…to each their own

Well, I have been in Europe for two-and-a-half weeks now, and let me tell you, I’ve been thinking thoughts. Of course, I’ve been Europe-ing around as well, which is why you haven’t heard most of them. Number one to note, I have started imbibing alcohol again. So much so, that I have decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve not once, but twice. Once in Iceland with my awesome momma, and once more in Canada with my awesome friends. See Instagram photos for proof of alcohol consumption in awesome ways and with many fabulous hashtags…if I do say so myself. 

So…Europe. What can I say? Obviously, it’s cool. And old. But mostly, what the heck Britain!? Why do you have so many dang coins? 1-penny, 2-penny, 5-penny, 10-penny, 20-penny, 50-penny, 1-pound, 2-pound…I know there was a vote on Brexit, but I vote for a vote on the elimination of at least two of those coins. My purse is heavy.

Other than that, I have been taking in culture and leisure side by side, and the count thus far is two operas, one ballet. So, here begins a rant about opera directors. Gird your loins. I’ve seen two operas, and neither of them make it into the favourites stack that I’ve been amassing over the years. The first, Il Trovatore, one of Verdi’s operas(though not Verdi well-known), was beautifully sung and directed, and though it seemed to be ‘a 30-minute story told in 4 hours,’* it was quite enjoyable. (*as described by my companion of the evening, Cali!) I love Verdi, because who doesn’t, and this opera offers many beautiful and spectacular moments for singers and orchestra alike to shine. What really detracted from the performance were the ambiguities of time period showcased in the costume and actions of the performers. Looking at the set, we knew we were watching a battleground, but the military costumes were ambiguous at best, and when contrasted with the graphic tees of the gypsies, we were left utterly flummoxed. This confusion was exascerbated by the ridiculous selfie that the soldiers took with a man in a noose(have some dang respect, you hooligans!) using a flip phone!! No one uses a flip phone anymore – how passé! So, while I was wowed and inspired by the amazing singing of the role Azucena, my attention was continually diverted by the lack of cohesion in set and costume design. So began my disappointment in my opera experience…

Disappointment two came in the form of over-the-top, attention-seeking modern interpreting by the director of Manon Lescaut. Again, no complaints can be made about the musicianship displayed, and with Manon being sung by Sondra Radanovsky, only beautiful sounds were being heard. Still, I am a sassy little animal, and I found reason to complain. This modern interpretation painted Manon as a sex worker, but all that it seemed to be was a chance to have someone run their fingers between Radanovsky’s legs and have her do a strip tease on stage. Now, I’m not a prude, as anyone who knows me knows, but this interpretation of the opera made me seriously upset. The reason? It detracted from my enjoyment of the music. I had a star singing the title role, a talented conductor, and beautiful voices abound, but every musical transition was jarring for me because the director didn’t honour Puccini by preparing the audience for the amazing transitions and variety that he composed. The director honoured the weird staging and modern take on a glorious opera. So, because I’m a princess and I couldn’t deal, we left at intermission. But, as an incredibly intelligent friend of mine said, it’s probably better that I don’t love everything that I see in opera, because it gives me a chance to decide what I value in music. For me, it really seems to be the music. (Thanks Alison!)

My cultural exploration of London was salvaged today, however, when my mom, my sister and I went to see the Nutcracker by the English National Ballet. What an absolutely stunning show. Again, those of you who know me know that I lack grace, so I really can’t comment on what those talented dancers did today. But I can tell you that while part of my mind was occupied with the glorious dancing and choreography, the other part of my kind was wondering how they did it. Do ballerinas know the score and count bars like I do before I make my entrance or exit? Does the conductor know some dance moves so he can follow and cue the dancers? And I know sopranos get to sing a billion gorgeous arias in any given opera, but how does the ballerina dancing Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy stay literally on her toes for so long? I don’t think I’ve had my mind so boggled recently. I sat there just wondering how these incredible athletes did it. Also, what if the conductor wasn’t paying attention and beat an andante instead of allegro? What do you even do to fix that? Poor ballerinas. 

So, stunning show if you can get out to see it. And it’s kind of incredible to think of the many amazing things that music can do. It makes you mad, it makes you wonder, and most of all, it makes your skin tingle and your scalp prickle and your heart swell, and I think that’s probably why we all sing it/dance it/play it; because it’s absolute magic.

So, with a full heart, a wandering mind, and my awesome mom in the next room, I sign off with ample gratitude for the gift that is music. Good night, sweet friends. 

procrasti-bloggin’

As evidenced by comically stressed Facebook posts and Snapchats of late, my friends all have found beautiful ways to procrastinate away the stress of finals and the last week of school. There’s procrasti-baking, procrasti-cleaning, and as seems to be my penchant, procrasti-blogging. What I ought to be doing right now is studying for that final exam that starts at 9:30AM tomorrow. But why study when I can blast rock’n’roll Christmas tunes and tell you about all the studying I’m missing out on. In reality, I’m taking a bit of a breather(from 15 arduous minutes of studying), and I found another source of guilt: my neglect of this blog. I can always say I’ll be better next week, next month, or next semester, but I’m tired of that lack of commitment….or I really don’t want to study. Regardless, in less than 12 hours, I’ll be sitting in that classroom either weeping or scribbling furiously, and according to our prof, in 12 hours and 15 minutes, I’ll have finished this exam and one completed task closer to freedom! Sweet, sweet freedom.

Yes, as Westjet reminded me yesterday, there are less than 72* hours until my flight.

The countdown is on!

…106 days to my recital…Well, here we are, another post coming in late. Post-opera colds can really take a gal down! Today, however, was a great day. Well, it started with our final class of the semester, and for me, the final class of my master’s degree. For now, it is also my final post-secondary course, but knowing me, I’ll probably be back in university someday. These days, the key is to focus on putting on a great recital. Oh! and also to pass this class for which we have an exam in a week. So, with those minor goals in mind, I head towards the last week of classes, and my last week in Canada for 2016.

Back to my great day because this is my blog and it’s all about me, of course. So, other than sitting through three hours of confusion this morning, I was in great voice today, and had a good lesson singing through new Canadian rep that I found this week. I get to sing about a lazy little hippo, an owl, and millipedes wearing bells on each of their feet so one can tell the difference between a centipede and a millipede. Needless to say, I’m going to have a heck of a lot of fun on my recital, and I’m going to have a lot of French to learn in the next little while. Looks like December won’t be all vacation. Ain’t no rest for the wicked…or for singers, or so I hear.

All of this good singing and music discovery comes after a weekend trip to Toronto with one of my main women, Jocelyn. We went to see another of our main women, Alyssa, in UofT’s opera production of Orpheus in the Underworld. It was hilarious and full of talented singers, and one of the most important things I have learned is that I need to be in a show with lightning flashes and a full line of can-can dancers. Or I shall create a one-woman show with these things, and find a way to make it seem like I’m a whole line of women doing the can-can. A bunch of legs attached to a wire frame perhaps? Picture it, it’s great. Awesome production ideas aside, I’m ridiculously proud of my Alyssa. She sang so beautifully, and let me tell you, girl has got stage presence! This seems to be the time of my life where I get to be surrounded by incredibly talented people whom I also just straight-up love. There are so many gruelling aspects to this career, but the people I spend my time singing with sure do make it worth it. Yes, for those of you who know I’m a sap, I sure am tearing up as I type this. But, I just love these people so dang much.

I’ll wipe away these sappy lil’ tears and take my lil’ sappy self to bed, but 8 days til’ England, 106 days til’ my recital, and something like 150 days until I’m a master. Or I’ll at least have a piece of paper that says so. So look out world, here I come, feelin’ the love, feelin’ the music, and about to have an amazing adventure with the gals in my family.

P.S. I’ll keep you posted on the one-woman show…