the swedish-italian connection; rigoletto comes to cleveland

yesterday (or was it the day before), i heard this incredible rendition of 'o soave fanciulla'...by jussi bjorling and renata tebaldi

all right -- i don't like the word 'incredible'...so much -- it was, certainly,...gorgeous -- amazing -- spine-tingling -- profound -- well,...you fill in...your own....

well, that combination...of a swede and an italian...connected, nicely, with my recent meeting of marco stella, the product of another...swedish-italian...duo -- marco's father is italian; his mother is swedish -- macro lives in gothenborg (pronounced 'yot'ti'bori' -- i think i got that right) -- and he's a very good guy

marco's in cleveland, to play rigoletto, on june 15, in a production by our local...opera circle -- in a return of opera to downtown cleveland -- playhouse square

i met marco, wednesday, after he performed with dorota sobieska, with her husband, jacek (yat'sek) on piano -- in a preview concert

i only caught part...of gilda's death scene...of the concert -- i'd come from the much-more-important concert of my nephew's fifth-grade...orchestra/band/chorus -- he plays the flute (like me, when i was a couple of years older than him)

speaking of...me -- my...musical...involvements -- i tried out for rigoletto's chorus -- joined in...two rehearsals -- couldn't cut it -- can't read the stitches on the fastball, couldn't hit the curve -- why, i couldn't even tell the difference between a fastball and a breaking pitch -- didn't know the count -- my batting stance...was a mess -- swinging...at all kinds of pitches -- fishing.... -- it was fun...fishing, though -- i'll keep on fishing

i might still get...to walk on stage

someone who will definitely be on the stage...is christina carr, as maddalena -- i met christina, a couple of months ago, at the wagner symposium, in walsh college

i just told marco about the great bjorling-tebaldi duet, and asked him if there's anything special -- in opera -- in history -- culturally -- between italy and sweden

'no,' he said, 'i think i'm writing that chapter'

i told him i was going to write this, and he...very helpfully...suggested a link...to a sample of his singing -- why didn't i think of that -- where does he get off,...telling me...how to do my job,...what to do

here goes

by the way, marco...loves his uncle bob

well,...here's another swedish-italian...coupling -- bjorling and pavarotti -- also from 'la boheme'

where do they get off...doing that duet

my excellent canton adventure

i attended the saturday portion of this weekend's wagner symposium -- part of my...opera education -- it was organized by the wagner society of ohio, and was held in walsh university, in north canton

in the afternoon, i was introduced to the singing of jane eaglen -- a revelation

she held a master class, then talked about her career -- the interviewer, wagner society board member steve charitan, did a very nice job of pairing her recordings, and singing, of isolde and norma -- she's an amazing singer, and her rendition of casta diva...is incredible

i've added it to my...collection

one of the pupils in the master class, christina carr, will play maddalena, in opera circle's production of rigoletto, mid-june -- in playhouse square -- i gave her...my two cents' worth...on the quartet -- actually, it's...a couple-millions' worth [may 4: christina carr had said that she wasn't familiar with the part, the scene, and...had just purchased the libretto, during a layover in new york, on her way to cleveland]

in the evening, the canton symphony orchestra performed four wagner pieces and stravinsky's rite of spring

i was really impressed by the orchestra -- amazed to see...some...dozen cellists, and, maybe,...eight bassists -- although i was informed (by two members of the wagner board) that this was necessitated by wagner's music, and that the orchestra brought in musicians from indiana, pittsburgh, and other...points...unknown

the conductor, gerhardt zimmermann, has been there since 1980

hometown girl amy yekel (who was sponsored by the ohio wagner society) sang the liebestod from tristan und isolde and brunnhilde's immolation scene from gotterdammerung

the sublimity -- the sublimeness -- of the liebestod...struck me,...for the first time

in between, the orchestra played ride of the valkyries -- which always brings to mind...my main man bugs bunny's classic 'what's opera, doc?' -- years ago, i played for my nephews and niece, when they were...littler

in looking for the bugsie classic, i saw, to my amazement, that it's been done, on stage -- here are two productions

then, of course, there's robert duvall, who's one of my favorites

before the concert, i found, by chance, in belden village, a really good italian fast-food place -- piada -- part of a chain -- a woman in line told me she'd been to one in columbus -- i'll see about getting one...to these parts

i just looked for them, on-line, and,...lo and behold, there's one on cedar, just west of warrensville -- you'll find me...there