Der Holle Rache

 

So, after nearly a decade of being online, here at last is a performance by Yours Truly. This video was taken by my boyfriend yesterday at his Halloween party.  

                     Translation:

                      Hell's vengeance boils within my heart.

                     Death and despair flame around me.

                     If through you, Sarastro does not feel the pain of death                 

                    You shall be my daughter no more.

                     Disowned be forever,

                     Forsaken be forever,

                     Destroyed be forever,

                     By all bonds of Nature,

                     If through you Sarastro does not become pale.

                     Hear, gods of revenge! Hear a mother's oath!

Ba'al

  He’d heard them calling on him all day. He’d heard them lashing themselves and leaping on the stones of the altar. The sacrifice was attracting daring flies, and the people were getting bored.

He turned over in bed. If that...woman had been more efficient, there wouldn’t be this problem. But she couldn’t get one measly prophet. The same prophet who’d called down a drought for three years. And was now taunting the priests for their inability to call down fire from Heaven.

“Let them yell all they want,” he said to himself, “I’ve had it with that bunch.” 

TURANDOT Online Encore

 

This was the encore me and my boyfriend tried to go see back in 2016, but we couldn't make it. So we watched it on the night of Thursday the 13th.

Turandot centers around a Chinese princess who will only marry the man who answers her three riddles; if he can't, he'll lose his noggin. An unkown prince, Calaf by name, comes along and solves the riddles and thus wins the right to marry Turandot, but she is still resistant. Well, then the prince gives her a riddle: see if she can guess his name before dawn. The whole populace is kept awake on pain of death, but the loyal slave girl Liu sacrifices herself to bring about Turandot's redemption.

This opera is one of my favorites, and it's not hard to see why. The music is some of Puccini's best and it has some of the best moments in opera ever. The ending feels a bit rushed, but that was due to Puccini dying before he finished the opera. Nonetheless, it has remained a mainstay of the operatic repertoire; the famous Riddle Scene and Calaf's aria "Nessun Dorma" being the most popular moments in the whole opera. I myself have sung the slave girl Liu's final aria "Tu Che di Gel Sei Cinta" in recital back in 2015 (too bad I didn't get a decent enough video). 

And this production is awesome. Franco Zefarelli wanted a Chinese opera style for the production, and it works. The dancers, supernumeraries, the makeup for Turandot, it's all super awesome. My only beef is why is the Emperor not the one wearing the veil of stars while his attendants do? Small quibble of course, but still.

I think the Met will have a hard time finding a replacement production. This one is so iconic for the company that a new production will need to be especially notable.

Trying To Write

 Well, I've gone and let this blog lie fallow for two months. This is not good. 

I've hit quite a snag as if I write about one opera, it feels repetitive to write about another production of it. It does not help that the Chinese Communist Flu has made going to the opera more difficult. The nightly streams got boring after a while. But I am still upset with myself for forgoing a favorite opera in favor of a favorite singer. So, I will watch Turandot  on Thursday the 13th.

Me and my boyfriend are currently working on a novel called The Heart of a Monster. It is a  retelling of Beauty and the Beast. One thing we are trying is a Character Board, one where we make a visual guide as to the character's development and quirks. It is proving much more helpful than I ever thought possible. For example, if I put a picture of a garden next to the picture of Bella, then it helps me visualize her love of gardening. It is also an image of fertility.

We are also writing with my brother's help a skit series called The Apartment. These are short skits about roommates Randy and Paolo, and Randy's girlfriend Louise, and how they handle the crazy issues that come their way (losing jobs, crazy relatives, etc.). It's supposed to be something we can do even on a budget. 

We'll see how these turn out.

Song For An Old Fangirl Obsession

Let me ride with you, Number 4, on the Express!

Take me away on the rails of dreams,

Far away from my fears and my distress.

You're so sleek and strong, Number 4, more than the rest.

Who can they say would compare with you?

You're the one whom I say is truly best.

Such a fast machine, Number 4, and such delight.

Blue, handsome, bold, from my childhood days,

Come for me, let me ride, in dreams tonight. 

I Dreamed Of Dima

I dreamed you still lived
And I knew you as a friend,
That I embraced you.

But I still knew then
That you had died three years back.
How strange dreams can be.

Writing Music

It's harder than I thought it would be. I'm having to go back and redo the entire thing. But so far it's also very satisfying to do.