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| A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8483] |
Sat, 20 December 2008 19:19  |
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 Black Bear
Messages: 3216
Registered: September 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA |
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Entry is right here.
"The time is always right to do what's right."--MLK Jr.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8496 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Sat, 20 December 2008 19:53  |
b_twin_1
Messages: 2598
Registered: September 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia |
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Feh. 15 minutes late is one thing. 40 is another. Very rude. (I mean - c'mon, like the planning for a wedding hasn't been going on and on for ages. There aren't many excuses I'd accept either. /grumpy cow rant)
Come to think of it ... my mother is inclined to be late. *sigh* Drives Dad and I batty.
I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8513 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 00:52 |
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Oh, I remember last year when Chaos was really sick. That was scary for me--can't imagine how it was for you.
And 40 minutes late really is a bit much. Bridezilla.
"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8516 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 01:19 |
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Diane in MN
Messages: 2733
Registered: October 2008
Location: Twin Cities, MN, USA |
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The Met opera quiz was kind of abbreviated today, so if you had to miss one, today's was a good pick. Without wanting to rub salt in the wound, though, the Thais was great. Renee Fleming did an interview in which she said that she thought the part was perfect for her voice, and she was right on the money. I don't like her in everything--to my mind she is NOT a Puccini singer--but when she's in the right role she is very good. And Thomas Hampson is no slouch, either. My listening was interrupted by a bout of snow shoveling, but I did get most of it.
Do you REALLY think they'd fire Renee Fleming if she was late? 
No less an authority than the New Grove Dictionary of Opera agrees with me that Thais is sadly underrated. The music is really interesting. It’s all sort of . . . French.
French opera, Carmen aside, hasn't been in vogue for quite some time; many people think that's at least partly because there aren't a lot of singers who sing it properly. I suspect that the artistic director here does like French opera because we've had quite a bit in the last few years--Romeo et Juliette, Contes d'Hoffman, Lakme, Faust--but no Massenet yet.
I have to say I can't think of too many valid reasons why the bride should be forty minutes late, especially since she must have had all day to get ready for her entrance. What a lot of people must have been thinking, if not actually saying, "Oh for heaven's sake WHAT NOW?!"
I now have some frail and trembling cause to hope I may have figured at least some of it out, but I’m not going to talk about it in public yet.
No, don't. Play it safe and be really superstitious about it, that's the only way to go. ::lights candle in support::
"The point of books is to have way too many but to always feel you never have enough . . . " Louise Erdrich
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8525 is a reply to message #8498 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 05:41 |
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Susan from Athens
Messages: 817
Registered: October 2008
Location: Athens, Greece |
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| skating librarian wrote on Sun, 21 December 2008 03:27 |
The worst thing is that I'd planned to leave for a week yesterday, and so I've run out of chocolate, and if the Eye on Sky guys are right, the snowed in condition will last at least another day and a half.
It would be twenty miles (round trip) on cross country skis to get to the nearest store, so I'm going to have to tough it out. At least I have plenty of books.
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What horror! And you've had blizzard after blizzard poor things. We just had the temperature drop a good fifteen degrees overnight and are looking to bring plants in from the cold. ***sigh*** There is talk of snow. Huh!
On the eggnog front: Jodi there is so much to do with extra eggs: meringues, lemon curd, (combining the two in a lemon meringue pie), pavlovas, omelettes... I want to cook and I have no time. Oh well Christmas is acoming and that is a cooking marathon in and of itself.
“I have always imagined heaven to be a kind of library.” –Jorge Luis Borges
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8559 is a reply to message #8516 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 16:01 |
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Thais. I have to admit, I've never listened to the full opera. However the violin solo in the... second act (?) is one of my favorite pieces of music.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8580 is a reply to message #8516 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 17:58 |
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Robin
Messages: 6009
Registered: September 2008
Location: England |
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| Diane in MN wrote on Sun, 21 December 2008 01:19 |
The Met opera quiz was kind of abbreviated today, so if you had to miss one, today's was a good pick. Without wanting to rub salt in the wound, though, the Thais was great. Renee Fleming did an interview in which she said that she thought the part was perfect for her voice, and she was right on the money. I don't like her in everything--to my mind she is NOT a Puccini singer--but when she's in the right role she is very good. And Thomas Hampson is no slouch, either. My listening was interrupted by a bout of snow shoveling, but I did get most of it.
Do you REALLY think they'd fire Renee Fleming if she was late? ;)
No less an authority than the New Grove Dictionary of Opera agrees with me that Thais is sadly underrated. The music is really interesting. It’s all sort of . . . French.
French opera, Carmen aside, hasn't been in vogue for quite some time; many people think that's at least partly because there aren't a lot of singers who sing it properly. I suspect that the artistic director here does like French opera because we've had quite a bit in the last few years--Romeo et Juliette, Contes d'Hoffman, Lakme, Faust--but no Massenet yet.
I have to say I can't think of too many valid reasons why the bride should be forty minutes late, especially since she must have had all day to get ready for her entrance. What a lot of people must have been thinking, if not actually saying, "Oh for heaven's sake WHAT NOW?!"
I now have some frail and trembling cause to hope I may have figured at least some of it out, but I’m not going to talk about it in public yet.
No, don't. Play it safe and be really superstitious about it, that's the only way to go. ::lights candle in support::
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I agree that Fleming's voice is a bit specialised but when she's in a role that suits her it's almost literally incredible. Her STrauss arias CD still makes me weak in the knees no matter how many times I hear it. And they'd fire her if she were late 100% of the time, which is what a late bride is! :)
And thank you for supporting being superstitious. After a while you revert to believing that the tea leaves *are* telling you something because you don't seem to have anything else to go on.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8593 is a reply to message #8592 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 19:31 |
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| Susan from Athens wrote on Sun, 21 December 2008 19:27 |
| Robin wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 00:48 |
Interesting about custard. I know a lot of people it's comfort food for--for me it means you're SICK: they have you tied to the bed and they're bringing you Nourishing Broth and . . . Egg Custard. No, no, take it away, I'm fine really!  I've had some creme brulees that haunt my dreams however. . . .
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I love egg custard and creme caramel (made by my Mum) and I do have a killer creme brulle recipe. I have friends who ask for it a decade later with longing. If anyone is interested...
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YES PLEASE!
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8613 is a reply to message #8576 ] |
Sun, 21 December 2008 21:25 |
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Black Bear
Messages: 3216
Registered: September 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA |
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| Robin wrote on Sun, 21 December 2008 17:48 |
Interesting about custard. I know a lot of people it's comfort food for--for me it means you're SICK: they have you tied to the bed and they're bringing you Nourishing Broth and . . . Egg Custard. No, no, take it away, I'm fine really! I've had some creme brulees that haunt my dreams however. . . .
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Not a sickbed food for me, it was Sunday night dessert when I was but a wee cub. I've never quite learned to make it properly myself--or maybe it's just that I remember it being better than it really was. I do like a good creme brulee now and then; and I am embarrassingly fond of flan as well. When I was in Africa with my dad, that was a buffet staple at all the places we stayed; dad thinks flan is disgusting, so I'd eat his share AND mine and then we were both happy.
If someone WANTED to bring me baked custard when I was sick, I wouldn't say no... but I'd really rather have it when I'm feeling well enough to enjoy it.
"The time is always right to do what's right."--MLK Jr.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8626 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 00:14 |
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blondviolinist
Messages: 1071
Registered: October 2008
Location: Midwestern United States |
Senior Member |
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| Quote: |
The Plot Device Disease
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Falls on the floor laughing
Yup. I read this entry a little late b/c I've been traveling.
19th century opera is positively lethal to heroines. They don't survive, any of them, if they're not in a comic role. What is it with a culture that always kills the female lead? And why can't the male die every once in a while? Ok, he does in Aida, but then Aida dies with him, so that's not so great.
Back to the Plot Device Disease... Traviata cracks me up (when I'm not crying, that is), because Violetta is dying of tuberculosis and still manages to sing all the way through the last act. Crazy!
"Purity of heart is to will one thing." Kirkegaard
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8645 is a reply to message #8576 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 06:40 |
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Mrs Redboots
Messages: 943
Registered: October 2008
Location: London, UK |
Senior Member |
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| Robin wrote on Sun, 21 December 2008 22:48 |
Interesting about custard. I know a lot of people it's comfort food for--for me it means you're SICK: they have you tied to the bed and they're bringing you Nourishing Broth and . . . Egg Custard. No, no, take it away, I'm fine really! I've had some creme brulees that haunt my dreams however. . . .
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I agree - why is custard so not nice, but creme brulee, which is basically the same thing with caramel on top, so delicious! I once was boiling some dried apricots and accidentally let them boil dry, and it made the most heavenly caramel so I made creme brulee on the top, and I can't tell you how delicious it was!
Mrs Redboots
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8652 is a reply to message #8648 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 10:21 |
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Well, it might have a bit more sugar in it, but actually you sprinkle a layer of super-fine sugar on top of it, then hit it with a torch.
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| Oisin is right! [message #8656 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 13:08 |
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cgbookcat1
Messages: 138
Registered: October 2008
Location: Massachusetts |
Senior Member |
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You should sing more! (I think everyone should sing more, though there are surely people whom I don't want to be around when they do.)
Robin, I know that you have no time to add singing lessons, so paying attention to small things like relaxing shoulders, breathing deeply, and supporting that breath will go a long way to making you audible. To find the muscles you need for proper breath support, take a very deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. The belly muscles you should clench while singing are the ones that let you hold the breath -- it's just a matter of figuring out how to let go of your air in a controlled fashion. Trying to keep proper breath support while actively relaxing the rest of your body is really tricky!
If you aren't ashamed to further terrify the sheep, you might try singing some scales or arpeggios on a regular basis. Vocal exercises strengthen your voice as well as your confidence.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8658 is a reply to message #8653 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 14:25 |
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| AJLR wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 12:18 |
Yes, I always like the torching part - since I was given one of the kitchen blowtorches as a present a couple of years ago. It's just such fun!
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Yes, yes it is. Yay fire.
I've got one of the kitchen torches, but what I actually prefer to use when I can find it is a pencil torch, like you can get at a hardware store. They don't generally have an auto-lighting mechanism, but they give a much more controlled flame, and more delicacy with how you control it. I also used mine for soldering silver rings.
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| Re: Oisin is right! [message #8660 is a reply to message #8656 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 14:56 |
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| cgbookcat1 wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 11:08 |
You should sing more! (I think everyone should sing more, though there are surely people whom I don't want to be around when they do.)
Robin, I know that you have no time to add singing lessons, so paying attention to small things like relaxing shoulders, breathing deeply, and supporting that breath will go a long way to making you audible. To find the muscles you need for proper breath support, take a very deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. The belly muscles you should clench while singing are the ones that let you hold the breath -- it's just a matter of figuring out how to let go of your air in a controlled fashion. Trying to keep proper breath support while actively relaxing the rest of your body is really tricky!
If you aren't ashamed to further terrify the sheep, you might try singing some scales or arpeggios on a regular basis. Vocal exercises strengthen your voice as well as your confidence.
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I second this. My voice instructor helped me so much with this sort of thing. He also taught me that to get those high notes--or low notes--to tighten the obliques and sort of shove them down--great for the abs, btw--and I was able to hit notes that I only dreamed about before. Have fun!
"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
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| Re: Oisin is right! [message #8670 is a reply to message #8660 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 15:27 |
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One of the things my choir teacher has us doing is going down like we're doing push-ups, and singing from there. It feels very odd, but you get a good sense of muscles and support and where it all comes from doing that.
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8678 is a reply to message #8483 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 18:40 |
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Yup.
"And by the way you look fantastic in your boots of Chinese plastic."
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8680 is a reply to message #8626 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 19:09 |
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Robin
Messages: 6009
Registered: September 2008
Location: England |
Senior Member
[Hellgoddess] |
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| blondviolinist wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 00:14 |
| Quote: |
The Plot Device Disease
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Falls on the floor laughing
Yup. I read this entry a little late b/c I've been traveling.
19th century opera is positively lethal to heroines. They don't survive, any of them, if they're not in a comic role. What is it with a culture that always kills the female lead? And why can't the male die every once in a while? Ok, he does in Aida, but then Aida dies with him, so that's not so great.
Back to the Plot Device Disease... Traviata cracks me up (when I'm not crying, that is), because Violetta is dying of tuberculosis and still manages to sing all the way through the last act. Crazy!
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Falling on the floor laughing is ALWAYS good. :) And dying heroines always sing like mad: not just Violetta, but Mimi, Manon, Carmen . . . and the men *do* sometimes die: Macbeth, Thingummy in the Masked Ball, other Thingummy in Forza del Destino. . . And the end of Aida is one of my all time favourites, so I'm not going to object to that one. :)
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| Re: Oisin is right! [message #8682 is a reply to message #8656 ] |
Mon, 22 December 2008 19:15 |
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Robin
Messages: 6009
Registered: September 2008
Location: England |
Senior Member
[Hellgoddess] |
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| cgbookcat1 wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 13:08 |
You should sing more! (I think everyone should sing more, though there are surely people whom I don't want to be around when they do.)
Robin, I know that you have no time to add singing lessons, so paying attention to small things like relaxing shoulders, breathing deeply, and supporting that breath will go a long way to making you audible. To find the muscles you need for proper breath support, take a very deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. The belly muscles you should clench while singing are the ones that let you hold the breath -- it's just a matter of figuring out how to let go of your air in a controlled fashion. Trying to keep proper breath support while actively relaxing the rest of your body is really tricky!
If you aren't ashamed to further terrify the sheep, you might try singing some scales or arpeggios on a regular basis. Vocal exercises strengthen your voice as well as your confidence. :)
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OH dear . . .
But thank you. That's actually really useful. I have this book 'Find Your Voice' which has a terrific rep and it looks excellent but . . . it's long and it has way too much stuff in it and . . . one paragraph is about as much as I can absorb. And yes, it's FIENDISHLY tricky. Oh, arpeggios! Oh, GODS. (Sheep were made to be terrified. Also deer.)
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| Re: A Courtesan, a Bride, and a Mare [message #8704 is a reply to message #8648 ] |
Tue, 23 December 2008 01:55 |
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Diane in MN
Messages: 2733
Registered: October 2008
Location: Twin Cities, MN, USA |
Senior Member |
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| Black Bear wrote on Mon, 22 December 2008 07:09 |
I tend to think of creme brulee as being far sweeter than ordinary baked custard--the custard part itself is painfully sweet (more sugar in it so it will caramelize when you flame it, presumably.)
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The sugar layer on top is the tooth-aching pat, but some restaurants really do make their creme brulee custard too sweet. But I tend to want to cut the sugar back in a lot of recipes.
[Updated on: Tue, 23 December 2008 02:05]
"The point of books is to have way too many but to always feel you never have enough . . . " Louise Erdrich
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He'll be spending months just growing hoof out, but my vet and I think that he will finally be sound and happy again. It's such a relief, and I imagine you could use some similar relief after the last few years.
