Split personality. Liking the arts, especially opera, and hockey and Los Toros. I know, I know THAT one is non pc currently. But I can't help it saw some in Spain and got hooked, but good.
But on the other hand right now opera and hockey are in the forefront!
It is built to withstand force 5 hurricanes, we've been told.
Sadly, no photos allowed in exhibition halls.
One enters via the gift shop - being tempted to buy!
Just not, perhaps, the Daliesque car?
To then pay a hefty admission fee, even for seniors, and with a $2 off coupon.
Was it worth it?
The closest to the iconic melting watches a bench in the 'garden:
I was rather excited to return to see the "Dalis", remembering well the just stunning exhibits at the 'old' museum. And by the big selection of art cards and magnets, there. ;-).
I am happy I bought most then, because this time I found only 3 cards and 1 magnet I did not already have!
BUT if one wants posters, tee shirts, scarves, ties, mugs..... one will find lots there, now!
The park like grounds also boast a rock from Cadaques donated to the museum, and a sculpture of a dolphin, brightly colored.
Before DALI,
The joy of seeing the White Pelicans and other birds on Sanibel island.. and a grey???
what..??
plus alas just a few others.
Missed (our luck) the Roseate Spoonbill, seen by earlier 'birds=visitors' in the day!
'Grooming Parlor' ;-)
Anhinga-a bit startled
One Pool with water falls
Home away form home...at sunset-right. Delighted no crowds there, at this time.
And lagoon - left
at early morning on way to eagles' nest whose inhabitants seem to have been out to lunch ;-)
Out to lunch? Or For rent?
Unknown flowering tree
Causeway
bridge from Tampa to the South
Sanibel Island- with lighthouse and pelicans
Lighthouse in x-mas mode
And so:
Good Bye till next year to Tamiami Trail at night:
On Saturday the Blades faced the Eagles again, but this time they won.
4 vs 2, both goalies back in net.
Goaling for the Blades: Roy, Boris, Pistilli, Carzo.
For Eagles: Ostrow (2 goals).
Mathieu Roy-Captain
As promised, some photos from Friday's game:
Cann's eyes follow Nr, 45 speeding by
Cann Caught that one
Bruess wins this fight
Cheverie eyes ???
Ostrow
Some fan covers his eyes during the Friday game.....
and a canine fan in a Swampee costume nuzzles his/her owner, when the goal is scored ;-). on Friday
And then there is Joe (not Vladimir) Stejskal, LOL.
So we saw a fast paced game between the Everblades of Estero and the Colorado Eagles. Since the "Blades" are the ECHL affiliate of not only Tampa Bay, the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), but also the Charlotte Checkers and the Syracuse Crunch of AHL, several newcomers played this evening. At the Germain arena in Estero, Florida
And it sorta showed! The speed was not quite there! The passing was not exact! But the energy of this young and short - yes, 8 guys of 5'11, plus 2 at 5.9 do make for a short team ;-) - was all there.
The Eagles team included several of that height, including the Captain (not Horation) just Riley.
The shortness of highest players did not hamper any of them in scoring:
Daavettila (6), Ostrow (5'10), Parker and Ulanski (5'11) scored for the Eagles, as did Johnston, while Henrion (also 5'11) scored the sole goal for the Everblades, despite the 34 sogs, of which the Eagles' goalie, Cheverie, at 6'3 larger than Cann, who is 5'11, only allowed that one. Of the 13 games he played he won 10, and only lost 3 in overtime.
Trevor Cann for the Blades only played 3 games thus far and lost 2 (Friday included). Although after letting in 2 goals in 1., he warmed up through 2. and most of the third period, Ulansky's empty netter can not be blamed on him ;-)!
There was no doubt about the three stars of the game:
Henrion the number three, Ostrow and Cheverie of the Eagles, numbers two and one, respectively.
It was a quite entertaining game, the Blades peppered Cheverie with 34 shots, while the Eagles managed 21 ...... but with 3 goals against Cann and the one empty netter! Photos to be posted soon.
For the hockey fight lovers, the game had two...IMO..Mychan (Co) vs Buess, and later Parker (Co) vs Dame-Malka......real ones! Several other penalties were called, but only one opportunity was utilized for goals, Johnston for the visitors. 8 penalties for the Eagles (1 goal)' 5 for the Blades (0 goal)
The crowd was respectable and loud, even without the animation by ice girls and Swampee, the mascot.
Near us was the quietest fan: a grizzled muzzle Chihuahua in Swampee disguise, lol.
But his owner made up for it...and her friends wore green hair, shook bells and screamed "Go Blades". All for naught the team barely went on board with the lonely goal.
Captain Roy of the Blades, was apparently still in Movember mode, looking striking with dark full beard and sideburns. This is Roy's 6th season with the Blades.
A player named Joe Stejskal reminded me of an old friend with the same name who, in his salad days played goalie in the, now known as, Czech Republic. Which made me wonder, did anyone of Vladimir's family emigrate to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, long time ago?
"Finally, there's the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, which is included in an Amazon Prime membership ($79 per year, amazon.com ). The fee includes access to one book per month from a list of some 400,000 titles. The collection is large but includes only about 100 New York Times best-sellers, according to Amazon. Access to this feature requires a Kindle device (the apps for Android and iOS are not compatible). At $6.58 per month, it's not worth signing up for Amazon Prime just for the books alone, but if you're already a member for the unlimited video and free shipping that are included with the subscription, the lending library is a modest perk."
Now , that 79$ is a waste of money to me... for just one book a month!!!
I read, on average, more than one book a week! Yes, a week!
I love my area libraries.
Multi language library on QM 2
I love having friends who trade books with me.
I love having thrift shops nearby where I can pick up books for a dollar; and even better on 'discount day'.
I love the feel of the book in my hands.
I find the nearest thrift shop, when travelling, to buy ( and 'donate' back) books during the stay.
I need not worry that the battery in the pad/kindle, etc. runs down.
I have no need to shlep chargers.
And I have NO worries that someone will swipe the pad/kindle!!!
Seems books are just very safe items to have (sadly) anymore ;-).
I do have a computer and use it well, and often.
Or else I would not be blogging on stuff such as this and more, right!?
BUT when it comes to reading, I have to have real BOOKS!
Call me an old codger who isn't up to snuff .
I really don't care! "I LOVE real books!"
A whole lot of musical fun in an evening, or in our case afternoon, at the OH!
After a spiritedly conducted overture, in which the strings sang, sometimes meltingly, sometimes not so, and the winds blew happily with the percussion section drumming merrily along, the farce began.
Strong singers, whose voices evenly matched, insured that the audience left chuckling.
Stefano de Peppo, and experienced bass baritone, set the pace, portraying the Don Pasquale with tongue in cheek acting without making him the archetypical caricature of an old doddering codger.
Equally strong performance came from the Norina, soprano Julia Engel, who was a saucy girl turned into fury. Her high notes were stratospheric and held, seemingly, forever.
Wesley Landry, baritone, as Dr. Malatesta, was quite convincing as the co conspirator to teach the old fool Don P. A lesson. His mellow baritone was, IMO, a bit too "nice" for the role.
Eric Bowden, sang Ernesto, the romantic lead, with penetrating power and endurance.
The non singing role of Notary was taken by Maxim Bitner, a bass, who is part of the chorus.
All in all an amusing interlude on a muggy afternoon in Houston.
If, cheers readers, you miss the usual inclusions of video clips, if available, or photos, I apologize . My trusty desk top languishes at the computer whizz " hospital", and the iPad and I are yet strangers to each other, to permit such fancies...... ;)!
Just one more note:
both de Peppo and Bowden sing in all performances which will be Nov.21,22,23,and 24. So you have time to go and enjoy!
Now you all enjoy a good, fluid game, right? Well if you do, you ought to have been in San Antonio on Sunday!
Both teams came out burning with zest.
The first period seemed to just melt away, even though neither scored a goal. 14 sogs per side, and both goalies stepped up to keep the puck from going into the net.
Rampage have a new head coach,
and he sure seems to dare the team to do better.
And they did, in the 2.period.
Nr. 13 Pinizzotto (13 must have been HIS good luck number?) scored, then our old friend Ortmeyer made it two soon after, followed by a scuffle in which Crabb (Rampage) turned real crabby :-).
Alas, the PP ensuing allowed the Admirals Rodney to sore 1 for the Ads.
And so we went into the 3. 2 Rampage 1 Admirals. At about 7 minutes into the 3. Moser evened the score for the Admirals. And that was it. Overtime-no goal. Shoot out-and that's were the more experienced Dov Grumet Morris had the advantage over the youngster Magnus Hellberg, at 22 almost 10 years younger. Grumet Morris stopped all attempts by Admiral players.
But - credit is due to Hellberg, he ONLY let in one. Which was the decider by Matsumoto, who scored on the first attempt. The other 4 did not.
Hellberg
Grumet Morris doings splits
Following the puck
Grumet Morris named 1. *, Hellberg 2. * and Matsumoto 3. * of the game.
Blond 9'5 tall Magnus (well named, eh?)
And that was as it should have been. Hellberg had 43 saves, which IMO not a bad result fro a youngster - note I am a bit biased, I do like young blond giants ;-)!
Grumet Morris had 31 saves.
Both team hamster'ed 5 penalties and thus 5 PP, but only Rodney (Ads) was able to convert the advantage to a goal. Two refs kept the progress of the game swift and after 2 1/2 hours the approx. 7200 loyal fans went home (?) satisfied.
Ortmeyer in perfect position
A minor scuffle-Watson argues with Pinizotto?
A win, a couple of scuffles,an OT and a SO.. the heart just has to jump for joy in hockey fans!
And for us, we spent the Monday enjoying a beautiful sunrise:
and on leisurely nature trail walks looking at Mother Nature's fall bounty :-) .
Tuesday dawned with gusts of winds but 62 degrees, while travelling a bit North of SA to Texas Hills winery, we shivered in 48 degrees. Fortunately the temps warmed up a bit as we returned south to I-10 and drove eastward, even the sun peeked out at times. Still the wind was strong and big cars weaved on the road. We, sitting low and loaded down with wine (lol) rode somewhat better :-)!
HGO presents a remake of Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, Jr. - seen on Sunday- with English libretto. This frivolous, frothy, oh, so Viennese Operetta emigrated (my guess is by force, by Mme director!) to New York.
Before I delve into the details and the singing, I must owe up being vastly biased.
Viennese born, bred, and fed Opera and Operettas from early on, well, perhaps not with mother's milk, but soon, I love my waltzes. And the societal and political parodies which find such fine and amusing outlets in den Operetten. Heard first via Radio...much later TV.
Even in post WWII Vienna, those frothy lilting sounds were everywhere. Street corners abounded with musicians; playing hurdy-gurdies, violins, flutes; and even vocalists. Yes, they did it to beg for alms, but for a child walking those streets it was musical heaven - my ears then were much less discriminating ;-)! And from the tales of the years before my birth told me by my elders, music never left Vienna, bombs falling or not! Our wooden furniture bore scars by glass from splintered windows after bomb blasts. For years after, that side of the piece felt like a gigantic emery board.
So having said this, let me proceed to enumerate the pros and cons.
Pros:
1. I liked the idea using silent movie lead ins and endings (which by the way some of the audience missed, they were in such a rush to get up and get going). I thoroughly enjoyed the updated parodies presented by actor (?) Jason Graae, remembered dimly {due to advanced age ;-) no doubt} as a funny Njegus in The Merry Widow (also in English). I am afraid some of the audience will have missed the hint to Peter Grimes (in a previous HGO production Peter Grimes was sung by Anthony Dean Griffey - now in this luxury cast singing Alfredo).
2. The IMO outstanding performances of the day were Wendy Bryn Harmer as Rosalinde - sung with a beauty that, almost in a Viennese way, charmed;
and the athletic, debonair Liam Bonner as Eisenstein whose ringing baritone seemed created for just this role.
Photo courtesy HGO
3. Michael Sumuel
was an credibly bumbling Frank with his warm baritonal sound.
4. Samuel
Schultz a supercilious Dr. Falke with a crystal clear baritone.
5. The English singing chorus did quite well, but the absence of those Viennese accents, was felt. Alas.
Cons:
On the other hand Laura Claycomb as Adele, was rather perfect in appearance;
Susan Graham as Prince Orlovski ( was SIR Elton John the inspiration for her make up and manerisms?),
and Anthony Dean Griffey as Alfredo (why make him behave in such slapstick manner?)
was a luxury cast, that did not quite live up to the promises.
The other cameo roles of Ida & Blind weer sung bu current HGO Studio members Uliana Alexyuk and Reginald Smith, Jr.
Staging and sets were ...welll... quite New York.
Dresses were amusing and - in the ball scene, finally provided a bit of that froth for which Viennese operettas are known worldwide.
I did feel that Austrian born Conductor Thomas Roesner, while trying his utmost best to infuse that lilting sound into the production, was, perhaps, hampered by the forced emigration of this quintessential Viennese piece to New York. Add the addition of Astaire/ Rogers dance show (BTW well dances by Broomhead/Richmond), plus the occasional 'modern' music bits and pieces (Release me, let me go, for example), the zing and froth that so defines this Operetta became lost. Die Fledermaus has become The Bat, an American Musical...sigh!
Even if as well done, as we expect from any HGO production!!
OK, so maybe I am a bit too critical.
But - to me, and some other Austrian-born people in attendance (we did commiserate together during the 2. intermission) the production left us wanting for some Sekt to help overcome our loss; and bolster the felt nostalgia forthat Wien I/we all knew with its array of dialects, accents and food which grew out of its multi-nationality over centuries!
And THAT simply does NOT translate into English. Especially when done so by Australians: Director Hume and Designer Roberts.. yes, from that country so often confused with Austria.
No, there are NO kangaroos in Austria - Oesterreich! Ooops, sorry just had to put that in!
Mea culpa! So there!
Just as some great Austrian Wines suffer by transportation to these shores!
And the delectable Viennese desserts, so full of calories but thus so full of unbeatable flavor, suffer when prepared according to the latest 'health" guidelines :-) or rather ;-(.
I am left with homesickness for my Wien, Wien Nur Du Allein, Sollst Stets Die Stadt Meiner Traeume Sein!
Yes, chers readers, I did go to the game by the Imperials vs Dallas Jr. Stars this afternoon.
But as my back started to act up (again) I left in the 2. intermission and ...
per TN, missed a whole lot of excitement - if you can call a seemingly bad injury to the scorer of 3 goals and being carried out on backboard, followed by a fight, and a Dallas player being thrown out of game! Tja....I blame it all on the pesky PIB!
On the way home major traffic jam on 59! Should have stayed, lol!
Apologize for the cloudy look of photos-those glass sections are rather banged up!
After the second period Imperials led by 1 (4-3). And managed to catch up in the Third to end 5-3. Sort of an evening after having lost to Dallas Jr. Stars the evening before.
Crowd favorite SUPERMAN dropped the puck clothed in a brand new signed Imperials away jersey! Imperials Head Coach Jarod Palmer (ex Aeros) - we are reminded of the Aeros by the banners on the wall :-)!
looks benignly on from the far left side:
Imperials goalie Anderson (Nr. 1), seemed not quite up to snuff in the first, letting in 2 easy (for the Stars) goals. But he regrouped well; and by the end had 22 saves.
Here he waits for the face off - ready to catch what may be coming at him!
The game was a bit hard to follow.
No program, and the opposing team only sported Numbers no names on their jerseys..
However, with a bit of research I am able to report:
Imperials scorers: E. Bordak 3 (apparently out with injury-unknown how bad), Vladykosvoskiy and Spooner each 1 goal, Vladykosvoskiy also 1 assist, the other assists went to Simon and Bordak A - 2 each.
I guess a goal is a a goal, in English or Russian LoL!
On the side of the, IMO, faster skating Dallas Jr. Stars the scoring players are: Ledyanshin (?), Huspen and Burns - each got one.
The Goalie (from Ravensbruck, Germany) Steffan Muller had 29 saves of 34 SOGs.
His mask proudly sports the German Red Gold Black flag if you look closely-in the lower part.
If one expected a fast and furious play... sorry, not quite.
But the somewhat sparse crowd roared its approval when Anderson made another good save!
What struck me:
the players, as well as referee Larson were about the same age (methinks-give or take a year or two).
Anyway, the Imperials acquitted themselves well this afternoon.
HGO honors Verdi's anniversary by reprising an AIDA of golden pomp and turquoise circumstances under the watchful eye of Horus :-), as envisioned by Zandra Rhodes, who IS responsible for design and costumes.
Which stunned years ago when premiered at HGO, and still does with this reprisal. Only the singers are different, well almost all.
And if we think Aida we hear the Triumphal March from it's Act 1.
Amazingly, this opera. mostly known for its monumental scope, actually relies only on 3 major singers, Amneris, Radames and Aida. The other 3 soloists (Ramfis, Amonasro and the King) are just the icing on the cake. Dancers, huge chorus and super numbers could be seen as the whipped cream atop the whole confection :-). If one wants to see it that way.
The Amneris of Dolora Zajick will be remembered well by the HGO audience! If one believes in reincarnation, then one must believe Amneris to have come back as Zajick! She does own that role!! And is still a powerhouse on stage with her unique voice that can sound so seductive, yet still manages to threaten from the deep reaches of her chest!
Below her performance as Amneris at the Met in 2009:
The huge Chorus as usual well prepared and coached by Chorus Master Richard Bado, of acclaimed fame!
The masses on stage are filled out with non-singing supers, and Dominic Walsh Dancers who despite their costumes (as a friend remarked on the way home :Think "Cats") did rather well, although.. causing a few chuckles be same friend!
Liudmila Monastyrska As Aida delivered all that her critics promised. A powerful voice, that got better as the opera progressed and ended in fine softly delivered last song!
Riccardo Massi - Radames here as Pollione from Norma, impressive in purple and gold, yup very impressive!! :-)
And he is equally impressive in turquoise (lol), a commanding present on stage with clarion sound, what more can one ask of a Radames. That he is a rather handsome man did him great service and the applause proved it, especially after Celeste Aida! We muts hope he will be asked back many times to sing us more Verdi!
Scott Hendricks, former HGO Studio member returns to the stage as Amonasro, the Ethiopian king, Despite the beggarly costume and half shaved (wig) head, Studio alumnus used his histrionic talent accompanied by stentorian singing to good avail. he still is as limber as we have seen him as Rigoletto.
Ain Anger, a new comer to HGO sings Priest Ramfis. He is a truly sonorous bass. The orangy (lol) pleated skirt of his priestly costume looked perfectly apropriate on his tall imposing figure, setting him apart from the other pleated skirted masses! I would not mind having him back, as well.
Bass Robert Gleadow is the Egyptian King, I am always a bit surprised when I hear such deep and yet, mellow, voices issue from slender men! This deep sound ought to burst forth from a much bigger chest, right? Well, Gleadow, bass baritone, who has been here previously, did not disappoint and is am impressive King!
HGO Studio member Natalya Romaniw as priestess, sings beautifully from backstage or side stage. And the Messenger is sung acceptably by Kevin Rayn.
Maestro Antonino Fogliani conducts with enthusiasm and - I perceive - real admiration for Verdi's monumental opera. And this was just the final dress rehearsal, when sometimes singers conserve their voices, which this cast seemingly had no need to do! _____________________________________________________________________ Sunday evening: The big surprise this afternoon was TENOR ISSACHAH SAVAGE as Radames who will sing the role again November 1. I was quite beguiled by this more lyrical voice than Massi. A real buttery voice, IMO. So if you can go on November 1!
The other event: Dolara Zajic announced she has a cold, but would sing anyway. AND SHE DID! The consummate professional she truly gave her best. From a cold I, and several others, could not 'hear or see' a sign!
All those years I firmly believed that my joints could predict bad weather.
I am happy to report that I am vindicated..
today's WSJ says so.
It took real researchers to find it.
Now that does make me feel better.
Because it is good to know that I was not so crazy after all, all those years. Tee Hee.
On the other hand, feeling nostalgic for the way we flew
is not for me alone, as you can find here.
Yes, indeed, the days of lounging at the piano bar in the air, are past.
The need to dress well for the trip! Do I need say more?
The clingy fashion, that reveals almost all, sure makes the arduous work of those dedicated TSA screeners so much easier.
Their blue gloved hands are falling more idle these days.
I mean, what is there hidden, when the travel clothes let boobs fall out, cheeks twinkle down below. And what in the world could one hide in the thin soled flip flops? Or on bare legs?
Yes, this mornings WSJ was full of good news,
unrelated to the current winds of change, or war,
in the Capitol ;-)!
Of course, I may have missed more good news to tell you about.
But for now these few ought to cheer you on your way ;-)
Well, we finally managed to see this opera.
2013 IS a celebration year of Verdi , everywhere. We saw Oberto in Milan earlier.
Opera in the Heights presented a version of La Traviata set in 2013 complete with iPad or equivalent. In today's dresses and suits.
Our cast in today's matinee (why matinee for an afternoon performance-that has puzzled me for awhile) was well matched vocally, IMO.
Julia Ebner sang Violetta movingly. And reminded me of another opera icon.. in the video clip below: Maria Callas.
I have seen this opera multiple times, and yet, her singing and acting still brought not a few tears to my eyes.
Alfredo was tenor Christopher Trapani, with a pretty big voice although once or twice he didn' t quite manage the upper reaches. Overall he had Alfredo down pat. A very youthful Domingo as Alfredo below:
His Papa, Giorgio Germont, was sung with a voice of strong, yet mellow, baritonal heft by Robert Aaron Taylor (sometimes also listed as a bass-baritone), and - while not quite as lyrical as it could have been, his solo Di provenca.. was sung with deep feeling. Here Dmitri Hvrostovsky in concert.
Daymon Passmore, a Heights regular, was a debonair Barone, the off and on protector of Violetta. Sadly, there were few moments to enjoy his huge deep bass in a solo.
4 Chorus ladies as gypsies danced, and sang, their way into the hearts of the audience, while tenor Gerardo Nunez made a dashing matador ;-).
Photo by Gwen Juarez Turner
Accompanied by his attendants,
one in purple traje de luces (which really caught my eye ;-), Rojan Easo, also a tenor.
Megan Bertl as Flora and Maxim Bitner as Marchese, made a well-matched vocally, suitably interesting couple.
Lisa Borik, soprano, made her debut at OH as a modern Annina, more friend than maid.
I am sad to report that this afternoon was THE last performance.
A powerful production, beautifully sung, accompanied by an orchestra that out did itself, under the enthusiastic, authoritarian, and - yes, lovingly - wielded baton of Maestro Carreon-Robledo.
It is built to withstand force 5 hurricanes, we've been told.
remembering well the just stunning exhibits at the 'old' museum.
Home away form home...at sunset-right. Delighted no crowds there, at this time.
