living, thinking and writing
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| PRACTICE living, thinking and writing |
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Sunday, April 10, 2005 city with opera Pavarotti ’s Farewell concert in Hollywood Bowl is on sale from 10:00 this morning, the box office is not open until May 7 (how on earth people got ticket before Internet?). The concert is 6 months away; we ordered the ticket on line at 1:00pm. I just feel so lucky to live in LA, one of the mere two cities in the US that Pavarotti will sing this year as part of his farewell tour (at least that’s what shows on Ticketmaster.com). So far I’ve seen all three my favorite tenors, my life is so full. Well, I have not met any celebrity on the street of Los Angeles yet. When I read US weekly at snowy and bleak Buffalo, I imagine I would dine in the same restaurant or shop in the same seven-eleven, in Santa Monica or Malibu, where most of the ‘star is just like you’ pictures are taken, with Johny Depp or Matt Damon. It does not happen. But I paid to see, 100 feet away, Domingo in ‘Indomeneo’ , and the view of Andrea Bocelli’s back in his concert at Las Vegas. I guess with the ticket I paid for the Pavarroti concert, I would only see a tiny dot of this giant (literally and metaphorically) at Hollywood Bowl. Notheless, it’s already thrilling enough for my frail heart. Ok, I’m getting a little straying again ( It is suppose to be a blog on opera instead of tabloid). Acturally, when talking about opera, I am too awed to be blasé. Moving to Los Angeles and 10 miles from opera house feels like an 8-year-old who’s home next to Disneyland. We saw La Boheme, Madam Butterfly, Indomeneo, and Le nozze di Figaro in Los Angeles Opera. For recital, I went to that of Hei-Kyung Hong and Renee Fleming. We drove east to see Andrea Boceli in Las Vegas, and we drove south to San Diego for Josh Groban, who I considered, has operatic voice anyway. The only popular music concert I went is for Jewel, who I reckoned to have one of the most beautiful voices in pop music world, and she also challenged herself with one of Puccini’s arias at encore. The second act of La Boheme, the scene at café of Latin Quarter, where ex lovers went through a series of jealousy, pretended nonchalance and outburst of passion, has become my favorite opera moment. The Quando men vo is just splendid, splendid. I can’t think of any melody as enthralling as this one; totally Parisian, Paris in spring, with flowers wavering in the breeze of love and desire. Musseta is so different from any other heroine in Puccini’s operas, so overbearing, vivid, and sexy, but with a soft heart. I love her more than anyone else, just because of this aria only. Did I mention how powerful and beautiful when all the other 4 main characters join her in the quintet. Nothing to compare. Listen to it before you die. posted by lmeimei @3:23 PM| permanent link| | |
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