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I treated myself to a night out, for a change, and went to see Rigoletto at the English National Opera. I'm not really a fan of opera sung in English, particularly Italian opera, but I'll make an exception for Rigoletto.
This was a version updated to 1950s New York, with the "Duke" being a young mafiosi. The only problem with updating Rigoletto to a relatively contemporary setting is that you realize (if you hadn't realized already) that the plot, like that of most operas, makes about as much sense as the sixth series of Dallas, or any series of Dynasty. At least when they are singing in a foreign language and wearing 17th-century costumes you can tell yourself "ah, well, foreign people, a long time ago. They did things differently then".
I wasn't overly impressed with the performance of the eponymous role, but this was made up for by an excellent orchestra and a top-notch Duke. Gilda (the daughter of Rigoletto) had her moments, but I guess that opera is a bit like football. We've seen the real geniuses on TV, which means that performers who, by most acccounts, are very good, just aren't up there with the very best.
Needless to say the upshot of spending three hours at the opera is that I am knackered. Perhaps the gym might take a backseat today.
An hour at $5-$10 before I went to culture night. No cards, minus $90. Little to report.
This was a version updated to 1950s New York, with the "Duke" being a young mafiosi. The only problem with updating Rigoletto to a relatively contemporary setting is that you realize (if you hadn't realized already) that the plot, like that of most operas, makes about as much sense as the sixth series of Dallas, or any series of Dynasty. At least when they are singing in a foreign language and wearing 17th-century costumes you can tell yourself "ah, well, foreign people, a long time ago. They did things differently then".
I wasn't overly impressed with the performance of the eponymous role, but this was made up for by an excellent orchestra and a top-notch Duke. Gilda (the daughter of Rigoletto) had her moments, but I guess that opera is a bit like football. We've seen the real geniuses on TV, which means that performers who, by most acccounts, are very good, just aren't up there with the very best.
Needless to say the upshot of spending three hours at the opera is that I am knackered. Perhaps the gym might take a backseat today.
An hour at $5-$10 before I went to culture night. No cards, minus $90. Little to report.
