Les Contes d'Hoffman at Metropolitan Opera

By -
I liked this opera enough to see it twice. It's three acts about three women that the poet Hoffman has loved.

The first act was beautifully staged with an extravagant set and cast (a spiral dragon descending from the ceiling, 50+ people on stage). A Korean soprano sang amazing scales, hitting notes high and low perfectly.

The second and third acts impressed me less. The supposed star, Anna Netrebko, sang in the second act, but she just seemed like a normal soprano to me. I guess she didn't have songs that made it easy to appreciate her voice like the Korean did.

The production showed a surprising amount of skin. In the first performance, the opening scene showed topless women with only stars on their breasts. The second performance was broadcast live to Vienna and other places, so the topless women wore bras. I could still hear the gasps and whispers when the curtain came up.

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Mombasa Update

By -
40km bike ride Since the kids were off today, Suzzy and I decided to take a 40km bike ride through the countryside and villages with a guide. It was a fantastic and really, really, really hot experience. I enjoyed shouting momba/boa to the kids in the villages. I also really liked learning about the various trees (cashew, mango, etc). The creek, beaches, forests, fields were all beautiful. Near the end, we biked to the top of a mountain for a panoramic view of the area. School The "Destiny" school is located in Motonga, a poor village outside of Mombasa. I've been helping out in the primary 2 class; kids range from 4-9 years old. Suzzy is helping in primary 3. What exactly am I doing? I'm administering reading tests (eg. the kid reads a list of words and sentences), grading 6 different tests, handing back papers, and recording scores. Suzzy and I also get to play with them, which is really fun. I introduced hopscotch to them and they really love it. They enjoyed p...
Read more

Walking Tour Sao Paulo

By -
Image
After finishing up our visa extension errand, we hopped onto a subway and headed for a self-guided walking tour of Sao Paulo. Subway The subway station was packed with throngs of people making their way around town or perusing clothing shops, bookstores, and food stalls. We ordered a sandwich and an empanada-like treat for a standing lunch. The subway system was really easy to navigate: good signage & labeling of trains. Such an efficient way to travel because the streets are full of stagnant traffic. It was nice to take a few connecting trains and walk the rest of the way. Walking Tour We followed Lonely Planet's (Kindle-version) 3-hour walking tour. It took us through the heart of Sao Paolo, past cathedrals, street performers, famous architecture & sculptures, and historic sites. Very nice! Sight along the way Back "home" We're staying at a small Pousada (Zilah) which offers a few clean, simple rooms above its eatery. It was recommended in our gu...
Read more

Yellow Fevah

By -
Yellow Fevah I almost didn't get into Tanzania - twice. 1) Immigration in the Dar es Salaam airport and 2) the Zanzibar ferry terminal (yep, you have to go through immigration again even though you're still in the same country), both wanted to see my yellow fever inoculation card. They were very strict and wouldn't let you into the country without proof of the shot. After pleading with different agents, I finally convinced the last guy to sneak me into the country. Whew! As you can imagine, I was really nervous when I had to go through immigration again at the Zanzibar ferry terminal. Luckily, I had a little more wiggle room with my immigration card (longer story)....so I was able to sail through customs. Worse case, I would have been shipped to the health center at the airport for an expensive shot....I think...I saw other East Africans being shipped over off to a "special health" area, so this rule isn't just for muzungos (white/yellow folks). Angry tout ...
Read more