Monday, August 28, 2006
So I’ve been trying to start on opera club of sorts here in New York. I’m posting on Craig’s list and found some takers. So far the group is about four strong and I’m planning on getting everyone together in September to meet each other.
I had my meeting with a new member. We talked and talked about a number of things, but mostly opera, and had a great time. He has seen pretty much all of the greats sing here at the Met: Sutherland, Pavarotti, Price, you name it. And one of the great things about meeting older opera buffs is the stories they have to tell.
One was about the opera in the parks where Caballe hits an unwritten F-natural at the end of the triumphal march scene that nearly stopped traffic on Central Park West. Another, and perhaps most interesting, was Price at the Met as Aida.
Marianne Anderson, it is said, opened the door for black singers on the opera staged: the Daughters of the Revolution in D.C. refused to allow her to sing on their stage. In protest it was arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial and broadcast to the nation, where she sang the legendary “My Country tis of Thee” in 1939, 24 years before the famed “I have a dream” King speech.
In 1963 King “had a dream” and in 1964 Leontine Price blew the door off the hinges Anderson opened for her and debuted at the Met: She was the first black to appear on an opera stage in the US. Being afraid to take a curtain call alone, she took them with others, fearing what would happen. Finally her colleague -- more confident of Price’s greatness than Price – pushed her back on stage alone. The house came down – a loving public gave her a 45 minute ovation.
So this is the operatic folklore, however embellished it may be.
Regardless, Price rose to become the Verdian soprano of her era and went on to great international fame. In 1966, Lincoln Center was completed and opened with Antony and Cleopatra, an opera written especially for her. Price would be at the top of her glory for nearly twenty more years.
From Mississippi, she could not afford lessons. The locals there scraped up the money to send her to Julliard. Her hometown got radio access to the Met broadcasts to hear her sing Cleopatra – it was reported that 70% of this Mississippi town listened to an opera for the first time.
I had my meeting with a new member. We talked and talked about a number of things, but mostly opera, and had a great time. He has seen pretty much all of the greats sing here at the Met: Sutherland, Pavarotti, Price, you name it. And one of the great things about meeting older opera buffs is the stories they have to tell.
One was about the opera in the parks where Caballe hits an unwritten F-natural at the end of the triumphal march scene that nearly stopped traffic on Central Park West. Another, and perhaps most interesting, was Price at the Met as Aida.
Marianne Anderson, it is said, opened the door for black singers on the opera staged: the Daughters of the Revolution in D.C. refused to allow her to sing on their stage. In protest it was arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial and broadcast to the nation, where she sang the legendary “My Country tis of Thee” in 1939, 24 years before the famed “I have a dream” King speech.
In 1963 King “had a dream” and in 1964 Leontine Price blew the door off the hinges Anderson opened for her and debuted at the Met: She was the first black to appear on an opera stage in the US. Being afraid to take a curtain call alone, she took them with others, fearing what would happen. Finally her colleague -- more confident of Price’s greatness than Price – pushed her back on stage alone. The house came down – a loving public gave her a 45 minute ovation.
So this is the operatic folklore, however embellished it may be.
Regardless, Price rose to become the Verdian soprano of her era and went on to great international fame. In 1966, Lincoln Center was completed and opened with Antony and Cleopatra, an opera written especially for her. Price would be at the top of her glory for nearly twenty more years.
From Mississippi, she could not afford lessons. The locals there scraped up the money to send her to Julliard. Her hometown got radio access to the Met broadcasts to hear her sing Cleopatra – it was reported that 70% of this Mississippi town listened to an opera for the first time.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Changes are shifting my world
I'm in the mood to blog, I guess. I ordered cable for the apartment and my own internet connection (instead of using my neighbor's wireless). So HBO, CBS, History Channel, web surfing here I come! Also got another iPod. Whoa!
AND got a digital camera. I think someone has possessed me! Here's a view from my desk (where I'm blogging).
What I am looking forward to is the start of the opera season next month. Mom decided to come out in December to see Don Carlo, La Boheme, and Idomineo. So I was then able to swap out some of my season tickets to see the world premier of Tan Dun’s “The First Emperor”, which is the largest production since “War and Peace” (has the largest crowd scene of the entire rep) and Strauss’s “Die Ägyptische Helena” (the Egyption Helena).
Also am taking some people from work to see the dream team cast of Boheme with Netrebko and Villazon. One performance only and was sold out in one day. . . but I managed to get tickets for us. AWESOME.
Next month is opening night, Butterfly, with Max and his Mom. Now I’m getting psyched.
Also am taking some people from work to see the dream team cast of Boheme with Netrebko and Villazon. One performance only and was sold out in one day. . . but I managed to get tickets for us. AWESOME.
Next month is opening night, Butterfly, with Max and his Mom. Now I’m getting psyched.
This has been an interesting week. I’ve recently started an on-line dating thing, which in the gay community is basically a venue for no-strings-attached (NSA) sex. Is this a new low? Probably. But damnit it’s the digital age and I’m not getting any younger.
And it was my birthday on Friday. People at work seemed to be the only ones to make a big deal out of it. . . Rachel and Mary brought in cupcakes and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. Aside from a dinner at Carmine’s with some friends. I'm really not into celebrating my birthday much. . . mostly because I always forget everyone else's and I don't want to be a hypocrite, and I'm getting old. LOL
Lately, I’ve just been pretty stressed out by work. . . benefits, compensation, and recruiting are all in my shop as well as workforce management software. Compensation has daunting data demands, the “test” of weather or not the EQ test for candidates predicts attrition and performance has had relatively unstable results, and benefits changes seem like a freight train racing toward me as open enrollment enters. All this being managed with my little team of recent college graduates and a disengaged professor. And I’ve never done this stuff before.
I guess I’m just bitching, though. I’m sure things will work out somehow.
BTW friends have talked me into spending some time in P-Town so I’m going to go up there on Wednesday and spend a long weekend. Crazy. .. I’m weak, what can I say.
And it was my birthday on Friday. People at work seemed to be the only ones to make a big deal out of it. . . Rachel and Mary brought in cupcakes and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. Aside from a dinner at Carmine’s with some friends. I'm really not into celebrating my birthday much. . . mostly because I always forget everyone else's and I don't want to be a hypocrite, and I'm getting old. LOL
Lately, I’ve just been pretty stressed out by work. . . benefits, compensation, and recruiting are all in my shop as well as workforce management software. Compensation has daunting data demands, the “test” of weather or not the EQ test for candidates predicts attrition and performance has had relatively unstable results, and benefits changes seem like a freight train racing toward me as open enrollment enters. All this being managed with my little team of recent college graduates and a disengaged professor. And I’ve never done this stuff before.
I guess I’m just bitching, though. I’m sure things will work out somehow.
BTW friends have talked me into spending some time in P-Town so I’m going to go up there on Wednesday and spend a long weekend. Crazy. .. I’m weak, what can I say.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Cruel summer
It would seem my life is crashing down around me. The one vacation I planned was to go to p-town this month. It’s since been hijacked by a bunch of ass-hole acquaintances, my psychotic ex-boyfriend, and a realization that the friends I do have there will do nothing but encourage conflict (my NYC friends are not of the highest caliber). So rather than go and be confined to deal with this for 10 days, I opted not to go.
It kills me for a number of reasons. First, I spent about $1,000 on the place we rented, second, it’s the only time that’s “me time”. Most of my other time off is spent visiting family, hosting family, seeing family, family, family, family. It was a space that I was in control of, until now. Since its now lost everything that made it nice --relaxation, drama-less, away, personal – I will throw in the towel.
All other vacations have now been cancelled, with the exception of a trip to Chicago next month. I was supposed to go to Vegas in October (with family, of course), Paris in the fall, and P-Town in the summer. Paris is just too fucking expensive right now, Vegas is – eer – family again, and p-town is now filled with a bunch of ex-b/f crazies and Jersey trash.
I guess it’s just been a bad couple of weeks. To add insult to injury, I decided to be trendy and buy an iPod. This morning I used it to go for a run. The sky opened up and it started to pour rain. . . you see where this is going. . . goodbye iPod, it was nice being trendy for a couple weeks :(
When it rains, it pours (pun intended).
It kills me for a number of reasons. First, I spent about $1,000 on the place we rented, second, it’s the only time that’s “me time”. Most of my other time off is spent visiting family, hosting family, seeing family, family, family, family. It was a space that I was in control of, until now. Since its now lost everything that made it nice --relaxation, drama-less, away, personal – I will throw in the towel.
All other vacations have now been cancelled, with the exception of a trip to Chicago next month. I was supposed to go to Vegas in October (with family, of course), Paris in the fall, and P-Town in the summer. Paris is just too fucking expensive right now, Vegas is – eer – family again, and p-town is now filled with a bunch of ex-b/f crazies and Jersey trash.
I guess it’s just been a bad couple of weeks. To add insult to injury, I decided to be trendy and buy an iPod. This morning I used it to go for a run. The sky opened up and it started to pour rain. . . you see where this is going. . . goodbye iPod, it was nice being trendy for a couple weeks :(
When it rains, it pours (pun intended).
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Oh my god, where do I begin? I’m sitting in my bedroom listening to Starship, drinking a Cosmo, and eating Buffalo wings. You shouldn’t read another word.
Last weekend the breakup problems crept up to a new level. After bumping into him in a Village bar he was buzzing my door, unannounced, drunk out of his mind at 3 in the morning.
I’m not going to think about that. . . .
Work is insane. Just hired another person to work on a number of benefits projects and found out that they’re going to make me a Vice President at the end of the year. Dear God, I was supposed to be the one being taken care of and living the easy life. . . . didn’t quite work out that way (does it ever?). I’m alone and working 7 days a week.
To those who have visited, they will be impressed that I moved my bedroom stuff into the bedroom and have arranged my apartment the way it was meant to be. O course while moving the furniture I plowed my knuckles into my exposed brick and bled all over the walls.
Neena came into town last night and her, Faith and Aaron, came over for a drink. We then went out to dinner and then downtown to have “a nightcap” at Rose’s. The night ended up with me drunk out of my mind and kissing some stranger.
Welcome to the live of Generation X in New York. . . Ave Maria.
Last weekend the breakup problems crept up to a new level. After bumping into him in a Village bar he was buzzing my door, unannounced, drunk out of his mind at 3 in the morning.
I’m not going to think about that. . . .
Work is insane. Just hired another person to work on a number of benefits projects and found out that they’re going to make me a Vice President at the end of the year. Dear God, I was supposed to be the one being taken care of and living the easy life. . . . didn’t quite work out that way (does it ever?). I’m alone and working 7 days a week.
To those who have visited, they will be impressed that I moved my bedroom stuff into the bedroom and have arranged my apartment the way it was meant to be. O course while moving the furniture I plowed my knuckles into my exposed brick and bled all over the walls.
Neena came into town last night and her, Faith and Aaron, came over for a drink. We then went out to dinner and then downtown to have “a nightcap” at Rose’s. The night ended up with me drunk out of my mind and kissing some stranger.
Welcome to the live of Generation X in New York. . . Ave Maria.
