Lett's see DC (and NY): My Little Town Blues are Melting Away

I brought my Mom back to DC with me after Christmas. We spent a few days gallivanting around the Nation's Capital before a quick trip to the Big Apple. I coaxed Mom into writing up her experience, and what you will get is a six part mini-series of the Mother Fish Out of Water. And let me tell you what, she was out of water! At some point along the series, I'll add my own brief recap of the events – you know two sides to every story. Part five of my Mom's six part mini-series of her trip to Washington, DC and NYC continues with our trip to New York City for speed sightseeing and an opera at the Met. This small town Mom has come a long way!

Ouch! My feet hurt! It didn't seem the blister pads wee doing their job. Rejuvenated by a shower and coffee, I prepared for the primary goal of my visit. The night before, I condensed into my backpack everything presumably necessary for a frenetic sight-seeing trip to New York City with a side of opera at the Met. We ate breakfast, added last night's left-overs and apples to our backpacks, and departed the warm house. Chelsea carried a compact umbrella and entrusted me with the community umbrella. It was very cold but not so bad once we got moving. We rode the Metro to where we would catch a bus for our ride to New York. We settled in, my anticipation growing. I probably should have tried to nap, but who knows if or when I will ever do something like this again? I watched the landscape looking for landmarks and place names I would recognize. It was so cool to see this for myself, to have my own perspective.

Chelsea and I ran through a list of sites to see, trying to prioritize for our time constraints. I knew we wouldn’t be able to see very many places. Top of the list was the Harley Davidson store to obtain the requisite souvenir t-shirt for John. Chelsea located one and upon arriving at Penn Station, we disembarked the bus and located a subway station where we could catch a train to whisk us to said HD shop. Chelsea's proficiency with the subway system and self-confidence put me somewhat at ease, though flashes in my mind of The Out of Towners occasionally gave me pause. We made it to the Harley shop and purchased shirts for John and me (not matching, though).

Needing to refuel and warm up, we found a Starbucks. We got hot drinks to have with the left-over quesadilla and apples. The quesadilla is still yummy. After eating, we shouldered our backpacks and headed back out into the masses of people. It was New Year's Day, for Pete's sake! Why weren't they all at home watching the Rose Parade? A few blocks later, I realized I left the umbrella at Starbucks. Since it was a community umbrella to begin with, it was serving its purpose. The next person to find it would hopefully pass on their good fortune of having been blessed with an umbrella.

We rode the subway back to the Time's Square area. We were to meet Sam (a college roommate of Chelsea's) and her mom, Daryl, there to make our way to our hotel. Chelsea and I wandered around. I liked the Target ads based on the Twelve Days of Christmas. The streets seemed pretty free of trash and confetti from the night before. I can't even imagine being among the crowd that amasses in Time Square for New Year's Eve. I was pretty overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all – the tall buildings, the number of people, and the busy-ness of everything. Sam and Daryl met us after doing some shopping. We walked to the hotel and checked in. We had a few minutes to rest, and then changed for dinner and the opera. My clothes didn't appear too wrinkled after being stuffed in the backpack all day. I wanted to make a good impression on Renee, after all! Biggest challenge? Putting on real shoes with my blisters! Thank goodness they were flats and we didn't have much walking tonight.

We found a little restaurant close to the hotel. I had an open-faced roast beef sandwich with spinach and Boursin cheese. Delicious. Bundled against the cold we walked a block or so to catch a cab to take us to the Metropolitan Opera. We climbed into the cab (not the Cash Cab) and were on our way. Though outwardly calm, I was getting very excited. Never, in all my day-dreaming, have I imagined doing anything like this. I think I need to expand the boundaries of my day-dreams.

Side story-Exactly 50 years ago my mom and her sister took a trip to New York City. They both left young families (5 kids for my mom, 3 kids for my aunt) in the charge of our Dads and various grandparents. Mom and Aunt Patty rode the train from Winslow, AZ to Battle Creek, MI, to meet their cousin Carolyn. They then rode the train to New York for a few days of sight-seeing. My mom's memories of what they saw are pretty vague, but she knows they had a good time. Heck, any amount of time away from that many kids is a good time!

Sam and Chelsea

Daryl and Susan

We arrived at the Met with me in total awe. The building is so beautiful and grand. We went inside and were met with even more splendor. The chandeliers in the expansive lobby were spectacular. It was hard to take it all in. We located our level and were directed to our seats. Chelsea showed me how the streaming translation worked on the back of the seat in front of me. I was nervous about liking the performance. I didn't want to disappoint her. After a few minutes the lights dimmed and a hush settled throughout the theatre. The music started, the curtain rose and we were underway. Though a little distracting to keep looking down at the seat for the translation, I was able to follow the performance with very little trouble.

Quickly, it seemed, Act I ended. I made it through not wanting to run from the theatre with my ears covered. A short intermission and we returned to our seats, ready for Act II. (HAHAHA that’s funny – the Met has never been known for short intermissions, but I suppose the excitement of it all made it seem to Mom that it was a quick intermission.) This portion dragged a little for me, but I didn't fall asleep. Again, I was surprised at how quickly the time passed. Another intermission and we wandered to the gift shop. Chelsea, Sam and I were admiring some ornaments made from chandeliers retired from the opera house. They were made of Swarovski crystals and so, so sparkly. One would make a fabulous addition to any Christmas tree. Sadly, they were definitely out of my price range. Back to our seats and Act III. This portion was quick-paced, funny and bitter-sweet. Before I knew it, the performance was over. Pretty amazing.

Chelsea's friend, Sarah, arranged a back-stage pass for us to meet Renee Fleming after the opera. Thank you, Sarah! We made our way downstairs, through hallways and corridors to finally arrive at the dressing rooms. We joined others waiting in line. Our turn came at last. Chelsea introduced us all. We expressed our appreciation for a stellar performance and she agreed to a picture with us. I was so honored to meet her. She seems most gracious and appreciative of her fans. She has a very powerful voice for such a petite person. I totally enjoyed the performance even though I'm not as passionate about it as Chelsea. It's a very impressive art form and I do appreciate that. We meandered back through the hallways and found our way outside. A short walk and we were able to hail a cab to take us back to the hotel. Rats – still not the Cash Cab. We arrived at our hotel and our previous plans for a nightcap quickly dissolved as exhaustion kicked in. Well, for me anyway. I think the others may have deferred to me. Hey, it was a long day. (I think we were all happy to hit those comfy beds at the Marriott.)

~ Susan

Renee Fleming, Chelsea, Daryl, Susan, Sam
I love how my mom and Renee color coordinated – they’re just cool like that.

Mom's first opera at the Met was Richard Strauss' der Rosenkavalier, an almost five-hour marathon of music, starring Renee Fleming as the Marschalin and Susan Graham as Octavian.

Told ya so, told ya so, told ya, told ya, told ya so!*

Eschenbach is the bald dude to Fleming's left. Photo courtesy of my good buddy Of the Kosmos.

I just knew it! As soon as I heard that Christoph Eschenbach was taking the helm of the National Symphony Orchestra, I just knew that we'd be getting more Renee Fleming here in the District.

I was right! Eschenbach opens his inaugural season with the NSO on September 25th with Renee Fleming at his side. He'll be leading her in Strauss' Four Last Songs as well as piano prodigy Lang Lang in Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1.

I'm glad to be seeing the Diva on my home turf again. It'll also be great to revisit Fleming in the Four Last Songs. My first Renee Fleming concert was September 2007 in Denver, CO, and she sang the Four Last Songs. But I was too new (to opera and classical music) and too excited about the whole affair to really understand their awesomeness and how amazingly gifted an interpreter Fleming is in this particular song cycle.

Eschenbach and Fleming have a pretty deep history together. He conducted her on her first Four Last Songs recording as well as the Strauss Heroines album. I believe Eschenbach also conducted Fleming when she made her Houston Grand Opera debut as the Contessa in le Nozze di Figaro way back in 1988. So as soon as I heard that maestro was moving in at the Kennedy Center, I just knew he was going to be bringing my Diva of choice right along with him. And I couldn't be happier!

In the meantime, I've gathered a group of six to see Eschenbach work his magic on Verdi's Requiem on March 12th. Bring it, maestro! Bring it!

A quick note about the dress that Fleming is wearing in the picture above - that's the same dress she wore when I saw her in Denver. And now you know.

P.S. I had another genius moment like this back in the fall. WNO still had to cast a 2nd Amelia in Verdi's Un ballo, and returning from lunch one day, I turned to my intern buddy and said, "you know, Amelia is listed in Iréne Theorin's rep." And guess who is singing Amelia come September. Yeah, I called it.

*Will and Grace reference, anyone?

Taking Stock (and exposing my inner nerd)

***Warning*** ***My opera nerdiness is about to be exposed. You have been warned. ***

When I started going to operas almost two years ago, I began to keep a list of the operas I had seen. Since my outings to live performances were pretty infrequent but trips to my library's opera dvd/cd collection were not, I decided to keep track of all the operas I listened to as well. In order to make the cut, I had to have listened or watched the opera in its entirety (exception made for Puccini's Il Trittico, which is a series of three smaller operas). Today I decided to transfer my opera tracker from paper to excel spreadsheet. Here's what I have discovered:

• I have watched (live or dvd) or listened (cd or radio) to 52 different operas by 24 different composers.
• The composers that show up the most on my list are Verdi (8), Puccini (5 1/3*), Strauss (5), Massanet (5) and Wagner (3).
• I have been to 55 live performances of 26 different operas - nine of those were the Met's Live in HD simulcasts.
• Clearly I am a repeat offender when it comes to live performances - I see/hear something I like, I go back for more. Four seems to be the magic number. I've seen Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia, Rossini's Barber of Seville, and Massanet's Thais four times each, and Strauss' der Rosenkavlier three times. But Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos takes the cake with a whopping eight viewings** in a span of about four weeks.
• Adding the multiple live performances to audio and video recordings, it seems that Verdi is my go-to guy. He has 20 hits with Otello receiving six and La Traviata receiving five.
• Strauss clocks in at 17 with Ariadne at nine and der Rosenkavalier at five.
• Surprise, surprise! Renee Fleming is my diva of choice appearing on my tracker 40 times.
• The next closest competitor is my recent find, Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin, making 14 appearances live and recorded.
• Placido Domingo shows up 13 times both as conductor and tenor.
• The language breakdown: Italian-21, French-11, German-10, English-7, Russian-2, Czech-1

Final thoughts: Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera seems to be the most obscure on my list and I'm surprised I don't have more Mozart on there. I would like to explore more Russian and Czech opera. I had attended a recital in the fall that featured some wonderful music from Russlan and Ludmilla and War and Peace (both Russian) that sounded really awesome. I'd also like to give Katya Kabanova and The Makropoulos Affair (both Czech) a shot. Don't ask me to monetarily add it all up. I probably could have purchased a new car by now. And in case you were wondering, Verdi's Otello was my first in house live opera.

* 1/3 = Suor Angelica from Puccini's three mini opera series Il Trittico
** I can't believe I just admitted out loud to seeing Ariadne eight times. I feel like I need support group or something.

Winter Dedication

I guess since winter insists on sticking around for awhile, we might as well bunker down with a cozy blanket, a warm beverage, and a delightlfully dreamy Strauss song. If Strauss is Renee Fleming's desert island composer, then her rendition of Winterweihe is my snow-capped moutain song. Winter be damned! You are no match for this heart-warming Winter Dedication!

Winterweihe (Winter Dedication)
In these days of winter,
now the light is veiled,
let us uphold in our hearts,
and confide to each other,
that which fills us with inward light.

That which kindles gentle ardour
shall burn for ever,
let that which tenderly binds souls,
builds bridges of the spirit,
be our quiet watchword.

The wheel of time may roll,
we scarecely catch hold of it,
lost to the world's illusions,
we would, on our island,
dedicate day and night to blissful love.

"You're the life blood of me"

I can't add any words. It's all there in the lyrics - the warmth you give at sunrise, your sunsets put music in a soul, the smell of the rain on your skin

So on this day of love, I confess it all. I LOVE YOU ARIZONA! Your mountains, your deserts, your streams. Happy Statehood day Arizona!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my favorite opera singer Renee Fleming!!!

No Words

Renee sang. I listened. It was Ah-MAZING!!

Too much excitement to process tonight.

The Banner that started it all

Some things are just meant to be. But every once in a while, it takes a sign from up above to get you moving on something. This is that sign, er well banner:

Woah! Wait! Who's that there in the bottom left hand corner? Could it be RENEE FLEMING?!! As a matter of fact, it is.

Last summer - July to be precise - I was in DC for a little vaca. Michelle, Sean, Lauren and I went to the Kennedy Center to see Shear Madness. Upon exiting the Kennedy Center, I noticed this banner ruffling in the breeze and it sent me a-pondering. "Hmmmm," I thought, "maybe I could see Renee Fleming in concert. Note to self, see when she's touring." So as soon as I got back to Arizona, I checked Renee's concert schedule, and the rest is history. I saw her in Denver on September 30th, and when I moved to DC in the winter, I saw her portrayal of Desdemona in the Met's Otello on February 22nd. And now I'm going to Massachusettes this weekend to see her in a concert performance of Eugene Onegin. Plus Lucrezia Borgia in November at the KC and hopefully Thais and Rusalka at the Met in 09.

So were it not for this banner, I probably wouldn't have seen the Denver concert. Which means I more than likely wouldn't have known to check the Met's schedule for Otello. Not seeing Otello probably would have kept me from meeting my new opera buddy Leah. So thank God for little (and big) signs (or banners)!

For the record, this picture was taken July 29th, Mel's birthday, and our little excursion to the KC for the Lion King. More on that for sure!

A semi-huge freak out!

I live in DC.
I enjoy opera.
I love Renee Fleming (duh!).
Renee Fleming is coming to DC in November to sing an opera.

How perfect is that? Just a few metro stops from my house is Renee Fleming instead of a 3 hour train ride to New York. I want tickets in a really bad way.

So my new opera buddy and I have been planning out our opera season for 08/09. We have two options: a full season subscription of seven operas (I can live without seeing three of them) or a mini-subscription. Mini-subscription all the way! But the people at the KC are geniuses and block off all of RF's peformances unless we get a minimum of five operas. Okay, fine whatever. Sign me up. So opera buddy waits on the phone for a really long time to sign us up for the mini-sub. Like ten hours later (maybe 45 minutes) she makes it through only to be told that renewing mini-subers can only place their orders at this time and new comers have to wait until a future unnamed date.

Excuse me?!!!! You don't understand. I HAVE to see RF in Lucrezia Borgia!!! I've missed too much already to miss this. So Lord only knows how many tickets are left to the four peformances in November and please remember that RF is kind of a super big deal and I'm a really big fan! REALLY BIG!!!

So now I wait. Impatiently. If I miss Renee, then I'm going postal on someone. Ah, breath Chelsea... There's alway Thais in December...

/end semi-huge freak out.

With that out of my system, I hope to get caught up on the last two exciting weeks of my life. Stay tuned. I'll definitely let you know when I get my Renee tickets. Because it's when, not if.

I'm going to Boston!

I just purchased two tickets to see Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin out in Burkeshire. WooHoo!! I'm so excited! So I'm headed up to Boston on August 1st and staying with Megan for the weekend. She's coming with me to see it! I haven't seen her since she moved out East a year ago so this should be good times for sure. And it's Renee Fleming so YAY!

The Final Scene from the Met's 2007 production.

$$$ Cha-ching $$$

So with a pretty hefty tax return and the stimulus rebate that's headed my way, I've got some awesome opera prospects coming my way. Thais for sure - it's got to be my fave opera so I can't wait to see it staged. And of course it's starring none other than Renee Fleming. Maybe I can squeeze in her performance of Eugene Onegin at Tangelwood and if there's a chance of scoring a ticket for the Met's opening night gala, then I'm so there! Plus RF in Lucrezia Borgia, November at the KC! And even though it's a year away, Rusalka would be awesome too. And then whatever else comes along.

So exciting!!! Yay for tax returns. Now it'll just be forever and a day until I receive them...

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The moment you've all been waiting for! Well, probably only me. But after almost a month of waiting (wow! can't believe it's almost been a month), I have finally received....wait for it, wait for it....drum roll please......

My picture with super awesome and extremely Ah-MAZING American Soprano RENEE FLEMING!!!! (she's on the right:)

This was in the green room right after her Ah-MAZING and emotional performance in Otello. Renee (we're totally bff now. okay, not really, but I like to think so) was so gracious and super nice to Sam (CN Sam) and me. I probs freaked her out because I was super excited to meet and talk to her. I was totally shaking and I'm sure she felt my shakes when I took the pic with her. I hope to be able to meet her again. Gosh, I was just so awestruck when I met her I don't think my sentences were intelligible at all. She's super Ah-MAZING!!! And sooooooo nice.

I still don't believe that I actually met Renee Fleming. Don't believe it at all... Renee Fleming! Chelsea. The same room. Unbelievable......

Boston anyone?

So I think I'm going to Boston the first weekend of August...to see Renee Fleming in Eugene Onegin. I checked her schedule today on a whim and noticed she'd be performing the opera in August. Don't know if anyone's coming with me, but I just made up my mind so that's pretty much that. Tickets are cheap - $18-27. If anyone wants to join me, let me know. I love to share the art of opera with anyone willing to be open minded and try something new.

I took Michelle to see the HD Broadcast of Romeo et Juliet back in December. I literally drug Max to the HD Broadcast of Macbeth in January, although he won't admit that he went to the opera. Sam (CN Sam) accompanied me to Otello last month. Now I'm trying to get Mel to come to something. She'll be a tough sell. As much as she dislikes my country music, I think she detests opera even more. Maybe Megan will come since it's in her backyard. And Lauren will be in New Hampshire this summer so that's always a possibility.

So yeah. Renee Fleming. Eugene Onegin. Boston. August 2. Me. Good times! Who's in?

P.S. She's really good in this. Here are two clips - the Letter Scene parts 1 and 2. How can you resist?

Busy, Busy, Busy

So it's been super busy at work. And after 8+ hours sitting in front of a computer, I haven't wanted to come home and sit in front of a computer to blog about everything. Appropriations are due by the end of this week, so I don't know how much time I'll actually have to catch up on stuff I want to post on the blog. But we have a two week recess coming up so there will be plenty of time to get caught up if I can't this week.

Here's an overview of what you have to look forward to: Awesome meetings with tons of constituents, a visit with the President and Vice President (for reals!), the long awaited picture with super Ah-MAZING soprano Renee Fleming (did I mention Ah-MAZING?!), hanging with the office peeps and a planned trip to Atlantic City, a weekend in Quantico with Sam (high school Sam, not Connecticut Sam) and the god-son, my first stint as a Capitol Tour Guide, and various observations or musings that come to mind as I see fit.

So sit tight, more to come for sure!

The Fantastic Life of an Opera Fan

Sometimes I don’t know how I get to do the things I do. But I do things, and I’m amazed at what I do get to do. On occasion, it just takes asking a question and a door opens so something cool happens. That’s how this story begins.

I read a blog. I asked the author a question. She answered with “it’s kind of short notice, but let me check.” A couple hours later, she responded back, “I’m your new best friend.” Truer words were never spoken. That simple.

Brace yourselves for this because it is super awesome. I saw Renee Fleming in Otello, and she was remarkable. She totally rocked the role of Desdemona, and I was there to hear it live. That alone is pretty cool and I would have been 100% content if the evening ended there, but it didn’t. After the famed golden curtain fell, and the last shouts of “Bravo! Brava!” and the applause faded away, Sam and I made our way to a corridor.

There stood a man with a piece of paper in his hands. On that paper was Sam’s name and my name. We were on THE list. So, said man with said paper asks who we’re here to see. “Renee Fleming.” “And your names?” “Chelsea and Sam.” “Okay, head on back around the corner. Another guy will ask you the same and direct you where to go.”

This is the part where I start to freak out. My name is actually on the list. And I’m on my way to see Renee Fleming. NO WAY! This is a prank. Somebody is toying with my emotions. So the second guy is up. He asks the same questions. I gave the same answers. This man says, “Go through that door and wait against the white wall to the left. Someone will come to direct you to the room.” We walk away, and the nerves kick in, and I medium freak out again. Not like freak out freak out, but oh-my-gosh-I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening freak out.

Someone shows us to a green room that was quite cozy with two couches, an oversized chair and an upright piano. Sam and I were scrunched in the corner. There were probably about 15-20 people in this small room. Sam and I chatted for a couple minutes, which really consisted of me saying, “I can’t believe this is happening,” and “She is my absolute favorite!”

Then, Renee appeared. Right in front of my face. Well, not right in front of my face. She came in the room from the door on the opposite side. I seriously almost started to cry when I saw her twenty feet in front of me. She made her way through the small crowd, stopping and talking with each individual, giving them her undivided attention as each one commented on her excellent performance. Being the nosy Nellie that I am, I of course listened in on the conversations. Some talked about the interview she conducted with fellow soprano Karita Mattila at last weeks HD transmission of Manon Lescaut. Renee said she was so surprised when Mattila did the splits on a whim. Some talked about her daughter, who sang in the children’s choir and made a cameo in Otello. One woman commented on the long, blonde wig she wore for the roll.

Finally, it was my turn to meet this unpretentious diva. What do I say? How do I say it without sounding like a psycho stalker? I think my brain just shut down and my mouth started talking. I introduced myself, said I was a huge fan, and that this was my first opera, then I asked if I could give her a hug. (I think I heard some old lady say, “Oh, how sweet.”) How much of a nerd am I?! So she gave me a hug and asked if I was an opera singer too. I sort of chuckled and said, “No, I’m actually in politics in DC.” To which she replied, “Well it’s certainly an exciting time to be in politics.” She asked Sam and me what we thought of the opera. We said it was amazing. Then Sam said I came all the way from DC to see her. This is where I had my stalker moment. I told her that when she comes to DC in November, I’m going to see her. [Really Chelsea? She probably doesn’t even know where she’s going to be performing next week and you’re reciting her concert schedule for the next five years. Way to not look like a loon!]

Anywho, Renee graciously signed our playbills and I was fortunate enough to get a picture with her. Then I gave her another hug, because I can, and Sam and I grabbed our coats, and left. I pretty much was on an opera high the rest of the night. I seriously could have died right then and there and would have been okay with that. Let me put this another way: I was more excited to meet Renee Fleming than I was to meet the President, which says a lot.

We walked (I skipped) to the nearest bar to get a drink and calm me down. When we got there, Sam realized she left her camera on the pay phone when she was putting her coat on. So we tried to pound our frozen margs and you all know what that means – brain freeze – and tried to navigate the maze of construction to find the stage door leading back to the pay phone. Thank God we found the camera. Otherwise my meeting with Renee would only be a mental picture.

Sam and I headed back to the Penn Station area to grab food/drinks to pass the time before our 1:50 am train back to New Haven. All-in-all, an evening not soon to be out done.

If it seems my affinity for Renee Fleming is excessive to a fault, it’s because there truly are not enough words to describe what is experienced when hearing her perform live. And the crazy thing is opera is performed without amplification (no mics). It takes a lot of power and a lot of hard work to get a voice to carry in a 4,000-seat house and still sound good. I only hope that I can intrigue you all enough to want to pick up one of Renee’s recordings and give it a listen. You’ll truly be blown away.

Thanks to my "new best friend" for adding to an already amazing evening and giving me an opportunity of a lifetime – a favor not soon forgotten. Thanks to Sam for sharing in my joy and adding to the awesomeness of the night. Thanks to Renee for pretty much being Ah-MAZING and not freaking out when I freaked out because I was meeting you. Thanks to the cab guy who got us there on time.

A (glorious Renee-filled) Night At The Opera

I sat, eyes transfixed on the famous gold curtain that would soon reveal a masterpiece composed by Verdi. When the curtains were pulled back, what unfolded in front of me was three hours of love, deceit, betrayal, and death, which all add up to a most enjoyable evening.

Johan Botha was Otello, and a rather good one to my untrained ears. And then there was Renee Fleming. I needn’t go into detail on how much I respect this woman’s artistic talent or how much she just blows me away with that voice. When she stepped out onto the stage as Desdemona for the love duet “Giá nella notte densa” with Botha, I had to dab away the tears.

In the opera, Otello’s ensign Iago is upset that he is not the captain and he really just hates Otello. So he plants a seed of deceit and lies in Otello’s head in order to destroy him. He convinces Otello that Desdemona is having an affair with his captain Cassio. Iago so convinces Otello of Desdemona’s infidelity that he vows to strangle her in the bed where she committed her sins. After doing so, he learns that Desdemona was in fact faithful to him all along, so he stabs himself. Cue curtain.

Renee was Ah-MAZING! Johan was excellent. The dude who played Iago was good. The duets were sublime, the chorus and orchestra top notch. It was just a magnificent evening.

A performance is excellent when you don’t think of the person who is playing the character. When your heart breaks for Desdemona instead of thinking that Renee is doing a great job as Desdemona, that’s when you’ve got a great performance on your hands. I just felt so bad that this woman who is totally in love with her husband is praying to the Virgin Mary (Ave Maria) at the hour of her death. When she cries out, “Ah! Emilia, Emilia, addio!” at the end of The Willow Song, you know she knows she’s done for. Renee captured Desdemona so well. She absolutely broke my heart in the final act. I utterly loathed Iago. He just oozes evil, and whoever played him totally rocked the evilness. I was sitting there the whole time wishing that something would cause his demise so that the rest of the town could continue on in peace and harmony. But then, that doesn’t make for good operatic drama. Botha was good. He’s not the best at dramatically collapsing, but the man can sing.

What I love about Otello (aside from everything) is that it contains some of the most beautiful music ever. You’ve got the love duet in the first act, Iago’s evil Credo in Act II, and the heart wrenching Willow Song and Ave Maria in the final act. I’m also just totally blown away by the ensemble pieces in the third act. It amazes me how well the voices intertwine; yet you can still hear Renee Fleming cry out above everyone else.

There you have it. My first live opera experience starring Renee Fleming. Damn! she’s good!!!

But wait! There's more...

Getting There Part 1 of 2

Thursday
(I wrote this on the train so the tense in this post reflects the action as it happened.)

This was a big weekend for me. I had purchased the opera tickets before I even secured my plane tickets to move out to DC. When I found out I was moving, I made up my mind that I was going to see Renee Fleming come hell or high water, regardless of the cost, and even if I had to go it alone. I called up my friend Sam (she was a roommate my sophomore year and a maker of good times) to tell her I was moving and planning a trip to New York. I told her my plans and said I was going to the opera regardless and if she wanted to join me that would be awesome. She said yes so I purchased two tickets in the Orchestra section, row X, seats 26 and 28. Pretty decent, I think. When I got to my new home in DC, the tickets were already waiting for me. Those people at the Met clearly don’t mess around.

This was all back in January, so it’s pretty much been the waiting game since. But the time has come. I spent last Monday schlepping through the mall to find something to wear. I nixed the idea of a dress. For starters, I wanted to be comfortable, and secondly, Lord only knows what the weather is going to be like. I don’t want to freeze my cheeks off and be miserable. So I found some fancy duds, found some pretty shoes, and I should be able to clean up pretty nicely.

I purchased my train ticket last week. I went back and forth on this. Didn’t know if I should go to Sam’s in CN first the night before or meet her in NY on Friday. I finally decided to go Thursday night and come back home on Sunday night. When I first started thinking out the travel itinerary, it was beginning to look like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but I settled for just the train.

As February 22nd approached, the anticipation was just eating away at me and this last week was so hard to get through. First of all, Renee Fleming is AWESOME! But I hadn’t seen Sam since the summer of ’06 so I’m pretty jazzed to spend the whole weekend with her.

Now I’m on the train – a five hour trek from DC to New Haven. I clearly was not paying attention when I chose my windowless seat. I’ve been on trains five times: four were on the Grand Canyon train from Williams and one was a twenty minute commuter train to the airport in Baltimore. So far, this has been a pleasant experience. No major turbulence. It does seem pretty safe and a lot less terrifying than a plane if you have issues with flying (I don’t). Really, when was the last time you’ve seen a train fall from the sky? My point exactly. The train is definitely not what I expected. I had pictured the individual rooms with beds that pull down, tiny bathrooms, and a crowded diner cart ala North by Northwest or Murder on the Orient Express.

I’m really looking forward to the opera tomorrow. It’s Verdi’s Otello, and from my understanding, it was either the last or second to last opera he wrote. It’s a pretty hefty opera in terms of what is demanded from the singers, and I won’t even pretend that I know what I’m talking about, but consider this: Placido Domingo has owned the roll of Otello for 20 years. Other tenors have tried but come up short to the standards set by Domingo. There’s mixed reviews for Johan Botha, and since I’m not musically trained, it probably won’t take much to impress me.

Now Renee Fleming, on the other hand, is a whole nother story. The last time she sang Desdemona at the Met was thirteen years ago and she sang the role just a few weeks after giving birth – a pretty remarkable fete in and of itself, but she totally rocked that performance, which makes it even that much more amazing. The critics are commenting on all the technical aspects relating to where her voice is and have just said that this role is well suited for the voice she’s bringing to the table these days. She’s in her prime, not only singing, but also acting phenomenally.

There is just something enchanting about Renee Fleming’s voice, almost heaven-like. There’s such a depth and feeling to her sound. I’ve listened to other accomplished singers, but hers is the one voice that completely appeals to me.

I think I’ve chosen a good opera with exceptional talent for my first operatic experience. Plus, it’s at the Met – the opera house of all opera houses. I cannot even convey in any knowable way how excited I am for this. I’ve checked my purse a million times to verify that I did in fact put the tickets in there. My worst fear was leaving the tickets behind while I take off on a train for Connecticut. But I do have them. I just checked to make sure.

So a five-hour train drive – I’ve got plenty of time to just babble on. There’s this lady that got on the train in DC and the first question she asked was, “When do we get to a point when I can smoke?” Amazing! She must have been jonesing for a cig pretty bad because she was the first person off the train when we got to New York.

I should be to New Haven soon and I can’t wait to see Sam. This should be good times for sure!

To make a long story short...

When I lived with Charlotte in Flagstaff, I met tons of her friends from all over the place. One of my favorites was probably Jackie. So Jackie calls me out of the blue and says she's coming to DC for work and wanted to see if I wanted to grab dinner one night. "Sure!" So we went to some Chinese place on Thursday and sat there for three hours talking about everything. The cool thing about Jackie is that she's a trained opera singer, and used to sing. So we talked quite a bit about that. She actually sang for Charlotte and me after the Renee Fleming concert in September. It was quite awesome.

Nada mucho on Friday. It was a slow day at work. Oh, but I did get my haircut when I got off, which was quite the experience. Mel had recommended the place that was a block from the office. I'm not that picky about my hair. Just chop it off and if it's not that good, give it a week and I'll love it. The place was buzzing with activity and I got a masterpiece by Monaè (right, and I'm Michelangelo). But first I got a flippin bath from the lady that washes the hair. They wrapped a towel around my neck, but I should have been given a rain poncho instead. The hair washer was fierce with that water - all down my back, flowing in my eyes. The haircut was great, again I'm not hard to please, but what bothered me was their insistance on trying to get me to purchase their products. It quickly turns a $35 haircut into a $57 visit. In times such as these, I must summon the words of Nancy Reagan and "Just say 'NO!'"

Saturday I woke up at 6:30 so I could spend an hour on the metro and trek all the way out to the last stop on the Blue Line by 8:30. I was meeting Jackie and one of her friends she knew from work to go to Mount Vernon. I had been my Junior year of high school when I came to DC for Bush's first inauguration, so I figured I'd give George Washington's homestead another look-see. It's been seven years, and the house has not changed much. Maybe a few more inches of dust, but the paint job is still hideous. Washington may have been an excellent statesman and general, but his taste in paint colors is pretty narly. I did find a quarter face up when we were walking the grounds. I thought it was kind of special, you know, finding Washington's face on his own estate. Good times for sure.

The Metropolitan Opera does this cool thing where they broadcast an opera in high definition to theaters across the country. So instead of paying an arm and a leg and traveling all the way to New York (like I'm doing this Friday to see Renee Fleming in Otello) you just pay twenty bucks and go to your local theater. I've seen two operas this way, and it's quite enjoyable.

Manon Lescaut, an Italian opera was playing yesterday out in Alexandria, so I went. Here's the jist of the opera: A poor girl falls in love with a poor guy. She yearns for luxary and goes with the rich old man. Poor guy comes back into her life; she gets caught stealing jewels from old rich man so he has her sent to America (weird, I know). Poor guy can't live without girl, so he goes to America with her. They're stranded on a desert in Louisiana without water (Puccini obviously didn't do his research when he wrote the opera). Girl professes her love for poor guy and she dies.

The broadcast was amazing! Karita Mattila was pretty awesome as Manon Lescaut (the poor girl). She's an intense singer and I very much enjoyed the performance. A lot of reviews haven't praised it, but I liked it. I'm not trained in music and can't tell the difference between B flat and B sharp, but I know what sounds good to my ears, and this sounded excellent. The Met broadcasts are also cool because during the intermissions, the camera takes the audience behind the scenes and interviews the singers and stage directors about the production. Renee Fleming (my favorite soprano) was conducting the interviews. This got me really excited about seeing her next Friday. I seriously wanted to stand up in the middle of the theater and tell all the patrons that I was going to be seeing her next week. That's how excited I am!

All-in-all a very enjoyable experience. It's a great way to get your feet wet in regards to opera.

Today, I went to the mall. It was huge, but I was not impressed this trip out. Perhaps I was not in the shopping mindset, but I needed to find something to wear for Friday. I've stuck with the tried and true black top. You can't go wrong.

So three days of work this week. Congress is on recess so it should be uneventful. Last Thursday, the Republicans staged a walk out and I'll try to remember to write more about it tomorrow. I leave for Connecticut Thursday afternoon to visit Sam. On Friday we travel to New York to see Renee Fleming in Otello (I'm excited!).

Happy Birthday Mom!

From the 2/17 Met Broadcast of Manon Lescaut

Music To My Ears

I've got to give you all a little background history on one of my "hobbies" because something cool is coming up, and I need you all to be on the same page for when I recapture that memory.

I'm going to lay it all out on the table: I love opera! There, I said it. Judge me if you want, but it's true. More than opera, I love Renee Fleming's voice. Pure heaven! I've already seen her in a concert recital this past September in Denver. Ah-MAZING! When I learned about my move to DC, I found a friend (Thanks Sam!) who I could drag to the opera, and purchased two tickets for Otello, in which Fleming is starring - at the New York Met.

I purchased a dvd of Otello w/ Fleming and Placido Domingo and have since watched it several times familarizing myself with the text so that I can just focus on the beauty of the music come February 22. I'm quite thrilled to be going, and that's very much an understatement.

This will be my first live opera, and I think I chose a good one. Here's what some of the critics are saying about the opening night performance on the 11th:

ConcertoNet.com: "Verdi’s original title for Otello was Iago. Had he heard the opening night of the opera at the Met, I have no doubt he would have named his opera Desdemona. Both Johan Botha and Carlo Guelfi had their merits, but the evening belonged, first and foremost, to Renée Fleming, who is the most stirring Desdemona of our time."

San Francisco Chronicles: "Botha's shattering portrayal of Otello was matched by the near-perfect Desdemona of soprano Renee Fleming, who brought a ravishing purity to the role of the wife humiliated and literally strangled by her husband's blind obsession.

Often played as a pious, passive woman in love, Fleming's Desdemona is instead a complex, ardent figure tackling emotional demons she could neither understand nor control. The American soprano delivered the 'Ave Maria' — her last, devastating scene before Otello kills her in bed — as a quiet cry from the heart, crowned with the softest, ethereal 'Amen' on a high A-flat."

New York Sun: "'The Willow Song' was notable for its cleanliness and purity, with no resorting to the Caruso sob for this masterful artisan. But even better was the ensuing 'Ave Maria.' Here, Ms. Fleming achieved a level of vocal perfection that stood out even during this superb portrayal. In fact, the prayer was so good that nobody screamed "brava" or applauded at its conclusion. This was a genuinely holy moment and it deserved — and received — total silence."


I think the "Ave Maria" aria is what I have posted on my blog (see "Official Countdown"). It's from a concert recital, but the emotion in that performance is heartbreakingly real. Wait till the end and you can see the tears forming in Fleming's eyes. A remarkable performance.

Needless to say, I'm beside myself with excitement and anticipation. Will definitely be chronicling it when I get back from New York.

P.S. This is not your Barbara Streisand Christmas Ave Maria. It's a million times better.

Official Countdown

The Countdown is on: 17days, 19hours, and 40 minutes until Renee Fleming in Otello.

The best part about it, I'll get to hang w/ Sam the whole weekend. And see Renee Fleming in Otello.




******** UPDATE ********
Someone posted online that they had watched the dress rehearsal of RF in Otello and said it was amazing. This makes me even more excited! I think I'm ready for a little break from the district, so a trip to NY will be a nice getaway.

11 days, 18 hours, 57 minutes.

******** UPDATE ********
Yeah, so Renee Fleming tomorrow! 32 hours and 13 minutes!