This was a recording from the New York Met seen on TV. We started watching towards the end of scene 1, just before Mother arrives home to scold the children, and watched through to the end.
An absorbing and very dark fairytale, with, of course, a happy ending. Great scenery and stage effects - quite Alice in Wonderland in places, especially the fantasy banquet scene with the chefs and the butler-fish. I wasn't sure whether they were evil or good.
Odd to hear opera in English - good to have subtitles even so!
Here's a link to a 2007 review of the production http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/arts/music/26gret.html
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Lemon Sherbet and Dolly Blue - Lynn Knight
I caught this on Radio 4 early on August 3rd - I guess it was the mention of Chesterfield and in particular Whittington Moor which caught my ear. So, I ordered it.
It turns out Lynn Knight used to be an editor at Virago, too, and has written some women's history books
I think anyone would find the social and personal history interesting - Lynn concentrates on the three adopted children, her great-grandfather, Dick, her great-aunt Eva, and her own mother, Cora. Around their tales, she includes a lot of local history.
For me, the book has a particular resonance, since my father's family lived in Chesterfield, and the Whittington area at that. She talks about Pearson's Pottery, where my grandfather and uncle still worked when I was a child, and Shentall's grocer's - the yard was very close to Queen Street where my father and his brothers and sisters grew up.
It turns out Lynn Knight used to be an editor at Virago, too, and has written some women's history books
I think anyone would find the social and personal history interesting - Lynn concentrates on the three adopted children, her great-grandfather, Dick, her great-aunt Eva, and her own mother, Cora. Around their tales, she includes a lot of local history.
For me, the book has a particular resonance, since my father's family lived in Chesterfield, and the Whittington area at that. She talks about Pearson's Pottery, where my grandfather and uncle still worked when I was a child, and Shentall's grocer's - the yard was very close to Queen Street where my father and his brothers and sisters grew up.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A Winter's Tale at Tolethorpe
As usual a very enjoyable performance by Stamford Theatre company in their outdoor theatre at Tolethorpe Hall.. Some good set pieces - sword dance and morris dancing, Especially liked ... as Paulina, ...as Autolycus, and ... as the young shepherd.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Don Giovanni - film from Glyndebourne
I hadn't realised how much humour this opera contains. Brilliant show, apart from one thing - it's a shame they had to break the atmosphere up with interviews at the beginning of the second half of the film - we went back, all ready and eager to be plunged into the story again - and lo! analysis and explanation . . . I thought these guys were supposed to know about dramatic tension.
Jean-Claude Izzo and food
A book about him and his relationship to Marseilles, its food etc.
Love death and basil - the Marseillais cooking of Jean-Claude Izzo, by Pierpaolo Pracca.
It includes lots of recipes (in Italian) at the end of the book.
Love death and basil - the Marseillais cooking of Jean-Claude Izzo, by Pierpaolo Pracca.
It includes lots of recipes (in Italian) at the end of the book.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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