a southern gal in the north

three of my favorite things together – how can this not be a good thing?

if you are a fan of Mozart and especially of DIE ZAUBERFLOTE (the hot music topic in nyc right now) and love an intellectually stimulating mystery – and the quirkiness of a curmugdeonly british dectective – rent INSPECTOR MORSE – THE MASONIC MYSTERIES.

its a wonderful story based around and using elements of ZAUBERFLOTE. the main character of this made-for-tv only episode, Chief Inspector Morse, is a classical music fanatic, especially of opera. in this plot, Morse himself becomes the primary suspect of a fellow female chorus member during rehearsals for a community production of ZAUBERFLOTE. its filled with persecution and pyrotechnics and plot twists, but in the end, Morse gets his man – but alas, has lost the lady (par for the course for him).

if you are a lover of well written and executed tv mysteries of the british variety – seek this out. and the others in the tv series as well – some of the best british mystery tv production ever imnsho. unfortunately for the many Morse fans, Dexter ‘killed’ off his lead character in ‘The Remorseful Day’; and tragically shortly after, John Thaw, the actor who brillantly inhabited the Morse character, died.

Dexter has been quoted as saying that after the filming of the series from his books had started, he found characteristics from Thaw’s performances creeping into his new books. John Thaw had worked in British tv for many years (The BILL) and theatre, but it was with his portrayal of Morse that he found his fame as an actor. The other series he is beloved for is Kavanagh QC (it was in production at the time of his death).

[taymor that is]

if you have seen the new production of DIE ZAUBERFLOTE or have heard about it – there is a huge outpouring of commentary on the opera-l internet list….hop over and check it out… Opera-L

here’s Tommasini’s NY Times review – Coloring Mozart’s World With Puppets and Gegaws

i have been owned by two pairs of cats. my first cat was found at Bideawee in the first month after the breakup of the relationship that i thought was my true love for life. ah the folly of youth .

emma was a “tuxedo” cat – deep black short fur with white stomach and four white paws and a white tip on her tail and a black dot on her nose – a very independent but loving cat. she was very tiny and would climb up the loft ladder and sleep curled right next to me under my chin… of course as she grew this position became more problematic – but she adapted and would even readjust her position when i would turn over during the night as i am wont to do.

miranda came to us via a friend who found miranda’s pregnant mom straying thru the upper west side. miranda was very young also when she came to us; unfortunately emma was not a very maternal cat, yet there was no fighting. the two just figured out which were “their” spots and staked them out and neither ever sat in the other’s spot. they were different types as well – emma had to cuddle next to me whenever i sat on the sofa. miranda would hang out on the top of the sofa or on the arm – close but not too close.

they died several years ago – miranda first at 13 in the autumn of 1999. her death came during the darkest years of my life and to deal with it, i spent a day tearing up concrete to create a space for a garden. emma died in feb 2001 at 16. i had to put miranda down (horrible experience) and so i convinced the vet to let me keep emma and she died in my arms.

three years went by ….

i found myself on jury duty in brooklyn. after i wasnt selected on the third day for the felony case, i was wandering Atlantic Avenue and came across HOPE VET. just browing i thought and went in … and there was a mother cat and her kitten. the mother was a pregnant stray… as far as the vets could determine she was barely a year old. the kitten was the sole survivor of her litter of three. one other person was interested in the kitten only but was going to declaw her – so when i said i would take both (no declawing!) that must have been the extra point because after filling out a three page application and waiting three days, i was approved.

so Cordelia and Katie came home with me in Feb 2004. Cordelia because the vets had called her cornelia and i wasnt that crazy about that name so i picked the closest i could find that i liked; Katie for Kate Hepburn who had died at the time and for my grandmother – Kathryn.

ok to the Wagner reference…. Katie was a very skeetish kitten and still doesnt tolerate being held; although 9 months later she is calming down enough that she will abide about 5 minutes of petting and scratching of her head before skampering away.

anyway last spring i was sitting at my desk preparing to listen to the MET OPERA’s broadcast of DAS RHEINGOLD with score at hand. that deep chord was rising up thru the orchestra and here came Katie peering thru the door. she calmly jumped up and, laying on the desk, spreading out over everything, sat thru the entire opera. it was intriguing to me as i dont have the volume down low or even at medium levels.

wonder what she would do if she heard live music ? well, maybe soon we will see.

[this is from a former now defunct blog – i wrote this the week after the MET ended its last season]

The RING (as it is called by afficionados) is the opera tetralogy written by Richard Wagner and put on only with great expense and exhertion by a major opera company. there are many websites devoted to more explanation about this cycle. suffice it to say that attending a RING cycle brings one in close proximity with a rare type of opera fan – the very devoted one. These operas are a marathon event = the first one is 2.5 hours with no break and the next three are almost 6 hours with two breaks each night. you see people with picnics outside and sandwiches and thermoses inside – myself, i had sandwiches and caffeine to sustain me. you would think that sitting and listening wouldn’t be tiring – but after working and hurrying to get to the opera house by a 6 am curtain, it does take a toll by the end of the week. the operas were on Mon, Tue, Thu and Sat – by the last night, you feel a camaraderie with all around you – for stamina much less with glorious music as well! and it was glorious – the met opera orchestra played their hearts out – there were two not very complementary articles about the conductor, James Levine, over the weekend prior to the opening of this last Cycle and at the end of the first night, we all leapt to our feet and screamed for the orchestra and Maestro Levine – he was really taken aback at his reception for his solo bow. the last night of the cycle was the last night of the entire SEASON as well.

****

since then i have listened to the 2004 Bayreuth RING Live from Bayreuth (thanks to web casting!) and the Rattle Debut performance of DAS RHEINGOLD at the BBC PROMS (in fact re-listening to it now) — its an incredible performance – it was done in concert version – here’s the cast list from BBC PROMS

Wagner Das Rheingold (concert performance; sung in German (150 mins)
Willard W. White Wotan
Kim Begley Loge
James Rutherford Donner
Timothy Robinson Froh
Yvonne Naef Fricka
Geraldine McGreevy Freia
Anna Larsson Erda
Oleg Bryjak Alberich
Robin Leggate Mime
Peter Rose Fasolt
Robert Lloyd Fafner
Kate Royal Woglinde
Karen England Wellgunde
Christine Rice Flosshilde
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Simon Rattle conductor

“Sir Simon Rattle and the OAE launch the first ever Ring cycle at the Proms – to be shared between different teams of performers over the next four years – with the first modern performance of a Wagner opera on period instruments. “

I have listened about a dozen times since then and its an incredible performance – i can only imagine how it sounded in the Royal Albert Hall – having never been there either its a stretch – i’ve just seen it in movies like the Hitchcock TMWKTM. anyway, it would be an experience to hear all of them – one each year. going to LONDON and going to Bayreuth for THE RING are two things on my list of Things To Do Before Its Too Late (TTDOBITL). and there are several others. well, the gods are about to ascend up to Valhalla… a fitting end to a day.