oboeinsight

I need to buy a recording of Un Ballo in Maschera. Anyone have any recommendations? I’ll gladly listen to your advice. I can’t believe I don’t own a copy already; maybe I borrowed a library copy the last time we performed the work. (Yes, I’ve only done it once before.)

Opening night of this opera will be on my birthday. How about that? I’m going to be 29, 39 … um … older than I am now. (It’s fairly foolish of me to even think I could be 29 or 39 when I have a 23 year old son, eh?)

There are some fiction books that have to do with music. Some are hysterical because they are so bad — clearly the author did little or no research on what our lives are really like. Others are fairly good and worth the time. (Actually I enjoy reading the good and the bad; the bad are so entertaining they are often worth my time too!) Via James Reel’s blog I found a link to an Amazon page about some of these novels. Of course one thing leads to another. I then found another page called A Knife at the Opera (hah!). I’m guessing I’ll be taken to more of these pages if I only spend the time.

Some novels will revolve entirely around music, while with others the music is there but so is a whole lotta “other” (As if “other” exists! Just kidding … here’s the wink ;-) … so don’t take me seriously please!) When I get home and have time to look on my bookshelf I think I’ll start my list of “music books” I’ve loved. I can tell you that John Hassler’s Rookery Blues was great fun and dealt with both music and academia, nailing the stereotype profs pretty well. Robertson Davies is fabulous and you simply have to read The Cornish Trilogy — his other trilogies are great, too. (Please note: I don’t recommend these for younger readers. Adult subject matter.)