Good morning GUSwillienelson wannabes!!!!
Y'all know, it all begins with opera music
And then it leads to dancing promiscuously
with boys, then cigarettes, then the marijuana.
You be careful there.
Words of wisdom from paulitics
Willie used to be an opera tenor, well beloved for his role as Wayne the Rigger at the Texas Petcoke Opera Bar and Grille. As you can see, there are dangers in loving opera too much but you can get a cool bus, fun friends and lots of Grammys.
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I know the scenes are long -- but you'll get the drift. Who is the maddest of them all?
So, follow me down the steps to lovely madness.
The "Machine" -- ever changing set in Le Page's Metropolitan Opera production of Der Ring des Nibelungen. Wotan and Loge descending into the realm of the Nibelung in the opera, Das Rhinegold.
Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
Impossible for me to find a decent YouTube performance with subtitles -- or just a decent subtitled audio recording of Sutherland for that matter. So, here's the detailed story line.
Two families hate each other. Romeo/Juliet thing. Lucia's brother gets pissed about her dallying around with the enemy and so he sets up a marriage to another guy named Arturo. Edgardo (Romeo) gets pissed at Lucia because he thinks she's been fooling around on him. Lucia goes mad -- murders Arturo then sings a great song. There's more tragic stuff but you'll have to see the opera!
Dame Joan Sutherland
Natalie Dessay
I saw this production -- utterly devastating. I love this opera.
Donizetti himself suffered from neurosyphilis and was thus not sane at the end. Very tragic.
Another Donizetti Opera with a mad scene is Anna Bolena.
Here's the Anna Netrebko performance during the Metropolitan Opera's 2012-2013 season. I missed it even though it was on HD simulcast, dang it. Quite beautiful.
Compare with Montserrat Caballe's Anna. What an amazing voice! Now I have to look through my father's stash to see if I have a recording with her.
My dear friend who danced with the American Ballet Company and knows more music than I will ever know told me that the following two divas are the only ones to compare for Ophelia's Mad Scene in Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet. Sorry -- but we have Dame Joan Sutherland and Natalie Dessay yet again.
Dame Joan Sutherland
Good god!!!!!!!!!!!
Natalie Dessay in two parts to make it easier! Also, Part II has over a minute of applause.
Part I
Part II
I will be seeing Berg's Wozzek at the Met in March. My understanding is that the whole thing is quite mad. I'll have to find a clip -- or you know who (double) will find 17 examples -- go to it, Portia and silkie!
Other than that -- there are 6 other mad scene operas. I can't do them all here as we have our own mad scenes to deal with!!!!
Crap! paulitics was right!!!!!
Metropolitan Opera gift shop:
If you hate opera -- hey -- you know GUS always is an open thread available to all. But really, you'd be really hard if you hated the following -- a scene from Donizetti's comic opera, Le Comte Ory with Diana Damrau (beautiful blond), Joyce DiDonato in the trouser role and hubba, hubba, Juan Diego Florez. I saw this in simulcast and Florez just made it to the performance with minutes to spare. He had been at the hospital for the birth of his first baby. He was adorable in the interview.
Dammit -- I can't embed this hilarious video but here's the link: three hot opera singers in one bed.
I have no idea how they kept up the singing pace with the athletics!
The always amazing anodnhajo's 11/23/13 updated buddy list!!!! Give a round of applause for our buddy!!!!!!
1BQ, 2thanks, 3rdGenFeminist, 417els, A Man Called Gloom, Abra Crabcakeya, Actbriniel, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alise, Alpha99, also mom of 5, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, angry marmot, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, AoT, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, Aunt Acid, awkawk, b4uknowit, BadKitties, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, beefydaddy18, betterdemsonly, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, bluedust, BluejayRN, BlueJessamine, Bluerall, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, boudi08, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrianParker14, Bronxist, broths, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, buddabelly, Bugsydarlin, bumbi, BusyinCA, cactusgal, cagernant, Carol in San Antonio, CathiefromCanada, CathodeRay, CDH in Brooklyn, Cedwyn, cee4, Cen Den, ChocolateChris, ChurchofBruce, ciganka, cinnamondog, 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