Cyber Monday?
Welcome back! I hope you all had a splendid Thanksgiving and are now ready to steel yourselves to the awful inevitability of four straight weeks of bad music and commercial pressure. By the way, who ever heard of Cyber Monday?? Apparently online businesses have decided that Black Friday does not serve their particular needs and I am now seeing this expression all over the net. Having made the executive decision some years ago not to buy anything on the day after Thanksgiving I am now adding 'Cyber Monday' to the list of days I shall not shop. Ugh!

The man never stops
In the film documentary Philip in Twelve Parts, Philip Glass reveals his secret to successful composing. "There is only one secret" he says "You get up early and work hard all day. That's the secret!" If his appearance in Portland was anything to go by he swears by this 'secret.' I overheard someone describe him as being like the Energizer Bunny and I smiled because it seemed so apt - the guy does indeed just keep going and going. This effort is reflected in his extraordinary fecundity. Now, in addition to his recent output of what might be loosely termed 'chamber works' we now have a new opera to consider: Kepler, about the astronomer There's an interesting article about Kepler here.

Contes d'Hoffmann
Thursday of this week will see the curtain rise at the Met on a new production of Offenbach's operatic masterpiece (perhaps more familiarly known as The Tales of Hoffmann). There has been much talk about this show, including much gossip as to the various cast changes that have taken place over the last few months. For instance, you may recall that I wrote here a while ago about tenor Rolando Villazón and how he had to withdraw because of his vocal and psychological difficulties. Well, what was to be his role - Hoffmann - is now to be sung by Maltese tenor, Josef Calleja. While there seem to be many reservations about Mr Calleja's acting ability, I am a big fan of his voice and I am hoping to be able to tune in on Thursday evening and listen to the gala performance which opens the run of this show. The production is by Bartlett Sher who was responsible for the Met's latest (and totally delightful) production of Il Barbiere di Seviglia. The Met's website is still showing the conductor to be Maestro James Levine. Maestro Levine has been very ill and I really wonder whether he is up to the task so soon after his illness. We shall see. And here's an interesting article about this production and about Calleja.

Hoffmann update!

I just heard from someone who is attending a dress rehearsal at the Met and is wildly enthusiastic about this show, saying: "cast,sets,directing... it's a knockout and a must see".  We shall all have that opportunity, as it is to be an HD transmission on December 19th.  You might want to book early for this one.  It makes me even more excited about listening on Thursday (while watching the Civil War game, naturally!) No word on Levine.

Further Update!

It is being reported that Joseph Calleja has dropped out of the dress rehearsal "because he is ill."  Levine conducted.  I'll keep you informed.

"Yes, you can sing, but how do you look with your shirt off?"
Ever since Peter Gelb took up the reins at the Met and the company began to transmit its productions to movie houses in high-definition, there has been much discussion about voices having become of less concern than a singer's looks. This discussion has tended largely to focus on women opera singers - Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko et al. But it's not all about women. The last year or two has seen the emergence of that operatic beast, the barihunk. I have no idea who first thought of this word as describing a baritone who happens also to be physically gifted but it does seem to work rather well, doesn't it? The first time I read the word it was being applied to Nathan Gunn. Now, Mr Gunn, in addition to having a voice of quite remarkable beauty, has a name and body, the both of which seem to come right off the cover of a bodice-ripper. Thus, for the first few years of his career, producers and directors seemed quite unable to cast Mr Gunn in any role that did not, at some point, require him to appear shirt-less, the better to display his formidable physique and to produce much sighing and near-swooning (by members of both sexes) in the parterre boxes. Mr Gunn has now been joined in the ranks of the barihunk by other baritones such as Matthew Worth, Tom Forde and Philip Cutlip. Cutlip was here recently, appearing as the title role in Orphée but was not required to appear déshabilé. Gunn seems quite comfortable in his role of operatic eye-candy. He spoke to the L.A.Times about it and you may read the interview here.

Christmas Carols
I am not a fan of this particular musical genre. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. I don't have any weird and unpleasant family associations which make me dread the holiday period. No, it's just that carols just don't do it for me, either emotionally or musically. Until now. Thanks to a friend on Twitter I have been introduced to that superstar of Christmas music, Elio! His song "Christmas With the Yours" is everything I could want in a carol: it's catchy, seasonal and, as far as I can tell, pretty much incomprehensible. He and his band are Elio e Le Storie Tese. See what you think.

You may have found yourself saying "Hey, is this in English or Italian?" and the answer is "Both". You may have also found yourself saying "I don't think I understand these lyrics!" If that is the case, just click here and you can read the lyrics at your leisure. They still won't make any sense but you'll feel better about having not got it first time through. And, of course, now it's an ear-worm and you can't get the damned tune or the words "Christmas With the Yours" out of your head. But, hey, it sure beats The Little Drummer Boy! That's Elio e Le Storie Tese shown above.

Benjamin Britten
Friday is the 33rd anniversary of Britten's death. I have just read Humphrey Carpenter's wonderful biography of BB. Yes, it brought about much nostalgia on my part , as it described many performances and incidents in which I played some small part or was a first-hand observer. But in addition, it contains a plethora of information which explained to me many things that I have wondered about over the years as well as a myriad pieces of biographical detail that I knew nothing whatever about. If you have a friend or loved-one who has an interest in Britten, this would make a wonderful Christmas present. Trust me!

PSU Symphony Orchestra

The orchestra under Maestro Ken Seldon will be performing their Destinies and Destinations Concert at St Mary's Cathedral on Friday at 8pm.  I am very much looking forward to this as the programme includes work by Ernst Bloch and also the Elgar Cello Concerto.  For more information and tickets, go here.

Have a happy and productive week!