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Today I have had the most stupendously random good fortune.
Didn't have to present information about Don Giovanni by myself without knowing what I was talking about.
Got free food at lunch.
Walked Reggie to his dad's car and was hailed to use up their extra opera ticket for tonight, call before 6:15 if I wanted to be picked up.
Discovered to my great advantage that Jason's percussion senior recital on which Dr Evans grunted and banged on drums like a caveman started at 5:15 as opposed to 4:30, which meant missing only 10 minutes of Rice instead of all, until I found out...
Eric Esparza, tenor graduate of 2000 (he did the third solo in the melting song, and he cracked on the recording i have, poor boy), was there to student-conduct for a day, so we did our customary runthrough of the FAURE! Yaaaay...
Dr Farwell was there and talked to me and asked how my recital went and in a roundabout way basically told me she's made her decision about my audition and I'm into the Shepherd School, so all I have to worry about is academics...
And then we were let out early, so no need to skip rehearsal to go home and call Reggie's dad to pick me up to go to the opera after Jason's recital, to which...
I made it on time, and got to see Dr Evans play (he's good) and then they did an encore of Under the Sea on marimbas and with percussion ensemble... soo cute.
Then off to Birraporetti's, which was too crowded, so then to Zin, for pre-opera food, which I was too stuffed with leftover salmon to order, so Reggie's dad might be offended that I refused his hospitality, but was fine the rest of the night.
And the opera. Was actually quite good, as Julia had described it to me (she's in the HGO studio and went to the dress rehearsal). Jake Heggie was the composer, and it was called The End of the Affair. It was based on a Graham Greene book, and REggie's dad described his books to me as a triumph of style over substance, as the characters are all unsympathetic but it's so well-written you don't care... I'm still out on my opinion of the plot, but the drama and theatricality of it was wonderful, the singing was tremendous, the music could have been a lot worse... there were lots of clever references to the time period... It was set in WWII London, and there were bomb klaxons on French horn, cathedral bells on chimes, a broken record on swing band... and the drama, the drama... Oh, and the nudity was surprisingly well-done. I mean, it was plausible and added to the meaning and effect, instead of just being embarassing... and the baritone was sooo good, and looked quite nice naked. Yes. And I loved the Broadway-esque quartet of men at the end, fixing the philosophy and intentions of each one in the mind of the soprano... Mrs. Carter's son (the little one who acts like he owns PVA whenever he comes, not Clayton, the bassist) was the only big kid part in a cast of 7 or 8 with 5 supernumeraries... He did a good little innocent boy, real personality notwithstanding... the staging, the sets, the lighting, the entire theatrical production was just astounding, and I wasn't disappointed with the music.
And I get home and get all kinds of relieving and interesting and gut-twisting news. Prince is home (mama had to go get him, that's why she didn't come to the opera), and walking around, and okay, except the hold in his abdomen is sore... Nabil's still grieving for his cat, and came to me for help... I'll admit some kind of authority on matters of recovering from feline death, but it's a novel experience to be turned to for comfort. And then there's Reggie. It's amazing how direct and simple and honest he can be.
Didn't have to present information about Don Giovanni by myself without knowing what I was talking about.
Got free food at lunch.
Walked Reggie to his dad's car and was hailed to use up their extra opera ticket for tonight, call before 6:15 if I wanted to be picked up.
Discovered to my great advantage that Jason's percussion senior recital on which Dr Evans grunted and banged on drums like a caveman started at 5:15 as opposed to 4:30, which meant missing only 10 minutes of Rice instead of all, until I found out...
Eric Esparza, tenor graduate of 2000 (he did the third solo in the melting song, and he cracked on the recording i have, poor boy), was there to student-conduct for a day, so we did our customary runthrough of the FAURE! Yaaaay...
Dr Farwell was there and talked to me and asked how my recital went and in a roundabout way basically told me she's made her decision about my audition and I'm into the Shepherd School, so all I have to worry about is academics...
And then we were let out early, so no need to skip rehearsal to go home and call Reggie's dad to pick me up to go to the opera after Jason's recital, to which...
I made it on time, and got to see Dr Evans play (he's good) and then they did an encore of Under the Sea on marimbas and with percussion ensemble... soo cute.
Then off to Birraporetti's, which was too crowded, so then to Zin, for pre-opera food, which I was too stuffed with leftover salmon to order, so Reggie's dad might be offended that I refused his hospitality, but was fine the rest of the night.
And the opera. Was actually quite good, as Julia had described it to me (she's in the HGO studio and went to the dress rehearsal). Jake Heggie was the composer, and it was called The End of the Affair. It was based on a Graham Greene book, and REggie's dad described his books to me as a triumph of style over substance, as the characters are all unsympathetic but it's so well-written you don't care... I'm still out on my opinion of the plot, but the drama and theatricality of it was wonderful, the singing was tremendous, the music could have been a lot worse... there were lots of clever references to the time period... It was set in WWII London, and there were bomb klaxons on French horn, cathedral bells on chimes, a broken record on swing band... and the drama, the drama... Oh, and the nudity was surprisingly well-done. I mean, it was plausible and added to the meaning and effect, instead of just being embarassing... and the baritone was sooo good, and looked quite nice naked. Yes. And I loved the Broadway-esque quartet of men at the end, fixing the philosophy and intentions of each one in the mind of the soprano... Mrs. Carter's son (the little one who acts like he owns PVA whenever he comes, not Clayton, the bassist) was the only big kid part in a cast of 7 or 8 with 5 supernumeraries... He did a good little innocent boy, real personality notwithstanding... the staging, the sets, the lighting, the entire theatrical production was just astounding, and I wasn't disappointed with the music.
And I get home and get all kinds of relieving and interesting and gut-twisting news. Prince is home (mama had to go get him, that's why she didn't come to the opera), and walking around, and okay, except the hold in his abdomen is sore... Nabil's still grieving for his cat, and came to me for help... I'll admit some kind of authority on matters of recovering from feline death, but it's a novel experience to be turned to for comfort. And then there's Reggie. It's amazing how direct and simple and honest he can be.
