they are called now) is definitely not what Bizet had in mind.
I e-mailed the Opera Board regarding the flute solo (I’ve been a subscriber for 40 years and a board member for a few years), but received no response. Unfortunately, Florida Grand Opera sometimes does unforgivable things. A few years ago the entire South Florida opera community paid a small fortune, in addition to yearly subscriptions, for a surprise visit of Placido Domingo singing in a zarzuela “Luisa Fernanda.” On the night of the performance, it was announced that Placido was sick and couldn’t sing, but he would conduct. He came out on stage to apologize, and it was clear that he couldn’t even speak, let alone sing. They did perform, with a totally inadequate substitution tenor, and nothing was done to make up to people who paid to see Placido – no credit, no free performance or concert of any kind, not even an apology in writing. But what can we do? We don’t have another opera company here.
They’ve tried to feed us modern operas; they lost most of the audience after the first act every time, so eventually they gave up. We were among those who walked out.
I have never seen Rameau operas produced (I think he didn’t quite measured up to Lully – only my opinion, of course) but did play a couple of his harpsichord pieces. Of course they sounded totally different played on a piano, yet still very enjoyable..
Rameau didn’t start composing operas until late in life, and never had the audience (to wink!) Lully had as a court pet. Namely, they – his few operas – had no known performances in his lifetime, and few till the w20th century. I am less familiar with “Lully’s work, having taken up the Lully-Charpentier feud on the Charpentier side. LOL! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Bor%C3%A9ades
Oh well, I find more than enough modern feuds to take part in 400-year old ones. Although I must say that I make one exception (off the subject of opera now): the feud between Shakespeare and Marlowe. I hold that had Kit Marlowe not been killed before reaching 30, he would’ve out-Shakespeared Will. Only my opinion, of course.
I’ll dodge that one!
You got me onto Baroque, Doug; I was listening to Albinoni and Vivaldi all day today.
It had to have been a lovely day, then!
It certainly was, and the food inspired by this music also came out lovely, or so The Boss proclaimed.
That Spongebob cushion (toy?) is terrifying! I once watched an episode of X Files which featured a serial killer who looked just like that!
LOL. He is creepy in the same way clowns are….
Here is an intelligent cat! 🙂
Amitiés
Michel
Especially as the summer heat starts in late spring!
It’s nice when they let us see the screen… 🙂
You get to see the screen?! LOL!
On occasion… 🐱
LOL!
A better door then a window sometimes, I know 🐱🐱 🙂
Both do it, of course.
fan-tastic! .. he left the tv spot as they talked about the president hahaha
Could be why, eh?