We Ain’t Snobs

04. April 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Comics, Links, Ramble, You Gotta Be Kidding

Such an unconventional piece might have met with some opposition among strict opera-goers, but when he introduced TMCM to an Opera America conference in Seattle two years ago, he noted that the reception was “unpretentious. That’s what shocked me, ’cause you just think about opera as being so stodgy…and then these people were so welcoming.”

I always have two reactions to comments about opera or classical folk being stodgy, snobbish, or elite. First I sigh. Then I kind of laugh.

I do wonder how this all started. But oh well. We are just folks. Really. 😉

The quote above is from an article about a new opera. It’s called Too Much Coffee Man. Which makes me smile. Is it about too much coffee? Or is there someone called “coffee man”? I read that it’s from a comic. I rarely read comics.

I’m snobby that way. 😉

Okay … I lie … I do check out this on occasion:
Oboehemia (I don’t quite understand how this site works; I think you have to look around for the comics, as they aren’t all on the front page)

Speaking of opera…
Is this another April Fool’s joke? I hope so! But there’s a report of an Anna Nicole Smith opera. Due to her “tragic” story.

No. Comment.

Heh … Not Just The Met ..

04. April 2008 · Comments Off on Heh … Not Just The Met .. · Categories: Ramble, You Gotta Be Kidding

… has illness issues that change the opera roster:

At the Pittsburgh Opera a performance of “Aida” on Tuesday became a night to remember, ending with the conductor singing the tenor role of Radames from the pit in the fourth act while continuing to lead the orchestra.

Read here.

But … hmmm … that was April 1. Could this all be a joke? Just delayed a bit? One wonders. (This one, anyway.)

Um … I think this is supposed to be a good thing …?

04. April 2008 · Comments Off on Um … I think this is supposed to be a good thing …? · Categories: Ramble, Reviews

Oboist Perry Trosclair has an embouchure that will make your hair stand on end.

Well okay, then. That’s just fine. I guess.

The writer goes on with these:

Lauren Baker’s violin could bring tears to a statue. When Mark Prichard plays the cello, he delivers a full course banquet of musical osso bucco.

Finally, the unsung harpist of the evening, Rebecca Todano, caressed her instrument with the satin touch of a lover’s embrace. This is not to say that the other musicians were also-rans.

Sometimes I wonder when I read news articles: where do these writers come from? And do they have a card file with adjectives they deem musical, as well as a sentence card file for those clever sentences they are dying to use?

(Found here.)

Read Online

04. April 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Ramble

Q: Does oboe make a good sound?

A: Yes, it is quite a beautiful instrument when played correctly. That is the hard part. It has a unique sound that cannot be emulated on any other instrument. I will tell you though, tone quality improves with time and practice. Oboists are like a fine wine… they get better with age. A beginner sounds like a duck being strangled, but it can become a swan with patience and effort.

(Found here.)