Biden-Gillebrand? I'll kill myself.I can't think of a worse possible pairing.

There is only one book that is worth reading regarding the Clinton presidency and that is "The Hunting of the President" by Joe Conason and Gene Lyons, the only journalists I would trust on the subject.

The writer David Gerrold has been repeatedly posting FB rants against the Eriksons of the world. Gerrold emphasizes the dignity of all work. Those who denigrate the so-called "menial" workers are quickly given the boot. Anyway, there is no such thing as unskilled work. Whatever the job is, it requires some sort of ability. I refuse to use the term.

A bit of trivia. One of my favorite films, Robert Redford's QUIZ SHOW, features Darin's "Mack the Knife" over the opening credits and Lyle Lovett singing the "Moritat" over the closing ones.

Chenowith was accepted at Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts but on her way to Philly, she stopped in NYC, auditioned and won a part in a musical and decided that was the direction she wanted to go.

Just as long as Sir Simon keep making his yearly appearances with the Philadelphians. It's been his one consistent commitment for a good long while.

Don Carlos' "puffy shorts" and Violetta's sausage curls: let's just dispose of both of them because they don't flatter anyone.

I believe the Metropolitan Opera is a co-producer and also participating are the Finnish National Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin.

There is a difference between someone who designs costume for the theater, opera, etc, and a "fashion" designer. My friend Mara Blumenfeld designed the Met productions of LUCIA and SONNAMBULA. (Yeah, I know some of you hated the Zimmerman productions). For SONNAMBULA the chorus members had to wear regular clothing. Mara met with each of the chorus members for the production to ask them what they liked to wear, what made them look good and how comfortable it was for them. She didn't make any restrictions regarding weight. She also had to clothe the prompter, Carrie-Ann Matheson, who gets pulled up out of the prompter's box and onto the stage.

Having just done a Shostakovich marathon (Jerusalem Quartet and all the Shostakovich String Quartets in 4 cycles at Alice Tully Hall) I am so pre-ordering this CD. (Are classical music lovers the last bastion of CD buyers as the world continues to download music?) Thanks, OC!

Bingo! You came to the Met from Europe, you stayed for several months. You crossed the ocean by ship. You traveled by train in Europe. "Enforced rest" is exactly it. And if you're the same Oroveso I have encountered on another blog, hello!

Interesting in that you saw it as aloof whereas I saw it as a warm portrayal. I like that people have different responses to a performance. I don't have the musical or historical background that you do so it does give me cause to think. But I have seen Mattei's Don a number of times, both in person and on video, so I've come to my view through his evolution of the part. And just in case anyone wants a look at him offstage: http://tinyurl.com/cws2ov6

Well, he's certainly the changed the perception of Amfortas which has been generally sung by older (and aging) bass-baritones and basses. (Not to mention he, being a lyric baritone, had a different coloring in his voice.) Gerald Finley takes on the role next year at ROH and I hope that is streamed by Covent Garden; I'd be interested in seeing his take on the role.

OC, Mattei was part of the Singer's Studio interviews at the Met a few weeks ago which I attended and I asked him about that DG. Right before the Scala opening he had to jump into the Met's production for an injured Marius Kwieczen and had very little rehearsal time so no time to develop a characterization in sync with the production. Then onto La Scala where his Don was one of the sweeter portrayals (particularly in recent years in which very dark Dons seem to be the norm) and then a couple of months later he was in Paris for the second revival of the Haneke production which is as far from the Carsen Don as you can get. He said that he was happy to help the Met but personally wasn't satisfied in that he had to concentrate on remembering the staging. He loved the Carsen staging (I think it suits his essentially sunny personality); he said this Don was like air; everyone wanted him but he couldn't be contained. I asked him if he had difficulty making the transition back to Haneke but he said no. In fact, Scala helped him to return to Paris - he has been the only one to sing the Don in that staging - it took him to a very dark place). Incidentally, Mattei has worked with some amazing directors: Ingmar Bergmann, Peter Brook, Michael Haneke.

Mattei is my favorite singer so I'm biased. I think that he plays with the lyrics as much as he can for someone who speaks English as a (second, third?) language. He is charming and disarming. There's a whole bunch of these videos on YouTube from a Paris concert he had done with Anne-Sophie von Otter several years ago.

And for my favorite take on an opera/lieder singer channelling Sinatra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDhg6-D4VZM

Thank you OC! And a melancholy note. The three great post-Pears Britten tenors are not here to celebrate this centenary: my beloved Philip Langridge, Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Robert Tear. It's always lovely to hear each successive generation and I'm looking forward to them but a sadness that the above three gentlemen are not with us to join in.

I hereby deputize you to attend the ENO performance in my place. And if I recall correctly, that Warner staging (with Bostridge) was supposed to be part of Gerard Mortier's aborted first season at NYCO.

Funny you should mention Venice. My favorite singer is (and I will always refer to him in the present tense) Philip Langridge and von Aschenbach was his final Britten triumph. But I never got the chance to see/hear him in the role (thanks partly to the Met audience who seem to dislike Britten) and I don't think I could bear to see anyone else without having first seen Philip.

The whole world will be concentrating on Verdi and Wagner that, except for the UK, I'm afraid Britten might get lost.

I salute these towering geniuses but I'm concentrating on the Benjamin Britten centenary myself.

Wow, James Frain really was the right casting for Maestro Danny in HILARY AND JACKIE. And good for Germany (but boo for they're insistence on fiscal austerity in the EU).

Sheila, three years ago I sent a letter in English to the Festival requesting a ticket form. The form came in late August of that year and the form had to be at Bayreuth by the end of October. Last year they sent the form but also included codes for online ordering. This year they sent the form again along with the codes and now with an option to receive the Festival's brochure via email. Since I live in the US it makes it much easier to order this way since I don't have to worry about the length of time it takes the mail to get to Germany. Haven't received tickets yet but knew I needed to start ordering in order to get in the queue. Once you order you automatically receive the form the next year.

OC, I thought of you immediately when I saw the notice (via the Royal Philharmonic Society). Opera Company of Philadelphia staged the American premiere of PHAEDRA and then the next year performed ELEGY FOR YOUNG LOVERS as part of the Curtis/OCP series. They were extraordinary productions (although I think the Curtis artists were too young to give the full intensity of the characterizations). I've been saying that a small blessing is that Herr Henze was alert and active to the end of his productive and remarkable life.

This piece and Paul Krugman's regarding the Republicans disdain for workers are pretty much anyone needs to know about the Romney/Ryan ticket and the current Republican party.